Letters to the Editor (Oct. 27) | The Wichita Eagle

I want to thank Americans for Prosperity for two recent glossy mailers that reminded us of the courageous and responsible action of Sen. Carolyn McGinn and a majority of her colleagues. While that wasn’t exactly AFP’s message, we became aware again of the legislature’s action to restore fiscal sanity by reimposing the income tax on over 300,000 former taxpayers, many high earners, who have enjoyed an ill-advised tax holiday for several years, threatening to bankrupt the state. It required overriding the governor’s veto, but the legislature prevailed.

I emphasize that this was tax restoration, not a tax increase. The real increase came to middle-class folks when the deductions for mortgage interest, real estate taxes and health care costs were repealed, and the sales tax rate raised, including on food, which should never be taxed.

Odor concerns aside, the water requirements for a chicken-processing plant has not been mentioned in all the discussion about the possible Tyson plant in Wichita. This is a serious point that needs addressing.

A few years back, there was talk that Wichita’s water sources were limited, and we started a system of returning reprocessed waste water into the equus beds to recharge them. New apartments and houses are going up in great numbers all over the area. Most folks don’t realize that Andover, Bel Aire, Park City and the other growing suburbs surrounding Wichita also depend on the Wichita water supply.

I spent 40 years in the instrumentation and control of municipal water systems in Kansas and Oklahoma and am conversant in how difficult it is to obtain sufficient supplies of water.

Spirit Aviation requires about a million gallons a day, I believe. Now add in the other industries in town. A Tyson plant will require a similar extra amount of municipal water. Where will this water come from? I feel that it would be a further strain on the ability of Wichita to supply water to the populace.

As an active participant in national, state and local elections, I have learned to listen, read about and interact with those asking for my vote for the office they seek. City Council District 1 has two candidates on the Nov. 7 ballot seeking this position. Both are well qualified, looking to immerse themselves in myriad issues important to voters looking for leadership to address and resolve those issues.

In making a decision, I not only look at the ability, skill and knowledge of the individuals, I also look at community attachment, community service and community involvement. Having worked with Michael Kinard when he served us as a Wichita school board member, and observing his participation in community events and activities, he stands out to me as an individual with the skill set, community attachment, community service and commitment to serve the citizens well in this important policy-making position.

Michael and I have not always agreed on some issues or approaches to addressing those issues. However, we never allowed those differences to hinder our working together for “One City,” seeking a better, stronger, and a more economically viable community.

Normally, I agree with Blake Shuart’s reasonable opinions and clear prose. This time (“School traditions worth keeping,” Monday’s Eagle), his assumptions about the reason “bucking tradition” for the elementary school’s decision are off.

The modern celebration is a divisive element in a school which supposedly provides a neutral environment for all students. Instead, parents spend family money and time on a costume for an event that divides the rich and the poor, encourages consumption of unhealthy food, and allows bullies free reign in the upset schedule.

As a student, I hated being forced to find some creative costume that might rival those whose parents went to the local costume shop for something “special.” I hated the grubbing for the most candy, even as I ate some of it, despite the diabetes in my family. Because I lived in a ghetto, there were no lovely, well-lit streets welcoming me with my stupid plastic pumpkin, but with many young toughs who grabbed what I had. Fond memories?

I’d like high school prom to be next — currently an excuse to drink, drive, and grope — at great cost. Meanwhile, I applaud the elementary schools substituting a school spirit day for the parade.