Opinion Line (Jan. 25)

The Learjet layoffs are further evidence of a continuing dismal economy in Wichita. Perhaps the number of jobs are increasing but the quality – which includes pay and benefits – is much lower. It adds up to citizens continuing to tighten their belts and only hoping this situation improves.

The airport reconstruction seems gold-plated way beyond what’s needed. The City Council wanted our votes on a sales tax for supposedly urgent necessities, but goes its own way for the airport, new library and other things that seem quite wasteful. We really need to replace council members with more frugal people.

Now that the Kansas Geological Survey has made a connection between fracking and all the earthquakes in our area, it’s time for our family values governor to get his head out of the family sandbox and put a moratorium on fracking in Kansas.

Cutting $127 million from schools and and delaying $300 million in road maintenance projects is not increasing employment or economic development. It’s doing just the opposite. Why on earth would anyone want to move to Kansas?

Do you know who’s worse than tax-and-spend Democrats? The spend-then-tax Republicans in Topeka.

Sam Brownback of all people knows that Kansas is the buckle of the Bible Belt. We can’t possibly sin enough to be taxed enough to climb out of the budget hole he has dug for us.

Every time they raise taxes on alcohol and tobacco, it really is our duty as citizens to drink and smoke more to increase revenue to the state.

If religion disappeared tonight, there would be world peace tomorrow.

True pluralism is not elbowing out America’s tradition of Christianity to make room for minority faiths. It’s affording everyone the same right to live and work in accordance with their beliefs – a right sorely missing for all too many Christians today.

Mr. President: Yes, everyone should play by the same rules. Our rules are explicitly listed in the Constitution and its amendments. Why do you ignore them?

I cannot believe how very disrespectful Obama was to the Republicans during his State of the Union speech.

I watched President Obama speak at KU. What a great president. I wish I could have been there. How could anyone not love that man?

Based on his Jan. 18 commentary extolling the virtues of opening relations with Cuba, you would think it was Sen. Jerry Moran who made it happen. It is laughable that he failed to make any mention of the man who made it possible – President Obama. Credit where it’s due.

My dad was Republican; my mom a Democrat. My dad didn’t want to pay for my medication for pneumonia because I “should have a job with health insurance.” I worked full time but had no benefits. My mom insisted; I lived. And there you have the difference between the parties.

What is a fair share? I say that if you earned it, no matter how much, it belongs to you to spend and not the government to spend for you. We have too many looking for a handout and who don’t want to work for it.

This story was originally published January 24, 2015 at 6:03 PM with the headline "Opinion Line (Jan. 25)."