Letters on tax-supported services, pro-life march, American dream, law enforcement officers, radon gas, chicken and noodle dinner

Important services are paid for by taxes

Perhaps the contributor of the comment that “all taxes are theft” (Jan. 24 Opinion Line) should be exempt from paying taxes. But the person shouldn’t be allowed to use roads or visit state or national parks, or to call police, use an ambulance or be a recipient of Medicare or Social Security.

Not paying taxes could mean having to watch one’s house burn. The library would be off-limits. There are numerous programs that we all take for granted that our taxes support.

The conservatives have done a good job of spreading the lie that taxes are evil. Many Kansans are buying into that idea. Gov. Sam Brownback is helping foster that notion.

It would be interesting to see how long this red state could tolerate poor roads, defunct police and fire departments, and underfunded or canceled social programs that are desperately needed. “Oh, well,” the right-wingers would say. “Who cares as long as those annoying taxes are a thing of the past?”

Change the rhetoric

Jan. 22 was the 42nd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision. Wichita Catholic Bishop Carl Kemme led 10 busloads of Kansans on a pilgrimage to Washington, D.C., for the March for Life, where more than 500,000 people turned out for the annual event.

Across the nation, about 50,000 attended the West Coast Walk for Life on Jan. 24. During the week, thousands more turned out at marches in Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago. Closer to home, hundreds more participated in Topeka and Wichita rallies.

Once again, The Eagle and the rest of the mainstream media dropped the ball. Where was the coverage? Reporting of the pro-life rallies was nearly nonexistent.

The theme of this year’s march was “Every Life Is a Gift.” That’s 1.1 million gifts this year, almost 57 million since 1973, that will never be opened.

It’s time to change the rhetoric. Why doesn’t The Eagle print some stories showing the science of what’s in the womb? Show women that there are alternatives such as adoption and report on what resources are available to assist women who choose life.

Maybe The Eagle would consider sending a reporter on one of the buses to get a true and accurate story of what goes on at these rallies and who attends them.

American dream real

Fear not. The American dream is alive and well. Even the poorest in America live better than their forefathers.

In our age, we take for granted things like electricity, automobiles, aircraft, refrigeration, railroads and antibiotics. The average life expectancy has risen from 39 in 1800 to more than 70 today.

The Fords, Vanderbilts, Morgans, Wrights and Rockefellers did not sit around complaining that society owed them something. Thomas Edison did not complain about candles; he invented the lightbulb.

For those who innovate, the dream is real.

Earned our respect

At 12:15 a.m. Jan. 17, three men attempted to break into our home. They cut our basement screens, and then tried to get in our patio door. My husband ran them off, so they didn’t get in.

We called 911, and Sedgwick County sheriff’s officers arrived within minutes. They have many square miles to patrol, and they protect us with their lives each and every day. They are here for our protection and help, and have trained many hours on ways to keep us safe.

They have earned the right to be respected for the dangerous work they perform on our streets and roads.

Beware of radon

It breaks my heart to think of losing my daughter in 2013. Her death was the result of a silent killer, radon gas, the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers.

Radon gas, the result of the decay of uranium in the soil, can be deadly if concentrated in basements or houses on slabs or with crawl spaces. Simple do-it-yourself kits are available for the detection of radon from the county extension office or hardware stores. Experts can rid your home of radon. I urge you to protect your family.

Thanks for support

As the pastor of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, I want to extend a huge “thank you” for the community’s support of our 69th-annual chicken noodle dinner.

I have served St. Paul’s since July 2012 and participated in three chicken noodle dinners. Each year’s has gotten bigger and bigger. We served more than 1,800 people this year, and that support is greatly appreciated.

It is a major undertaking for our small congregation to put together. We appreciate all the volunteers who come from across the city and region to help.

This story was originally published January 30, 2015 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Letters on tax-supported services, pro-life march, American dream, law enforcement officers, radon gas, chicken and noodle dinner."