The Kansas City Star, Oct. 30
It’s absolutely true. The state of Kansas really will ticket motorists for displaying a perceived racist slur - on license plates the state itself sent out.
The state has officially recalled 828 plates with the letters “NGA” - which, although they are randomly assigned letters, can appear to be a condensed version of a loathsome racial slur.
We have no problem with the recall. The slur really is too repugnant to even approximate on a state license tag. County treasurer’s offices, which maintain vehicle registrations, have mailed recall notices, temporary tags and decals, and a postage-paid envelope to return the offending plate.
The problem is, if some owners don’t get the NGA tags off their vehicles and the new ones put on, they will be subject to a ticket for having an invalid license tag - essentially through little fault of their own. It was the state’s doing, after all.
That puts both the vehicle owner and police in a bind: As Overland Park Police Chief Frank Donchez notes, officers would have no choice but to ticket a vehicle with an invalid license plate, even if it’s the state’s fault.
“We will enforce the laws as the state requires,” Donchez told The Star.
The police are not to blame, but this doesn’t seem fair or just at all - that law-abiding citizens could be handed a citation for not cleaning up the state’s mess.
Yet, the Kansas Department of Revenue is resolutely not backing down a bit.
“The Kansas Department of Revenue feels that by sending the letters with everything included - return envelope, temporary tag, decal for the new plate, which also arrives by mail, and a receipt - it has performed this recall in the best manner it could,” a spokesperson wrote in an email to The Star.
It’s similar to a recall in 2018 of Kansas plates with the letters “JAP,” an unintended slur that needed no deciphering. And it’s a scenario that’s likely to be repeated as society becomes more conscious of being inclusive.
But this recall comes in the thick of not only the COVID-19 pandemic but a hectic and dizzying election season. While new license plates definitely stand out in the mail, they’ve had a lot of competition for attention from the blizzard of political fliers most of us have been snowed under with.
“Kansas has the right to invalidate the license plates it issued, but the burden is on the state to make the situation right,” Gary Biller, president and CEO of the grassroots National Motorists Association, said in a statement to The Star. “Threatening the vehicle owners with a violation for an issue not of their making is heavy-handed at the least. Why not invite the owners of the affected vehicles to stop by their local DMV office where officials will swap out the license plates and provide updated registrations? Little muss or fuss, and no threats of penalties from the party that bears responsibility for the recall.”
No such luck. So be warned: If you received that mailing, or have that now-infamous NGA tag on your vehicle, get it changed out, or risk getting ticketed.
The state will no doubt apologize and thank you for fixing its gaffe. Though we don’t recommend holding one’s breath.
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The Topeka Capital-Journal, Oct. 29
With COVID-19 cases surging in Kansas, with hospitals filling up, and with county after county still opting out of basic public health guidance, a statewide mask mandate just makes sense.
That’s what Gov. Laura Kelly tried to do earlier this year, and that’s what the Legislature prevented her from doing by making the guidance optional. Kelly recently met with legislative leaders to address the topic again - but no mandate was forthcoming. Instead, they are supposed to connect with county leaders and encourage them to adopt such requirements.
We understand the political considerations here. Kelly has faced a continual barrage of criticism for her commonsense health measures. The Democratic governor has to play nice with Republican lawmakers.
But here’s the thing. If Kelly’s original orders hadn’t been watered down in a fit of partisan pique, Kansas would be in better shape now. Fewer people would have fallen ill. We might not be facing a surge of cases now. And as a result, our state economy - which the GOP claims to prize - would be in far stronger shape. Remember, people don’t want to go out to spend money if they’re afraid of a pandemic.
Kelly, for her part, is still taking a firm line.
“If we are unable to convince communities to voluntarily implement a mask mandate, I will move expeditiously to find another way to implement a statewide mask requirement,” she said at a news conference Wednesday, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal’s Titus Wu.
She’s right to do so. We know that until a vaccine arrives, masks are one of our strongest tools to fend off the virus. They help both prevent transmission and infection.
No, masks might not be 100% effective, but few disease prevention measures are 100% effective. Their utility comes from widespread adoption. If masks cut cases by 40%-60%, let’s say, that’s a big deal if every single person is wearing one. If only a handful do, the benefits are far more modest.
We hope that county leaders listen to their colleagues, listen to the science and ensure masking throughout their communities. Everyone has to work together to create a plan that’s best for Kansans - not for targeting the governor.
Let’s come together and do this. Let’s crush the curve, slow the spread and be in the best shape possible when a vaccine arrives.
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