Letters on allegiance to wealthy donors, ‘Chi-Raq’ interview, oil and aviation

Allegiance to donors, not the people

It is a truism that those who forget history are bound to repeat it. The American voter has forgotten the Gilded Age, and we are indeed repeating it with a concentration of wealth and scandalous financial inequity. The wealth generated by increased productivity is being siphoned off by the obscenely wealthy while the workers who produce that wealth receive so little of it that they have lost economic ground.

More importunately, as a result of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, billionaires are again free to use their wealth to undermine and corrupt our government. By surreptitious means, they have been able to manipulate ordinary citizens into believing that government “is the problem.” Unfortunately, what appear to be citizen movements are often initiated, paid for and controlled by the very wealthy.

Kansans currently have a governor and Legislature who give allegiance to their donors and not to the people. Our treasury has been raided, our reserves depleted, our teachers demeaned, our schools attacked, our poor exploited, and our vulnerable abandoned. We can see the harm that self-serving ideological politicians can do.

We can also vote them out of office. But will we?

Enjoyable interview

I attended an interview recently with filmmaker Kevin Willmott at the Wichita Art Museum.

Willmott, who co-wrote the movie “Chi-Raq,” was interviewed by Mark McCormick, executive director of the Kansas African American Museum. The term “Chi-Raq” describes how more people have died due to gun violence in Chicago than soldiers have died in the 21st-century wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, throughout the same time frame. Willmott explained how the story he had written was based on the play “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes. The idea to have the story occur in modern-day Chicago came from director Spike Lee.

One thing that shocked me was that Willmott wasn’t able to interview anyone in a bad neighborhood in Chicago who had not had a friend or family member fall victim to gun violence.

Willmott’s narrative style was filled with anecdotes from his life and his experiences – such as nightly calls from Lee, or how they had first wanted to cast Jennifer Lopez for the movie.

I was very impressed by Willmott’s knowledge and admiration for other filmmakers and movies in general.

Willmott, who teaches at the University of Kansas, additionally gave a little preview of his upcoming projects.

Oil and aviation

The Kansas aviation story is the oil industry investment in general aviation.

The oil money from El Dorado field owners was invested in Kansas aviation entrepreneurs such as Walter Beech, Clyde Cessna, Lloyd Stearman and many more who were developing a new use for oil products.

On the second floor of the Kansas Aviation Museum, the Stearman plane, which had been owned by Texaco, demonstrates how that investment benefited both indus- tries. The Watkins plane shows the impact of the Great Depression, the plant closing and all the workers being let go.

On the first floor, the engine room shows the development of aircraft engines and the greater need for petroleum products.

The Kansas Aviation Museum shows the positive strength of capitalism at work – capital flowing into endeavors that benefit both the customer and the company.

I want to offer a big “thank you” to former Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer, the City Council and the citizens of Wichita for the new heat and air system and elevator at the museum. Come out and look at your museum.

This story was originally published April 10, 2016 at 7:04 PM with the headline "Letters on allegiance to wealthy donors, ‘Chi-Raq’ interview, oil and aviation."