Karl Peterjohn and Jim Howell: Direct our own future

The Eagle editorial board is unhappy with the Sedgwick County Commission’s decision to terminate participation in the federal government’s “sustainability planning grant” (Feb. 6 Eagle Editorial). When this controversial grant was first voted upon by the county in 2010, it was rejected 3-2.

In 2011, a new County Commission reversed that decision and decided to participate in this federal grant from three agencies: The Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation.

HUD has played a key role in federal housing mandates and failed federal urban programs. Federal housing failures led to the 2008 financial crisis.

The EPA is focused on creating new and complicated federal mandates. These are having a small impact on improving environmental problems but are becoming a new power center for the leftist, statist agenda out of Washington, D.C.

Government planning is controversial. President Eisenhower said, “In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable.” Ike also said, “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.”

The key question for a free people who cherish their liberty is: Who decides? Should big government have a large role planning small details of what used to be individual sovereign decisions? Should decisions be made on a bottom-up or top-down basis? We support bottom-up.

Ineffective big-government, top-down planning violates the principles of personal responsibility and liberty, whereas bottom-up government that is closer to the people simply makes better decisions.

Sedgwick County has experienced overlapping, duplicative and sometimes conflicting planning efforts. The new 20-year comprehensive plan that was presented to Sedgwick County is one of these plans. Additionally, a 25-year transportation plan is being finalized by the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization for a region that includes Sedgwick County as well as western Butler and northern Sumner counties. The “prosperity plan” is yet another independent effort to direct our future. This one was funded by the “sustainability planning grant” and created under the direction of the Regional Economic Area Partnership.

The fact that Sedgwick County has withdrawn from REAP does not guarantee that other cities and counties in this region could not continue implementation grant efforts. This “planning” grant has taken place despite the opposition to it from the county commissions of both Butler and Sumner counties. We also opposed the doubling of Sedgwick County’s dues for REAP membership.

We firmly believe that local government’s role is to provide a firm rule of law and a level playing field with clear rules for everyone to build their future for themselves and their families. This is the very limited role of government for a free people in a liberty-loving society. We need fewer edicts and rules coming out of Washington.

This story was originally published February 12, 2015 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Karl Peterjohn and Jim Howell: Direct our own future."