Opinion Line (March 29)

I drove along Kellogg admiring the wonderful pear trees in full bloom, but couldn’t enjoy the scenery because of all the disgusting trash along the fences. Can’t Wichita learn from other cities that beautification is important and should be addressed?

The headline read, “City of Wichita to buy nine new buses.” But 83 percent of the cost is a federal grant, so the headline should have read, “Taxpayers to buy nine buses for the city of Wichita.” The buses I see running are empty. Why do we need new ones?

It appears Sam Williams’ only proven qualification is the ability to throw mud.

Jeff Longwell has been encouraging people to check his voting record. So when Sam Williams’ campaign puts his voting history out there for all to see, is it mudslinging? It’s his record. He should try explaining it instead of focusing on things like campaign signs.

With Longwell there is no chance for change in Wichita city government. Williams at least gives us a chance to move Wichita forward.

Why is it that Williams is backed by the uberwealthy east-side country club folk? Why is it that Williams’ mailers criticize Longwell for everything possible? Why is it that Longwell’s mailers accentuate the positive? I think the voters in Wichita need to pay attention.

Love him or hate him, Sam Brownback has fundamentally transformed Kansas. The naysayers are all now Wichita and northeast Kansas liberals.

The small-business exemption from Kansas income tax put into place by Brownback positioned my business to hire two more full-time employees and possibly more down the road. Take it away and they all are gone.

I don’t know who is getting all this tax relief people are talking about. I earned the same amount in 2014 as in 2013, and I owe the state $400 more in state taxes for 2014. This despite having extra deductions taken out of my modest paycheck for taxes.

Brownback doesn’t understand that when a person is elected to represent the people, it means that he represents everyone.

It’s interesting that the Republicans are so proud of their new school-finance law that they had to have a secret signing ceremony. I guess only the members of the secret society were worthy of attendance.

Is anyone else tired of educators whining about budgets? The $51 million “funding gap” is 1.25 percent of the $4.09 billion budget for the 2015-16 school year. Perhaps a way can be found to educate a few of our kids with almost 99 percent of $4.09 billion.

Any business that turns away gay and lesbian customers surely doesn’t need my heterosexual dollars. Just how is the governor of Indiana protecting religious freedom with his new law?

If a business is licensed by the governing body, then it should be obligated to serve the citizens of that body.

This story was originally published March 28, 2015 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Opinion Line (March 29)."