Letters to the Editor (August 26, 2018)

Naftzger Park donation

Even though it is nice to get a financial boost to support Naftzger Park (Evergy gives $1.4 million, ‘tremendous shot in the arm,’ to Naftzger Park; Wednesday’s Eagle), it should not be the business of a regulated utility to donate money.

The Kansas Corporation Commission regulates the rates charged to customers so the company can distribute electrical power and make a profit. As as result of this donation, the customers will be paying for this donation. The KCC should not allow this charged as an expense to the company. If the officers of Evergy want to make a donation, they should do it with their own money, not ours.

Value of college

Amy Bragg Carey, the president of Friends University, asserts that “...many in Wichita view college negatively” (Thursday opinion page). She bases this on a Chung Report finding that 54% of locals view “going to college” as important, compared with 75% elsewhere.

I believe she has drawn the wrong inference from these statistics. Many of us in Wichita and elsewhere realize that a college education is too precious a resource to be wasted on unprepared or disinterested students. Placing unprepared students in a college classroom degrades the educational experience of the other students. Moreover, many occupations do not require a college degree. The thought that everyone should go to college defies logic.

Supporting Ron Estes

I find it appalling that James Thompson and his followers are so woefully uninformed that they truly believe that Rep. Ron Estes is a career politician who hides from the public. In his brief tenure as our congressman, Rep. Estes has worked tirelessly throughout the 4th District visiting schools, hosting tele-townhalls and roundtables with countless groups, attending meetings, touring businesses, talking to media, supporting our veterans and active military, attending Farm Bureau meetings, and a multitude of other activities while maintaining a rigorous schedule in DC as our representative.

My vote will go to Rep. Ron Estes, the only person in this race with a strong work ethic and impeccable character who is working hard every day to preserve and protect our great country, listening to and learning from the concerns and expertise of the people of the 4th District.

Use of force

In the face of continuing killings by police, Campaign Zero a police reform group, put together the following eight guidelines for police officer’s use of force.

Require officers to de-escalate situations before resorting to force.

Limit the kinds of force that can be used to respond to specific forms of resistance.

Restrict chokeholds.

Require officers to give verbal warning before using force.

Prohibit officers from shooting at moving vehicles.

Require officers to exhaust all alternatives to deadly force.

Require officers to stop colleagues from exercising excessive force.

Require comprehensive reporting on use of force.

The follow-up research indicated that the more of the eight guidelines that were used the greater the reduction of police shootings and the number of officers assaulted or killed also decreased.