Letters to the editor on Save A Lot, Penumbra and Pompeo

Save A Lot void

We commend local, state and federal leaders for addressing the issue of food deserts in our city after Save A Lot announced plans to close its northeast Wichita store. As a non-profit builder of affordable homes for hardworking families in that area, the closure leaves the community’s most vulnerable without a nearby full-service grocery store.

In 2014, when Wichita Habitat for Humanity chose the area for its Rock the Block, a factor was that families could easily shop at the Save A Lot. Research shows that accessibility to a grocery store within a community increases residents’ access to healthy food and reduces risk of obesity and other chronic diseases.

More than 60 families have purchased affordable Habitat homes in this area. The store’s closure makes this area a food desert and affects its desirability. The area has shown great promise and is an example of affordable workforce housing with access to excellent schools, health care and transportation. We know that access to stores is imperative to all communities.

We urge leaders to explore all avenues to address this void of fresh-food grocery stores, including using funds from the American Rescue Plan.

Penumbra

Great, just great! Another out of town company (Penumbra) comes into Wichita with its grandiose plans to renovate the river corridor and downtown. How did that work out with the Minnesota Guys of years ago? Why are the renovation ideas of citizens who live, work and pay taxes in Wichita consistently deemed as flawed, worthless or otherwise not viable?

I sense a sad similarity to the secrecy of investor identities in this initiative (and other back room dealings) that shoved the new baseball park and land grab down the throats of Wichitans. “Let’s hit ‘em fast and hard and get approval before anyone realizes what has happened” seems to also be the mindset of this latest group.

The current business term is “transparency.” The long ago business term used was “honest and above board.”

Response to Pompeo

Mike Pompeo recently wrote that America’s values are under attack by the Biden administration and the “woke” culture. But he is wrong about what constitutes American values.

First, he states that the “America first” approach is an American value. It is not. While America needs to look to its own interests, it should not do so at the expense of human rights anywhere in the world. Moreover, loyalty to our allies is crucial as we navigate our interactions with governments that want to do us harm.

Second, his attack on the “woke mob” is nothing but resistance to the needed changes taking place in our country. Our forebears stated that “all men are created equal.” A look at our history, however, reveals that we have not acted on that American value. Pompeo has also written that multiculturalism is dangerous for America, but our founding principles declare that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is a right given to everyone – no matter their gender, race, religion, or economic status.

Third, his use of the word “socialism” is unfounded. Programs like Medicare and Medicaid could be defined as socialism, yet scores of Americans would not get the medical care they need without them. Government loans for college students could be considered socialism. Ensuring every American has the opportunity to succeed in life are what these programs are about. This is an American principle.

Be wary of Pompeo’s vision for America.