I had a choice at the Kansas DMV: Pay a Maine driver’s fine or not get a license | Opinion
Time, money gone
I bet 99% of Kansas drivers have never heard of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s National Driver Register. It maintains a database called the Problem Driver Pointer System, which is used by states to flag people whose driving privileges have been revoked and to prevent them from receiving driver credentials from another state. The problem is that information is often innaccurate and flags innocent drivers like me.
I tried to renew my driver’s license at the Kansas DMV and was blocked because of an incorrect flag in the database from Maine. I have never lived in Maine and never even visited the state. However, a driver with a very similar name and the same birth date as me had an unpaid fine from 2005.
I called the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles and was given two options: Pay some unknown driver’s $50 fine and have the problem information removed from the NHTSA database in 15 minutes, or wait an unknown amount of time for Maine to investigate the incident and send a “Not Me” letter. I obviously took the easy way and paid the $50. In 20 minutes, my license was renewed.
Kansas needs to stop using this flawed system until the problem of incorrect identifications is fixed.
- Raymond Owen, Merriam
Bailey’s game
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey announced he is investigating the Hazelwood School District in St. Louis for its “radical DEI policies,” which allegedly caused a recent brutal fight between two students. He implies that the incident happened at a Hazelwood school under the noses of indifferent personnel. This ploy allows Bailey to gin up outrage among Missouri voters as he pursues his political campaign by exploiting the rural-urban divide, “anti-woke” bluster and racial stereotyping.
The reality is, though, that the fight between the girls took place after school on a neighborhood street away from any Hazelwood staff. In all likelihood, Bailey’s investigation won’t proceed much further than his announcement because it will have accomplished his objective of getting free publicity without tying up resources (and prestige) in a frivolous investigation.
Perhaps his next headline-grabber will be to threaten select parents with investigations into their child-rearing skills if their kids are involved in a cafeteria or playground fight while at school.
- John McDonald, Ferguson, Missouri
Help is here
In the ongoing debate about the value of higher education, one fact remains clear: A college degree is the strongest predictor of economic stability. However, financing this education can be a daunting task, especially for students from low-income backgrounds.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid stands as a crucial resource, opening the doors to more than $120 billion in financial aid nationwide. Yet many students and families miss out on this opportunity because of a lack of awareness or timely action.
That’s why organizations such as ours urge students to act fast. Despite the importance of the FAFSA, submission rates among Missouri high school seniors are concerning, down 34.4% from last year. MOFAFSA.ORG is a comprehensive resource that can help students navigate the process.
Time is of the essence. Submitting the FAFSA opens doors to opportunities that can shape a student’s future. Let’s ensure that all students have access to the financial aid they need to pursue higher education and secure their economic futures.
- Camry Ivory, KC FAFSA initiative consultant, Missouri College and Career Attainment Network
- John Kearney, Executive director, Hispanic Development Fund, Kansas City
Already developed
I take exception to Jenny Monheiser’s statement in her March 22 guest commentary that the rural area where she plans to add a landfill in south Kansas City is “undeveloped.” (7A, “Kansas City needs to deal with trash reality”)
I live in one of more than 900 homes within a mile of the site. There are schools and churches nearby, too. Anyone can plainly see that it is developed and new houses are under construction. If there is a “need” for a landfill, please find a site away from so many families.
- Janet Sears, Raymore
Equal access
In her March 21 guest commentary “Kansas makes a bizarre request of blind residents over state IDs,” (14A) Emily Schlenker expressed a valid concern regarding Kansas’ lack of support for blind individuals seeking employment. I have been an educator of blind and visually impaired students in the Kansas City area for more than 30 years. Like most teachers, I encourage my students to set high goals for education and employment. Ms. Schlenker has certainly done that, as she is pursuing a graduate degree in pharmacy.
However, too often those in the sighted world do not recognize simple barriers that challenge the visually impaired, such as in Ms. Schlenker’s case with regulations regarding state ID renewal. Accommodations should be made to the online ID renewal process to make it as accessible to blind individuals as it is to those sighted.
- Susan Kilbride, Kansas City
Who’s the loser?
An open letter to Donald Trump:
Why do you keep saying things to the effect of, “I am being indicted, taking arrows for you, but I am doing this for you”?
Doing what exactly for us? Showing your lack of respect for our country, democracy and the Constitution.
Unlike you, the vast majority of us have never been found legally liable for sexual abuse — aka rape, in the words of the judge overseeing the case — never fondled women, nor bragged about doing so. Almost none of us mock people with speech disorders or physical challenges, and then listen as our supporters laugh along with us. Many of us, unlike you, stepped up to serve our country in the military and are appalled by your disrespect for those who have served. MIAs, POWs and members of the armed forces who lost their lives in service are not “losers” and “suckers” as you have called them.
You openly adore authoritarian rulers and dictators as role models. You are in court because you took classified documents, stored them in a bathroom and showed them to others. You even lied to the FBI.
Your lack of morality, honesty and other good human traits is obvious — but what is not so obvious is why your supporters cheer you on. But then, this is America.
And no, you were not sent here by the Lord, unless there was a shortage of locusts.
- Bob Riddle, Lee’s Summit
