Letters on special-needs funding, Second Amendment, being thankful
Save funding for special-needs kids
Though diverting funds from roads and pensions is disappointing, taking funds from the vulnerable – specifically children with special needs – is a travesty. Our children are our future, so why are we stealing funding from children’s programs to plug the state budget hole? Instead of protecting services that help our little ones learn and grow, we’re stealing their futures.
Services provided through tobacco-settlement dollars or the Children’s Initiative Fund make a difference to all of us. High-quality child care, in-home therapies, and specialized services for children with special needs and their families allow parents to work, children to thrive and families to remain strong.
The answer is not taking low-cost, effective services from children with special needs or transferring temporary funds for short-term patches. The problems need a long-term fix.
We had a “real-live experiment” that failed. If you agree, let legislators know this is not acceptable. We need all our voices to yell, “Don’t patch it! Fix it!”
Hale Ritchie, Wichita
Rethink amendment
During his run for the Republican presidential nomination, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie suggested that the 14th Amendment (birthright citizenship) should be looked at through a 21st-century lens. I suggest that it is now time to re-examine the Second Amendment (right to keep and bear arms).
Thomas R. Levinski, Wichita
Be thankful
Almost daily we see stories of people living in horrific conditions – bombed-out homes, with no water other than a public well, no toilet, no baths, no grocery stores, no air conditioning, no means of transportation, with malnourished children. I wonder why people in this country complain about things and don’t thank God daily they live in the United States.
Russell Shonk, Wichita
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This story was originally published June 23, 2016 at 12:03 AM with the headline "Letters on special-needs funding, Second Amendment, being thankful."