Letters (Mar. 6, 2013)

Written by Hillsboro Free Press Tuesday, 05 March 2013 14:21

Our employees are not doing their job

A recent article in another newspaper about the proposed state constitutional amendment to prohibit courts from making decisions about school funding includes this statement: “But supporters argued they’re trying to make sure elected legislators make decisions about state spending instead of unelected judges, according to the Associated Press.”

Our three-branch government system is established to allow checks and balances between the three branches and such an amendment would be contrary to that concept.

In fact, the court probably made it’s decision on school funding because the legislature wasn’t doing it's job. And the legislature’s track record seems to support that reasoning—that they are not capable of doing what is needed to run the state for the best interests of the people, the very ones who elected them to do their jobs.

Have the people that represent us forgotten who elected them, what their job is?

Instead, it seems they are pushing their personal interests and the interests of their big contributors. When they “cut” spending, where do they cut? They target areas that affect us personally to get us to support them, and do not cut anywhere that affects themselves or their big financial contributors.

Eliminating income tax “helps” us all, including themselves and big business. Removing deductions for taxes and mortgage interest hurts only the common folk, not the rich or business.

Extending sales tax hurts us more than them. Cutting school funding, support for the local cities and counties, support for the needy, etc., only hurts us, not them.

How about suspending their own wages, suspending retirement checks for former elected state and high level appointed officials, suspending expense reimbursement, making them pay for their healthcare, etc. until they prove they can do their jobs?

I guarantee you if we don’t do our jobs, our employers will not keep us. All these people are better off financially than most of the ones that elected them and none of the negative things they do impact them.

I don’t propose they should carry the full burden of the state’s problems, just participate equally with the rest of us.

Paul White

Marion

Invest in your town for the future’s sake

Bud Pierce once said, “We have all drank water out of a well that somebody else dug.”

Others, such as my uncle Tom Hett, Rocky Hett and Lynn Christiansen, stepped forward and built new buildings in Marion to keep them from losing their farm equipment dealerships. They took a chance others, like the Crofoots, the Richmonds, the Regniers, and others who not only invested in businesses, but the Marion community. I would encourage people to do the same when it comes to replacing the restrooms and gazebo in Central Park.

We surely have enough pride in Marion, the surrounding area, and from others who called Marion home, to raise funds to build new restrooms and a gazebo in Central Park.

Please give what you can and challenge your friends, neighbors, classmates and relatives to give what they can to the project.

I have proudly supported the project by making a donation to the Marion Advancement Campaign, believing in building something for future generations to enjoy.

Clifford Hett

Marion

Editor’s note: The mailing address for Marion Advance­ment Campaign is P.O. Box 256, Marion, KS 66861.