Letters to the editor on water supply, GOP and abortion, college advice, cancer

Wichita should pipe in El Dorado water

First let me state that, above all else, conservation is our greatest tool in adapting to current and future water shortages.

That being said, for future water needs the city of Wichita should acquire the rights to 30 million gallons of excess water from El Dorado Lake. It should then pipe that water from El Dorado Lake to the Equus Beds groundwater recharge project. A pipeline could follow the K-196 corridor. The water would be used to expand the amount of surface ponds and wetlands used for seepage recharge, pumped underground for recharge, and sent to Wichita for use.

Such a system would create greater flexibility. It would allow us to recharge the Equus Beds on a daily basis rather that relying on high-flow periods on the Little Arkansas River. It would enhance the hydraulic barrier while storing water in a non-evaporative site, basically a huge storage tank.

It would also allow for flexibility in that when Cheney Reservoir is up, we would store more water in the Equus Beds or decrease the intake from El Dorado. When Cheney Reservoir is low, we would draw more from El Dorado Lake/Equus Beds.

Yes, I know it won?t be cheap, but the funding could be spread out. State funding would be appropriate, as this project has the potential to sustain the viability of many communities in south-central Kansas as well as the possible benefits to agriculture. I also think the Army Corps of Engineers or federal government would support this project, as it helps in sustaining the storage capacity of two corps lakes.

A grand idea, I suppose, but water resources and our care of them will be our highest priority in the future. That is why I want to end by restating that we must first address conservation. No matter where we get our water, we must use it wisely.

GARY WRIGHT

Wichita

Ideals, actions

Gov. Sam Brownback, presumably laying the groundwork for a presidential run, recently stated that the GOP should tackle head-on hot-button social issues such as abortion rather than focus on economic questions (?Brownback wants GOP talking about social issues,? July 3 WE Blog excerpts). This is ill-advised. Doing so would only point out the disconnect between the ideals and the actions of the GOP.

Take the state GOP and abortion. There exists a disconnect between Republicans? platitudes about the sanctity of the fetus and their callous indifference toward the existing children of the state. Their contemptuous attitude toward health care, the atrocious state of the judicial system and their purging of education budgets show that they view children as an entry on a ledger. That they refuse to see pregnancy in the same economic light is doubly ironic, considering that bringing a pregnancy to term costs more in the United States than in any other country.

The more one examines the GOP stance on abortion, the more it becomes crushed beneath the weight of its own illogic. It is for that reason that the Republicans should steer well away from it and other social issues, lest they become consumed (even more) by their own hypocrisy.

RYAN T. JACKSON

Wichita

Seek advice

Parents of college-bound students, beware. I experienced a rude awakening.

I jumped into the process of trying to determine the best options for funding my son?s college education. I learned that tuition rates are increasing at the same time the government is raising the student-loan interest rates.

I thought I was relatively well prepared for the expense of college, as I had established a 529 fund years ago. To my surprise, the 529 fund actually hurt me when it came time to try to qualify for various grants and loans.

I guess the lesson I have learned is that there are some things that are not to be tackled by a do-it-yourself approach. My advice is to seek the advice and counsel of someone who understands the intricacies of the college process. I ended up Googling ?college planning relief? and found some excellent resources.

I missed some opportunities with my first college-bound child, but I am much better prepared for the next one when her time comes. I guess that old saying is true: It is what you don?t know that will hurt you.

MIKE NICHOLS

Mulvane

Cure cancer

I am bummed out. I friend of 30-plus years has been in the hospital. He has a cancerous brain tumor, and surgery could not remove all of it. The next actions are chemotherapy and radiation. Another friend, my life mentor, had cancer in the early 1980s. Same action: chemo, radiation. We lost him.

In the early part of 1960s, President Kennedy called for us to send a man to the moon and return him safely. We did that. Who on planet Earth would criticize our current president for making a pledge to do the same about cancer? No politics ? just a program that all would benefit from.

I am tired of going to funerals of cancer victims. That is why I will hang close to my friend while he goes into this vintage treatment.

JOHN CALLISON

Wichita

Music is fine

A contributor to Opinion Line recently complained because the music of Tupac Shakur was featured at a Wichita Wingnuts baseball game. The music is played to get the fans excited, clapping and dancing. They are there to have a good time and cheer for the home team. It should not matter what genre of music is being played or the artist performing it. If your main concern is the music being played and not the actual game, I suggest you bring earplugs.

REGINALD S. NULAN

Wichita

Source: http://www.kansas.com/2013/07/09/2880358/letters-to-the-editor-on-water.html

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