Sunday at my church the sermon title was (I’m paraphrasing) How do you smell to God?
Do you know there are like 14 references to “fragrance” in the Bible?
Pastor Karla asked the congregation to suggest things that smell good to them and then the reverse.
This exercise was hard for me having lost my sense of smell about 10 years ago.
I do remember the pleasing smell of cinnamon rolls from the Dolly Madison plant and soybeans from East Sixth. Bad milk, old garbage and of course the packing plant would be my not so pleasing list.
If our Pastor had asked me Sunday for a good smell I would have offered that my dad thought crude oil was a pleasing smell while many others would disagree just like the smell of cow manure probably pleased Buster Wheat, Olma Peak, and Girdner Crowfoot while others would disagree.
Guess we will agree to disagree on what might be a pleasant fragrance.
The so-call “smell test” on the other hand is a little more subjective. It’s defined as an informal method for determining whether something is authentic, credible or ethical using common sense instead of our nose.
Youngsters plan for the evening that has questions for patents may not pass their “smell test.”
Without hard facts let me discuss the actions of the Kansas Legislature over the weekend as it pertained to Medicaid Expansion.
For me, their actions did not pass my “smell test.”
Medicaid Expansion would make affordable health care available to well over one hundred thousand Kansans who currently do not have insurance for a variety of reasons.
Is this proposal perfect? Far from it, and it will cost the state an unknown amount of money. It also will help some who don’t deserve help and there are other possible hidden challenges.
But, the status quo is not working. Expansion is a better solution, but we cannot get it through the legislature even though a majority in both the House and Senate and the Governor support the plan.
Senate leadership is opposed and under their rules has successfully kept Medicaid Expansion from being voted on in the Senate.
Over the weekend a coalition of House Democrats and moderate Republicans attempted not supporting the proposed budget as a way to force a vote. This seemed to be working but eventually failed.
A sizable majority of Kansans support Medicaid Expansion yet it can’t even get voted on in the Senate!
This whole deal fails miserably to pass my “smell test!” I hope you agree and let our leaders know.
I’m Steve Sauder and there’s something to think about.
