Letters to the editor: Reasons lacking
To the editor:
Reading the article in last week’s Mirror about the Bixby case bothered me plenty. Surely, it bothered anyone who is a citizen, abides by the laws, pays taxes, and above all has a daughter or son.
The reason that we pay to have laws is to protect our families. I can’t get tags for my car without insurance. I can’t get insurance without a driver’s license. But now, let me get this straight: A person can live in this country illegally, illegally drive without a license, and illegally run a stop sign, only to be fined a minimum amount. Also, while breaking said laws, if someone is hurt or killed in the process, it’s not clearly negligible.
The paper quoted state law on vehicular homicide as the unintentional killing of a person in the operation of a motor vehicle in a way that “constitutes a material deviation from the standard of care which a reasonable person would observe under the same circumstances.”
In my opinion, a reasonable law-abiding person would have a driver’s license.
The article went on to say that prosecutors testified that not having a driver’s license didn’t cause the wreck. I suppose that speeding, which Flores also plead guilty to, was not the cause for the wreck either.
Yes, it was a horrible accident. Not even a drunk driver in a wreck intentionally kills someone else. But, nonetheless, he must bear responsibility for his own negligence. What is the point of having laws? Why is the average family working so hard, abiding by these laws and paying county, state and federal officials to enforce these laws, if it isn’t convenient to prosecute? It appears as though something else is going on here.
It’s become politically correct not to get involved in illegal immigrant situations. My heart goes out to the Bixby family.
Cecilia Clair
Tonganoxie
Letters to the editor: Bad judgment, not vandalism
To the editor:
I am chairman of the Tonganoxie Recreation Commission. Our board would like to clarify several things related to the recent damage done to the big soccer field at Chieftain Park.
Chieftain Park is a public park and the public is encouraged to use it. At this time we do not have any signs asking people to stay off of our playing fields or to not use the fields when they are wet. The boys who played football on the field in broad daylight during the rain last week may not have used great judgment, but they were not guilty of vandalism.
Those of us who were once boys can recall how much fun it was to play football in the rain or snow.
Someone shooting off a fire extinguisher in our bathrooms was intending to mess things up. That is vandalism These boys playing football had no such intent.
Our board is disappointed that KCTV 5 would find this situation newsworthy. This story seemingly intends to paint Tonganoxie in a negative light again when there has already been too many negative stories in recent months.
Last Thursday must have been a very slow news day.
Ken Mark
Tonganoxie
Letters to the editor: Thrift shop ideas
To the editor:
I would like to thank all of the people who have taken the time out of their busy schedules to donate items to our local Good Shepherd Thrift Store and Food Pantry. I usually spend one day a week there helping with all of the donations, sorting and labeling. This is, I feel, an invaluable part of our community and of great service.
I know those who work at the Thrift Store donate a tremendous amount of time and effort in the success of the store and this is evident.
There are some things that could help the Thrift Store be even more successful and ease the workload with minimal or no effort on the part of the donor.
If items are left at the location during business hours, volunteers can immediately process the items and not have them left to the elements.
This will help preserve the quality of the item and in turn preserve the best quality for the customer.
Also, if there are items that are not of marketable quality, it would be best for the donor to screen these and dispose of those items themselves, instead of leaving them at the store. There are extra charges involved when bulky or otherwise useless items need to be hauled off, and this cost comes directly out of the budget of the store. Space at the store usually is at a premium and every little thing helps.
I hope these suggestions help in making the store even more successful and again, thank you for your continued support.
Bonnie Putthoff
Tonganoxie