Clean nuclear power

The U.S. has been blessed with cheap and abundant electric power. This is behind our economy and standard of living.

The safest and cheapest are non-polluting plants powered by nuclear reactors. Consider the facts:

Several articles have been written about the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. A proper wording would be: “Japan suffered a major earthquake, resulting in a disastrous tsunami.

This tidal wave killed about 2,000 people and incapacitated the cooling water in the nuclear reactors.

“This resulted in major damage to the plants. However, no one was killed by radiation. For added safety, the cooling water systems of all nuclear plants are being reviewed.”

What to do with the spent fuel from the plants? Because it is 5 percent waste and 95 percent fuel, reprocess it or bury it.

The Three Mile Island meltdown destroyed the plant because the plant operators prevented an automatic shutdown. Again, no loss of life.

The Russian nuclear disaster did include some deaths.

However, that plant’s design cannot be compared to modern plants.

Green power has no place in “cheap power” and would not exist without subsidies.

What’s left are more similar facts and repetitious scare tactics attempting to refute known facts.

Wayne Wagner

Independence

DMV customer service?

Donna Shelite, the Kansas director of vehicles, was quoted in The Star on July 3, “Still waiting and waiting,” as saying, “We have seen significant improvements since early May.”

I’m wondering how she has arrived at this conclusion.

I arrived home on the last day of June from our vacation and realized that I never received the letter from the Division of Motor Vehicles with my pin number that would allow me to renew my tags online.

Because my tags were expired as of June 30, I called the DMV first thing Monday morning to see whether anyone could give me the pin number so I could renew my tags online as I have always done.

After waiting on hold for 92 minutes, I was told that they sent the letter to my address from six years ago even though I have lived in my current house for five years and received the letter every year to renew online.

Basically, she told me that I would have to fight the four-plus hour wait at the DMV to renew my tags.

Since I have three small kids, this should be easily accomplished. And this is “improvement?”

Kristie Hatfield

Overland Park

GOP health care repair?

How many people believe that if the Republicans maintain their House majority and get control of the Senate and presidency and succeed in repealing the Affordable Care Act, they’ll pass a new health care reform bill?

I’d like to sell those people a local bridge, so I’d have some money to invest in health insurance stocks.

Mike Cunningham

Kansas City

Trickle down Romney

For the next few months, we are going to hear a lot about the best way to create jobs and get the economy on a stronger growth trajectory. Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will talk about how he wants to help the “job creators” at the top of the economic heap.

Haven’t we been trying trickle-down economics (remember President Ronald Reagan’s supply-side economics) for at least three decades now? And how is it working for you and the rest of the 99 percent?

The only way to really get the economy working for all of us, including the rich — yes, even the greedy rich do well in a growing economy — is to increase spending. Spending has to come from government, consumers or business.

Overall government (federal, state and local combined) spending is down. Consumers are still tapped out, and business and the 1 percent are sitting on piles of cash waiting to see where the demand for their goods and services is going to come from.

More trickle down is not going to help.

Gregory Brown

Lee’s Summit

Global warming in KC

A few winters ago, Kansas City experienced some very cold temperatures for an extended time. During those cold times, someone always writes about how the term global warming is a made-up science term just to scare us. The Earth is doing just fine, they say.

I would like those folks to take a look at the seven-day forecast. The cooling period seems to be over.

David Reinert

Kansas City

Damage to economy

The latest revelation on use of bank funds speculation illustrates why we need not only better laws but also close monitoring, and we need this now. Does anyone doubt that other banks are doing the same?

Should they fail again, then the taxpayers would be on the hook for the losses. Our lawmakers need to hear from us that they should take appropriate and effective action immediately.

Otherwise we can look forward to continued damage to the economy as well as more recession.

Jefferson E. Lewis

Kansas City

Taxpayer revolt needed

There ought to be a law against school finance cases in Kansas. Taxpayers have to foot all of the bills on both sides for this sham trial.

We all know that the purpose is to raise our taxes again. Where is our Scott Walker-type governor and/or legislature who will put a stop to this lunacy?

Thinking taxpayers are revolted by this farce.

Mary Gomez

Olathe

Women’s health issues

I am frequently amazed at the amount of letters The Star publishes regarding women’s health issues that are written by men.

One chastised us gals for falling into the trap of embracing birth control ... that evil bill of goods.

Is that so? I have never found it to be a problem to refrain from chastising guys about their prostate or erectile dysfunction issues because it is a subject I know little about.

Therein lies the problem, and if any of us need a daddy instead of a doctor to tell us what to do with our health choices, we’ll be sure to put an ad in the help-wanted section.

Kathleen Fisher

Prairie Village

Perplexing questions

Did anyone notice ice cream is now a quart-and-a-half instead of a half-gallon but at the same price? Now peanut butter is in a smaller jar at the same price, plus a host of other store items.

It’s an easy way to raise the price.

If corporations are now people, how come more aren’t in jail?

Does anyone know what a derivative is? When someone loses $2 billion, that means someone made $2 billion.

Bribery is when you give someone money or a favor to gain influence on a person to do something dishonest. Has anyone seen the size of the tax code lately?

We don’t have room in the jails to hold all the politicians.

Joseph T. Purcell

Kansas City

Waiting for justice

Seventeen years ago, my sister, Darlene Edwards, and four co-defendants were convicted in the 1988 death of six firefighters in Kansas City. It was very tragic what happened that cold November morning up on the hill where the explosion occurred killing the firefighters.

My heart goes out to the families who lost their loved ones. But I must add that justice was not done.

The Department of Justice released a report naming other people as perpetrators in the crime. I’d like to know why these other people have not been indicted. Until they are, justice is not served.

The government needs to be forced to indict the guilty so two things can happen. One is my sister will be able to come home.

The second is justice will truly be served.

Patsy Peeler

Belton

Independent review

Kansas now needs an independent, nonpartisan group to monitor whether Gov. Sam Brownback’s office projections will actually occur.

Those projections include whether the major tax cuts Brownback signed into law will result in 22,900 new jobs, give $2 billion more in disposable income to Kansans and increase the population by 35,740, all in addition to the normal growth rate of the state.

Leo Schell

Manhattan, Kan.

Kindness has rewards

Recently, a gentleman and I arrived for checking out at the grocery store. He carried a few items in his arms, so I told him to go ahead of me.

I noticed that the cashier was reaching for my items off the belt. I protested that she was scanning my items.

She replied that they were paid for by the man ahead of me. I thanked the gentleman for his generous “paying it forward” gesture.

It was a gift of only a few dollars, but it warms my heart each time I recall the love expressed so unselfishly.

May I and others look for an opportunity to pay it forward.

Ken Fair

Overland Park