PAST AND CURRENT EVENTS
TALK Salina facilitators have traveled to Topeka, Junction City, Manhattan, Wichita, Colby, Wakefield and Newton to facilitate and assist in other types of forums.
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2019 Deliberations
Co-sponsoring a NIFI training with K-State's ICDD at the KANSAS Volunteer Commission training Rhatigan Student Center, Herman Room 262, 1:00 pm to 3:15 p.m at Wichita State University on Thursday, July 25.
WHAT SHOULD WE DO ABOUT THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC?
Option 1- Focus on Treatment for All.
This option says that, given the rising number of deaths from opioids, we must devote considerably more resources to treatment in order to make any real headway in turning around the epidemic.
Option 2- Focus on Enforcement
This option says that our highest priority must be keeping our communities safe and preventing people from becoming addicted in the first place.
Option 3- Focus on Individual Choice
This option recognizes that society cannot force treatment on people.
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A NATION IN DEBT. How Can We Pay the Bills?
TALk Colby event May 2,
2019, and Salina Media
Connection event June 27
televised on Salina TV.
Option 1- Agree to Limits.
This option says we have
let the national debt become this large through complacency about the size of government and the many services and benefits it provides.
Option 2- Strengthen Checks and Balances. This option says the national debt is out of control because we lack the basic mechanisms we need to ensure the government acts in a responsible way.
Option 3- Invest in Growth First.
This option says that while our debt is quite large, it will be less of a problem if we can increase the growth rate of our economy.
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COMING TO AMERICA
WHO SHOULD WE WELCOME? WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
MARCH 28, 2018- Salina
NOVEMBER 13, 2018- Lincoln County
Option 1: Welcome Immigrants, Be a Beacon of Freedom
This option says that immigration has helped make America what it is today-
a dynamic and diverse culture, an engine of the global economy, and a beacon of freedom around the world.
Option 2: Enforce the Law, Be Fair to Those Who Follow the Rules
This option says we need a fair system, where the rules are clear and, above all, enforced. With an estimated 11 million people living in the country illegally, our current system is unjust and uncontrolled.
Option 3: Slow Down and Rebuild Our Common Bonds
This option recognizes that newcomers have strengthened American culture in the past. But the current levels of immigration are so high, and the country is now so diverse, that we must regain our sense of national purpose and identity
The final National Report on the 2018 National Issues Forums on Immigration.
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SAFETY AND JUSTICE
HOW SHOULD COMMUNITIES REDUCE VIOLENCE?
MARCH 8, 2017 (Six Events Held)
Option 1- Enforce the Law Together. Expand Policing While Strengthening community-Police Partnerships.
Option 2- Apply the Law Fairly. Remove Injustices, Reform Inequities, and Improve Accountability.
Option 3- De-escalate and Prevent Violence. Address the Causes of Violence and Take Direct Action to Disrupt Conflict.
NOTE: Following these events, Lane Mangels, Salina Police Department, was invited to attend a public discussion on this topic in Washington, DC representing us.
Single table deliberation on Safety and Justice event taped for review.
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WHAT SHOULD WE DO TO ADDRESS CRIMINAL JUSTICE ISSUES IN SALINA [THE SALINE COUNTY JAIL]
OCTOBER 7, 2015 (Two Events)
Incarceration. Prevention. Rehabilitation. Legal Options. Three Approaches to Consider
Option 1- Maintain and Increase Incarceration.
Option 2- Emphasize Prevention and Rehabilitation
Option 3- Change the Legal System
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ADDRESSING MENTAL HEALTH CARE
OCTOBER 14, 2014
A national conversation to increase understanding about mental health.
Option 1- Individuals come First. Privacy is paramount and individuals should have the right to make choices about their healthcare. This with an illness should be able to decide what treatment is best and also have the option to refuse treatment altogether.
Option 2- Public Responsibility. Society has the responsibility to intervene in the treatment of individuals when they are unable to unwilling to do so themselves. Information sharing is a critical to a functional mental health system.
Option 3- Treatment over Criminalization. Jail should never be used as an alternative to treatment. Treatment saves money and has a better chance of rehabilitating a person with a mental illness.
Report to be Posted
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EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Right From the Start; What Should We Do To Help Our Youngest Children Thrive?
MARCH 29, 2016 (Two events)
Facilitator Training In March 2016
Option 1- Share the Responsibility for Early Child Development. We all have a stake in--and responsibility for--how children develop during their earliest years. The rapid growth of body and mind sets the stage for later success in school and adult life.
Option 2- Uphold the Rights and Responsibilities of Families. Parents are the first and most important caregivers in their children's lives. Nothing affects early development more than the bond between parent and child. We must respect the role of parents to raise their children in accordance with their values and beliefs and encourage the kind of natural support provided by their personal networks of other parents, relatives, and friends.
Option 3- Ensure Equal Opportunity So All Children Thrive. Reducing inequality is essential to helping young children develop their full potential. Social, economic, and racial disparities undermine healthy development and cause many children to enter school unprepared to learn. Remedial programs help, but the best way to help all children succeed is to ensure equal opportunity for their families in education, jobs, housing and public life.