By Mike Sand

It seems that in our current situation, we are now suffering from a lack of volunteer recruiting for our armed forces. Well duuhh? And this is a surprise to who?

There are no doubt reasons I am unaware of, but one glaring reason for this shortage of young men and women volunteers may be found in the person of Donald Trump and his loyalists.

Let’s begin with a potential female recruit. First of all, the Trump-appointed men to oversee our military seek to minimize and discredit the females’ contributions to our defense. Anyone who doubts the woman’s ability to rise to the occasion, whatever it is, should read Rudyard Kipling’s “The Female of the Species.” That poem should calm any doubts as to the female potential for ferocity.

Many of the remaining issues seem to affect both men and women equally. Our moderns read or hear about how they will be treated by the diminishing programs for returning veterans. They come to understand their value to this administration. Trump expects them to do whatever it is that he views as necessary at any time. Honestly, I feel that most of them will see right away that his dictates do not reflect well on our traditional American values. Why put their lives in jeopardy for policies that they personally object to?

The news media published an article about “Putin and Trump discuss ‘dividing up’ Ukraine” in a telephone call. That’s not an appealing way to put it but it’s probably mostly accurate. Issues like this will have a lasting effect on whether we have a volunteer army. While these young people still have a choice they are choosing to not have any part of it.

Since I started writing this piece, Trump re-opened the door to welcome segregation and has also started trash talking with Iran. The line of people outside the recruiters’ offices may get shorter.

I got a call from my brother the other day. He is an ex-Marine, although I’m told there is no such thing. Anyway, he called and said, “Mike, I’ve got some bad news … Bob” That’s all I needed to hear to surmise the bad news. Bob and my brother had been best friends since 1972 when they both served in Vietnam together. My brother was a second lieutenant and Bob was his gunnery sergaent. When they left the corps, they both ended up in Detroit and continued their friendship. I imagine that bonds formed on combat would be very personal and strong.

Bob was single, happily and comfortable retired; just bought a new pick-up truck, and was in seemingly good spirits up until the end. But Bob for some unknown reason put a bullet through his heart.

Now I have no proof, but I have some questions. How do our young men and women, who take an oath to uphold the constitution and government it represents, deal with the reality that the constitution they have sworn to defend is under attack and they feel helpless to do anything about it? What does that do to their psyche? They have invested years of their lives and may have suffered physically and psychologically and have had friends killed.

They can no longer defend the constitution and the people it protects. This is a heavy burden especially when seeing the greatest enemy of that constitution pretending to lead their country to greatness and instead destroying all they have sacrificed for. The men and women who have served in the military are suffering now in many ways.

Rally and march in Pittsburg on Saturday. 

Gathering begins at 2:45 p.m.t the Pritchett Pavilion, 106 W. 2nd St., Pittsburg, KS.

Invocation at 3:00 p.m. – Xavier Moore will sing.

There will be voter registration and an action table for volunteer sign up. Bring lawn chairs for comfort at the Pavilion.

Local and District 2 speakers include:

• Dr. Carol Meza Bakke

• Marcia Weeks

• Dr. Mark Peterson

• Christy Davis

• Dr. Emily Walters

The march will begin after the speakers present, proceeding from the Pavilion and returning to the Pavilion (weather permitting).

Join us for this month’s county party meeting on April 13 at 1 pm at the Crawford County Democratic Headquarters. Everyone is welcome to participate.

Please let Emily know if you have any items you'd like to see added to the agenda at emily@crawfordcountyksdems.org

We are hoping to see everyone there!

By Christy Davis

The billionaires who don’t pay taxes are calling the shots in Washington, gleefully dismantling the programs the rest of us count on to survive. Elon Musk, whose auto company reported it owes zero federal income taxes on $2.3 billion in U.S. income in 2024, decried Social Security as a “Ponzi scheme.” While the convicted felon-in-chief celebrates his plan to eliminate the Department of Education, the richest Americans want tax breaks AND our tax money to sustain a separate and unequal system of private schools.

While they dismantle the social safety net, billionaires count on the rest of us to be too busy, working two jobs without reliable childcare, to fight back. Is there room for improvement in government programs? Yes. But breaking things we can’t fix will continue to create havoc for all of us, not just those who depend directly on federal programs.

The stakes for Kansas communities have become too high to ignore. In the past decade, Crawford County has received $2.1 billion in federal funds, including $1.36 billion from Social Security, $155.98 million from HHS, $121.57 million from the Education Department, and $106.17 million from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Road repairs rely on funding from the Department of Transportation, which has provided more than $84 million in funding to Crawford County in the past decade. And USDA, which not only helps farmers, but funds rural housing, hospitals, and infrastructure, has awarded more than $75 million to Crawford County since 2015.

Just imagine if Crawford County was set to lose an employer who pumped more than $200 million into the region each year; or if Crawford County businesses were about to lose $200 million per year in income. You can see the major impact these cuts will have on the local economy. According to the Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce, the region’s top five employers are Pittsburg State University (1,572), Mercy Hospital (formerly Ascension Via Christi, 775), Sugarcreek Packing (750), USD 250 (684) and Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas (CHC/SEK, 480).  All five of these employers would be significantly impacted by federal cuts. In the past ten years, PSU has received nearly $47 million in federal grants, not including funds it received from students on financial aid. During the same period, the City of Pittsburg received $6.2 million in federal grants, including funds that improved the safety and security of the airport. CHC/SEK received more than $105 million in federal grants alone in the past ten years. Pittsburg USD 250 generally receives approximately $3.5 million per year in federal funds. And Sugarcreek Packing relies on USDA funding, staff and programs.

In 2023, 16.7% of Crawford County’s residents were facing “severe housing problems.” How does the Trump Administration plan to address this crisis? By cutting 50% of the staff at the Department of Housing (HUD) and shuttering a $1 billion program meant to keep housing safe and affordable. The uncertainty of the future of government programs that make these projects possible is sending the housing development community packing.

Cuts to so-called entitlement programs, which are supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans, affect ALL OF US. Why? Because the local hospitals and clinics we count on get more than half of their income from so-called “entitlements.” In Crawford County, nearly 30% of citizens rely on Medicaid, Medicare or veteran benefits for health coverage. Our hospitals and clinics can’t stay open without them.  Thirty percent of Crawford County households receive Social Security benefits; and, unlike the billionaires who view economic downturns as opportunities to buys stocks at a discount, Kansas seniors cannot afford to miss the monthly repayment of their Social Security contributions.

Instead of paying taxes, billionaires are making unchecked donations to extremist politicians to rig the system in their favor. When the House and Senate are singing the Trump/DOGE chorus, who is representing US? The result is that we are sanctioning ourselves in a way that even our worst enemies couldn’t dream of. When we have strong public institutions, we can hold them to account. If they “rebuild” these broken systems by privatizing these programs, we will be paying into a system that is unaccountable to the people. Instead, our hard-earned tax dollars will be lining the pockets of the unchecked billionaires who use their tax savings to buy political influence of those who should be protecting the interests of taxpayers.

All of us deserve better.

Christy Davis recently served as the Kansas Rural Development Director for the United States Department of Agriculture in the Biden administration and has recently been active in highlighting the effects of the Trump cuts on rural Kansans.

Liberal Ladies met on Wednesday, the 5th, to plan Pi Day on the 14th. Isaiah Harris, who is Chairman of the Fundraising Committee, joined us. He suggested starting our sale at 8:00 a.m. Betty Urich and Kathy Fischer said they could be there at 7:00 a.m! We would be open until the pies are gone. Isaiah was willing to be there until 6:00. We began to get a list of pies and asked Emily to send an email requesting pies from the Crawford County Dems.

We then planned a follow-up meeting on Wednesday, the 12th. Sally began moving furniture around to best showcase our pies. She also decided we needed a few tables in front for people to be able to sit and visit and eat pie and drink free coffee or tea. That was cozy and inviting. I believe we ended up with 75 pies of all delicious sorts. At the end of the sale we had four or five pies left and $1,500!!!

I brought the leftover pies to our monthly county meeting and sold or gave away every one! I have two cans of whipped topping and one full container of Cool Whip (which is frozen) leftover and will bring them to our wrap up meeting on the 19th at 2: 00. We'll make a record of how it all went and talk about how we can make it even better! Send me suggestions if you can't come. Liberal Ladies are such fun, creative planners and workers. You are the BEST!

Janice took detailed notes during the wrap up m,eeting about Pi Day. I couldn't print it all, but hope Janice can bring a copy for a file in the office and so we can look at them again. If you have any ideas to make Pi Day better, we'd love to hear them.

I STAND WITH UKRAINE posters are available to order for $10.90. Laura Klusener needs the money in hand before she orders them. There is a sample in the window. I also want to mention Delma Thompson ended a meeting by reading a new poem called “The Wolf at the Door."

We met again on March 26, at noon, at Dem HQ. I reported on Cheryle Wilson talking about how lonely it gets and how much she appreciates cards and calls. She told me about a neckroll that a friend had made her when she was in the hospital. She will send me the pattern. Several LL's expressed interest in making them.

We went over Nancy Fredette's upcoming surgery. She is very upbeat. Nancy is in frequent contact with her. We will figure out what she needs most. Thomas Gagnon is coming to our meeting on 4/9 to help us make plans. Same with Lillian who is doing much better. She has the right medicine to be able to move without severe pain. This week she will be released to her friend Jeanette's house in Overland Park.

Kay told us what she had learned about Social Security. I think it is open to change so it's difficult for all of us. Nancy Tomassi has talked with Char Strong about her needs for her classroom. She teaches in Girard. She was very excited to get art supplies for her kids. Penny mentioned Betterme.com a chair yoga app. It is really helping her. We celebrated the PSU women's basketball team for their successes!

We will participate in Earth Day. Janice is finding out details. We will have desserts and coffee at the HQ and will invite visitors. A kind of coffee shop. The Bargain Bonanza directed by Harriet once again will happen and be bigger and even better. Nancy needs to get lots better so she can have her Bake Sale. It will be in August before school starts. Chili feed at Memorial Auditorium in November. Discount for Veterans? Think about making a recipe book. Sell individual recipes at Pi Day. We are thinking about a Teacher Appreciation Night in late May.

Marcia gave a heartfelt talk about visiting offices of our elected officials. She has pictures of bombed hospitals and a stamp Ukraine had made of a single soldier making a finger sign to a Russian Battleship. Penny made 5 Calls to these same people. Jean told about Europeans telling their people to not travel to the U.S. There is a gathering of some sort at the offices of Moran and Marshall this Friday. We don't think either will be there. If you have signs bring them. I sent an email to Dustin Strong to see if he would cover it.

Our next meeting is on 4/9, noon, at Dem HQ.

— Susy Hammons

Friday, March 14 was our annual Pie (Pi) Day fundraiser and it was a massive hit! We sold 75 pies and made just over 1500 dollars! After opening up shop at 8 a.m., a steady stream of supporters came through to drink coffee, buy and eat pie, as well as enjoy an encouraging space to fraternize and network. Well over 100 people visited our headquarters to support us! Aside from a mid-day Kansan spell of rain, we were blessed with beautiful weather through our closure around 5 p.m. Spirits were high and the pies were delicious (or so I assume… I couldn’t try them all!). Speaking of… On behalf of the fundraising committee, I would be sorely remiss if I didn’t give a huge thank you to everyone who selflessly donated pies for us to sell! A special shoutout goes to our headquarters manager, Sally Harryman, as well as our lovely Liberal Ladies, who did a ton of heavy lifting with baking and organizing. Overall, the event was a major success and we are looking forward to future fundraisers (to be announced!). If you are interested in volunteering with fundraising in any capacity, reach out to me, Isaiah, at my contact info below.

Isaiah Harris

Fundraising Committee Chair

620-670-0848

theharris180@gmail.com

I am excited to announce that the Crawford County Democratic Party is restarting regularly-scheduled social events! In the vein of the barroom-social “Beers and BS” we hosted for a while, we will now be opening our doors at HQ for the express purpose of getting together and, well, BSing! Many of us were inspired by the absolute outpouring of support during the Pie Day fundraiser. Dozens of individuals not only stopped by to get a slice of pie but ended up staying for a while to fill our headquarters with genial conversation. Our first “demochat” (accepting ideas for names!) will take place on Tuesday, April 22 – Earth Day – and then every third Tuesday following. Our doors will be open at 9 a.m to all who would like to come for coffee, snacks, and chitchat! Join us at our headquarters, 217A North Broadway, here in Pittsburg!

— Isaiah Harris

March began with several members of the Crawford County Democrats attending the annual Washington Days, a convention where Kansas Democrats come together for a couple days to attend caucuses and vote on Kansas state administrative offices. Much like last year, there were a number of Young Dems representing our county and showing Kansas we’re ready to act.

The first night of Washington Days is more of a social night where people can mingle with other Democrats and organizations with booths attending the convention. It’s a great way to connect and also reconnect with others. We also reunited briefly with our fellow Young Dems and had a fun time simply escaping from the stress of our lives, personal and political, meaning we probably had more margaritas than we should have. Nonetheless, Crawford County Young Dems were all over the place, but in a good way, dancing and enjoying the music.

We were right back to business the next morning, attending caucuses to get updates on what’s been happening, and what the future entails for not only the Kansas Democrats, but also for the Young Democrats. Jack Bertoncino, my homie, is now the first Vice President of the Kansas Young Dems, and David Su is the CD2 Chair for the Young Dems. The new KYD president, Reed Krewson, gave us a lot of hope for future things to come, wanting to integrate the way Crawford County has our chapters, including high school, college, young, and the main democratic parties. Overall, it was a very productive time for us.

At the luncheon, we got to congratulate Lynn Grant on getting a lifetime achievement award. We also got to hear Jack give a fantastic speech on the importance of including young people in the discussions on what we can do to improve our communities. Then at the banquet, David Toland, Laura Kelly, and Harry Dunn gave amazing speeches that, at least for me, lifted my spirits and encouraged more confidence that we can make a difference, however small it may be.

This was another Washington Days for the books – my second and it was much better than last year’s, as I could enjoy my time and not be stuck at the Walmart Auto Center all day. I kept myself hydrated, as well, which was helpful in those hot rooms. Sure, some people probably saw me walking around with a big jug of water, but it was better than sitting through that Kansas Dems meeting dehydrated. I enjoyed my time with the Young Dems who attended: Sophia, David, Isaiah, Wren, Jack, and Shan. This year brings me comfort that our Young Dems will keep coming back stronger every year.

— Blaise Jacks

Article submissions are needed from Crawford County Democrats and friends about issues and topics we should all be thinking about. Let us publish your thoughts in this Revue, for distribution to county Democrats and others across the state. Back issues of thr newsletter are also on the website at https://www.crawfordcountyksdems.org/newsletter.

Please email your thoughts or those of your caucuses and interest groups for publication in the county party’s newsletter to news@crawfordcountyksdems.org. Accompanying photographs or other ideas for illustrating your articles are also welcome. Feel free to ask questions by text or phone of newsletter crew Harriet at 620-704-8566 or Phil at 708-466-0659. Also please include your phone number with your message in case we have questions for you.

We look forward to hearing from you!