Letters to the Editor

To the Editor:

Soon, many young people will be transitioning from being a student to joining the working world.

With that comes responsibilities that many are not prepared for. An unplanned pregnancy may be one of the responsibilities facing some graduates right now, or in the near future.

The question is how are they going to face this responsibility? There are two compassionate choices that you have.

The first is to give birth to the child and raise it responsibly. The other choice is to put the child up for adoption to a loving home who will raise the child.

An unplanned pregnancy does not mean an unwanted child. The baby is a loved creation of God and has a purpose for its life. As a society, it is imperative that we teach that there are no unwanted children. The key is educating our young people on this issue, not letting them assume that the baby is a thing, a nuisance, a career stopper or other words or other destructive phrases that society uses. Educate yourself, because babies are beautiful, and your child will love you unconditionally. Congratulations graduates. You have achieved something that no one can take away from you. That is your education. Use your education to better the world around you and to make a positive impact.

Gregory A. Reed

Assistant Education Director on behalf of the Board of Directors, Kansans For Life

To the Editor:

Back in the sixties and seventies, I was leasing the municipal swimming pool. I had gone to school to operate a swimming pool. It can be tricky. The chlorine content needs to be checked frequently, plus the chlorine and water and sunlight make hydrochloric acid. There is a neutralizer that needs to be added to make the pH 7. The amount of soda ash and chlorine to use can change with the change in the weather and in the number of bathers.

Contrary to what most people think about the chlorine content in pool water, if managed correctly, the pool's chlorine is less than the content in tap water. The pool was getting run down when I leased it. The path from the parking area was gravel. The deck was buckling, making excellent places to stub your toe. I was told the buckling was caused because the pool was over an old coal mine. The filtration system was worn out. The dressing room's dividers were almost demolished. The kiddy pool didn't have a sanitizing system, so I closed it down. I talked the mayor into having a bond election on having the pool repaired. It passed the second time it was voted on. The contractor told me there wasn't enough money to do the repair on the underwater lights and install a pool heater, too. I went to the mayor and told him what the contractor had told me. I told the mayor that when I was at the school for municipal pool operating, the only municipal pools in Kansas that were making money were heated pools. His secretary said that she had always had a pool party every year and she liked the underwater lights.

The mayor told me to the tell the contractor to do the lights. I used to get so irritated seeing the little kids standing around at swimming lessons when their lips had turned purple and they were standing there shivering. I thought I would like to get their parents here at the pool early in the morning and toss them into the cold water. More than likely, they would want to toss me into jail. I have been in cities with heated pools and they seem to be doing okay.

If I had my way, I would have a pool that can be enclosed. Think about the number of people who use the pool. I would suspect it outnumbers the golfers and tennis players put together. On second thought, I would like to have a regular heated pool and a small indoor heated pool where the swim team could have practice in cold weather and we old people could exercise.

Hill DeMent

Fort Scott