Letters on turnpike flooding, county cuts, homosexuality, GOP hijacking Christianity

Demand action on Kansas Turnpike

What do I do? That’s the question Zachary Clark asked before being pulled to his death by a whirlpool along the Kansas Turnpike on July 10. I found myself asking the same question that day, as I was just five cars back from the scene of the accident.

Though I was unable to see what had stopped traffic, I could see the water quickly rising around me. Had the storm lasted a bit longer or been preceded by rains that had already saturated the ground, more people would have been in danger.

I’m convinced it will happen again. It is just a matter of time.

So what do we do, Kansas? We demand action, that’s what.

This stretch of highway is prone to flooding and is unsafe because of that. Based on what I saw that day, adding culverts or enlarging the existing one could actually make matters worse, so that’s out in my mind. And while adding guardrails won’t prevent flooding or more injuries or deaths, it is a good containment action until other longer-term changes can be made.

Narrow vision

It is tragic to observe the actions of the current Sedgwick County Commission majority. Because of the commissioners’ narrow vision of government, they are creating financial conditions that will degrade the quality of life of those within Sedgwick County on multiple levels, including health care, economic and creative efforts, ultimately hurting the well-being of citizens.

The county will be a less desirable place for companies to come to, and for those who can relocate to remain. Brain drain will occur.

Star attractions such as the Sedgwick County Zoo and Exploration Place will be tarnished. There is research to indicate that support for creativity correlates with economic benefits for a community, that government funding has a multiplier effect for dollars spent.

We live in a complex world. To remain resilient and viable, we need to demonstrate that we are reliable partners with other governmental entities and to avoid extremes of thinking that reduce our flexibility in interacting with them or seizing on economic possibilities that could help Sedgwick County residents. Collectively, the current actions of the commission majority amount to a steamroller unnecessarily crushing anything that deviates from the narrow path it has chosen, deaf to the screams of those shouting, “This is not for the greater good.”

Penny-wise and pound-foolish is the commissioners’ current orientation. They are deciding what the core services are, even if their negligence does not serve our needs.

Must speak up

For me as a Christian to sit idly by and not speak up against homosexuality is sinful, because the Bible says that even if I do not participate in ungodly practices, to approve of those who do causes me to be subject to the same “deserving death” (hell) as those who participate. Why some pastors in the pulpit have sugarcoated salvation, misleading homosexuals in their congregations to believing that, in God’s love, they are saved, is a quandary to me.

God loves us, but He has punished people, including sending them to hell, for their sins and not doing His will.

Read Romans 1, especially verses 16-32. Read the New King James Version. It’s quite plain. You will see that people who commit sins can come to church, but that does not mean that pastors should not preach the truth.

I love through Jesus, but I do not have to accept another’s lifestyle. I have held many hands as people have died from AIDS. In no way could I not love them or judge them because they were going out to stand before God. What would Jesus say: “I know you not” or “Today, you will be with me in paradise”?

Jesus said, “I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” I won’t sugarcoat it for others, but I do pray for them.

Religion hijacked

The Christian religion has been hijacked by the Republican Party. It has focused on talking about the evils of abortion and gay rights, assuming that those two issues will guarantee it the Christian vote.

Abortion and gay rights have gone all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, and both have been declared constitutional rights. They are done deals. The issue we can do something about, economic fairness, is something the Democrats have the more biblical views on.

The “Nuns on the Bus” and Pope Francis have been telling us this. They have told us that the Bible says to help the poor, that “as you do to the least of these, you do to me.” The pope has spoken about the evils of our unfettered and corrupt capitalism. The Bible also warns that “ the love of money is the root of all evil” and “it’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the gates of heaven.”

The Republican positions of giving huge tax breaks to the rich and reducing or eliminating social programs are not what Jesus would do. Churches are partly to blame for the misguided support of Republicans by Christians, as some publicly (and illegally) back Republicans from the pulpit. People need to think for themselves about this issue and vote accordingly.

This story was originally published July 30, 2015 at 7:04 PM with the headline "Letters on turnpike flooding, county cuts, homosexuality, GOP hijacking Christianity."