Letters on electing moderates, water use, Hillary Clinton, Eagle deadlines

Elect those willing to think outside the silo

With the lack of diversity in the current legislatures and the ideological rigidity that exists, attempts to find beneficial solutions are hampered by groupthink and a lack of willingness to explore valid ideas that the “other party” might offer. Instead, we continue along a path of an economic and social death spiral in Kansas and gridlock in our nation as a whole.

A way of addressing it in a better fashion is to elect individuals who are capable and willing to look at ideas as ideas, and to problem-solve with others across party lines. This will mean supporting those individuals who are considered moderates and not entrenched in vilifying people if they deviate in thought and action from them to even a small degree.

Fundamental preferences will continue to exist as far as humanity is concerned, but there are large areas of potential agreement and compromise.

Currently in Kansas, we are being bankrupted by an intransigent governor and a legislative lack of will or willingness to correct disastrous budgetary choices. We should expect the negative consequences to continue and get worse if not addressed. Ideological labeling resulting in a rejection of viable alternatives will hurt all constituents regardless of party affiliations.

We need to elect those individuals who give a careful consideration for the common good and not just what is common to their own limited silo way of thinking.

Water use, supply

Experts have been warning south-central and western Kansas for decades about our limited water supplies and the fact we continue to drain our aquifer. At our current rate of use, we could actually deplete our groundwater in less than 100 years. It is estimated it would take 6,000 years to restore the aquifer below us.

Is lush green fescue more important than water supplies for future Kansans? Are irrigated crops in western Kansas more important than drinking water in western Kansas?

Every day, countless people and homeowner associations water lawns excessively, regardless of rainfall. One tired reply, “It’s a private well,” is shortsighted and dangerous. Too many people refuse to believe the water below them is dropping and needs to be there for generations long after they are gone.

Is it really that difficult to flip the off switch during rainy periods? It’s obvious many homeowner associations turn the system on in the spring and don’t touch the switch until late fall. They also think areas need more water than any type of grass ever needs.

Water supplies in more than a quarter of the country are going to reach crisis stages in less than 50 years – some in the next decade, given the current state of apathy and behavior. What will history write of us?

Fan of Clinton

When Bill Clinton first ran for president in 1992, I was as big a fan of Hillary Clinton as of him, if not more so. I loved her outspokenness and admired her intelligence. It infuriated me when people made nasty assaults on her character, but I figured: What do you expect from Republicans? I had no idea when she began her current campaign for president that Democrats would demonstrate the same slanderous stupidity.

Clinton was not the only Democrat to make the grievous error of voting in favor of the war in Iraq. She shouldn’t have to have her head handed to her on a platter for one mistake. And unlike Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., she knows what works and how to accomplish things pragmatically.

Deadline disaster

It is sad that with the new format in The Eagle, we still have a liberal Opinion page, and the Sports section is now a disaster, because the deadline for information has apparently moved to an earlier time because of the Kansas City move to print. Is The Eagle going to let a couple of sportswriters go?

Mainly at this point I am concerned with the Kansas City Royals baseball information. The daily stories about the previous night’s game are gone along with the daily box scores. But we still have to put up with The Eagle’s Opinion staff.

At least my paper is still being delivered on time.

This story was originally published June 7, 2016 at 12:03 AM with the headline "Letters on electing moderates, water use, Hillary Clinton, Eagle deadlines."