Letters for Jan. 29: School choice, abortion and the apocalypse

'School choice' is first step toward abolition of public education

I am writing in response to the editorial in favor of “school choice” by Rep. Ben Baker and Jude Schwalbach.

Mr. Schwalbach is a political operative whose attacks on public education are paid for by the Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank based in Los Angeles that clings to the failed ideology of extreme libertarianism, the belief that our problems can be solved by selling our remaining public goods to the wealthy. The footprint of Reason and the Heritage Foundation tells us that Baker and Schwalbach do not want to stop at school choice — this is a step on the road to the abolition of public education, a goal of far-right activists since desegregation. Education, however, is one public good that the majority of Americans want to remain public, which is why extremist groups like Reason and Heritage have taken aim at it for decades.

Rep. Baker should listen to Missouri parents and educators, not out-of-state ideologues with an out-of-touch and impractical agenda. The solution to improving education in public schools is to fund them with public money so they have smaller classes and teachers free to teach without bureaucratic micromanagement — this is what those who can send their kids to private school pay for. I urge Missourians who care about education to call their representatives and tell them to let these so-called “school choice” bills die in committee.

Jonathan Newman, Springfield

Clergy defense of abortion hard to understand

Regarding the lawsuit over our Missouri abortion ban, I cannot fathom a group of clergy who preach God's word, then support killing His creation. Jesus called the unborn "children."

Eva Hammons, Springfield

Call on Congress to pass Farm Bill

In the 1980s I did temporary work for the IRS in Kansas City, Missouri where the Farm Tax Returns were processed. I was assigned that desk and am probably the only one in the U.S. who saw the numbers in the volume I did. I was so angry that I went to work for a farmer’s bookkeeping service.

The new 2023 Farm Bill has some great things to help our rural communities and urban farmers that will go far to rectify what happened to our society then.

Farmers had had a really good year and wanted to pass on the good life to their children, so they bought land for their sons. The government passed tax policy that required they buy new, large equipment or be considered hobby farmers and not able to take their losses. Because so many farmers had started, prices dried up for their product and the drought furthered the problem because individual farmers made less money. The rules on the KC Board of Trade future market changed so their was excessive speculation. The government imposed a Russian wheat embargo, so the markets closed up. The expensive equipment forced economic hardship.

I went to work for a farmer’s bookkeeping service and was confronted daily with century farms being sold on doorsteps, crying wives because their husband were depressed or had committed suicide. Whole communities went broke so the social structure broke down.

This is America at its worse. We have a chance to remedy this with the 2023 Farm Bill. Urge your senators and representatives to vote for it.

Linda Heffern, Springfield

Government must act to turn back Doomsday Clock

The Doomsday Clock, a symbol of the world's vulnerability to nuclear, climate, and other catastrophes, has now shifted to 90 seconds to midnight. It is the closest it has ever been to global nuclear annihilation. This is a stark reminder of the urgent need for concrete action from the U.S. government to stop the race toward nuclear war.

I urge President Biden and Congress to take immediate steps to reduce the number of nuclear weapons and prevent their use. One important step in this direction Congress can take is to stop funding new nuclear-armed missiles, like the SLCM-N and the LGM-35 Sentinel. Defunding those weapons will reduce opportunities for nuclear escalation, and save us billions.

At 90 seconds to midnight, we are dangerously on the brink of global nuclear annihilation. Our government must act now because the fate of our planet and the survival of humanity depend on it.

Phil Monroe, Springfield

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Letters to the editor for Jan. 29