Letters on Constitution Day, teaching reading, Kentucky clerk, Fair Tax, Gitmo detainees

Need refresher on Constitution

Thursday is Constitution Day. It celebrates the 228th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution, which was ratified nine months later on June 21, 1788.

This might be an appropriate occasion for all those seeking elective office to take a refresher course in civics. At the least, they should read the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, particularly the preamble.

The authors of the Constitution, building upon the principles found in the Declaration, devised a unique triform of government: executive, legislative and judicial, with equal but not absolute powers, each dependent upon the others.

The ultimate guide for the new government’s goals and purposes lies in the preamble to the Constitution: form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.

It would appear that no government in human history came into being dedicated to serve “the people” until the Constitution was signed on Sept. 17, 1787.

Teach to read

Was the public surprised in reading “Kansas kids falling short in readiness for college” (Sept. 9 Eagle)? Was the public concerned? I hope so.

I was surprised when I found out in 1992 that my son was dyslexic. I was told that he was “falling short” and “not expected to learn to read,” according to the Kansas educational experts.

As a certified teacher and literacy expert, I am a passionate advocate for children. I’ve spent the past 23 years sharing my concerns about our kids’ reading performance with the State Board of Education, past Kansas education commissioners, legislative education committees and the Kansas Board of Regents, as well as my local school district administrators (USD 259) – to no avail. I’ve pleaded and begged, saying, “Nothing is going to get better for our kids’ futures until we teach them to read.”

If students can’t read, they can’t succeed in any subject area.

We all have a responsibility to be aware, be concerned and demand change. Research has proved exactly what needs to take place to improve the literacy-related difficulties (reading, writing and spelling) that plague Kansas’ children. We need to change what we are doing. This is where we need to put our attention and our tax money.

No more excuses; it’s time to demand change. If we can’t figure out how to teach children to read, nothing else matters.

Regressive tax

Mike Huckabee supports scrapping the federal income tax and replacing it with a more regressive national sales tax of about 30 percent. Most of the other Republican candidates for president probably support this plan, too, hoping to get their election campaign paid for by superrich libertarians who would be let out of paying income tax on their gargantuan incomes.

Read books on tax

It appears several people have written about the “Fair Tax” without reading books on it by Neal Boortz and John Linder. Until they do, they will not understand the totality of the Fair Tax plan. Here are a few of the pros:

▪  Eliminating the IRS and the federal income tax (audits, complicated forms, paying tax professionals).

▪  Eliminating the earned income tax credit (no one has been able to explain what the recipients did to “earn” the cash payments).

▪  Gaining taxes from people who pay for items (labor and goods) under the table or do not pay income taxes, such as tourists, prostitutes, drug dealers, illegal immigrants, etc.

Please note the 18 to 23 percent sales tax is not an additional tax but a replacement tax for current embedded taxes.

I implore you to read the books.

Shalt not steal

If an elected person will not do the work required for a job because of religious reasons, he or she should resign. If the official continues to draw a paycheck but does not do the work, then that is stealing. Stealing is a clear violation of one of the Ten Commandments, not the imagined violation of some questionable religious belief.

Don’t want them

“Gitmo fearmongering” (Aug. 28 Eagle Editorial) was naive about this issue and who these people are.

One of the primary reasons for not bringing terrorism detainees to our soil is that they would suddenly have the same rights afforded to citizens like you and me. But they aren’t citizens or just prisoners; they are military combatants who deserve nothing.

The liberal media would have a field day with them, saying they deserve these rights. The detainees would attract a lot of sympathy and the attention of guys with radical groups such as the Islamic State. Just having them here could even draw attacks on our soil.

I, like our Kansas leaders, don’t want these guys in Kansas or the United States. And I bet the majority of citizens agree with me.

If others care for these criminals so much, they should prepare and send them care packages. Or why not go visit them? Make a public display of support for them.

This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 7:03 PM with the headline "Letters on Constitution Day, teaching reading, Kentucky clerk, Fair Tax, Gitmo detainees."