Letters on Merrick’s offensive remarks, same-sex marriage, Keystone pipeline

Merrick’s remarks grossly inaccurate

Regarding remarks by House Speaker Ray Merrick, R-Stilwell, that “government employees produce nothing” and are “a net consumer,” and that hiring government employees “doesn’t stimulate the economy” (“Lawmakers divided on how to plug budget hole,” Nov. 16 Eagle):

In my work as a corrections officer at the El Dorado Correctional Facility, my (and our) product is “a safer Kansas through effective correctional services,” as the mission statement reads. We serve our communities as proudly as any cop who patrols a beat. We are not merely an expense, but an investment in the safety and security of Kansas. Smart “consumers” know the difference between throwing money at a problem and investing wisely for the long term.

In order for an employer to attract and retain the best employees, they must be compensated competitively. I’m extremely grateful to enjoy good health insurance and pension benefits, but also feel that such things are only par for the course when considering the risk-to-reward ratio of a profession such as ours.

To say that we don’t stimulate the economy is foolish. I earn a paycheck and spend it in Wichita.

Merrick’s seemingly contemptuous view of us as non-contributing takers is both grossly inaccurate and offensive. I’m a native Kansan and public servant who asks only for the continued fair treatment of state employees by our elected officials in both word and deed. We’re worth it.

Lack of regard

Davis Merritt’s latest commentary was very enlightening (“House speaker to public workers: Drop dead,” Nov. 18 Opinion). I had not fully realized how far right the Republican majority, represented by House Speaker Ray Merrick, R-Stilwell, had become. I think Merrick has cast aside the facade of being a mere Republican or libertarian. Merrick is beginning to sound like a resurrected John Birch Society member railing against the unions and all of the socialist riffraff that they represent.

As a lifelong Republican and a retired Kansas Public Employees Retirement System employee, I am amazed at the lack of regard for my years of public service by my elected officials. Merrick, as an elected official of 14 years, is eligible to participate in the KPERS plan and receive a full year’s credit each session for what is essentially a “part-time” job. I would hope the speaker is not hypocritical enough to actually collect the pension if he is a member. Thank you, Speaker Merrick, for your contribution.

Overriding state

The majority of Kansans believe in the legal definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman, and many of us have fought to keep the ban on same-sex marriages here intact. However, we now have a federal judge who has imposed his will on the state of Kansas, regardless of what most of its residents want, and in spite of the fact that only about 3 percent of the entire U.S. population consists of homosexuals.

Why is this happening? One reason is because many Washington, D.C., liberals know that legalizing gay marriage wouldn’t pass in Kansas otherwise. It’s not because of homophobia, but because most of us here want to see the sanctity of traditional marriage preserved.

This issue should be a decision that the people of Kansas, and only the people of Kansas, should make. Yet we’re having it forced down our throats without even an attempt to have the state’s residents vote on it. It’s frightening when federal judges can override a state’s overwhelming objection to an issue with their own interpretation of the law. What else will we be forced to accept?

Superb photo

Kudos to Eagle photographer Mike Hutmacher for his superb photo of the marriage of Krista Casmaer and Mindy Kufahl with Kufahl’s daughter Phoebe (“15 same-sex couples marry in legal ceremony,” Nov. 18 Local & State). It was a photo overflowing emotionally in multiple expressions.

Casmaer had a comforting, but muted, smile as she looked upon her newly married partner for life, Kufahl, who one could see was welling up inside with intense joy, about to burst forth in tears. And then the most priceless, angelic smile on Phoebe’s face, as if to say: “Smile, Mommy! Don’t cry! I love you!”

I know my heart was filled with joy and tears seeing this image of love all around.

It was one of those rare fleeting moments caught instantly on camera by Hutmacher. This photo deserves a prize.

Piece of action

For a country that espouses and glorifies free trade and capitalism, we sure don’t know anything about how to benefit from it and not be victimized by it. If the Keystone XL pipeline is to be rerouted over the Ogallala Aquifer against the people’s wishes, why don’t we ask for a piece of the action? It would be un-American not to.

Alaskan residents get a dividend check every year as a result of allowing the Alaskan pipeline to run through their state. The Alaska Permanent Fund is a successful, time-honored blueprint we should refer to in negotiating our own deal if we are going to have this pipeline shoved down our throats. Perhaps Kansas should change its official state bird to the pigeon.

This story was originally published November 19, 2014 at 6:06 PM with the headline "Letters on Merrick’s offensive remarks, same-sex marriage, Keystone pipeline."