Letters to the Editor (Oct. 20)

North Korea isn’t a pop-up threat

Believing that our policy toward North Korea has kept us safe for 25 years is a misplaced confidence akin to believing a paper house keeps you safe in a fire.

While probably slowing their progress toward developing viable nuclear weapons, we now know that it really hasn’t kept us safe at all. Like an untreated slow-growing cancer “suddenly” becomes terminal, North Korea has been allowed to grow its nuclear capability to a world threatening state.

Diplomacy and talks were the vehicle they used to delay any meaningful intervention and now here we are. This happened way before Donald Trump was elected president and I don’t believe anything he says makes the situation more dangerous, but it sure reveals what’s clearly going on in the North Korea dictator’s mind.

Find out what it means to me

OK, already, let’s quit tilting at windmills. Flags don't feel disrespect, you do.

You cannot coerce or legislate respect.

Respect is something you nourish and earn, not something you punish into being. It’s a two-way street.

So go out and get yourself some respect.

Chappell on state board tenure

While serving on the state Board of Education, I chose to represent the 45,251 voters of Wichita who elected me instead of the education bureaucrats and lobbyists. That was upsetting to some of the other board members who always voted for whatever the staff wanted done.

For example, I was the only board member who voted against adopting Common Core. No teacher should be a robot reading from a script. Now, only 1 in 5 Wichita students is proficient in math.

When a Wichita schools human resources bureaucrat forced a teacher of 17 years to turn in her teacher’s license because the Social Rehabilitation Services website locked up before she could report the abuse of one of her students, I was the only board member who fought to have her license reinstated.

When a beautiful girl committed suicide because of bullying at Northeast Magnet High School, I was the only board member who tried to get policy and laws changed to protect all Kansas students and teachers from in-school and cyberbullying.

I continue to believe that school board members are elected to represent the students, their parents, teachers and taxpayers — not the bureaucrats. Once elected to the Wichita school board on Nov. 7, I will do just that.

Hedrick for school board District 2

It is my pleasure to endorse Julie Hedrick for Wichita Board of Education, serving District 2.

I’ve known Julie for more than 15 years through the district’s bond issue work, and she is someone who enjoys working with others to get things done. Julie was instrumental in getting safe rooms into every school in the district, and she believes strongly in keeping construction work and bond funds in our local economy.

Her unique insights into the budgetary issues facing our district make her a powerful advocate for both the students and taxpayers of Wichita. Julie Hedrick will make a great addition to the Wichita Board of Education.

Making prosperity last

I read not long ago that in spite of everything we may see on the news, we are doing as well as we have ever done. There are more jobs, the high school graduation rate is at an all-time high, more Americans are finishing college than ever before, and more people have health insurance. These are all great statistics.

In spite of that, it still seems like retirement is getting further out of reach for most folks. Retirement savings are down. And talks of cuts to Social Security and Medicare are the norm in Washington. Let’s just make sure that our recovery reaches everyone — including those who are retired or about to retire.

Thanks to the Titans

As president of the South Central Neighborhood Association, I wish to publicly thank the teacher sponsors, Ms. Grandstaff and Ms. Vredevoogd, and the students from the Wichita South High’s National Honor Society. On Oct. 14, 14 students along with their teacher sponsors assisted us with our annual neighborhood cleanup event.

The students were positive and very hard working. We could not have completed the cleanup without them. Thank you South High NHS for spending your Saturday giving to the neighborhood.

This story was originally published October 19, 2017 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Letters to the Editor (Oct. 20)."