Letters on widening Amidon, Congress, Orman, sales-tax referendum, elephants, funeral procession

Little progress on widening Amidon

About a year ago, the city of Wichita announced a plan to widen Amidon from 21st Street North to 29th and install a turn lane in the center. It also planned to build a sidewalk on the east side of Amidon.

About the only things that have been accomplished to date are that 65-foot wooden poles or metal structures have been installed and electricity transmission wires have been moved to them, and water lines and gas lines have been moved. There has been no attempt to do any street construction, despite the good working weather.

When winter weather arrives, construction will be difficult. If crews had been working on it during the summer, the job would be finished before winter begins.

Why did they start this project and then forget to finish it?

Clean up Congress

How did we get to this place where members of Congress no longer represent the interests of their respective constituents but instead are now dedicated only to the support of their political party? It is true that “money talks” (and also peer pressure is at work). Voters must also speak up when we go to the polls. And let us speak loudly and clearly.

Now is the time to clean up the Congress by eliminating all current representatives who are deaf to the citizens they represent. That probably means that most if not all of them need to go home and be replaced by representatives dedicated to the interests of their constituents and this country.

Liberal views

As the campaigns zip along toward Election Day, one issue we haven’t heard much about is abortion. A check of independent U.S. Senate candidate Greg Orman’s website shows that he is pro-abortion. Like a true liberal, he never uses the term abortion, but relabels it “reproductive health.”

He says that, as a man, this is a decision that he will never have to make. That may be true, but as a senator he might have to vote on it. He adds that he trusts women to make this decision on their own. It is obvious that Orman is willing to look the other way while millions of babies lose their lives each year, when he concludes that it’s time to move on to more important issues.

Orman wants us to think that he is not a Democrat with his independent label. Actually, he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing with his liberal views. Thanks to Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., for being pro-life 100 percent of the time and standing up for all Kansans, even the most innocent ones in the womb.

‘No’ on sales tax

I will be voting “no” on the sales tax proposal, because it was not broken into four pieces to be voted on individually. The obvious strategy – to throw all of these together so that people are duped into voting “yes” in order to solve the water issue – doesn’t give citizens credit for being very smart.

The water supply portion is necessary and the least controversial. The street maintenance portion makes sense to catch up on much-needed repairs so that the normal budget can proceed from there to maintain our streets. The jobs portion might pass if (big word) citizens could be shown how the money will be spent wisely to increase employment, which will be ongoing and result in increased tax revenue for the future. All of these are one-time investments that have a natural end.

But the transit portion is the most dangerous in that at the end of five years a tax will need to be continued or the expansion will need to be cut back to current levels. Nowhere have I seen a case made that the infusion of one-time cash will cause the transit system to become self-sustaining so that the sales tax increase can be retired. Riding it on the coattails of the others is a poison pill forcing me to vote “no.”

‘Yes’ to elephants

I am a 32-year-old native Wichitan. I have experienced firsthand the generosity that this community’s citizens have for one another and the incredible charitable organizations serving the city. Wichita is an enriching place to live: It has a progressive arts scene, hip restaurants, unique shopping, impressive education choices and phenomenal attractions.

Sedgwick County commissioners are considering a proposal to match private donations to fund the Sedgwick County Zoo’s elephant complex. These improvements would ensure the zoo remains our state’s premier entertainment and educational attraction. Completion of this project does not just affect our community. It also sustains the viability of these magnificent creatures worldwide. Ninety-six elephants a day are poached in Africa. At these rates, elephants will be extinct in my lifetime.

Wouldn’t it be disappointing, when visiting our top-ranked zoo, not to be able to view Cinda, Stephanie and their successor elephants? I feel it is my responsibility to my two young girls to encourage our community’s building of a new elephant exhibit, and ask that our county commissioners vote “yes” to make this happen.

Show of respect

I was in a funeral procession last week on 61st Street North headed to a cemetery. As traffic was ceding our passing, one person got out of her car and held her hand on her chest, showing respect for the deceased.

This individual may not have known the deceased, but this show of respect was awesome. I shall remember to do this myself the next time I pull over for a funeral procession.

This story was originally published September 15, 2014 at 7:06 PM with the headline "Letters on widening Amidon, Congress, Orman, sales-tax referendum, elephants, funeral procession."