Letters on Medicare takeover, school funding, same-sex marriage, McCray-Miller, Thorpe, Ebola

Do you want state managing Medicare?

How would you like your Medicare managed by the state of Kansas?

I, for one, shudder at the thought of that, given the way this state under Gov. Sam Brownback has suffered through several credit-rating downgrades.

As a senior on Medicare, I see no reason for this program to be taken over by any state, particularly one that has proved that it can’t handle the state’s finances any better than it has to this point. When Brownback and his Legislature buddies voted to join a health care compact, they lost my confidence and that of many of my senior colleagues.

Here’s the thing: When I vote in the upcoming election, it won’t be for anyone who wants to mess with my Medicare. It will be for Democrats Paul Davis and Jill Docking, two public servants who don’t have an agenda against this state’s seniors.

Harmed education

As an educator in Kansas for 35 years, I am personally and professionally offended by Gov. Sam Brownback’s continued claims of support for education when he has done so much harm to education.

When Brownback took office in 2011, he signed the largest single cut to education ever made in the state. Although some funding was increased this year by the Legislature, a large portion was by court order. Some dollars have gone to the state pension system, which the state had underfunded for years. Adjusted for inflation, state funding for education is still drastically lower than 2008 levels.

In addition, Brownback’s current tax cuts have already put the state in deficit spending – yet he still wants to make even further tax cuts.

Although I have enjoyed a satisfying teaching position in my current district for many years, I would not choose to teach in Kansas again if I had the opportunity to change the past. Kansas is not a viable career option for classroom teachers today, and on its present course, will not be a desirable state for the future education of our children.

I am a Republican educator who will be voting for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Paul Davis.

Funding increased

Gov. Sam Brownback and most Kansas legislators have worked hard to get more money into K-12 classrooms and have increased funding to educate our children each of the past four years.

Yes, there was a large reduction of $419 million to fund schools in 2009 when Mark Parkinson was governor. The 2008 Great Recession hit Americans hard, and state tax revenues dropped like a rock. Then, in 2011, the federal government stopped sending emergency stimulus funds to all states.

The Legislature made up the $219 million in federal cuts by raising the amount spent from state tax revenues by $223 million. Brownback signed that budget bill.

But our legislators have consistently appropriated more than 50 percent of all state funds for K-12 schools. This means that Kansas is already fourth in the nation and well above the percentage of state funding for school districts as compared with nearby states.

In addition, since 1998 taxpayers have doubled the amount spent to educate Kansas children. This school year, the average is more than $13,000 per student.

After the Kansas Supreme Court’s school finance decision in 2005, the Legislature planned to appropriate $1.1 billion more for Kansas school districts to spend. Most of the increased funding was used to hire more than 6,000 new employees. Only 40 percent were teachers.

In addition to this massive increase in state funds, Kansas school districts are sitting on $800 million more of our tax dollars in their bank accounts.

Assault on future

From time eternal, humanity has depended upon the one most powerful, unique bond to build strong civil societies. This is the biologically determined bond that develops in utero between a child and his mother and father and grows over generations, resulting in strong families. In lower species, this bond holds herds and flocks together for mutual defense. In humanity, families merge and grow into tribes, clans and even nations.

As young men and women sexually mature, responding to their DNA, they are drawn to join together for life to initiate another powerful fetal bond with their unborn child. This bond is what has been termed a marriage and is the beginning of family, and the foundation of our society.

Not all humans are willing to undertake the sacrifice and expense involved in marital bond building. Still, they seek the pleasurable sexual intimacy associated with reproduction. Some individuals choose sexual pleasure from partners of the same sex. This is clearly their choice. However, they have no right to confiscate the legal and financial benefits that society and government give to married couples to support future citizens.

What is called “same-sex marriage” cannot promote a well-bonded society and more likely will help destroy our nation. If we love our USA, we should oppose this assault on our common future.

Pander to prejudices?

The widespread acceptance of same-sex marriage is inevitable in Kansas. I eagerly await and wholly support the concept. I support it for reasons of tolerance, of course, but also for more selfish reasons of schadenfreude and political strategy.

In short, nearly four decades of being a Kansan have left me with a healthy contempt for the extreme social conservatism that runs rampant in the state. It has bred the worst specimens of political creature and the worst strains of political thought. It has replaced policy with pandering, and instead of offering visions of what Kansas should be, it appeals to nostalgia for a time that never existed.

Gay marriage is the perfect weapon against this mindset. More than any other issue, it will undermine the incestuous relationship between the civil and the sacred in Kansas; it will cripple the likes of the Kansas Family Policy Council and shatter the complacency of Kansas politicians. They will, thus, be forced to make the most difficult of choices: Will their loyalties lie with the smallness of Kansas or the greatness of America? Will they pander to the prejudices of a hundred people in a parking lot (“Gov. at rally against gay marriage,” Oct. 19 Local & State) or get behind a generation weaned on acceptance and tolerance?

See what in mirror?

At the end of an article on the Sedgwick County Commission District 4 race between Melody McCray-Miller and Richard Ranzau (Oct. 20 Eagle), Ranzau said: “She should look at the mirror and think about concealed carry.”

What might McCray-Miller see when she looks in the mirror? A black face? A female face? Someone in need of protection? The speculation is endless.

One should see a hardened veteran of Wichita politics, a former teacher of social studies, a gifted speaker, a former legislator responding to the needs of her constituents in their time of need and, yes, a lovely woman. Please vote for her and get rid of Ranzau.

Vote for Thorpe

If residents of Kansas House District 85 haven’t met Patrick Thorpe yet, I am sure they will on one of his campaign walks. Thorpe is a hardworking, dedicated and determined individual. He exemplifies honesty, fairness and thoughtfulness.

I have spent considerable time researching and analyzing the aims and objectives of the candidates in District 85, and Thorpe’s honest and practical approach sets him apart from his opponent. He has shown great concern for the residents of the community, and his willingness to listen to people’s problems is commendable. Because of the moral integrity I see in Thorpe, I request that my fellow voters cast votes for Patrick Thorpe and send him to Topeka. I cannot think of anyone more suited to the job.

Ban all flights

At the least, just screening passengers for Ebola, instead of banning flights from the countries where it has run rampant, is an impractical way of dealing with the deadly virus. At worst, it could prove disastrous for America.

If you consider how overwhelmed Transportation Security Administration agents already are, do you really believe that they’re going to take the time and effort to thoroughly check every passenger coming from Africa? Not to mention that screening for Ebola also relies heavily on the honor system, which many of these passengers may not adhere to. If people are desperate enough to get away from an Ebola-stricken area and they’re not showing any symptoms, they may lie about it (as the guy in Texas did).

The best way to keep America safe right now is to ban all flights from West Africa (with the exception of private flights carrying medical personnel and supplies) until the epidemic there dies down. It may inconvenience some people for a while, but it’s much better than having Ebola introduced into more American cities – with fatal results.

This story was originally published October 24, 2014 at 5:07 PM with the headline "Letters on Medicare takeover, school funding, same-sex marriage, McCray-Miller, Thorpe, Ebola."