Watercraft amendment

Vote “yes” on the watercraft constitutional amendment Tuesday. If passed, it would allow for fairer taxation of watercraft and make Kansas watercraft taxation competitive with surrounding states.

Property taxes on watercraft in Kansas are so high that they impede boat ownership. Many Kansans register their boats in neighboring states, so Kansas counties lose property tax revenue. The high tax rates also reduce in-state boat sales, affecting our marinas and boat dealers and reducing state sales tax revenue.

The Legislature showed bipartisan, overwhelming support — 121-2 in the House and 40-0 in the Senate — for placing this amendment on the ballot.

The amendment may be difficult to understand because the ballot includes the entire article of the Constitution that is affected, not just the change. The only change is the addition of the words “and watercraft.” Adding just those two words would give the Legislature the opportunity to create a fairer tax treatment of watercraft. You can give it that opportunity by voting yes.

This change is good for Kansas and Kansas families, and we encourage you to vote yes on the amendment.

Robin Jennison

Secretary

Kansas Department of

Wildlife Parks and Tourism

Topeka

Women for Akin?

You’ve got to be one grim woman to vote for Republican Todd Akin as Missouri’s next U.S. senator. Come on Missouri ladies.

Oh, by the way, Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan is Todd Akin or vice versa.

Mike Gregory

Lee’s Summit

Romney unfairly bashed

The media were attacking Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney for criticizing President Barack Obama for his handling of the embassy debacle. They say he can’t do that in a time of tragic deaths. Really?

Do you remember President George W. Bush and the Iraqi war?

Were soldiers dying?

The press almost daily used the deaths of servicemen to slam Bush. Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sens. Harry Reid and John Kerry almost daily used the body count to politically attack Bush.

Do you remember Hurricane Katrina? Did anybody die?

The press daily used those deaths and the destruction to politically deride Bush.

Do you remember the Sept. 11, 2001, tragedy? Did anyone die? Several thousand. The press to this day will say vile things about Bush and his visit with schoolchildren.

So when you read inane comments about Romney, just remember the truth, and use that paper for potty training your new dog.

John Dodson

Kansas City

Elect President Obama

Question: Are you better off than you were four years ago? Do you remember where we were in the fall of 2008?

We suffered the collapse of our financial system. The housing bubble burst. We were hemorrhaging jobs. The auto industry was imploding, and the specter of a depression hung over us

Then we elected a new president. We believed we had reached a point where the partisan divide would heal because the nation was in a precarious place. We were wrong.

As Barack Obama was taking his oath of office, the Republican leadership pledged to block everything this new president proposed.

Republicans in attendance included Paul Ryan, now Republican vice presidential candidate.

It is the height of hypocrisy to suggest Obama failed. What I see is a president who accomplished amazing things despite Republican obstructionism.

Are we better off today?

Yes. The auto industry is thriving. We are adding jobs. Health care reform is happening.

The housing industry is improving. The leader of al-Qaida is gone.

Our country has survived despite Republicans’ mean-spirited behavior.

They wave the American flag and sing “God Bless America.” But real patriots pay their taxes and compromise for the good of all.

Bernadine Kline

Liberty

Hoover, Romney

President Herbert Hoover had a saying that is still valid today — with a small change. “A chicken in every pot and a elevator in every garage.”

Alex Pappas

Kansas City

Flawed political logic

I find it very interesting that some writers criticize Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who, because he is rich, “couldn’t possibly relate to the common citizen.” Really?

So, with that logic, none of our presidential and vice presidential candidates could possibly understand any of the issues facing women.

Holly Schenk

Gladstone

Obama’s fantasies

Would someone please explain to President Barack Obama the difference between a goal and a plan?

For example, I have the goal of making a million dollars next year.

I don’t have a clue how I’m going to do it.

Obama calls his wishes “plans,” which have about as much validity as his promises.

Jim Barber

Independence

Etch-A-Sketch Romney

I believe Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney changes his mind so much that by Election Day he might not still be a Republican.

Sue Sisk

Kansas City

Channeling Clinton

As we all know, Washington, D.C., is not working. Congress has a low approval rating.

This is clearly a problem. With a stalled economy and partisanship cut distinctly on party lines, the country is not moving forward.

For instance, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the GOP’s main goal was to deny President Barack Obama a second term. What happened to passing laws out of moral standards and a hope for prosperity for all instead of divisiveness aimed at pursuing a certain agenda?

Republicans and Democrats are both to blame. For the last 12 years, this country has spent money on the backs of working Americans of all income brackets.

People often forget that President Bill Clinton left office in 2001 with the country showing a federal surplus. The economy boomed, 100,000 more police were put on the streets, welfare reform passed and unemployment was at 4 percent.

The Clinton presidency was a model of fiscal responsibility with, most importantly, an emphasis on bipartisanship. Let’s hope that whoever is elected this week can channel a little Clinton magic.

Danny Summers

Mission Hills

GOP jobs barrier

The Republicans keep repeating, “Where are the jobs?” Well, they are where House Speaker John Boehner left them when President Barack Obama sent the jobs bill to Congress last year.

Obama had a plan to create the jobs needed, which included fixing bridges and roads, hiring more teachers and firefighters, and much more. It would have created about a million jobs.

The Senate passed it last year, and it was sent on to the House. But Republicans there wouldn’t even put it up for a vote.

Their agenda was to make Obama fail, which makes the country fail, and they didn’t care.

After Obama was elected, the Republicans decided to say no to everything Obama tried to do to help the economy, and that’s exactly what they did.

We are paying the price for it. I don’t see how anyone can vote for a conservative Republican after this. They just don’t get it. How sad.

Judy Fremerman

Prairie Village