Letters on message to teachers, legislators in a bind, transgender bathrooms, County Commission, bullying

Sending message that teachers don’t matter

As USD 259 cuts its budget, I’ve heard some educators suggest how to respond. We need to accept sacrifices, make adjustments, maintain flexibility to weather this storm.

Though I applaud the idea, I must say, “Stop!” Teachers have weathered the storm for years. It’s not beneficial to continue to expect this dedicated corps of professionals to suck it up and carry on.

Educators become targets in tough times because we’re caregivers with a sincere desire to make lives better. We believe in our kids and the effect we have on their futures, so we tolerate years of salary and longevity freezes. We pay to take classes so skills and licenses remain current without increased pay.

Why not do it again? Why not add higher deductibles for health insurance, increase our contributions to the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System, and let government “borrow” from it for this budget debacle? Why not eliminate librarians and nurses, and charge a fee for coffeepots in classrooms?

These decisions send a clear message to educators and our students: We aren’t important and neither are they.

It’s time to stop enabling and to demand change. It’s time to model self-respect. It’s time to make our voices heard and say, ‘We’ve had enough.”

Legislators in a bind

For centuries, people believed the Earth was flat. People were disciplined for suggesting that the Earth was not flat. After all, it was easy to see that it was flat.

The idea of the flat Earth was repeated over and over until most believed the concept. But repeating it over and over did not make the Earth flat.

Gov. Sam Brownback, House Speaker Ray Merrick, R-Stilwell, and Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairman Ty Masterson, R-Andover, have repeated over and over how great the economy of Kansas is. Legislators who disagreed were disciplined. But saying our economy is great doesn’t make the Kansas economy great.

Our Kansas legislators are in a real bind of their own making. Do they continue supporting Brownback’s economic policies even though they can see they are not succeeding, or do they support a change, risking discipline from the Republican Party?

Restroom bill ridiculous

Where exactly were transgender people using the restroom before the U.S. Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage decision? Ask that of people who are in support of the Legislature’s ridiculous bathroom bill, and no one seems to know or, rather, they refuse to answer.

Seriously, it’s not like transgender people just started using the bathroom last week. They’ve always shared a space with all of us, and many were already using the bathroom of their choice.

Let’s just call a spade a spade. The attempt to paint this as some emergency to save our children and women is a renewed effort by the right to demonize and criminalize lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and questioning persons while continuing to blunderingly misunderstand sexual identity.

Why are transgender women being scapegoated? Transgender people just want to pee in peace, like most people in a public restroom. Why must they risk continued abuse, neglect and risk for unfounded, irrational fears of the unknown? They’ve been peeing with us for years.

I’m really pondering why none of the supporters of the bathroom bills has recognized that trans men will now be forced to use the women’s room, all but guaranteeing the awkward encounters they’re concerned about with trans women.

Further, for a group so concerned about sexual assault, how do they intend to enforce the $2,500 bounty? I’d imagine it would be pretty difficult to pull off without being a Peeping Tom. This is cognitive dissonance.

Change commission

It’s time for the voters in Sedgwick County Commission districts 3, 4 and 5 to realize they have elected commissioners who are not serving them properly. Karl Peterjohn, Richard Ranzau and Jim Howell only think of their personal interests, following their extreme ideologies in conducting county business.

The latest boneheaded move by this group was Howell’s successful effort to remove Bothner and Bradley, one of Wichita’s premier PR firms, from a county project. It would seem that if you don’t agree with the Big Three, you need not apply for any county work.

I don’t think the citizens of Sedgwick County are going to change the ideologies of this majority. The only thing that we can hope for is that these three do not get re-elected (Peterjohn is up for re-election this year).

I’m very happy that I live in District 1 and have an excellent elected official in Dave Unruh. I also have followed the ideology and voting record of District 2 Commissioner Tim Norton. These gentlemen, who represent both major political parties, have always found a way to come to common ground to properly serve the citizens of Sedgwick County.

Stop school bullying

“Bullycide” is suicide due to bullying. Kansas has become one of the leading states in the category of teen suicide.

House Bill 2698 would create uniform reporting and education procedures for all Kansas school districts to increase student safety by reporting bullying behavior to the student’s parents directly. School principals would contact and verbally inform parents of both parties involved in the bullying incident within 24 hours. By making parents aware of the incident, the students can be monitored for behaviors that reflect self-harm or harm to others.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that suicide is the third leading cause of death among youths and young adults, and many of the suicides are linked to bullying experiences. We cannot afford to turn a blind eye as our children die. Give your support to HB 2698. Save our children and take a stand against school bullying.

Better slow than dead

Regarding a letter about drivers who will die of natural causes behind their steering wheels because they are moving too slowly (“Super slow drivers,” March 28 Letters to the Editor): I am probably considered a slow driver, because I try to drive the speed limit.

I drive 65 mph on I-235, and practically everyone goes around me. If you want a real adrenaline rush, drive on Kellogg during rush hour. You’ll experience people cutting in and out of traffic in order to go faster than the 60 mph speed limit.

I am probably also considered a slow driver with my response time to signal lights and railroad crossings. I drive an automobile and a motorcycle, so I try to drive defensively. After a red light turns green, I watch to make sure the intersection is clear before proceeding. I have people behind me honking.

It’s a law that signal arms must be all the way up and lights no longer flashing before drivers proceed at railroad crossings. I also get to listen to people behind me honking because I wait.

I would much rather die a natural death by following traffic laws than die an unnatural death by getting in a hurry.

This story was originally published April 23, 2016 at 7:04 PM with the headline "Letters on message to teachers, legislators in a bind, transgender bathrooms, County Commission, bullying."