Letters on privatizing County Commission, jihadist refugees, guns, Jade Helm, uncivilized discourse

Save tax money: privatize commission

In keeping with the desire of the majority of Sedgwick County commissioners to downsize government and privatize as many governmental functions as possible, I propose that we privatize the County Commission itself. I would be very happy to form a company that would vet and hire five very capable and motivated people to serve on the commission for a salary of $55,000.

This would be a savings of $173,575 compared with the salaries being paid currently. It would also eliminate the need for city or county workers to remove the unsightly and often illegally placed campaign signs every election cycle, which would result in further savings. It would also be much easier to replace commissioners who weren’t performing their duties up to expectations. We could simply fire them and hire someone else. Another major advantage to this proposal would be that it would result in one less opportunity for the thousands of fraudulent voters who apparently reside in Sedgwick County to steal an election.

Smaller government, major cost-cutting and sanctity of elections: win, win, win. I would expect Commissioners Richard Ranzau, Karl Peterjohn and Jim Howell to be major supporters of this idea.

Danger is real

U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Fowler/Hutchinson, raised legitimate concerns about jihadists mingling with the Syrian refugees (Sept. 15 Local & State). The Islamic Society of Wichita should not berate him but answer his legitimate questions and allay Wichitans’ concerns.

It is not as if we’ve not been repeatedly warned by jihadists, and not as if we did not spend billions of dollars and pay dearly with 3,000 of our own people on Sept. 11, 2001. Huelskamp’s comment is not offensive.

And by the way, mentioning the little refugee boy who washed up in Turkey has as much juice as the race card. It has been played over and over until bleeding hearts’ tears have run dry.

The young Syrian men should have bravely joined the fight for their native land against the Islamic State and the Assad regime. Instead they run away like cowards. And to what? To dominate other cultures as they get brainwashed in Saudi-financed mosques and wage future jihads against their compassionate but naive host countries?

This era is not pre-Sept. 11. It is post-Sept. 11, and the danger is real.

I’m glad people are voicing concerns. We’re filled with angst what with the illegals invading the Mexican border, the jihadists threatening day after day after day, and ISIS on the march promoting Shariah law. It is not offensive that a representative would voice concerns.

The real danger

Americans fear terrorists and illegal immigrants murdering us in our sleep. I am sure we have spent trillions of dollars on national defense, homeland security, the CIA, FBI, Border Patrol and aid to foreign countries to fight jihadists.

If we add up all Americans in the past 15 years who died from terrorists, including Sept. 11, 2001, and the wars in the Middle East, it might total about 15,000 American lives lost. This is certainly tragic. Any loss of life is. But that number pales in comparison with the number of Americans who shoot other Americans.

We shoot and kill 15,000 of our own countrymen every six months. If you are looking for the bogeyman, he probably is not a 14-year-old Muslim high school student. The bogeyman is most likely your red-blooded American neighbor. Maybe we could try to do something about this and fight potential terrorism.

Jade Helm over

Remember the Texas folks who freaked over Jade Helm 15, the United States military exercise that included nine states? Remember Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, actor Chuck Norris and, last but not least, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry fretting that this could be a military takeover by the Obama administration of states such as Texas that don’t kowtow to this administration?

Guess what? Jade Helm 15 is now over, and not one individual was sent to Obama re-education camps located in secret underground or aboveground or interplanetary locations to be found by some congressional committee made up of the usual right-wing conspiracy theorists at some date to be determined in the past, present or future. Silly boys.

By the way, we’re still waiting for Obama’s black helicopters to land, discharge Muslim/black/liberal troops, take everybody’s guns, and/or arrest all Republicans and send them en masse to those same re-education camps. He had better hurry; he doesn’t have many more months to accomplish it – unless he declares martial law and crowns himself king, as has been mentioned more than a few times by many of those same conspiracy theorists.

Discourse uncivilized

Another election year is around the corner, and I’m dreading the barrage of insults toward candidates of the opposing parties. The Constitution permits freedom of speech, but Americans should also be known for tact and having guidelines for civilized discourse. I can’t bear more taunts about “Magic Negroes,” “stupid Texas frat boys,” and “socialists,” “communists” and “Nazis.”

Something is drastically wrong when people can become wealthy from making personal attacks on public figures. Remember, we’re adults.

This story was originally published September 22, 2015 at 7:04 PM with the headline "Letters on privatizing County Commission, jihadist refugees, guns, Jade Helm, uncivilized discourse."