Readers defend conservative views, transmission lines, labeling changes and abortion rights
Transmission line has a fan for possible lower energy bills
I read with interest Andrew Bahl’s recent story "Proposed transmission line in southeast Kansas could say a lot about the Plains' energy future." While I must admit, I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about electric transmission lines, I do spend a great deal of timing thinking about how to make my business more efficient and our state more attractive for new business.
The transmission line discussed in the article will result in Kansans paying less on their energy bill. It will also generate new tax revenues for our state and tens of millions of dollars of new economic activity during construction. These are all good things that will help me as a business owner and help move our state forward. Count me as a supporter.
Kristina Dietrick, Topeka
Kansas state representative defends conservative views
I was singled out in an article about Kansas legislators who participate in conservative Facebook groups (“20 Kansas Legislators are members of ‘far-right’ Facebook groups, report says,” by Andrew Bahl). While I was briefly quoted in this article, I would like to take a moment to provide a more complete response here.
This article cites a report by the Kansas City-based organization, Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, which identifies 20 Kansas legislators who are members of Facebook groups that they deem “far-right” and extreme because they spread “Covid-19 misinformation” and other ideas that the IREHR finds objectionable. The report goes on to conflate members of these groups with the rioters — or “insurrectionists,” as they call them — at the Capitol on Jan 6, 2021.
The free exchange of ideas is essential to the proper functioning of a democracy. Social media should be the marketplace of ideas, where all sides are heard. Instead, Big Tech oligarchs and their cancel-culture allies seem bent on making it an echo chamber for only one side in the political debate.
Gov. Laura Kelly’s disastrous COVID-19 economic shutdown is a perfect example of what happens when only one side is allowed to be heard; bad policy prevails. While her and Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Lee Norman were shutting down the economy and issuing mask mandates and using doctored data to justify their policies, my fellow conservatives and I were being repeatedly banned from social media — put in “Facebook jail” — for “COVID-19 misinformation.”
We were being punished for spreading "conspiracy theories” like the Wuhan lab leak and the ineffectiveness of lockdowns and school closures in slowing the spread of COVID-19, suppositions that are now accepted as provably true.
Perhaps if “far-left” groups like the IREHR and the Kelly administration had engaged in the public debate over their policies instead of trying to intimidate and silence dissent — as this IREHR report seeks to do — we wouldn’t now have 33% of the Kansas hospitality industry out of business, runaway inflation and the lowest labor participation rate in over 40 years.
Col. (Ret.) Pat Proctor, R-Fort Leavenworth
This city employee would champion pothole repair
Since the weather has improved over the last few weeks, I have seen one pothole repair crew working, but none since. Topeka needs a Project Champion for Pothole Repair, as the current pothole repair is a dismal failure.
The city is defensive about its street work, pointing to major projects, like the 12th street work. But that is not pothole repair. In the last 10 years, the streets have gone from bad to worse, almost everywhere.
All the major streets have many potholes, east and west, or north to south streets. The neighborhood streets are a joke. The bicycle enthusiasts have a champion, and everyone knows her. They have special street signs, symbolic paintings on the streets, and in some places can have the whole lane.
Bill Loebel, Topeka
Bill will help prevent deceptive labeling practices
In the 1950s, my mother took her three children on the train to visit the grandparents and we had to stop in Chicago in the morning and change trains. She said “we can have waffles” and we were so excited, never having had them. They exceeded my expectations, because it looked like it came with a scoop of ice cream on top (Mother never told us that) so I dug in and yuck. That scoop of white stuff was margarine — before yellow food color was permitted to be added. A battle my dairy farmer father fought back then.
I write to thank the Legislature in Kansas for passing Senate Bill 261. “It’s a sad day that we have to have labeling on what our products are, that they’re not fair with consumers,” Sen. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker, said in caucus ahead of the vote. “And one day, I hope it goes far enough to say there’s no such thing as almond milk, soy milk.”
I am 100% with her on this. Milk comes from a mammary gland. Unfortunately, this issue is pitting beef farmers with soy/plant farmers. Why is the Chamber of Commerce on only one side? Both have a place in agriculture in Kansas.
The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1967 was designed to facilitate value comparisons and to prevent unfair or deceptive packaging and labeling of many household "consumer commodities." The Food and Drug Administration administers the FPLA with respect to foods, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices.
The FTC administers the FPLA with respect to other "consumer commodities" that are consumed or expended in the household. I have been looking at recliners online and came across a name brand one at a large furniture store. It was labeled “faux leather” but nowhere could I find the fiber. So I “chatted” and found out it was polyester. It did say faux, but I believe it should have further described it as polyester.
Hopefully SB 261 will provide consumers accurate meat labeling so we are not deceived.
Chris Huntsman, Topeka
Cheryl Helmer owes her constituents an apology
Kansas state Rep. Cheryl Helmer recently sent a letter to a constituent expressing her discomfort with a female representative using the women’s restrooms at the statehouse. She wrote, “now, personally I do not appreciate the huge transgender female who is now in our restrooms in the Capitol.”
Helmer worries about transgender females raping, sodomizing and beating young girls in public restrooms. She questions the validity of transgender women, suggesting that they are posing as women in order to abuse females in restrooms. Helmer provides no evidence to back these outrageous claims.
This debate arises because of a bill that would prevent trans women from participating on women’s sports teams.
My niece was an awkward kid, brilliant, but always uncomfortable and self-conscious. I always worried about this sweet kid. When she announced in her mid-20s that she was undergoing hormone therapy so she could transition to female, everything started to make sense.
My sweet niece is a woman. She avoided sports in high school, although her brother was a star soccer player. If she had been forced to participate on male sports teams, she would have been at a cruel disadvantage. She was always slight of build and had a gentle demeanor.
Trans people are not aggressors any more than the general population is. Trans people are, however, very likely to be victims of violence due to attitudes as those touted by Rep. Helmer.
I hope she will personally apologize to the woman to whom she directed these hateful remarks and to the state of Kansas for sowing hate and division. I also hope she, and others, will stop living in fear of people that they do not take the time to get to know or understand.
Many Republicans touting these views purport to be Christians. I have read the New Testament and know that Jesus professed love. Jesus would love and embrace my sweet niece.
Laura McGowan, Topeka
If government wants to intrude on women's rights, let's go all the way
Ah — the anti-abortionists are gleefully seeing victory coming their way. The unborn will be born. They proclaim to be pro-life.
I don’t believe them. Well, I could believe them if they guaranteed food, shelter, health care, safety from gun violence and a decent education for all those lives they claim to have saved. For those women whom the anti-abortionists have deemed unworthy of making their own health care choices, their needs must be provided also. After all, the law will be saying that a woman’s body belongs to the government. What government owns, government must maintain, just like it does for our national parks.
Since the anti-abortionists have so little regard for women, perhaps it is time to lay full responsibility for unwanted pregnancies directly where they belong. That is, on any man whose input is necessary to create an unwanted child. We could mandate that fertile heterosexual men show proof of financial competency in order to be licensed to have sex. Appropriately severe penalties would almost guarantee a significant reduction in unwanted pregnancies
Does this sound like a tad too much government intrusion? A lot of women might not think so.
Terry Larson, Topeka
We need to toughen up and be more like our ancestors
Our standard of living, attitudes, values and expectations have all changed a lot since I was growing up in the 1940s and 1950s.
At the end of the second world war, our population’s psyche had been forged in fire and collectively, we were tough. We knew that we were responsible for ourselves and if anyone was going to make social improvement, it was each one of us working together for a common goal. We were very diligent in believing that we would never allow the evil of World War Two to threaten us again.
Since then, we have become soft and complacent. I am concerned that too many people are hiding their heads in the sand, ignoring the warning signs that are all around us.
In my opinion, the most important thing we can do is to recover the attitudes and toughness of our ancestors. Be responsible for yourself. Do not expect the government to take care of you because I guarantee you that will never happen.
Awareness is the precursor of change. We must stop ignoring problems that threaten our peace of mind if we are to maintain the standard of living and freedoms we enjoy today.
Don McCullough, Manhattan
Kansans should vote 'no' on abortion amendment on Aug. 2
Webster’s dictionary defines “abortion” as “the spontaneous or premature expulsion of a fetus.” A septic uterus, or the absorption of pathogenic micro-organisms in the uterus harmful to fetus and female, can be corrected by an abortion or the pregnancy causes death.
A miscarriage, or the release of a fetus from the uterus before it can sustain life, is an abortion or the expectant mother can die. An ectopic pregnancy, or the development of a fetus outside the uterus, often in the fallopian tube, is an abortion and the stillborn fetus can kill the mother-to-be — she will die.
If an expectant female, whether a child, teen, or adult, cannot have medical treatments for these unsuccessful pregnancies, she can die.
In other cases such as incest, rape, irresponsible sexual behaviors, drunkenness, lack of respect for self and/or a sexual partner, drug use — a myriad of offenses can result in an unwanted, un-prevented, and/or unhealthy situation for a female.
Kansas has laws that regulate safe procedures and practices to assist in the medical needs of females — regardless of age. For now, 1900s practices with clothes hangers, quacks and back alley attempts to terminate pregnancies are not the standard.
Changing the language of the Kansas Constitution or giving the Legislature power to alter what is now lawful and healthy to a future that might not make allowances for individual circumstances of each female is a dangerous path.
With a “yes” on the Aug. 2 ballot, first, women could have their personal individual rights, or autonomy, removed Imagine NRA members denied their weapons, followed by the anti-maskers and anti-vaccinators being forced to comply. What will be the next steps? Men and women forced to serve in the military, or I cannot express my personal views without a penalty?
Some who express the preamble to the U.S. Constitution to provide truths and the promise of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” emphasize “men” and unborn fetuses, but not females. To be protected under constitutional rights, fetuses must be born, not expected, on American soil or must apply for naturalization, at age 18 or older.
Polls show a 60%-40% ratio of Kansans favoring retaining the current practices without fear of reprisals. Vote “NO” on Aug. 2. Leave the Kansas Constitution intact for a future without harm to any Americans no more removal of personal freedoms.
JoLene Rae Bloom, Seneca
Polk-Quincy Viaduct changes won't stop speeders
Some things are just mind-boggling. The project to destroy the Polk-Quincy Viaduct is crazy.
Is the replacement going to stop speeders? Enforcing the current speed limit would cost much less and it could start today.
Diane Loebel, Topeka
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Readers defend conservative views, transmission lines, abortion rights