Letters to the Editor (June 25)

Wichita attractions

I have, because of employment, been ensconced in Wichita for over a month, with considerable free time to wander around.

I was, and remain, amazed at the willingness of ordinary folk, once I mentioned having been to an attraction or business; the complete willingness of local people to offer comments like “ Have you seen this yet?” or “You should try to stop in at this store.”

Be you town counsel, economic development, or tourist board; you are so blessed to have citizenry so willing share and boost Wichita with people from other areas.

From aviation to zoos; with haberdashers and tea merchants in between (Douglas Street is awesome); the list of attractions Wichita offers is many and varied. At the top of that list though, are the ambassadors; ordinary people who take extraordinary pride in sharing with others what Wichita has for one to see, taste, or experience.

To the citizens of Wichita that I met, my thanks, for having helped make my absence from my home far more enjoyable that it might otherwise have been. Because of you Wichita has another booster in the world - me!

Republicans put party first

The only thing that the Republicans winning special elections in deep red districts across the country says is - Republicans put party first and country second. They don't even try to hide their hypocrisy anymore. Beating up Obama for eight years over not saying American exceptionalism often or loud enough or whatever their complaint was, to fully supporting a Republican whose campaign slogan states America is not great to working on health care in secret.

But I digress, the Republican majority leader of the Senate stated - it is my job to ensure Obama is a one-term president. Not fixing the great recession his party got us into. Party first - country second. Openly colluding with Russia, asking for its help and having secret meetings? No problem - when there is an (R) after the name. Lying - Bush on Iraq and Trump about everything. Economic ruin - Bush and Brownback. Affairs - Fallin, Sanford, Trump just to list a few. No problem, as long as it keeps you from voting for a Democrat. Party over country.

I am a Democrat because of who I am, unlike way too many Republicans that being a conservative makes them who they are, which makes it impossible to vote for anyone who does not have a (R) after their name. And they call Democrats un-American, what a laugh.

Speeding

I agree with the letter to the editor about excessive speed in the Riverside area, except that we need to cut down on the aggressive speeding in the entire city. I have been driving in the Wichita area for 50 years, and I have never seen the neglect of the speed limit as much as I have witnessed in the last few years.

I read an article in the paper that the number of speeding tickets is down, and that a ticket is not given unless you are at least 8 miles over the speed limit, except in special circumstances. It seems that is an open invitation to speed. Many years ago this was not policy, because I received tickets for going 35 in a 30, and going 18 in a 15 mph school zone.

I try to drive the speed limit, and practically everyone goes around me. The speed limit on North Meridian is 45, but the average speed is 55 and 60.The speed limit on I-235 is 65, but people drive 75 and 80 cutting in and out of traffic, creating a traffic hazard.

Maybe it’s time for the city to reevaluate how it spends its money and use it to hire more law enforcement to patrol the streets. The only way people will slow down is the fear of receiving a ticket. I live in north Wichita, and drive through Maize, Valley Center, Bel Aire, Kechi and Park City frequently. These towns do not seem to have a serious speeding problem because the residents know that the police are patrolling the streets. I wish that people driving in Wichita would realize that they are not saving that much time by recklessly speeding.

This story was originally published June 24, 2017 at 5:03 AM with the headline "Letters to the Editor (June 25)."