Letters on Brownback grievances, fireworks, Greek debt, greatest country

Kansans have our own grievances

Each July 4, The Eagle prints the Declaration of Independence, and I almost always take the time to reread it. This year I was struck by two passages.

Lead-in to the grievances:

“The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.”

And this grievance:

“He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.”

I find it ironic that our Founding Fathers addressed this issue as one of the reasons justifying this Declaration of Independence. And yet in Kansas, Gov. Sam Brownback is attempting this very thing in the name of good governance. From the Wall Street Journal: “Brownback has signed legislation that would eliminate funding for the state’s courts if they overturn a contentious law passed last year, a move experts described as an unprecedented display of legislative power.”

Am I the only one who thinks something is terribly wrong with what is happening in Topeka?

Invading peace

The July 4 holiday was originally the celebration of a nation’s independence. That’s no longer the case. Today it’s more of a celebration of our society’s inconsideration toward one another.

I marvel at the mindset that allows someone to invade another’s peace. Never mind that some people have to get up early to go to work. Never mind that there are pets out there that are completely terrified by the noise. Never mind that there are veterans out there – the ones you should really be thanking – disturbed by your selfishness.

I was still hearing fireworks last week after 11 p.m. I realize that the people who were setting them off will not read this. I also doubt that complaining to the authorities will do any good, but please let the neighborhood police officer know what kind of people are on your block. It has worked wonders for me.

And let’s hope the house these fools burn down is their own.

Losing rights

When we were young, the Fourth of July meant celebrating it on the eve and the next day with a big assortment of fireworks. They were dangerous. There were “cherry bombs” that you threw and ones you could light. There were “2 inchers and 3 inchers” that could blow off your fingers. Anyone could buy them. We never had supervision, and the majority of us managed to have a safe day anyway.

Nowadays a law restricts a lot of those dangerous fireworks. The trouble we have today is that the people don’t mind the laws because there is less and less respect for other people and the law. If we keep going the way we are going, this wonderful celebration will be a thing of the past, and the only fireworks that will be legal will be in shows put on by a licensed pyrotechnics company.

A lot of people are complaining about the noise and the effect it has on their pets. I can’t remember anyone complaining about the noise when we were young. And we didn’t have air conditioning back then, so all our windows and doors were open.

Another right will be taken away. It’s just a matter of time. So people, please, it’s our Independence Day; try to put up with it. Let’s celebrate and have fun while we can.

Pay off debt

Greece’s debt is less than $500 billion. When the monthly Greek debt crisis happens, it generates a U.S. stock market drop of 300 points, or a monetary loss of about $250 billion each time it happens. In order to prevent this precipitous drop in stock prices, our government should simply fire up its magic printing presses and pay off Greece’s debt.

Half a trillion in imaginary dollars to maintain trillions in equities seems like a pretty good deal to me. We would also be sending the world a message that the United States is not afraid of the consequences of printing money out of thin air.

Not pathetic

I take real issue with a July 3 Opinion Line comment that the Confederate flag should be placed in a museum “with hoods, nooses, chains and other objects of our pathetic past.”

Was winning our independence from Great Britain pathetic? Was the Louisiana Purchase pathetic? How about winning the War of 1812? Winning Texans’ freedom from Mexico? The Emancipation Proclamation? Helping win two world wars? Becoming the greatest industrialized nation in the world? Becoming one of the richest and most educated nations and the freest nation in the world? I could go on, but I’m sure you get the picture.

Yes, America has made some big mistakes in the past, but haven’t all countries?

Despite its flawed past and present state of affairs, I still believe we live in the greatest country in the world. Why else would so many people want to come to our shores? I, for one, am extremely grateful for our country’s “pathetic past.”

This story was originally published July 7, 2015 at 7:03 PM with the headline "Letters on Brownback grievances, fireworks, Greek debt, greatest country."