Letters on Letitia Davis, Ferguson riots, Christian nation, earthquakes, productive workers, same-sex marriage, city pension

Crime a symptom of deeper troubles

Although I did not know Letitia Davis, the words jumped off the page in the article reporting her death (“Victim in Fairmount Park attack dies,” Nov. 23 Eagle). This person was someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, mother, friend, aunt, granddaughter, someone’s loved one.

This horrific crime, perpetrated in a senseless and apparently random fashion, is unfortunately a symptom of deeper troubles within our community, culture and society overall. I am writing to the family and friends offering prayers and support at this time. I encourage them to support each other, love each other, avail themselves of every service and support that they feel to be helpful.

My thoughts are also with law enforcement, as it formulates the legal processes to come.

Not protesters

Two points need to be clear about the coverage of the Ferguson, Mo., riots (“No indictment; unrest breaks out,” Nov. 25 Eagle): Protesters do not commit criminal acts; criminals do. And “unarmed” does not mean defenseless.

Protesters are protesters until criminal activity begins. Then they become part of the activity. I have been in demonstrations and gave advice to my family about that situation. You do not go where trouble has a good chance of erupting. When violence erupts, you leave the environment to protect yourself and not be a part of the violence. Anyone who remains in a bad environment becomes a protector of the criminal, if not a direct participant in the activity.

There is no such thing as “unarmed.” Stature alone can be a weapon when there is quite a difference in physical characteristics. A slight woman has every right to stop a larger assailant with deadly force if necessary. An officer must prevent the loss of his weapon or else the assailant becomes armed with the officer’s weapon. No one is obligated to give an assailant an equal fight.

Personal responsibility and the consequences of your actions are the guides to being a responsible member of society.

Christian nation?

Are we a Christian nation, founded on Christian principles? Reading the Sermon on the Mount, the Gospels, other accounts of Jesus’ life and teachings, and accounts of Christian life in the very early movement, it is hard to see a connection between those and the United States.

What happened to “love your neighbor as yourself,” “turn the other cheek,” “go the extra mile,” the example of the good Samaritan (with health care), and selling possessions and giving to those in need? And in comparison, when you look at politics and politicians, Christianity does not come to my mind, but tragedy does.

Shaky ground

The Eagle devoted a lot of words to recent earthquakes and how to prepare for them (“Earthquakes: Kansas can learn from California,” Nov. 23 Eagle). Little was said about the recent profusion of quakes in Kansas and Oklahoma.

Gov. Sam Brownback and his friends seem to be in denial about the cause. The Eagle reported: “The increased earthquake activity correlates in both time and location to an increase in the use of nontraditional methods of extracting oil and gas. Most of the quakes have been concentrated in areas where the oil and gas industry uses horizontal ‘fracking.””

It then reported: “State geologists say they don’t think the fracking is directly responsible for the quakes, although underground injection of wastewater … could play a role.”

A task force appointed by Brownback concluded “there is insufficient research available to say what has caused the increase in the number of quakes.”

What’s the task force members’ definition of “sufficient” research? What do they need to see – wastewater cascading down the steps of the Capitol? There are none so blind as those who will not see.

Or is it all about the money?

Must treat equally

If it weren’t so frightening, it would be amusing how conservatives, including Gov. Sam Brownback and Attorney General Derek Schmidt, are always spouting off about the state and federal constitutions, but seem to have no idea what the documents mean or how the federal government’s system of checks and balances works.

Brownback says that 70 percent of Kansans voted to define marriage as between one man and one woman. First of all, that’s 70 percent of the people who bothered to vote, not total Kansans. Secondly, it would not matter if 100 percent of actual Kansans voted that way, because such a law is unconstitutional on the face of it, as it violates the equality clause that all citizens must be treated equally under the law.

Further, it is precisely the job of a judge (federal in this case) to rule on the constitutionality of any laws brought before the court. The judges are simply doing their sworn job.

Brownback, on the other hand, is violating the law by ignoring the court’s finding that the Kansas law is unconstitutional.

Not productive

The word “productivity” is a technical term with a specific meaning. According to the Business Dictionary, productivity is a “measure of the efficiency of a person, machine, factory, system, etc., in converting inputs into useful outputs. Productivity is computed by dividing average output per period by the total costs incurred or resources (capital, energy, material, personnel) consumed in that period.”

A productive employee creates wealth for the entire society; a nonproductive worker does not (“Merrick explains criticized comment,” Nov. 20 Local & State).

Production employees in a factory are productive. Accountants, janitors and executives are not. Farmers produce food, packing plant meat cutters produce cuts of meat, chefs create meals. All are productive. The waitress is an essential part of getting food to the customer, but she is not productive. Police, firefighters, soldiers, doctors, lawyers, schoolteachers and street sweepers all provide necessary and useful services, but they’re not productive. They, along with retirees (like me), simply pass around the wealth that the productive members of society create through their labor.

Having a job that is not classified as being productive does not mean that it is not honorable, needed or well-paying; it is just not a productive job. Since government services are not sold at a profit, no government employee is productive, but they still provide essential services that we appreciate and need in our society.

Not a problem

Regarding “Pension problem” (Nov. 23 Letters to the Editor): The city of Wichita employees’ retirement system (WERS) is considered well-funded at 93.1 percent, far exceeding the average of 72 percent for other public pension plans, according to the Center for State and Local Government Excellence.

The letter writer noted that defined-contribution plans are more common in the business world. In fact, the city has offered this same type of plan since 1994. Employees do have the option to convert to a defined-benefit pension plan after seven years or they may remain in the defined-contribution plan. Both options are provided to attract or retain workers who may prefer the ability to transfer their retirement benefits when they leave the organization.

The letter mischaracterized “$2.6 million for retirement to employees who worked at their jobs the same time they received the extra pay.” These funds were paid to city workers who chose to defer pension payments while they continued working up to five additional years beyond retirement. During this period, the employee and the city continue to contribute to the WERS plan. The $2.6 million represents the payment of the earned accumulated pension benefits when the employees left public service in 2013.

It should be noted that city employees contribute a portion of their wages to the pension plan, and that the Wichita City Council has made wise fiscal decisions to sufficiently fund the retirement plans. Because of this commitment, the city’s retirement plans are far from being a “problem.”

This story was originally published November 29, 2014 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Letters on Letitia Davis, Ferguson riots, Christian nation, earthquakes, productive workers, same-sex marriage, city pension."