Restoring America

Big cuts in government spending never created jobs in the past, so why now?

What the middle class needs is purchasing power and economic fairness, which are not in Mitt Romney’s vocabulary.

By endorsing the Ryan plan and refusing to take seriously the Buffett rule, Romney adds to the evidence that he is a reactionary.

Harry Truman defined a reactionary as a person “who has a calculating machine where his heart ought to be.”

Romney boasts about his success as a leader of Bain Capital, which bought and sold stock in a way that has been described as “creative destruction” because there was a net gain, especially for Romney’s bank account.

But ask the laid-off workers of Armco Steel how they feel about Romney’s faulted ability to create jobs.

Bain Capital’s objective was never to create jobs as such but to do whatever was needed to fatten its bottom line and reward its executives and shareholders.

It is a fable that we can reduce federal deficits without increasing revenues along with enacting prudent and timely spending cuts.

Restoring the tax structure of the later 1990s and reviving the Glass-Steagall Act would be important first steps.

Niel M. Johnson

Independence

Wrong side of history

During the 1960s, conservatives opposed civil rights for all. Earlier in history, they opposed child labor laws and the minimum wage.

They opposed Social Security and Medicare. Now they oppose the new health care law, which will keep most, if not all, Americans from being forced into bankruptcy by medical bills.

As President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “A conservative is a man (or woman) with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward.”

What a shame to be on the wrong side of history time after time after time.

Jeff Bell

Shawnee

Kobach and immigration

Besides further embarrassing himself and the state of Kansas for being unable to draft legislation that passes judicial scrutiny, isn’t it time for Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach to cease and desist from drafting futile legislation (6-26, A1, “Arizona’s immigration law gets split decision”)?

Until such time as he learns how to draft constitutional laws, it seems to me to be malpractice per se for him to continue to accept money for such shoddy work.

Robert Lewis

Independence

Hunters benefit state

The spring turkey season wrapped up in May, reminding me that it is not just hunters who benefit during hunting season.

Whether they bag their birds or not, hunters patronize many local businesses, spending money on food, gas and lodging.

Hunters do a lot for Missouri, and they don’t get much credit. Not only do they contribute to our conservation efforts, but they also contribute to our economy.

According to Hunting Works for Missouri, a new organization highlighting the positive effect hunters have on the economy, Missouri hunters spend more than $1 billion each year.

This spending translates into support for more than 24,000 jobs.

This is felt at many businesses across Missouri, not just hunting stores. Convenience stores, gas stations, hotels, motels and many other businesses see increases in business when hunting season rolls around.

Looking at these numbers, it’s obvious that hunters play an important role in our economy. Their spending supports businesses and creates jobs across the state.

I hope every Missourian will appreciate how much hunters do for our state and its businesses.

Kathy Peisert

Liberty

All-Star shuttle needed

To my knowledge, there is absolutely no public transportation or shuttle service from Johnson County direct to Kauffman Stadium for the All-Star Game and its preliminary events.

This is a major problem for many Johnson County residents and especially for out-of-town visitors staying in Johnson County hotels.

Shuttle service is available from downtown Kansas City, but this would require driving to downtown, parking and then catching a shuttle to the stadium, or taking a bus from Johnson County to downtown and then catching the shuttle.

It seems that bus or shuttle service could easily be set up from several pickup points in Johnson County for direct transportation to the Kauffman Stadium. But there is none.

The Chiefs do it. Why not the Royals?

Of course, one could take a taxi or limousine, but this would be cost-prohibitive for most individuals. The question of availability would be another concern.

This doesn’t say much for any coordination by the Kansas City Royals and the areawide Kansas City transportation system.

Paul Warner

Leawood

Tougher KU admissions

Although as a teacher in a community college my instructional experience may not be exactly like that of a university faculty member, my preparation and commitment are probably similar. So it will not be surprising that I reacted negatively to the June 24 letter writer who disparaged the University of Kansas’ faculty and administration as “overpaid, underqualified” and “uncaring.”

All this invective seems to be the result of KU’s announcement that it is raising the minimum requirements for admission, which, in my estimation after reviewing them, will still be minimum.

One of my composition students has just submitted a well-researched essay on the cost to the state of students who enter college, then discover too late that they are unprepared to succeed and either flunk out or drop out.

So I say “bravo” to the KU policymakers who are guaranteeing a better educational experience for the students who have paid their academic dues to deserve college admission, and “shame on you” to the letter writer for his blanket insult to educators and administrators who recognize that being accepted by a college should be an honor, not just the next step in growing up.

Janelle Lazzo

Roeland Park

Skewed MU priorities

On A5 of the June 27 Star, we find an article, “University slashes budget,” in which University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe laments the serious lack of state funding to higher education and notes that the university “will cut programs and eliminate jobs to balance its budget.”

How can we, or the state legislature, possibly take his comments seriously when we turn to the sports section of the same day’s paper and find another article, “MU plan gets its backing,” which discusses a $30 million pledge toward the university’s $200 million plan to upgrade its sports facilities?

Is increasing the size of the football stadium really more important than maintaining academic programs, providing equipment for science labs and hiring and retaining quality faculty?

The University of Kansas recently announced that it is increasing entrance requirements to maintain the integrity of its academic programs. MU seems to headed in the opposite direction.

The members of the Coordinating Board of Higher Education must be scratching their heads, too.

William S. Eickhorst

Kansas City

MU focus on academics

The Star’s June 28 editorial, “Education gets in line behind athletics at MU,” is out of line. At the recent Board of Curators meeting, curators approved the university’s FY13 budget and announced plans to invest $26 million — accumulated through cost-saving measures — in initiatives applicable to our academic mission: recruitment and retention of faculty; increased student scholarships; and student success and degree completion, among others.

Why? Because we know that our priority is to educate the people of Missouri and that our success, in large measure, determines our state’s success. It’s an obligation — and frankly a responsibility — we take seriously.

The Star’s editorial contends that we made a choice of athletics over academics — and that recent difficult decisions like the phase out of the University of Missouri Press — were its victims. Nothing could be further from the truth. MU intercollegiate athletics pays for itself through revenues from ticket sales, gifts and media contracts. In fact, it provides more than $7 million in scholarships that make higher education accessible and affordable for a large number of student athletes.

The truth is that education is at the head of the line when it comes to our priorities. None of our actions prove otherwise.

Timothy M. Wolfe

President

University of Missouri

System

David Bradley

Chairman

Board of Curators

Columbia