GUEST COLUMN, Todd Stanton, Seward County Commissioner

The Seward County Administrator offered to tender her resignation during an oddly unrecorded work session of the Seward County Commission April 23. What would be the result of such a resignation? What would that do? And, what could it lead toward?

Properly selected and qualified new administrative leadership could bring long-lacking stability through the ability to identify priorities and implement intelligent strategic direction.

It should be possible to add a much needed properly qualified financial officer to Seward County administration.

GUEST COLUMN, Jonathan Agin, Executive Director Prep4Gold

The childhood cancer that took my daughter’s life has a near-100% fatality rate — about half of children with the tumor die within 9 months of diagnosis, and less than 1% live past the age of five. There are numerous other forms of childhood cancer that are similarly difficult to treat. Unfortunately, the federally funded National Cancer Institute recently eliminated the entire Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium, which was about to host an experimental vaccine trial that could have been a breakthrough in the fight against those sorts of tumors.

This is not the only bad news that children with cancer recently received. The Department of Health and Human Services announced major research funding cuts in August, terminating nearly $500 million in mRNA vaccine development contracts as part of a "necessary pivot" away from mRNA technology.

That pivot is a grievous mistake — mRNA technology is one of the most promising paths forward for treating cancer and a slew of other diseases.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR, Carolyn Huddleston, Liberal

Two months ago JCAPS wanted raises, but the Commission made the decision not to allow those raises at this time.  Now JCAPS is returning with their exact same, desired pay scale, asking that the starting pay for a Juvenile Intake Officer be set at $24.88 per hour.  What is the starting pay for a Sheriff’s Deputy?  $21 per hour.  Interestingly, papers in the agenda packet for the Commission meeting Monday, May 4, papers provided by the JCAPS Director, Chelsea Droste, show that this position requires only a high school degree.  

MY PERSPECTIVE, Gary Damron

We've seen how the seeds of revolution were planted in the American colonies, when disappointment, economic loss, and resentment followed the British Proclamation of 1763. England at that time was dealing with a debt of nearly £130 million, plus the annual cost of maintaining 10,000 troops along the frontier. Responsibility for the budget fell to George Grenville, first lord of the treasury, and disagreements over taxes contributed to the strife.

Grenville decided that tariffs, which before had been used to control trade, could become a money-making enterprise. In 1764, the Revenue Act (known as the Sugar Act), was passed. It imposed a duty on sugar and molasses used to make rum. Also included were textiles, wines, coffees, and indigo. Wording in its preamble that it was "a revenue ... raised ... in America for defraying the expense of defending, protecting, and securing the same" was a mistake.