Letters on investing in Kansas, high school pay, WSU baseball assistant, wind subsidy, abortion, Pakistan

Tax the fortunate; invest in Kansas

I do not want any more government than is necessary. I do not want to pay more taxes than necessary. But we have a large population that cannot be well-served by a minuscule, bare-bones government.

We have rural homes, small towns, suburbs and large cities. We have a diverse population, which is an asset.

The United States is one of the leading countries trying to meet the goal of having all men and women respected for their labor and treated equally under the law. Therefore, I oppose bills in the Legislature to change how we select our Kansas Supreme Court justices and to allow judges to be bought through campaign donations or other methods of political influence. Also, the bill that promotes single-party voting and the campaign against illegal voters deny equity to many citizens.

Repeal the income tax reduction and tax those of us who are fortunate to have the discretionary money to make our state thrive and stand out.

Kansas needs modern infrastructure, excellent schools and cultural events as good as or better than those in our sister Plains states in order to attract business and families. We need to maintain excellent highways so people can safely and quickly travel long distances. This includes excellent high-speed Internet across the state.

Kansas needs to attract the best and brightest to help us invest our way to success.

Pay outrageous

I have seen the level of teacher salaries and staff at some of our larger school districts, and I believe if most voters knew what that level is, those of us making ends meet with about a quarter of that would be outraged. Sales and property taxes are already too high. We have to live, too, and certainly not with extravagance.

Also, I am completely in favor of allowing home-schooled students to participate on public school sports teams (Feb. 2 Eagle). Home-school families pay taxes that support public schools, and the school districts don’t pay salaries to home-school teachers.

I believe the interaction of home-schooled students would be healthy in showing what they can achieve. I know many home-school families in which the children have exceeded the achievements of their public school counterparts.

Costly subsidy

I commend Kansas GOP Sens. Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts for joining the bipartisan majority in recently voting against an amendment to extend a costly taxpayer handout for industrial wind lobbyists, otherwise known as the wind production tax credit (PTC).

By voting against Big Wind, Moran and Roberts are fighting to keep taxpayer dollars in Kansans’ pockets versus doling them out to an industry that has been feeding at the federal trough for decades.

The PTC is a massive subsidy that pays multinational, often out-of-state corporations for producing wind energy regardless of whether people actually want or need it. This comes at a huge cost to Kansas taxpayers. Last year’s one-year extension alone is estimated to be costing American families $6.4 billion. And in 2012, Kansans paid an estimated $24.8 million to the wind industry through the PTC.

Moran and Roberts made the right choice by voting against an extension of this lucrative handout. They should continue to focus on the bigger picture: reforming our nation’s flawed tax code and ensuring that corporate handouts like the wind PTC are disposed of for good.

Thank Wombacher

As longtime fans and supporters of Wichita State University baseball, we want to express our support and thanks to Shelley Wombacher (“Former WSU baseball aide reaffirms her stance,” Jan. 31 Sports).

This young woman was the backbone of the program. She put her heart and soul into arranging many great trips to support our team. She kept our booster club (the Battery Club) informed and enthusiastic in cheering on our boys. She doesn’t deserve all this adverse publicity.

We thank her for many great memories.

Not a predator

I guess I’m surprised to see columnist Cal Thomas play the so-called race card regarding black women and abortion (Jan. 28 Opinion). Women of every ethnic group should have equal opportunity to exercise their right to terminate a pregnancy.

The higher abortion rate among black women no doubt stems from economic reasons. I, for one, have empathy for someone who chooses to terminate a pregnancy rather than sentence themselves and their family to a life of crushing financial despair. Forcing babies on people with no means of adequately caring for them is wrong, regardless of color.

Black women choose abortion sometimes. Abortion is not a predator victimizing them.

Pakistan problem

I recently finished reading “Worthy Fights” by Leon Panetta, formerly defense secretary and CIA director. In the book he concurs with Robert Gates, his predecessor as defense secretary, on the subject of Pakistan.

This subject is of such importance to us that we should be well-informed about it, especially in view of the gobs of money and treasure that we pour into Pakistan.

This story was originally published February 4, 2015 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Letters on investing in Kansas, high school pay, WSU baseball assistant, wind subsidy, abortion, Pakistan."