Opinion Line (Aug. 3)

The Sedgwick County commissioners want less government. Let’s give ’em that. Make Wichita its own county. But there is already a Wichita County, so we can name it Layton County – for the excellent work City Manager Robert Layton is doing.

Who would have guessed that the editorial board of the only paper in town would support more spending and government interference in our lives? These small cuts proposed by the county are sure causing a lot of commotion. What will happen when we reach the point when sizable cuts are required?

Real conservatives feel organizations and businesses must be able to stand on their own two feet. They should not be propped up by city or county government. Until I see responsible spending by our City Council, I will not vote “yes” on anything the city puts forth.

Commission Chairman Richard Ranzau is a knee-jerk reactionary. We need quality leadership in these tough times. What an embarrassment to our community. Is that what happened to Boeing? Poor leadership from our local officials?

USD 259 wants to increase property taxes by nearly 3 mills. How sad, when it recently rejected selling one of several long-term vacated schools to the Fundamental Learning Center, which teaches gifted kids to read, write and spell. Taxpayers are paying the maintenance, utilities, mowing, etc., on the vacant buildings.

I want to know what qualifies as spending going “into the classroom.” Is it janitors who maintain the classrooms, teachers who man the classrooms, transportation people who fill the classrooms? That term gets thrown around a lot without being defined.

To the person who said Obama has never declared bankruptcy: I think that taking our country from a $10.6 trillion national debt to an $18 trillion debt in his two terms is worse than any business bankruptcy Donald Trump might have had.

It is still a free market in the USA. If Uber runs taxi cabs, limos and other transportation out of business, so be it. This wouldn’t be an option in Russia, North Korea, etc. If you don’t like it, you can move and let the rest of us enjoy our freedom.

Next time you want to tailgate my black Ram, keep in mind I might have just filled up and have four or five full gas cans in the bed. You slam into me, we both go “boom!”

It goes without saying that thieves are lowlifes, but a thief who steals someone else’s food and drink from the refrigerator at work has to be one of the lowest forms of life there is.

Come on, people – clean the weeds and grass out of the cracks in your driveway, or just start mowing it.

This story was originally published August 2, 2015 at 7:04 PM with the headline "Opinion Line (Aug. 3)."