Overdose on politics

I think I am suffering from political anorexia or bulimia. Listening to the many speeches these past two weeks during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., and then the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., has made me want to vomit excessively.

In a few more days I will accomplish what the South Beach Diet could never do — a huge weight loss without dieting.

Joe Neuner

Olathe

Raise minimum wage

This letter is in response to The Star’s Sept. 3 editorial, “Give laborers a break: Raise the minimum wage.”

The editorial mentions that a judge was to decide whether backers gathered enough valid signatures of registered voters to have a statewide vote on raising the minimum wage. It’s a moot issue now.

But I agree with the movement to raise the minimum wage, not only in Missouri and Kansas but on a national level. I have a great concern for this because the way the United States works the minimum wage does not allow for a person to live a comfortable life.

Minimum-wage jobs don’t give much leeway for people to spend money on things such as a higher education or vehicles. Raising the standard minimum wage would help to eventually lessen the gap between social classes.

That’s essential to establishing a nation that is meant to serve the people.

Michael Dold

Leawood

U.S. gold bonanza

This country is not broke. We have tons of gold in Fort Knox that we paid $32 an ounce for.

Sell two or three tons of gold at $1,500 an ounce (or current price) and pay off our debts. Gold comes into the government’s hands all the time.

We can’t hoard it forever.

Herman Mohr

Raytown

McCaskill debate

Sen. Claire McCaskill is a Missouri treasure, and from the day she arrived in Washington, D.C., she used her Missouri-ness to tackle problems such as the Arlington Cemetery debacle and military contractor corruption, among others.

She earned the respect and admiration of her colleagues in short order and has chaired some of the most important hearings.

Sen. McCaskill has a presence, and she inspires confidence. At last, someone has come to Washington who knows how to deal with the complexities of governmental affairs.

In short, Sen. McCaskill is irreplaceable.

Dorothy Stoeger

Platte Woods

Sen. Claire McCaskill is known to be pro-abortion for any reason. I will not be voting for her.

There is an alternative to abortion — adoption.

Rape is a terrible crime. A baby may be a product of it, but it is also an innocent victim and shouldn’t be sentenced to death.

Lynne Melcher

Kansas City

Dead ballot proposals

The Kansas City Star on Sept. 5 ran an editorial, “And so died two worthy ballot proposals.” Regardless of the influence that special interests had on this process, I have problems with calling either proposal “worthy.”

Capping the interest that payday lenders can charge customers would harm their ability to compensate for the riskiness of the loans they make. If lenders cannot be compensated for the risk they take, they will not make the loans.

This occurred in Oregon when a law capping interest rates was passed; the result was the closure of more than 100 payday loan establishments.

Also, a lot of economic research suggests raising the minimum wage would cause more harm than good.

First, minimum wages reduce employment for young and low-skilled workers.

Second, minimum wages deliver no new net benefit to low-income families.

If one wants to help poor families, there are other, more effective, tools available.

Michael Rathbone

Policy Researcher

Show-Me Institute

St. Louis

Perfection for Kansas

If Gov. Sam Brownback had no sick, disabled or mentally ill people needing medical care; if he had no poor people to be fed, housed and clothed; and if he had no children to be educated, he’d have his perfect Kansas kingdom.

Patricia Callaghan

Kansas City, Kan.

Obama bad for U.S.

President Barack Obama promised “swift and bold” job creation, “transparency” and “unity of purpose over conflict.” His cool demeanor charmed and fooled many of us while he pandered to victims groups, arousing anger and divisiveness.

After more than three years in office, he states, “There are no quick fixes,” but he has had time to secretly execute numerous questionable executive orders for government control and wants to submit our country to international regulations instead of to our Constitution.

Currently, about half of us pay taxes to the government so about half receive the benefits. This excessive dependency on the government is unsustainable, demoralizing and devastating.

Government should give citizens a hand up, not a handout; it should provide equality of opportunity, not of outcome.

Don’t sit back and watch the freedoms our founders fought for be torn down.

Think about the future of your children.

Obama’s record in office has been a disaster, so he’s focused on maliciously attacking his opponent.

Obama is desperate. He will say and do anything to win this election.

If he is re-elected, he will complete the destruction of America.

Wake up before it’s too late.

Charlotte Warren

Liberty

Green energy trolley

Although I think the downtown trolley talked about between River Market and Crown Center is unnecessary, I do believe it could create quite a national interest if it were powered by wind turbines located along the Missouri River waterfront.

I think that is technically doable.

Rich Kaufman

Ph.D., physics

Overland Park

Fiddling for unions

One doesn’t have to watch and listen very long to the left-wing news source MSNBC or the spewing of constant sarcasm from Rachel Maddow or the grin of Ed Schultz to understand that we aren’t getting the whole story on their nightly newscast.

The next time Ed Schultz talks about the wonders of unions, realize that he was paid thousands of dollars this year to speak at union events.

He is a very well-paid union lackey. What is really funny is that he used to be a conservative talk-show host.

Evidently being a liberal pays better.

These “reporters” should be required to disclose that they are being paid by the very groups that they are publicly supporting while implying that they are independent.

Schultz is playing the “working man” routine like a fiddle.

Frank Green

Kansas City

Deeper U.S. debt hole

I’ve a novel ideal. Instead of placing blame on each other, try working together for this country instead of for a political party.

I believe there are a lot of voters who have just about had it with the politicians who worry more about getting back into office than the trouble this country is in.

You wonder why no one is really interested in this year’s election? It’s the same speech, the same “nothing is getting done” and “my opponent is bad for this.”

My God.

The last three years, no one in Washington has even tried to get anything done.

I’m 64 years old, and for the last 40 years in each election someone says he is going to Washington, D.C., to work for the middle class (working slobs like me).

But so far, all they’ve done is cause me to pay more taxes and get our country so far in debt my great-great-great-grandkids will be paying.

Politicians say that Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are going broke.

My foot. This whole country is broke by being trillions of dollars in debt.

We don’t have any money. Everything has gone broke.

Raymond T. Calahan

Raymore

Theft of copper

I am 88 years of age. In other words, I was not born yesterday.

I believe that the people who buy the stolen copper are as guilty as the thieves who steal it.

Dorothy Krone

Lee’s Summit

Burdensome food aid

Federal food-assistance programs now account for a huge part of the Agriculture Department budget, which is absurd.

A small, Depression-era, temporary program designed to help farmers dispose of surplus crops while feeding the destitute has grown exponentially and now dwarfs its host department.

Congress should enact legislation to remove these programs from the Agriculture Department and assign them to a federal welfare department where they belong.

We should encourage our farm state representatives to take this action.

Kenneth Lee

Raytown