Letters to the editor

I am in shock and appalled by the announced closing of the Hy-Vee store in Leawood (4-30, 913, “Friction between Hy-Vee, Leawood officials results in plans to close supermarket”). It is the most friendly and convenient of any grocery store in the Leawood area.

The closing will affect the many retirees in the area. It will destroy the center and the small center will become another Metcalf South Shopping Center on a small scale.

Typically, the Leawood City Council hasn’t listened to its constituents nor has Hy-Vee heard from its customers.

Steve Rose’s 913 column of April 30, “Teachers should disregard union’s stand on funding law,” attacking teachers is seriously flawed. Teachers aren’t only upset by removal of due process but because this is a bad bill for our children and our communities.

This bill contains an unconstitutional voucher scheme giving $10 million in corporate tax breaks for private school scholarships. It takes money away from our at-risk and nonproficient students.

School districts can give teachers raises by increasing their patrons’ property taxes. This bill transfers the burden of funding from the state to local districts. Not all districts have the property wealth to increase taxes, and teachers care about all Kansas schools.

Current superintendents say they will keep due process, but that does not offer protection if there is a new board or a new superintendent. Wait until the conservatives come after our local boards of education, because they will.

All teachers, regardless of where they teach, should be protected from being fired for illegitimate reasons. This is the purpose of our 57-year-old state law, and it’s gone. Teachers care about their colleagues across Kansas.

Teachers are not alone. Parents will be knocking on doors to usher out Gov. Sam Brownback and the legislators who undermine our public schools.

Kansas legislators have voted to allow open carry of firearms anywhere in the state, and this bill prohibits municipalities from imposing any restrictions within their own jurisdictions outside of restrictions inside public buildings. Gov. Sam Brownback, being a gun rights supporter, signed it recently.

I can only assume a fear of crime drives this legislation. There is crime in this country and too much of it. That much we can probably all agree on.

What we need to ask ourselves is why there is so much crime in the U.S. The simplistic answer is that people make bad choices, and they do.

But I believe a large contributing factor is the outsize influence of market forces and commercialization. These factors contribute to extreme inequality, which results in extreme stress for those in the unfortunate position of being in vulnerable economic conditions.

These forces cause us to economically cannibalize each other, where the gain of some is at the expense of others. It causes an erosion of trust between us.

This can lead to crime, drugs and other social ills. We need to create economic conditions that do not divide us but rather build trust and community cooperation.

The current free market fundamentalism is causing our problems. It’s not the answer to our problems.

When President Richard Nixon tried to cover up a political burglary, he was driven from office because we correctly held that no man is above the law, not even the president.

Today we have a more politically corrupt and toxic administration that illegally uses the Internal Revenue Service to deny Americans their rights and liberties. An email by Lois Lerner possibly implicates her in an illegal attempt to use the Justice Department to criminally prosecute (and persecute) innocent tea party activists and Americans in an attempt to jail them, even though she knew they were guilty of no crimes.

When the government is free to persecute innocent Americans at will and corrupt government officials show contempt for the law and the American people, then all supports for our government have been removed and open resistance and tyranny is not far away.

We, the people, along with our national heritage demand a quick removal and prosecution of these corrupt government officials, or the “rule of law” has little meaning for any American.

In March, the Shawnee Mission School District finally got the go-ahead to begin sports programs in middle schools, which will begin next year. These sports programs are basketball, volleyball, wrestling and cross-country.

I applaud the Shawnee Mission School District board for bringing back sports to the middle schools for the first time in more than 25 years. I believe this will increase school spirit, self-discipline and the skills of these young athletes.

Schools in the Shawnee Mission School District have always been a step behind Olathe and Blue Valley high schools because they have already had sports going on in their middle schools for many years.

I believe this was a big step forward for the Shawnee Mission School District. Getting these student-athletes started at a younger age will make them more prepared for high school athletics.

This story was originally published May 6, 2014 at 8:58 PM with the headline "Letters to the editor."