Letters on trade, Trump, school funding, Pride parade, paper ballots

More taxes not the answer for schools

The next time candidates for the Legislature promise to “fully fund education,” ask them how much more they will raise your taxes.

The Kansas Supreme Court ordered the Legislature in 2005 to increase K-12 spending by about $1 billion in the Montoy case. School districts used our tax dollars to hire more than 9,000 new employees. Only 40 percent were teachers. The rest were administrators and non-instructional staff. Meanwhile, administrator salaries have continued to increase while teacher salaries have remained flat.

Already, 51 percent of our state budget goes to local school boards. This leaves very little for any other essential programs. How much funding is enough?

The truth is that the amount of our local, state and federal tax dollars spent since 1998 to teach about the same number of students has doubled from $3 billion to $6.4 billion . Yet national test scores continue to show that only one in three Kansas students is actually proficient enough to succeed in college or start a career.

Raising our taxes by another $800 million to get the same poor results is not the answer to making sure that Kansas kids are prepared for college or career.

Need trade surpluses

During Monday night’s debate, Hilary Clinton said there is more to building an economy than trade. That is like saying there is more to running a business than making a profit.

If any person or group of people want to be better off, they have to produce more than they consume. That is true regardless if you are an individual, city, state or nation.

Both candidates have wonderful but expensive plans for our nation. The only way to pay for these plans is to compete in a global economy and make a profit. It is the one aspect that is holding this country back from its full potential.

You can’t tax or cut your way into prosperity. You have to produce and sell your wares, both goods and services, around the world to have the wealth to build a better future for our nation. You need a trade surplus. If you don’t, all you do after the sugar high of spending is create more debt.

This is what happened after President Obama’s stimulus plan. If we do it again, history will repeat itself.

Trump a threat

Donald Trump is a national threat. He has twice now implied that an opportune assassination could clear the way for his ascension to the presidency.

This is no man of honor, no individual with any understanding of, or concern for, governance. He is driven by an intense desire for absolute wealth and absolute power.

Discerning Republicans at the highest echelons are watching this soul-less interloper shredding their party and endangering our nation. Now some are choosing the last available path. They are stepping across the chasm and opting to support a Democrat for the presidency. I have great respect for these statesmen and stateswomen.

Missed the mark

I’m writing in response to “Taking pride in efforts to stop gun violence” about the Wichita Pride parade Sunday (Sept. 26 Eagle). I’m a straight, cisgender ally and advocate who has participated in the parade for the past few years, and I was deeply disappointed in the angle The Eagle article took.

The article and headline became perfect examples of how lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people are regularly marginalized in our society. The Eagle took a celebratory event for LGBTQ folks and their allies and basically ignored them to focus on one group’s mission addressing gun violence. I have nothing against addressing gun violence, but an article on an event for the LGBTQ community should have focused on LGBTQ-specific issues, people or groups.

There were dozens of LGBTQ groups at the parade with missions that include political advocacy for LGBTQ people in Kansas, offering support and/or resources to LGBTQ individuals and/or their families, celebrating diversity within the LGBTQ community, and ensuring LGBTQ students feel safe in schools, among many others.

I found it unfortunate that The Eagle missed the mark on covering the “what” and “why” of the Pride parade – a celebration of the indomitable spirit, the diversity and the unity of LGBTQ people in spite of the overwhelming adversity, marginalization and oppression they face.

Can use paper ballot

Why were these cumbersome electronic voting machines suddenly foisted upon us in Kansas? They are complicated, of unknown accuracy, can be tampered with, require expensive maintenance, have a life of only about 10 years, require more staff in order to help those who are unfamiliar with how they work, and, most importantly, may not leave a paper trail.

If you prefer a paper ballot, all you need to do is ask for one. My husband and I ask and are always graciously given a paper ballot. We mark our ballots, double check them and are ready to leave while others are still standing at a machine or waiting for one to become vacant.

Machine or paper, you have a choice.

This story was originally published September 28, 2016 at 5:02 AM with the headline "Letters on trade, Trump, school funding, Pride parade, paper ballots."