Category: Opinions

Census Bureau gears up for decennial count

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Column

by Murrel Bland

Article One, Section Two of the U.S. Constitution empowers Congress to carry out a census in “such manner as they shall by Law direct.” The first census was carried out by U.S. marshals in 1790 when there 3,929,214 persons in the United States.

Alan Organ, a partnership specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau, explained this fact and other information Friday morning, Nov. 9, at a meeting of about 25 members of the Legislative Committee of the Kansas City, Kansas, Area Chamber of Commerce. Organ said that it will be important for everyone to be counted and urged chamber members to cooperate with the Census Bureau.

Organ, a medical doctor who taught at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, said he has met with Mayor David Alvey and the mayor has assured him of his cooperation. The mayor has appointed Gordon Criswell, an assistant county administrator, to assist in this effort.

Organ said he is working with other community organizations including El Centro and faith-based entities.

One of the main reasons that it is important that every person is counted is that the census data is used in distributing federal funds. Those funds for fiscal year 2015 for Kansas totaled more than $4.4 billion, according to a report from the George Washington University Institute for Public Policy. Those funds came from several federal departments including Health and Human Services, Transportation, Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development and Education.

Organ said census forms will be mailed to everyone’s home. If the form is not returned, a census worker will follow up to get the form. It is estimated that by Census Day, April 1, 2020, there will be about 350 million persons in the United States. The 2010 census counted 308,745,538 persons.

The Census Bureau is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. It has several temporary jobs including recruiting assistants, clerks, field supervisors and census takers. A typical job pays about $33,000 a year. Persons interested in applying for a job may telephone 1-855-562-2020.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is the executive director of Business West.

Review: Film does excellent job portraying life of astronaut

by Murrel Bland

“First Man,” a movie about Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. Starring Ryan Gosling and Claire Foy. Directed by Damien Chazelle. Steven Spielberg is the executive producer; 141 minutes as seen at Legends 14 Theaters.

This year marked the 50th anniversary of the first man on the moon. The movie does an excellent job of telling the personal details of what it meant to be an astronaut.

Neil Alden Armstrong was born on Aug. 5, 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio. He was a U.S. Navy pilot during the Korean War. While flying a Grumman F9F aircraft in 1951, he was hit by anti-aircraft fire and had to bail out. After the war, he completed work on his degree at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. He became a test pilot in 1955 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, flying the X-15 among other aircraft.

The movie, filmed in semi-documentary fashion, traces Armstrong’s life from 1961 until the landing on the moon July 20, 1969. Armstrong was the commander of the Gemini 8 space capsule in March of 1966, which was a preliminary venture to the moon shot. He was the first civilian to fly in space.

Armstrong and astronaut David Scott performed the first docking of two spacecraft. That mission is well documented in the film, showing a wild ride in space; the mission had to be aborted after Armstrong was forced to use some of his reentry fuel to prevent a dangerous spin caused by an equipment malfunction.

Ryan Gosling does an excellent job of portraying Armstrong. The film shows the personal sacrifice that his family endured. His son was disappointed that his father would miss his swimming meet. The family is concerned that Armstrong might not come back from space. Claire Foy, a British actress, does an equally good job of portraying the astronaut’s wife, Janet. She and another astronaut’s wife talk about how life would be simpler if they had been married to dentists.

The highlight of the film comes when Armstrong sets foot on the moon and says, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press.

Congressional Forum marks 50th anniversary

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Opinion column

by Murrel Bland

A group of Kansas City, Kansas, businessmen in 1968 wanted to establish a nonpartisan organization that would help keep its members informed about governmental issues.

The group included Ferris Kimball and Harlan Potter, industrial suppliers with businesses in the Fairfax industrial area; Orrin Shepherd, who owned clothing stores in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, and in Wyandotte Plaza; and Dick Bond, who was the administrative assistant to U.S. Rep. Larry Winn Jr. Bond later became president of the Kansas Senate.

The forum first considered being an independent entity; however, after researching such matters as IRS regulations, it decided to be part of the Chamber of Commerce.

The forum was able to attract such speakers as U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, who later ran for vice president and president; George H.W. Bush, who later was elected president; Shirley Temple Black, the child movie star who later became a U.S. representative from California; Jesse Owens, the runner who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin; and Alan Shepard, the first American astronaut to venture into space.

Although the forum was founded by mostly Republicans, its rules maintain that it is a nonpartisan organization. Winn served in Congress from 1967 until 1985. Jan Meyers succeeded Winn; she served until 1997.

Vince Snowbarger was congressman for only one term, from 1997 until 1999. He wasn’t particularly active with the forum because liquor was served at the organization’s monthly meetings.

The organization continued to meet during the tenure of U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, a Democrat, from 1999 to 2011. U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder, a Republican, was elected in 2011 and now is seeking re-election in a close race. His opponent, Sharice Davids, a Democrat, was invited to attend the forum, but declined.

The voluntary chairmen of the forum included Wells Haren, a construction company owner; Sherrill Minter, an auto dealer; Dr. Fred Bosilevac, a medical doctor; and Bill Epperheimer, a retired newspaper publisher.

Rep. Yoder said the forum is unique and there is no other such organization to his knowledge.

About 100 persons attended a celebration marking the forum’s anniversary Friday, Oct. 19, at Children’s Mercy Park. Bob Kimball, a member of the forum’s board of directors, gave a brief history of the organization.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is the executive director of Business West.