The Wichita Eagle from Wichita, Kansas • 38

Ed itori alstomments 2C XOicbita CaQlc Thursday June 22 1978 Coal Gas Roundelay The commission said the vote would be binding If the matter is put to a vote again next November the commission will have been made a liar Thus the integrity of the commission is at stake If it goes back on its word once it may do so again 'Ml The energy problems are real Avail-able natural gas which has been the chief fuel for more than half a century is playing out Our jobs and comfort may some- playing out our jobs and comtort may some- rii tt -mt devclopment 01 alternate luondation Has Many rSeneiits The City Commission's decision to submit the coal gasification issue to a second vote was predictable enough- We said back at the beginning of the month that the commission by all appearances had its mind made up and was determined to resubmit the question re- gardless of what the public said at a mi the issue The commissioners did indeed go through the motions of that on Tues-: day most of the people testifying did indeed oppose a second vote and the commissioners after thus consulting with their constituents did indeed vote to put the question to a second election are beginning to take on an Alice'S in-Wonderland one protesting citizen said told now that binding Votes are not binding and when a proposal is voted down told we did not vote it We've said before and say again that coal gasification well may be an answer to our energy problem and the feasibility studies should nave been continued i But the city commission asked the voters to decide whether to continue the studies in a March 28 election and the voters said Coal gasification might or might not be the best of those alternatives If the City Commission had seen that the wording on the March ballot was understandable or if the matter had not been put to a vote at all particularly since none was called for the community might have found out for sure The commissioners blundered and unfortunate But to put the coal gasification question back on the ballot when the commissioners said they wouldn't will only compound that blunder and seriously undermine whatever credibility the commissioners have 1 y- 1 1 vV 4 ri yf- i The recent letter by Dr FF Royal of Eugene Ore presented some incorrect information on fluoridation that we have an obligation to answer We are interested in the health id the people of this community and it is disconcerting to see this much inaccurate information given to the public Dr Royal stated that "no psysio-logical need has even been demon-strated for fluoride" To the contrary the National Academy of Sciences Food and Nutrition Board has found through research that fluoride is an essential element to our nutrition and has published its data FLUORIDE OCCURS TO some de-gree in nearly all water supplies plants and animals In Wichita this naturally occurring fluoride is apparently enough for essential growth and body dev elopment but it is below the level that best prevents dental caries It should be printed out that the fluoride being recommended by the Sedgwick County Health Department is an optimum and safe amount Certainly fluoride and many other sub-stances even sodium chloride (common table salt) can be harmful if taken in massive doses and this is certainly not recommended In trying to make a distinction be-tween the fluoride compound found naturally in the water and that added by man another error was made by Dr Royal when he discussed calcium fluoride It is not the compound but rather the fluoride ion dissolved in the water that is measured at 1 ppm Once in solution fluoride ions from one compound are indistinguishable from those from another compound HE ALSO STATED that England recently banned fluoridation In a letter from the Department of Health and Social Security London England dated March 18 1977 it is stated: "Fluoridation is continuing in England About four-and-one-half million people (some nine percent of the population) in England receive fluoridat-ed Ireland has mandatory fluoridation Germany has passed a law to enable communities to fluoridate and there is extensive fluoridation in Canada Australia and other countries Sodium fluoride is now being successfully used to treat in much larger doses certain bone disorders ie osteoporosis and otosclerosis It has been found to be a very safe supplement even when used in large doses have cared enough to notice in his own newspaper that this "God and Country" rally was completely and absolutely ignored on the Friday afternoon church pages beforehand? The hard fact is that a wrongly accused man of God who easily could have retired on his Ozarks farm came back from a severe stroke condition legal battles and student accusations to appear here in our great prairie city for one reason his love for God and country He should have received better treatment than hatchet journalism and total denial of advance news on the church pages THE REV VERN BENDER The People's Church Newton Is It Time For Capital Punishment? Capital punishment: Is it now war ranted? Is it humane to attempt to reform convicted criminals? Does tt appear that the criminals are getting the best of the law ever wonder who the law is protecting? I'm getting disgusted with the way our judicial system punishes convicted criminals and those who confess to slayings Is it just punishment? How many law enforcement officers lives' must be lost before we make the decision fix' capital punishment? Do the statistics show that prison reform is working? Are we kidding ourselves when we talk of reform? 1 have been told that 1 to 5 percent of the people in the prisons are reformed Most however learn what they did wrong so as not to make the same mistake again When they do get paroled or finish their sentence many will return to a life of crime usually more intense and more violent Thus making prison a school for crime I believe that society dictates that "a life for a life" is what is needed I see no other way to indicate to killers that commitment of such violent acts will be dealt with accordingly It is my opinion that crime in our streets would decrease and our communities would become safer places to live and work Isn't tt time that we stand beside the men and women who place their lives on the line for our protection? BOB PUELSTON Wichita To my knowledge there has never been a clinically substantiated claim of harm to anyone from drinking optimally fluoridated water At this point in time half the nation enjoys fluoridated water and it is time for Wichita to offer this benefit to the public RICHARD CUMMINGS MD FACS President The Medical Society of Sedgwick County Wichita Camp-Out Idea Is for the Birds I thought the City Commission was supposed to represent Wichita and help solve our problems Ms Connie Peters Gene Denton and other city officials are acting like school children saying they'll camp out in St Louis to protest Missouri's failure to vote for ERA That's Missouri's business not ours I'm not even sure that the citizens of Kansas would vote for it if they had a right to vote on it GLORIA MOODY Wichita Jtory on Billy Ilargis Hit Below the Belt The word portrait painted of Billy James Hargis was quite a misleading picture of a fire-breathing extremist when in actuality his massive intelligence and well marshalled facts could not be presented in an other than orderly and expertly well delivered manner To have reported that he before his faithful a small boy jumped and he began to is below-the-belt journalism to say the least which well shows the contempt of the writer We were there We know Our complete tape recording of the proceeding is only additional evidence Indeed the only commendable charity toward Brother Hargis' Wichita appearance was in the reporting of his declaration of some now-old college charges against him when he said "Those accusations were totally His photograph was likewise commendable But could not the reporter there Whippoorwill: Capsizing an act of God Should Sail Again spected and they did not explode when toe 65-foot craft capsized More life-saving gear was on board than was required by law and it was placed properly and was available to passengers The crew attempted to take evasive action when toe sudden storm struck In short the investigation indicates that Bruce Rogers toe owner-operator was not to blame for the tragedy The delightful addition to toe Kansas summer scene should not be lost because of what happened in those storm-whipped waters last Saturday evening The Whippoorwill should sail again The tornado that struck a paddle-wheel showboat on Lake Pomona taking 15 lives and sparing 44 others left a wound in Kansans' hearts that will be difficult to repair Considering the sorrow and the heartbreak it would be understandable if the Whippoorwill never were to set sail again if there never were another meal served aboard her decks or another play presented on her stage But a preliminary investigation shows that what happened to toe Whippoorwill truly was an act of God No one could have done any- -thing to prevent what happened and no one should feel guilty that it did happen The report indicates toe craft was properly licensed and insured Its boilers had been in This Public James Kilpatrick Sweet Are the Uses of Adversity On October 8 1882 William Henry Vanderbilt then president of the New York Central Railroad was being interviewed by two Chicago newspaper reporters Irritated by a question concerning public service Mr Vanderbilt exclaimed public be damned!" Mr Vanderbilt lived to regret having made that remark because the public upon whom the railroad obviously depended for patronage was understandably indignant and responded by reducing the amount of business given to New Yak Central Now 96 years after Mr Vanderbilt uttered his ill-conceived Hart it is still used to illustrate the error and futility of attacking or belittling public wishes I HAVE HEARD no reports of any statement similar to Mr Vanderbilt's emanating from our City Commission or office id management However actions speak louder than words and certain actions of some city commissioners do not indicate any strong desire to properly represent or serve the people who elected them to office Some cases in point follow: Several years ago a comparatively small group of good citizens voiced their belief that buildings that house the city's cultural offerings should be grouped together in a central location downtown They advocated that the new Art Museum be built just south of City Library For the very good reasons that an already difficult parking problem in that area would be further aggravated by carrying out this proposal plus many recognizable advantages of retaining the riverbank location for the museum there was overwhelming opposition to the plan In spite of this four members of the commission were determined to choose the downtown location That we have a parking lot near the library and Century II and that the Art Museum remains where it should be is due to the courage and dedication of the late John Stevens the fifth member of that commission THE SO-CALLED gay rights ordinance was passed as a result of distorted thinking and distorted interpretation of human rights Confronted by evidence id overwhelming opposition the commissioners were urged to repeal the ordinance but they chose instead to spend (63000 of money to achieve the same result No greater snow job or blitzkrieg of propaganda was ever inflicted upon a community anywhere than in the closing days id the ill-advised and ill-timed campaign to sell issuance of (910 million worth id revenue bonds to pursue a feasibility study on coal gasification and hopefully build a plant The strong negative vote was not a vote against development i an alternate source id energy It was a vote against secrecy and double talk in government against buying a pig in a poke and frankly tt was against granting the authority for the City Commission to handle that large amount of money for anything Twice the citizens of Wichita have gone to the polls and voted against the addition of sodium fluoride to our water Reasons as explained by the winning side (the side opposed to fluoridation) were that the only visible benefits accrued to school-age children and were easily obtainable by dental prescriptions without fluoridating the entire water supply SODIUM FLUORIDE is suspected of having adverse effects on the health of some older citizens The prospect of paying a considerable sum for machinery as well as for the additive itself made the proposition totally unattractive It remains that way today Our governing body though seems determined to give us a chance to repent and vote fluoridation in The question will appear on the ballot at the primary election in August and public opinion will again have the opportunity of asserting itself DON FITCH Wichita WASHINGTON Two weeks have passed since the California earthquake and the tremors have at last crossed the Potomac The House of Representatives last week voted to cut the Labor-Welfare budget by (800 million In terms of a (500 billion budget it wasn't much but it was a start Thank you Howard Jarvis Mr Jarvis of course is the cantankerous apostle of the new political religion known as tax limitation Since California's landslide vote of June 6 for his Proposition 13 his voice no longer cries alone in the wilderness All kinds of politicians have got religion as an examination of the 220-181 vote in the House will suggest Some of the 220 had never cast a vote for economy in their lives Here as there cries were raised thal to reduce public spending especially in areas of health education and welfare amounts to grinding the faces of the poor In times past such cries have proved marvelously effective and as a consequence the federal budget for welfare has become bloated beyond recognition Until Brother Jarvis came along there seemed no possibility that the Labor-HEW appropriation ever would be touched by fiscal sanity Now the boys are running scared nians have become so absolutely dependent upon government so weak and enfeebled so pathetically gutless that they are unable to lift a finger in their own behalf I do not believe it for an instant IN EVERY COMMUNITY affected by Proposition 13 there are focal industries stores banks factories and well-heeled individuals who will benefit from substantial tax reduction In many cases these taxpayers can be persuaded to give large chunks of their savings back to their communities for parks libraries fire companies or the like Under federal income tax laws such voluntary contributions would cost them nothing We hear lamentations about the cancellation of summer schools and adult education classes So what? Generations of Americans grew up to a reasonable literacy without free summer school and free adult education Charge a fee or let tt go! What if Corona's Little League ballparks no longer may be watered or lighted at public expense? When I was a boy all we had for second base was a busted-out piece of an apple crate Sweet are the uses of adversity! We raised some pretty fair infielders that way Here in Washington politicians are nervous They hear the tom-toms beating and they know the natives are restless out there What Howard Jarvis did in California some national leader might yet do for Washington It's a heady thought and tt won't go away WirMaftaa Star SyaOralc SOME OTHER THINGS have been happening in these two weeks The news that reaches us from California is mostly maddening news Daily we are deluged by pitiful stories of libraries closing of firetrucks immobilized of police laid off of school teachers dismissed all as a result of that dreadful Jarvis man Da examination it appears that most of these doomsday tidings have to do with possible closings and possible cutbacks and possible reductions in services depending upon what the California legislature does to save the day If I were a California voter witnessing this defeatist reaction from Officialdom I would start making lists lists of those elected officials who have responded with vindictiveness or ineptitude or both to the results on Proposition 11 At the first opportunity I would move heaven and earth to vote them out of office and to replace them with new officials dedicated to making the proposition work CALIFORNIA'S HIGHLY paid state legislators have the first responsibility for a sensitive intelligent response to the situation but local imagination and local leadership could count for vastly more A dispatch from Corona Calif informs us dolefully that sleek new library on Main Street probably will Well nonsense! The library won't close if Friends of the Corona Library will stop sniffling and raise the money voluntarily to take up the slack The inference one draws from the post-refeipndum news is that Califor- IS £hr An independent newspaper published mornings Monday through Friday and if hit 1 (f-n nlf combined on Saturdays Sundays and holidays with The Wichita Beacon by the S) Wichita Eagle and Beacon Publishing Company Inc at 82S Douglas Wichita Kansas 67202 Britt Brown Eugeno Lombort Davis Merritt Jr Chairman of the Board President and Publisher Executive Editor Prayer We pause in the rush of the pressures to ask thy guidance and blessing on all we do today Amen George Neavoll Editorial Page Editor Joe Harper Managing Editor William Mix Circulation Director Martin Johnson Business Manager John Breen Production Manager William Poitevint Advertising Director.