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Dec. 12 at 5:24 p.m. Regarding “Battle over hotel tax heats up” (Dec. 8 Local & State): Susan Estes, spokeswoman for Americans for Prosperity-Wichita, asked: “Do we trust the people of Wichita to make an informed decision at the ballot box that will be in the best interests of the community, or don’t we?” The answer to Estes’ rhetorical question was found in “Revote sought on racetrack slots” (Dec. 9 Local & State), in which the Wichita Wins organization suggested that the vote to allow slot machines in Sedgwick County was defeated because voters were confused about the ballot question — the ballot question that did not specify that the Wichita Greyhound Park was the only location in Sedgwick County where the slots could be legally placed. Confused by visions of children playing the slots in convenience stores, the voters did not make “an informed decision.”
Dec. 9 at 6:32 p.m. Few parents have any experience with outbreaks of infectious diseases and, thus, are unimpressed with the danger of having unimmunized children (“Schools worry as more parents opt out of vaccinations for kids,” Dec. 6 Eagle). As a student in the class of Jonas Salk, I received his polio vaccine well before its approval. Across the street from the medical school was a large hospital dedicated to polio victims on the iron lung. In addition, there were two tuberculosis hospitals in town, which was the reason I received an injection of a modified TB organism that drained for months. This was to protect the students, because they would be exposed to individuals with active disease.
Dec. 11 at 6:50 a.m. President Obama, in his speech in Osawatomie, revealed more than he intended to about the gap between his personal philosophy of government and that of the nation’s founders.
Dec. 9 at 6:23 p.m. I have lost all respect for our two U.S. senators, Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran. The Senate recently passed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012. It looked like just another zillion-dollar giveaway to the military-industrial complex, but hidden inside, in Sections 1031 and 1032, it does two things: It effectively ends “posse comitatus” and allows the military to patrol the streets, and it allows the government to snatch up U.S. citizens merely accused of being affiliated with al-Qaida and zip them off to detention centers overseas with no charges, no phone call, no lawyer, no trial. That literally erases our Fifth Amendment protections.
Dec. 8 at 6:21 p.m. The article about Coleman employee terminations showed how much trust has deteriorated in the corporate world (“Workers detail Coleman layoffs,” Dec. 6 Business Today). When notifying some of the employees of imminent termination, Coleman escorted them out the door. They had to make appointments to return to gather personal belongings.
Dec. 7 at 5:27 p.m. I am appalled at the recent request by Westar Energy to raise its rates (“Crowd gets testy at rate hearing,” Dec. 1 Local & State).
Dec. 6 at 5:16 p.m. Boeing said in a statement: “Because of defense budget pressures, we are conducting a number of market studies to determine how to best preserve and grow our business, and continue to provide quality and cost-efficient services for our customers” (“Boeing studying future of Wichita site,” Nov. 22 Eagle). Translation: Boeing is getting ready to stick it to American taxpayers and workers again.
Dec. 6 at 6:07 a.m. The debate over extending the temporary payroll tax cut and long-term unemployment benefits is interesting.
Dec. 2 at 6:25 p.m. Cal Thomas’ commentary “Protesters envy successful people” (Nov. 27 Opinion) appalled me.
Dec. 2 at 5:54 p.m. Now that the excitement about Emma Sullivan’s tweet has died down, I would venture to guess that Sullivan will be slow to use derogatory language about anyone in a public venue again. I am willing to bet that she feels badly about her tweet. I think she realizes now that it is not honorable to disparage another person in public, even if you disagree with him (a misdemeanor of youth).
Dec. 2 at 5:49 p.m. If the article “Debt panel’s failure could limit growth of economy” (Nov. 24 Eagle) did not awaken people of our nation to a coming economic disaster, we must be brain-dead.
Dec. 2 at 7:17 a.m. Regarding Gov. Sam Brownback’s inaugural pheasant hunt near Oakley (Nov. 20 Local & State): I got a chance to meet Brownback and shake hands with him at his agriculture summit at Garden City in September. I told him how I reluctantly sold a family farm in Phillips County (in western Kansas) that had been in my family for more than 100 years. I sold it mainly because of higher and higher property taxation and the ever-advancing costs of fuel, fertilizer and chemicals. Brownback agreed that it was a sad situation, but it is tough to keep profitable farms of fewer than 1,000 acres.
Dec. 1 at 6:43 a.m. Oh, come on, folks. The real issue with Emma Sullivan’s tweet about Gov. Sam Brownback is that it was immaturely rude and disrespectful. It’s not about free speech.
Nov. 29 at 5:21 p.m. I was disheartened to read the articles and reaction regarding Emma Sullivan and her now-infamous tweet, which sparked a First Amendment debate.
Nov. 28 at 5:20 p.m. Regarding “Phelps’ granddaughter playing larger role” (Nov. 22 Eagle): An entire page on the Phelps cult? Please stop wasting space and ink on these “religious” fanatics. No one is interested in what they have to say. They are not worthy of a single paragraph, much less an entire page.
Nov. 25 at 6:27 p.m. This is one 73-year-old lady who is 100 percent behind Emma Sullivan (“Student chastised after tweet insults governor,” Nov. 24 Eagle). I don’t know who died and made Gov. Sam Brownback king or emperor. Is he aware that in the United States of America we have freedom of speech?
Nov. 25 at 6:22 p.m. The young lady who is in trouble over the tweet about the governor should not be apologizing to anyone (“Student chastised after tweet insults governor,” Nov. 24 Eagle). It is her principal who should be apologizing to her, as should the governor’s staff and the governor himself.
Nov. 25 at 6:19 p.m. I watched a recent Republican debate. Out of eight candidates, apparently Ron Paul is the only sane person to be found. And out of an hour and a half, he only got about 90 seconds to speak.
Nov. 23 at 4:33 p.m. To his credit, the writer of “Chaotic babble” (Nov. 21 Letters to the Editor) acknowledged the existence of the 1 percent holding all the nation’s wealth. But he denigrated and dismissed those unwashed, huddled masses whose tax dollars bailed out banks, corporations and oligarchs.
Nov. 23 at 4:29 p.m. It was no surprise that the congressional supercommittee failed. Congress simply mirrors the “me first” American society. Thus, congressional partisanship represents us well.
Nov. 23 at 4:30 p.m. Editor’s note: On Thanksgiving Day 20 years ago, The Eagle published a letter from Wayne Carlisle, who was director of placement at Wichita State University. He died a few weeks later. His wife, Kathy Carlisle, asked The Eagle to republish the letter as a “reminder of our need to be thankful.”
Nov. 22 at 5:13 p.m. The title of the article “Speaker: Marriage reduces poverty” (Nov. 17 Eagle) told us all we needed to know about Gov. Sam Brownback’s childhood-poverty conference. The speaker, Robert Rector, used statistics showing single-parent families as poorer than families headed by two parents (a married couple), and concluded that the solution to poverty is marriage.
Nov. 21 at 5:06 p.m. The folks who are getting the free stuff don’t like the folks who are paying for the free stuff, because the folks who are paying for the free stuff can no longer afford to pay for both the free stuff and their own stuff. The folks who are paying for the free stuff want the free stuff to stop, and the folks who are getting the free stuff want even more free stuff on top of the free stuff they are already getting.
Nov. 18 at 4:31 p.m. It’s not nearly as easy today to live the American dream as it was 40 years ago. Ask anyone who is retired and trying to survive on a fixed income, or someone whose job has been outsourced, or someone who lost his health benefits and has the misfortune of getting sick.
Nov. 18 at 5:50 p.m. I would have liked to have attended the Brownback administration’s town-hall meeting in Wichita last week on childhood poverty, but I was busy lecturing to the 57 nursing students enrolled in my maternal-newborn class. So I decided to ask my students: “If we all could have attended the meeting, what would you have shared about childhood poverty?”
Nov. 18 at 4:21 p.m. There is a 14-year-old boy named Chris, a handsome boy who has a passion for sports, especially football, and enjoys playing video games. He sounds a lot like my son, or maybe yours. But Chris doesn’t have a family. He’s been in the state’s custody for more than eight years because of severe abuse and neglect.
Nov. 17 at 5:23 p.m. Self-hatred was the worst damage done by sexual abuse during my childhood. Whether it is done by a neighbor, priest, coach or family member, I believe unresolved molestation is a time bomb.
Nov. 16 at 5:27 p.m. In light of recent events, the Wichita Sedgwick County Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Coalition would like to remind everyone that each of us has a duty and responsibility to advocate for and protect our children.
Nov. 15 at 6:04 p.m. State, county and city elected officials provided Hawker Beechcraft with taxpayer-guaranteed $40 million in bonds, supposedly to secure local jobs under threat of being moved to Louisiana. More than 700 Wichita layoff notices later, Hawker Beechcraft continues expanding production facilities in Chihuahua, Mexico. And there are no penalties in this bond agreement until Hawker Beechcraft lays off 700 more local workers. Hawker Beechcraft’s CEO assures us more Wichita layoffs are coming.
Nov. 14 at 6:50 p.m. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker canceled a fundraiser planned for today in Wichita. He ignited a storm of outrage when he fast-tracked legislation in Wisconsin to strip most collective-bargaining rights from public-employee unions. Never once did he campaign on dismantling the unions.
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