Scattered thunderstorms early, then mostly cloudy overnight with heavy thunderstorms becoming likely. A few storms may be severe. Low around 65F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..
Tonight
Scattered thunderstorms early, then mostly cloudy overnight with heavy thunderstorms becoming likely. A few storms may be severe. Low around 65F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Editor’s note: Helen Roser did not have to pay for publication of this letter.
Reader frustrated with letters policy
Thanks, writers of the paid political letters to the editor. Better to pay than “they were never received.”
I’ve found my letters are received if I pay for them. They belong on the editorial page but don’t get there.
The Mercury used to encourage readers to be interested in their community. Its editorial page was a journalistic gem.
But the owner now needs to dominate the page, every issue. He is the owner, and it’s his right. After all, he must have space to print his gems of thinking, such as, “Freedom is a big, fuzzy concept.” And, “America is not a place. It is an idea.”
We must be careful and not try to horn in on his space. He might be trying to share some fuzz with us.
Best wishes from another page. This has been a “paid ad advertising Helen Roser.”
Helen Roser
2121 Meadowlark Road
Kansas needs
a fairness doctrine
The Kansas Legislature would do well to initiate a fairness doctrine before the next election.
Voters should be assured of accurate facts on both sides of the ballot. What happened in the Aug. 2 referendum must not happen again.
The state of Kansas gave people a ballot that didn’t allow folks to see and comprehend what they were voting for.
A ballot drawing reasoned response would normally be either a “yes” (continue as is) or a “no” (do not continue as is).
However, this Aug. 2 ballot makes “no” vote mean yes and the “yes” vote mean no.
In the explanatory statement, describing the question submitted to be voted on, the words “Yes” and “No” were both highlighted in boldface and placed next to the words “Value them both.” This implies that one side values life more than the other.
All voters value life. Undereducated voters with a tendency to absorb what they scan on the surface rather than study details could easily get the impression that one vote more than another values life legally. This is bias. The undue attempt to influence voters is illegal within 250 feet of an active poll. This bias was right there in the booth on the ballot.
We all need accurate information to feed our voting system. Without it, we are only a partial democracy, trapping our communities in conflict, dissolving the common ground of mercy and civic literacy that powers our democracy.
