Opinion Line (Dec. 6)

A poor understanding of economics is not knowing that government jobs come at the expense of private-sector jobs. The larger government becomes, the smaller the private sector gets and the slower the economy grows.

I have been predicting for several years now that Kansas is headed in the direction of Mississippi, the 49th “best state to live and work in.” However, I wasn’t as clever as writer Burdett Loomis (Nov. 30 Opinion), who coined our new state name: Kansassippi.

In the first four months after the law took effect, the state only tested 20 welfare applicants for drugs. Four failed; five refused the test. Kansas doesn’t have a drug problem. It has an idiot problem – idiots who use drugs and idiots who use my money to support them.

If doctors advertised on billboards, would you choose a doctor based on which one spent the most money on advertising? Probably not. So why do you choose your political representatives that way?

I wish a bright star would appear in the east over Washington, D.C. We could use a few wise men up there.

Parents, beware of giving your children any toy or BB gun that is realistic, as extreme consequences may occur if carried or handled openly.

Where are the protesters when gang members kill each other? I would like to see statistics on how many are killed this way, compared with how many are killed by police.

It’s time to show support for the great police officers who risk their lives daily to protect us. God bless you.

Al Sharpton needs to go home. He is only stirring the pot and making things worse.

Obama, to be fair, should require all criminals to wear body cameras so we can get both sides of the story right.

Hillary Clinton had better get used to speaking to half-empty rooms, as that’s about how full her agenda is.

The wind industry employs more Kansas people and provides lease income for more landowners than the Keystone pipeline ever will.

Thanks, Larry Hatteberg, for helping to make Wichita and Kansas a much more interesting place.

Those little egg-shaped cars with bicycle tires just irritate me. They are almost invisible at night. I almost ran over one with my big honkin’ SUV.

I just want to welcome Conner Frankamp to WSU.

I would rather see someone in public wearing pajamas, house shoes and “lounge” pants than to see a guy wearing saggy pants. Makes me want to sneak up behind him and yank those babies down.

This story was originally published December 5, 2014 at 6:03 PM with the headline "Opinion Line (Dec. 6)."