Letters to the editor on gay marriage, Sen. Schumer, family leave and ‘Non Sequitur’ (Feb. 15, 2019)
Move forward
As I toured the Holocaust Memorial Museum over the weekend, I saw the impacts of hate through the lives of others. I will always remember what I saw. Hate has no place in our society.
Coming home to Kansas to see H.B. 2320 and H.B. 2321 being presented in the Kansas Legislature, however, broke my heart. Having my sexuality labeled as a “parody” reminded me that Kansas has a long way to go before becoming the progressive state it once was. With the suicide rate in Kansas rising by 45 percent in the past 17 years, as reported by the CDC, we should remind our lawmakers that LGB youth are five times more likely to attempt suicide.
Kansas needs to move forward on these issues. Lives are at stake.
Jonathan Cole, Manhattan
Advance warning
In January 2017, even before Donald Trump had been inaugurated as president, Sen. Chuck Schumer, the leading Democrat senator, placed notice of what we could expect in the future when he declared: “You [Donald Trump] seem to be embracing your timeworn, shop-worn hard right. . . . If you do that, your presidency will not come close to being a success.” Later in the interview, Schumer said: “The only way we’re going to work with him is if he moves completely in our direction and abandons his Republican colleagues.”
You can’t say that Schumer did not warn us. We are now experiencing the exact gridlock in Washington that we could expect.
David Gudeman, Wichita
Leave needed
Kansas should enforce paid family leave policies so Kansans will be able to take care of their health and their families without the risk of losing financial security. Workers who do not have paid family leave face an almost impossible choice: don't care for their family or don't go to work. Low-income families and families of color have a higher chance of facing impediments to economic security without programs like paid family leave. Because of this, families of color are also highly likely to be dependent on programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Providing ensured access to paid family leave can develop an increased financial and health outcome for families across Kansas.
Rylee Drouillard, Augusta
Disagree on ‘Non Sequitur’
I see in the brief article in today’s Eagle (Feb. 13) that an apology is being offered to the readers “who viewed the inappropriate content” in Sunday’s “Non Sequitur” comic strip. My question is will there be an apology to those of us who read the strip daily and chuckle at Wiley’s take on life?
It seems the Eagle is playing into our president’s hands as he conducts his war on the media because they often portray him in an unflattering light. In “The Twilight of the Presidency,” George Reedy points out that “presidents cast aside advisors who don’t agree with them.” Sound familiar? Isn’t that what dictators do: get rid of anyone who declares that the emperor has no clothes.
It is unfortunate that Wiley’s art is being cast aside due to a scribble in a comic frame.
Suzanne Koch, Wichita
Agree on ‘Non Sequitur’
Thank you to The Eagle for choosing and notifying the public about the choice to discontinue “Non Sequitur” due to profane language aimed at President Donald Trump. That does not give any political party cause to complain, but merely upholds the respect due to whomever is the president of our country. Just when I was beginning to think The Wichita Eagle was only printing liberal opinions, my faith is renewed that true news can be found in our local newspaper.
Nancy L. Dopps, Wichita