Jack Cashill doesn't believe in Karma

In a recent column Jack Cashill writes about the poor people of this state with such a palpable disdain you'd think he was referring to Mexicans.

The unmarried poor run any number of health risks. Studies both here and in the U.K., for instance, show that "boyfriends" are roughly 30 times more likely than a married father to abuse the children in their charge. The homicide rates in either of the Kansas Cities, given their clustering of dependent families, typically run 20-30 times higher than they do, say, in Johnson County. The poor are much more likely than the non-poor to smoke, grow morbidly fat, get hooked on something evil, or catch some nasty STD, all of which costs lots of money and almost none of which is paid for by those afflicted.

Clearly, Cashill is implying that the poor people of this state and city are good for nothing but working at Wal-Mart, fighting wars and paying for improvements at the Truman Sports Complex. The article details the process of preparing a debate as part of the Kansas City @ the Crossroads series and it's clear which side Cashill will take.

Unfortunately, this rabid defense of Medicare cuts and the people of Johnson County works against its aim because it's sure to make anybody sick who reads it. Cashill could be the most short sighted economist next to Ebenezer Scrooge. As even the most stalwart fiscal conservatives and Republicans are beginning to understand that Universal Health Care might be important in not only helping this country compete against every other industrialized nation who already has it but also would reform our broken and inefficient Health Care system.

Cashill's cutthroat conservatism doesn't make sense anymore. In his current condition, Ronald Reagan is more likely to make a thoughtful contribution to the delicate balance between social programs and fiscal solvency than Cashill. And while this local columnist blames the poor for their poverty and illnesses, the only point that is incontrovertible is that in the end sickness and death make equals of us all regardless of political affiliations or income brackets.