Letters on voting, Roger Elliott, Forrest Knox, second-class market

Become a voice for positive change

Elected officials once worked to make life better for all of us. Our world has changed.

One incumbent running for re-election to our national legislature states, “We took on President Obama, and we beat him.” Nobody won when members of our legislative branch made it their mission to assure that our first black president failed.

At the state level, blocking Medicaid expansion and making cuts to KanCare fly in the face of health equity for all Kansans. The working poor suffer.

Meanwhile, some elected officials in our community have weakened the public health system, reduced funding for the arts and culture, and enacted recommendations to restrict access to food for undocumented women and children. It seems like political idealism and bigotry have replaced true public service.

So what do we do other than feel sad and frustrated?

▪  Self-reflect. What role did we play in getting our society to this place?

▪  Become educated voters. Know what candidates plan to do to improve the lives of all; how they plan to work together; what positive actions they plan to propose.

▪  Vote. All our state legislators and some of our national legislative and local offices will be decided this year. Become a voice for positive change.

Elliott prepared

Voters in east Wichita’s 87th District are fortunate to have Roger Elliott to elect as their state representative in the Aug. 2 primary. They will find no one better prepared to represent them in the Legislature.

Elliott has deep roots in east Wichita – connections that extend to his childhood home. He is in tune with the needs of his district’s residents and businesses, and will cast votes based on their interests rather than outside special interests. This orientation stands in sharp contrast to Elliott’s primary opponent, who, according to public records, moved into the 87th District from his west Wichita home just days before last month’s filing deadline.

Elliott’s public service includes volunteer elective service on the Andover school board for 12 years, including three years as board president. In addition to his record of supporting quality public education, Elliott has a seasoned understanding of the complexities of school finance, which will quickly position him for leadership in the Legislature.

Elliott’s professional career in banking will enable him to bring sound financial management to the Legislature – skills shockingly absent from state government over recent years. He will make decisions that lead to balanced budgets, limited debt and fair taxation.

We will be well-served by electing Roger Elliott to the Legislature.

Defeat Knox

I was not surprised at the attitude Sen. Forrest Knox, R-Altoona, expressed recently (“Sen. accuses school districts of ‘coordinated effort’ against him,” July 6 Eagle).

He suspects teachers are working against him. Knox is a “CAVE” person – citizen against virtually everything.

Unlike Knox, we Kansans respect our teachers and the opportunities they provide every child through our public schools. We are fortunate to have our public school graduates working as farmers, city and county commissioners, plumbers, doctors, electricians, lawyers, teachers, accountants, restaurant owners, dentists and Main Street merchants. They repair our roads, serve in the U.S. military, are our local law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical techs. They lead our local churches and charities. Graduates of our local public schools are essential to us; they keep our Kansas communities running and vibrant.

Teachers value kids and naturally advocate for their welfare. If that means electing someone new, use your First Amendment right to promote a favored candidate.

If there’s not a coordinated effort to defeat Knox, there should be. His entire constituency should rise up to unseat him. Don’t “cave” to his thinking. Get those signs in your yards, friends.

Second-class market

The July 8 front pages of the Kansas City Star and The Eagle showed vividly the effect of living in what McClatchy must consider a second-class news market. The earlier deadlines for The Eagle left us with the headline “Police killings show ‘serious problem’ in U.S., Obama says,” while the Star’s top story was “Police shot in Dallas as discord grows.”

It appears Wichita is “a day late and a dollar short” when it comes to currency of front-page news.

This story was originally published July 12, 2016 at 12:04 AM with the headline "Letters on voting, Roger Elliott, Forrest Knox, second-class market."