Letters on Second Amendment, tipping, Danette Harris, Roger Elliott, Koch

What would founders think of assault rifles?

After a victorious revolution, the former American colonists convened the Constitutional Convention in 1787 to write the U.S. Constitution. The 55 delegates attending included those who had fought the battles, the first being against British troops out of Boston. Farmers then were called to bring their hunting firearms to the battle.

Then, and throughout the war, the weapons were muzzle-loading muskets that fired a single shot ball or a cluster style of multiple balls, long rifles used by snipers and light infantry that had a slow rate of fire due to the reloading process, and the bayonet fixed on the end of the rifle. The British and French weapons were similar.

These were the firearms known to the writers of the Second Amendment. Would they have used different wording had they known about the assault rifle and multiple cartridge gun loads available today?

My tipping policy

“Wichita servers reveal the 10 things diners do that irk them most” (June 26 Arts & Culture) was interesting, but I feel the urge to address the parts about tipping.

It seems our American custom is to tip on the basis of a percentage of the bill. I find this illogical and frequently unfair to either the tipper or server.

I prefer to tip on the basis of the quality of service. I never take into account the food quality or quantity, as that is not a responsibility of the server. I have a flat rate scale based on service alone. I use this scale unwaveringly, regardless of the bill.

Comparing my flat rate scale to percent of bill, I have been known to tip nearly 100 percent of the bill when I received excellent service and the bill was small, and I have been known to tip as little as 1 percent when the bill was very large and the service was poor. I have a business-size card that I leave with my tip that lists my flat rate scale and a check-off of which category I rated the service.

Why should a server who gives great service in a restaurant with low-priced meals receive a much smaller tip than a server who gives poor service in a restaurant with high-priced meals?

Elect Harris

It is time for fiscal responsibility in the state of Kansas. Many recent news articles have pointed out the fiscal crisis in Kansas, which Gov. Sam Brownback and his allies ignore. The state retirement fund is not being funded adequately. The schools are struggling. Highway maintenance is being canceled and the roads are deteriorating. Our governor and his allies keep telling us that everything is fine and expecting us to ignore the facts.

We cannot change him now, but we can change the Legislature. Danette Harris is running for House District 82 and is a strong supporter of financial responsibility. She is an Army Reserve officer and a doctor of physical therapy.

Rep. Pete DeGraaf, R-Mulvane, is the incumbent and an ally of Brownback, putting out the same old misinformation and failing Kansas. It is time for a change, and electing Harris is the good change we need.

Elliott respected

I have known Roger Elliott, a Republican candidate for House District 87, both personally and professionally for the past 16 years. He is a very intelligent, honest and commonsense man who responds to the needs of others and listens to all sides of an issue before deciding the best course of action to resolve the issue.

I gained much respect for Elliott while he was a school board member for the Andover district. I witnessed his consistent love for children and how he valued good education. He honored his responsibility to the public to spend every dollar wisely and to listen and respond to his constituents.

I serve with Elliott on a committee at our church. His good Christian heart has been an inspiration to all on the committee. For me, and many others, he is a model of what good citizenry should be.

Elliott has the leadership skills, wisdom, experience and commitment to the public good to move Kansas into a positive and productive future.

Sell state to Kochs

Since the state needs to borrow $900 million to manage its cash flow (June 23 Eagle), I think we should just sell the whole state to the Koch brothers and let them run things. They can’t do a worse job than Gov. Sam Brownback.

This story was originally published June 29, 2016 at 12:04 AM with the headline "Letters on Second Amendment, tipping, Danette Harris, Roger Elliott, Koch."