Letters on school funding, justices, renewables, great America, Clinton

Don’t shortchange education system

I am a homeowner and do not have children, but I do know we need to take care of the next generation. And if that means tax increases, then so be it.

We cannot expect the state of Kansas to run on the generosity of large companies and the wealthy citizens of the state, because it is obviously not working like our governor had hoped.

Sure, education is expensive. We need to be able to hire and keep the most up-to-date, tech-savvy, dedicated teachers. That takes money.

Don’t cheat the state of Kansas by shortchanging our education system. That is what Gov. Sam Brownback is doing.

The only thing that runs on a shoestring is our sneakers.

Retain justices

In my 53 years as a Kansas attorney, I have observed and argued before a lot of different Kansas Supreme Court justices. They have been uniformly good.

But in my opinion we have never had a better court than we have now.

I will be voting to retain all five who are on the ballot, including three appointed by a Republican and two by a Democrat. They are Lawton Nuss, Dan Biles, Caleb Stegall, Carol Beier and Marla Luckert.

Renewable best

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., was certainly right when he told a group of energy executives that cheap energy was necessary for our economy to be competitive and that legislation is needed to keep energy costs low (Oct. 1 Business).

Fossil fuels provide cheap energy because they do not pay their external costs, which include cost to people’s health, the environment, and to the economy. Renewable energy is becoming less expensive and does not have the external costs that fossil fuels do.

The best solution is legislation that would favor a shift to renewable energy.

The effect of rising energy costs on the economy could be offset by a carbon fee and dividend system, in which a fee would be added to fossil fuels at the source to cover their external costs. All the money collected would be distributed equally to every household as an energy dividend. Those who switch to renewable energy or who save energy would have more to spend, which would stimulate the economy.

I hope that the legislation that Moran is considering would be a carbon fee and dividend system, as it uses free-market principles to reduce air and water pollution while protecting the economy from rising energy costs.

America already great

One candidate for president says that “I will make America great again.” But America is already great. She is a beacon of hope in a chaotic world. Her form of democracy, while turbulent and messy, stands out as a goal for struggling people living under oppression.

We have the largest economy in the world. Our currency and our markets are the gold standard across the globe. We have tremendous national resources, not just in materials, but in people and expertise. Like all mature economies, ours has moved on from industrial age manufacturing to an information, innovation, technology and services economy. Our agricultural production feeds the world. The challenges we face, such as renewable energy and climate change, provide us with opportunities for leadership and growth.

We have a constitutional republic with three separate but equal branches of government that, under the rule of law, provides us with unheard of freedoms. Civilian control over the greatest military in the world adds stability to our democracy.

What ultimately makes America great is her people. We have hard-working, tax-paying, good, generous, family-oriented people of all races, faiths, colors and ethnicities who have made this country what it is today. Isolationism, protectionism and building monolithic walls is not what America is about.

We have many problems, including the national debt, but don’t need to descend into an unknown black hole on the pretext of making America great again. America already is the greatest country on Earth.

Clinton a danger

I don’t get it. All the Donald Trump haters are spewing out how dangerous he would be, and they don’t realize the real danger is Hillary Clinton.

Remember when ISIS was crossing the desert on its quest for a caliphate? There were just a couple of hundred. President Obama called them the “JV” team. Well, it is now in about 30 countries and headed for the United States.

Would people really rather have Clinton at the helm, allowing more Syrians into the United States and basically leaving the borders wide open? And Trump is dangerous?

We have been so depleted in common sense, under the direction of Clinton and Obama, that the world’s most powerful nation can’t defend itself. Yet people believe it when Clinton says she’s going to do to defeat ISIS?

Clinton lovers better start thinking about someone who has plans for defeating ISIS, instead of a candidate who screams out how she’s going to save us. I guarantee Clinton will do nothing but sit in her neat little Oval Office and let this wonderful country go to hell.

Clinton is not for us or this country. Her goal is power. So, please, do not fear Trump. Fear a woman who hasn’t a clue on how to defeat our worst enemy.

One more thing: The candidates talk about the economy. But if we get defeated by ISIS, we won’t need to worry about the economy.

Ugly debates

Although I am 88 years old, I have learned something new during this presidential campaign.

During all my years of voting, I have been under the impression that debates were held so the candidates could elaborate on the issues and what changes they think the country needs. Instead, the debates we are seeing are attacks on the candidates’ personal and marital lives.

How much lower can our candidates sink? It’s too bad we don’t all boycott these so-called “debates” until they clean up their acts.

This story was originally published October 9, 2016 at 5:04 AM with the headline "Letters on school funding, justices, renewables, great America, Clinton."