Letters to the editor: On small-town sports, Oklahoma abortion laws
Public education is central to identity of small towns
Athletics in Oklahoma provides the social center for small towns. Each community supports its team with great enthusiasm and passion. The gymnasiums and sports fields are the dioceses of the community. Very modern and clean and reflects the community's pride — the epitome of small-town America.
Many small towns in Oklahoma have lost jobs with the changing times. Some losing half their population in a few decades. The resulting population declines have taken a toll on those communities.
Their young people are forced to migrate to large urban centers to find work. Those that stay, find it difficult to survive financially and socially, adding more instability to the towns. A community without the vibrancy of its youth, loses its energy and settles for less and less each year.
However, because of the public educational system, towns still have their teams and school pride and can provide good elementary and secondary education for the children of the community. This has always sustained them during hard times but common sense is needed now more than ever.
The carnival mentality by our leaders must stop.
How does small-town America survive? The first thing to do is, stop the nonsense of sending public tax monies to religious parochial schools and fly by night charter schools. The next thing is, publicly call out the the flaws in the home school and charter school movements. Also, guard home rule or local control of public education as if it is a sacred right.
Homeschooling reduces enrollment for public schools and causes a decline in public funding. It also shifts to our public schools the added cost of remedial programs, once the parents give up and send their kids back to public school. Some of them are a year or more behind academically, not to mention the lost social skills.
Local control of our public schools is essential. The local school boards know the conscience of the community. Sure, certain statewide functions are necessary such as funding distribution, curriculum guidelines coordinated with university systems, and state certification of teachers. But the fundamental administration of our schools should always be local.
— Charles Steve Miller, Kenefic
Interfering with abortion rights is to interfere with freedom
The option of abortion or termination of a pregnancy is part of reproduction freedom, as is contraception and mutual sexual activity. To interfere with these rights is to interfere with basic freedoms to which all women are entitled.
The Supreme Court made a political decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which had been recognized as a constitutional freedom since 1973.
In making that decision, the Supreme Court deferred to the states for further legislation. The Legislature and Gov. Kevin Stitt acted without regard to the constituency, of which 55-60% approve of a women's right to abortion. Our congressmen and women all fall on the same side of the issue, agreeing with Republicans.
The only way to change this travesty is to alter the complexion of the state government from the governor to Oklahoma senators and Congress people. Every man and woman in Oklahoma who believes in reproductive freedom should vote against all state legislators who voted with Gov. Stitt to ban abortion.
This miscarriage of justice can be corrected if the right people are elected to office. Everyone needs to turn out and vote. Lives depend on it.
— Robert Ryan, Oklahoma City
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Letters to the editor: On small-town athletics, abortion rights
