Letters to the Editor (Jan. 17)

Alford must resign

After learning of Rep. Steve Alford’s blatantly racist and false comments about African Americans and marijuana, I emailed Alford, the Speaker of the House, and both the majority and minority leaders. I am deeply disappointed that I have not received any response.

While Alford has resigned his chairmanships, this is only a first step. Alford should have immediately resigned. In defending his words, the only conclusion is that Alford spends time with even more rabid racists than himself.

There should be no place in the Kansas Legislature for racists. Alford’s too-late apology and chairmanship resignations is not an adequate response. I am disappointed that he remains an elected representative, but I am unsure who he exactly represents with his remarks; it is clearly not African Americans, other minorities, and those who abhor racism.

I cannot understand why the Republican leadership has not called for his resignation. Only pressure from his party and voters will result in Alford taking that step that he is clearly not honorable enough to take on his own. We cannot stand for any racism from public officials.

How the constitution works

One in four Americans cannot identify the three branches of government. It follows that neither do one in four appreciate the respective roles essential to the survival of a representative democracy, and who shall hold the power that derives from the constituency's taxes. The lack of it is troublesome for the future of any republic, while a boon for any who believe governance is best served by panels of elites.

The interpretation of that part of the Kansas Constitution that gives the Kansas Supreme Court to assume any role in the raising of taxes and spending of any taxpayer money for any publicly financed entity should be worrisome to any who value separation of powers and the fundamental core principle of a representative democracy that there shall be no taxation without direct elected representation.

The Supreme Court has an interpretation of the Constitution that’s not the same as a great many Kansas citizens. The divide is due to imprecise wording in a part of the Constitution requiring clarification that makes clear the representative body shall have the sole authority to fund as adequately as it can all the services its constituents want for the taxes they are willing to pay. Whatever is to be the “suitability” of public school funding must always be a matter for taxpayers to assess through the labors of their representatives.

Good Samaritan law smart move

A Jan. 9 Eagle story about a possible 911 Good Samaritan law in Kansas pointed out a 911 caller would be shielded from prosecution for using or possessing drugs when reporting an opioid overdose. Kansas is one of many states that has seen a rapid increase in opioid use in recent years.

According to the CDC, there were nearly 15,000 opioid-related deaths in 2017 alone. It is a tendency for some to label opioid addicts as lesser because of their addiction. However, it is important to remember that many of these addictions were earned unintentionally. A large percentage of opioid addictions begin as a legitimate prescriptions for medical disorders.

Some may say that this law is just another tool to enable opioid-drug users. While the 911 Good Samaritan legislation would result in a small percentage of drug users being spared punishment, it’s outweighed by the number of lives that could potentially be saved. Drug addiction is a terrible issue that plagues our society. It is our responsibility to minimize its casualties.

Unexplainable tax collection

The Jan. 11 Eagle had an article with the headline “IRS paid $20M to collect $6.7M in tax debts.” My initial reaction was it was a mistake. Surly the collectors (termed private collection agencies) were paid commissions of $20 million on collections of $26.7 million (which would still be outrageous), leaving the IRS a net gain of $6.7 million dollars.

As it turns out the headline and article were correct. The IRS paid commissions of $1,068,944 on $6.7 million collected. The IRS also paid $18,967,203 in “program costs.” The details are reported in the 2017 Report to Congress from the National Taxpayer Advocate, an independent organization within the IRS.

In the grand scheme of things, $19 million is not a lot of money for Washington, but it is extremely significant for 99 percent of the people who work and pay taxes to support our government. It is not difficult to understand citizen dissatisfaction with our elected leaders when we see articles like this and part-time Gov. Brownback’s 2018 budget in the same day’s news.

Get rid of the waste, focus on reducing our national debt, and hold people accountable, both elected and employed. This kind of financial recklessness is insane.

This story was originally published January 17, 2018 at 4:41 AM with the headline "Letters to the Editor (Jan. 17)."