A call to vote, Derek Schmidt’s career turn, gratitude and fear of Trump. Readers have a lot to say. – The Topeka Capital-Journal

Make your vote count for local government

Election Day for local government and school board races is Tuesday, Nov. 2. Many decisions profoundly affecting our lives will be made by those we choose by our vote.

Learn about your candidates through your newspaper and virtual candidate forums online.

Find your polling place at VOTE411.org. Read what some candidates have to say about the issues at Find Your Races on VOTE411.org. The non-partisan questions were posed by the League of Women Voters.

Call your County Election Office to get a Mail-in Ballot or apply online at KSvotes.org. You can mail your ballot or hand carry it to your Election Office. Also, check with your County Election Office for Advance Voting hours, beginning Oct. 13.

Have your government-issued Photo ID when you go to vote. For a list of acceptable IDs, visit lwvk.org. To get a free Kansas photo ID, go to http://www.gotvoterid.com.

If you do not have your ID with you at the polls or are not on the voter rolls as registered, you must be offered a Provisional Ballot. Contact your Election Office immediately after Nov. 2 to see what you can do to increase the chances of your Provisional Ballot being counted.

Make a plan now to exercise your right to vote!

Jacqueline Lightcap andMartha Pint, co-presidents of the League of Women Voters of Kansas, Topeka

Kansas Attorney General and wannabe governor Derek Schmidt is a conspiracy theorist and still believes Trumps Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen and fraudulent. He hasnt denounced the January 6 insurrection when criminals invaded and tried to destroy the the U.S. Capitol and hoped to kill officials viewed as Trumps enemies.

His most notorious stunt was joining with other crackpot attorneys general to sign a brief in support of a wacky Texas lawsuit designed to overturn the presidential election. This puts Derek in league with insurrectionists and seditionists. God help Kansas if such a traitor to the U.S Constitution becomes governor.

Prayer is needed that enough voters will emerge from their stupor and brainwashed state to flush Schmidts gubernatorial wishes down the election toilet. Sadly, Kansans have an abysmal record of supporting and voting for crooks and incompetents. Think Trump, Brownback, Kobach, Wagle, Masterson and Ryckman. Go figure!

Richard Schutz, Topeka

Logic, persuasion, facts I thought all that was rational would turn around this nations march toward total insanity. But now I know, there are a significant number of my countrys citizens who want a king to rule them, where the only fair election is not just when the king gets a majority of the votes, but when the king gets all of the votes.

These same citizens want a white country. We will all agree with each other, we will all be fundamentalist Christians, schools will teach what the king tells them to teach, we will no longer need elections.

When Donald Trump won in 2016, I was confident that ethical Republicans would save my country. What happened instead was that Republicans did speak up were lone voices who were quickly silenced. I thought elected Republicans would join forces and defeat this terrible scourge called Donald Trump.

What we have instead are elected Republicans who have been reduced to sniveling, groveling mere remnants of what they used to be or what I naively thought they were. Read page 291 of Michael Wolffs excellent book, "Landslide,"which chronicles the final days of the Trump presidency.

Most of the congressional Republicans have been co-opted. They think their own re-election is whats important. Democracy is no longer a value. Freedom to disagree, to be different, to care for others is being violently stripped away.

We will all be subjects of the king. What he tells us will be truth, even if some of our eyes are telling us otherwise. Too many of our peers already believe the would-be king. Others of us see him for what he strives to be: a dictator.

Terry Larson, Topeka

For the first time in quite a while I decided to go out to eat by myself for lunch. I chose one of my favorite places in southwest Topeka. The atmosphere was great, and the server was friendly and helpful. After all, I chose a salad and soup, so who can go wrong with that?

As I sat there in the air conditioning eating my salad, I thought of people during this pandemicwho are currently struggling with food insecurity. I have a friend who receives food assistance,and her main food supply for the month is when she goes shopping at the beginning of the month.

She told me that she usually eats the fresh items first and then when I asked if she had any food left at the end of the month she said, "Oh I have some lasagna and Chinese food in the freezer I can thaw." When we go out to eat, she keeps half her sandwich to take home for supper that evening.

For many of us to think of not having enough food to eat or not having access to proper nutritious food is something we just don't think about. The Topeka Rescue Mission has done an incredible job of helping those with food needs with Operation Food Secure.

My goal and I would propose a goal for each of us is to pick a local nonprofit organization to donate to or to volunteer at this fall and winter season. Let's not judge when someone in front of us in line is using a food card to pay for their groceries. And finally, let's offer up a prayer of thanksgiving for the food we get to eat each day. After all, we have so much.

Rebecca Lyn Phillips, Topeka

I wonder if any of you have had to file for unemployment, change insurance, get forms filled out for retirement, keep you household bills/repairs up to date--without any help from a wife or secretary, on an income of less than $50,000? This alone is a full-time job, so who has 45 hoursa week to work?

Sales tax, property tax, FCC tax, delivery tax, shipping charge, FED income tax ...

The piles of paperwork get bigger each day. The proof of who you are and are you really youmakes life almost impossible. One computer key punched in wrong can destroy your credit, your bank account, your incomeand change how many children you have, how much tax you oweor prove that you already paid someone, after they took your money.

The simplest things take months to get done. Life sure was simple when all you had were Wheaties or Cheerios to decide from now 365 flavors of cereal, and everyone is confused.

Do I wonder why there is more stress, depression, strokes, heart attacks andPTSD? If the system wasn't causing this then there wouldn't be a strain on the amount of doctors and nurses, medications and working-class taxpayers.

America was built on pride of buying your home, keeping it maintained, raising good children, paying your bills, working hard andbeing a good Christian. All I see now are people having expectations of a free ride, no pride in who they are, no ambition as to working, as others have, to get these things.

Congress, how about learning how your choices aren't working.The history class teaches checks and balances, have you heard of it?

Joyce Stuckey, Topeka

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A call to vote, Derek Schmidt's career turn, gratitude and fear of Trump. Readers have a lot to say. - The Topeka Capital-Journal