Commentary

Olivia Alperstein
Others Say

No matter our politics, most Americans have a beef with taxes. And it’s no wonder.

Working class Americans pay a much greater share of their income than the wealthiest Americans, who get away with exploiting tax loopholes and paying less than their fair share to support public projects and government programs.

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Jerry Marsh
Political Bites

As readers try to digest information on the tax cut/reform bill, one trait that should stand out is the many divisions among winners and losers. Having read more than a few articles on the topic, I find one group emerging as a clear winner: members of Congress seeking re-election in 2018, 2020, and 2022, both Democrats and Republicans.

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Jerry Marsh
Political Bites

Oct. 24, 2017, in a 51-50 vote for H.J. Res. 111, Sens. Roberts and Moran sided with big money against small borrowers. The resolution passed the House on July 25 by a vote of 231 to 190 and Congressman Marshall voted for it. Their “yea” vote deprived small borrowers of the right to address financial abuse by lenders through class action lawsuits; the resolution forces them to abide by individual arbitration agreements.

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Terry Kepka
Others Say

What’s going on with the splash pad?

PLENTY!

Things have changed since the beginning of this project. The size of the splash pad remains the same, 2,400 square feet. However the scope of the project and the location has changed.

The three local foundations want new bathroom facilities in Preisker Park. It only makes sense to merge the two projects into one.

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By "The Cowboy" Jim Gray

In the early morning hours of Aug. 3, 1882, the mail trail steamed along the rails of the Central Branch Railroad near the Great Spirit Spring west of Glen Elder, Kan.

As it rounded the bend, engineer Brit Craft was surprised by flames rising from the bridge just ahead. It was a small bridge spanning an insignificant wash. If he put steam to his engine the momentum would likely carry the engine and a car or two over the divide, but two passenger cars at the rear would surely plunge into the creek bed.

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By Lisa Miller Kijowski

It was only a few years ago, on a calm September morning the United States, was awakened by a violent act. Anyone old enough to remember, knows exactly what they were doing the morning the twin towers, the Pentagon and our airlines were tragically attacked. Through the turmoil and sadness we faced as a nation there was one thing that seemed to pull us together — patriotism and showing our support by flying our flags.

If you didn’t have a flag, many found photos or copies of the American flag which too were displayed. We appeared to be united in honoring the flag, the anthem and the pledge of allegiance.

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By James Jirak
Special to the I-R

For some, a co-op might mean the tallest building in town, envisioning the towering grain elevators dotting the rural Kansas landscape. It might mean the local telephone company, the folks that keep the lights on, the local filling station, or the local credit union, bringing services to communities that otherwise may have limited options. But to me, a co-op is all these things and more.

When I see a co-op, no matter the type, I think of a business that provides jobs to their local community, keeps profits in their local economy, pays local taxes and supports their community. In Kansas, coops operate in every county, serving over 600,000 members. Member-owned, member-controlled co-ops are established because there is a need for service, often in rural areas and working cooperatively is the best way to provide service for the benefit of all members.

Jerry Marsh
Political Bites

Any thought that U.S. military leadership might resist a presidential order to start a nuclear war with North Korea vanished last week when Secretary of Defense James Mattis and U.S. Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley made clear that if their Commander-in-Chief says do it, they will do it. While they did not define “it”, they made “it” abundantly clear that “all options are on the table”, and all options include nuclear holocaust.

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David Norlin
Others Say

So, Cloud County, encouraged by Saline County Commissioners, is approaching Tyson about getting chickens in their neighborhood. Ellsworth area population will also be affected, since it will cover such a huge area. Since Cloud County was once my neighborhood, since good friends live there, and since this move affects everyone in the area and state, I’d like to ask: “What drug are you taking?”

I know the answer. The money drug. Something to make things all better. The cure that doesn’t. The medicine with devastating side effects.

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Jerry Marsh
Political Bites

The phone rings, you answer it, and a syrupy, persuasive voice asks you to send them $10,000. The voice promises to repay you $20,000 over the next 10 years. Would you send the $10,000? Probably not.

That sports fans is the GOP tax plan in a nutshell, a scam to raise big money for the Favored Few on the promise that by making them richer than they already are, you, the middle class, aka suckers, will come out ahead.

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