Letters on judicial retention, funding government, plumbing codes, new baseball stadium

Don’t retain four court justices

My uncle, Jason Befort, should be here today. He should be here to see all the great accomplishments of our family. But one day, Dec. 15, 2000, changed my life in every way possible.

I was a 5th grader in a new school and town at the time of my uncle’s murder. My sisters and I attended counseling, and my parents did everything they could to protect us from the horrible details of the crime, but they couldn’t protect us forever. Through the years, we heard about the crime from others in school, including when our teachers used information about the crime in class.

I am now the same age my Uncle Jason was when this tragic crime occurred, and I never imagined this case would be dragging on into my own child’s lifetime.

Kansas Supreme Court Justices Carol Beier, Marla Luckert, Lawton Nuss and Dan Biles are responsible for allowing this case to drag out. They voted to overturn the death sentences of the Carr brothers, only to have the U.S. Supreme Court reverse their decision. These four justices will be on the ballot in November. Please vote “no” on their retention.

Not our enemy

Donald Trump’s plans for the economy are very reminiscent to Gov. Sam Brownback’s failed policies in Kansas. Lowering taxes is sometimes justified and to be applauded, but certain functions can be done successfully only by government, such as schools, fire and police protection, roads and parks. A minimum level of government is necessary to maintain these services. In these cases, government is our friend, not our enemy.

Republicans have been taken over by extremists who want to privatize these vital services.

Keep safer codes

As a plumbing professional, it’s hard to imagine explaining to homeowners who just built their dream home that I chose the proposed less-restrictive plumbing codes that allow toxic sewer gas to be vented inside their home. When asked why I chose to use the lesser codes instead of the historically proven Uniform Plumbing Code, my only reply can be: “Because it was cheaper, and the Sedgwick County Commission voted on Oct. 5 to give me the freedom of choice as to which code I use.”

Build new stadium

In 2004, Sedgwick County voted in a 1-cent sales tax to pay for the new downtown arena. In 30 months, we collected the money and paid for the arena in cash.

Now that we have Intrust Bank Arena we forget how bad the Kansas Coliseum was.

It is time to do the same thing to Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. A 1-cent sales tax for 18-24 months would give us the money to build a minor-league palace beside the river – a palace worthy of the legacy of Hap Dumont and the National Baseball Congress.

Let us honor the legacy of baseball in Wichita. Let’s vote on a 1-cent sales tax for the best minor-league ballpark in the nation.

This story was originally published October 2, 2016 at 5:04 AM with the headline "Letters on judicial retention, funding government, plumbing codes, new baseball stadium."