Letters on Conway Springs teacher, water privatization, Kobach, Ben Carson, bike safety

Teacher should not lose job

It’s good that Conway Springs teacher Tom Leahy isn’t losing his job because he tried to make his school safer and more inclusive (“Conway Springs teacher will return to job,” Nov. 7 Eagle). It broke my heart when it appeared that he could lose his livelihood because he was trying to create a safe space for his students.

I am co-founder of the Tyler Clementi Foundation, which works to end online and offline bullying. I am a mom as well as a woman of deep personal faith, a Christian called to live by the Golden Rule. My son Tyler took his own life in 2010 after being cyberbullied. Somehow the people who targeted him got the message that it was socially acceptable to single Tyler out for humiliation and discrimination.

Leahy should not be persecuted for daring to be bold and teaching a lesson that too many parents fail to teach their children: to show respect, compassion and empathy. Even if you think Leahy should have sought parental support first, he should not lose his job.

If we punished Leahy, we would send a message that standing up for vulnerable and marginalized youths has consequences. This is a horrible message. There should be no more Tylers. No more bullying, loss, suicide, pain and suffering.

Don’t privatize

Privatization of our water is a bad idea. Typically, corporations cut corners, because their main objective is profit.

The American Legislative Exchange Council has written a model corporate-friendly bill to establish the Public Private Partnership (P3) Authority Act. P3s might not mean outright sale of city water assets or replacing the entire workforce; it is more like privatization through management takeover. This is how the private sector gets its foot in the door so it can capture the public trust.

If the Wichita contract with CH2M Hill happens, we are throwing it all to the wind. CH2M Hill promises pie in the sky, but when the reality sets in, it can only be trusted to maximize its profits.

This is only one step toward water privatization, but it is one step too many. We would do much better to retain total control of our water.

We should keep the money in Wichita, and utilize local or at least Kansas companies we can hold accountable. Another problem with this is that there is the conflict of interest, as CH2M Hill has its foot in the door for the big contract, and it is salivating over the millions involved.

Crossed the line

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, author of the “papers, please” law, crossed the line once again. While recently in Washington, D.C., Kobach spoke at an event hosted by a known hate group, the Social Contract Press (Nov. 4 Eagle). This group has published race-baiting articles from several noted nationalists.

Kobach’s attendance at this event is unacceptable and should cause all Kansans to be very concerned about whom we’ve elected to represent us in statewide office.

Over the years, Kansans have had to endure Kobach’s penchant for anti-immigrant activism in Kansas and beyond. Kobach has initiated policies that will separate families across the country, and his actions have cost taxpayers millions of dollars. His harsh voter suppression tactics have removed thousands of legitimate voters from Kansas’ voting rolls. All of this has been in the misguided pursuit of demonizing immigrants.

It is time for Kansas to say that enough is enough.

Carson’s fault

I have some advice for Ben Carson: If you do not want people digging into your background, then do not bring it up.

What is happening to Carson is his own fault. If he did not know the press was going to look for the people he talked about, then he has no business running for president.

Now that it looks like he may have lied about some of the things that happened, Carson wants to blame the news media. The media did not put out this story. Carson did, so this is on him. Did he think it would not happen?

Biking cautions

I welcome and celebrate the new dedicated bicycle lanes and designated boulevards but offer a note of caution to cyclists to not become complacent.

I’ve been an urban cyclist for more than three years. I speak from experience in saying this type of riding demands hypervigilance. I constantly scan my surroundings and check my rearview mirror. The only time I am not doing that is when I’m on one of the many wonderful bike paths.

The key issue I’ve witnessed is that Wichita drivers are, by and large, ignoring or ignorant of fundamental right of way rules. I learned it this way: Vehicles yield to cyclists and cyclists yield to pedestrians. I can’t tell you the number of times that drivers block crosswalks and believe that they are entitled to turn right on red when I am clearly trying to cross the street.

Lastly, and most important of all, drivers need to put down the cellphone before they drift out of their lane and take me out.

This story was originally published November 9, 2015 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Letters on Conway Springs teacher, water privatization, Kobach, Ben Carson, bike safety."