The city of Topeka doesn’t seem to care about potholes
Most people in Topeka tolerate the city streets because we have to, as no one with any authority speaks of them with emotion. We voted for extra fees, which involve large sums of money with no significant results. Sure, big projects like the 12th Street disaster cost a lot of money. The pothole problem continues, even if containment seems to be a priority.
Between Fairlawn to the west and Adams to the east, many of the major streets such as 6th, 10th, 17th, 21st and 29th are wastelands.
Karen Hiller is a superhero for the bike enthusiast, special lanes, driving directions, whatever. I hope the new city manager can now give the oversight of pothole repairs to someone like her, as the overwhelmingly large motoring public is convinced that someone of exceptional ability needs to grab the bull by the horns and finally get the job done. road repair (potholes) completed.
Also, I think the citizens of Topeka need to feel an explosion of dollars being spent on this specific business. Last summer, I watched two different road crews work the potholes, for a couple days, and then it seemed to disappear.
Bill LobelTopeka
Do you want to end abortions? Distribute free contraceptives.
Colorado has offered free birth control for the past five years, resulting in a 40 percent drop in unwanted pregnancies and a 42 percent drop in the number of abortions.
Anti-abortion activists in Kansas should lobby for free birth control if they truly believe in ending abortions in the sunflower state.
Clark H. CoanLawrence
Only the wealthy benefit from not raising the debt ceiling
I see in the news that Republicans in Congress are once again arguing about the national debt limit…or at least particularly about a slice of the party calling itself the “Freedom Caucus.”
I would argue that those modern-day Republican newcomers are less concerned with the financial well-being of the country, than with capitalizing on the chaos and mayhem, judging by the events of January 6th.
The current debt load for the US is high and worrying. But that alone isn’t necessarily a good indicator of a healthy (or otherwise) economy. Currently, the United States has a debt-to-GDP ratio of about 107%, which is roughly similar to the WWII ratio.
The top five countries with the lowest debt to GDP are Brunei, 3.2%; Afghanistan, 7.8%; Kuwaiti, 11.5%; Republic of the Congo, 15.2%; and Eswatini, 15.5%.
In reality, the government, absent congressional action, can never truly default. It can inject more currency into an economy as needed to survive. While in some cases this will cause inflation, which certainly causes pain for most, in reality those who suffer the most are the wealthy, who lose billions when their assets decline in effective value with a declining dollar. For them, not raising the debt ceiling is their way of protecting wealth.
They, the rich, are the ones who make the most of the chaos and mayhem being thrown in Congress over the debt ceiling, right now.
David HewittTopeka
The Kansas Legislature must drop public school dollars
Private schools most likely have grants and other sources to help parents finance a private school choice. I say it should be explored by the Kansas Legislature before moving forward. If the scholarship money cannot be acquired, perhaps a special fund should be set aside. Education dollars should not be tampered with.
Create a fund with additional tax dollars. Don’t steal public education tax dollars. Stealing public education dollars would be a great show of malpractice as in management.
Think Kansas Promise Scholarship Act = leave public school dollars alone.
Richard HecklerLawrence
