Controlling U.S. jobs

A man from Saudi Arabia bought 4,500 acres of Iowa farmland.

A man from Russia bought the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association.

A man from Japan bought the majority of Sprint Nextel.

Instead of trying to figure ways around outsourcing American jobs, the world has figured out a new way to control American jobs.

It’s called in-sourcing.

Roger Kamps

Kansas City

Obama’s backers

For the first time in our history, a failed president was re-elected. The irony of it all is that most of the people voting for him are supported by those voting against him.

Ken Hedden

Parkville

New federal jobs

I just read where 800 jobs will be created next year, 500 in Overland Park and 300 in Lee’s Summit (11-14, A1, “Feds creating 800 jobs in area”).

It’s great news, except all the jobs will be with the immigration service to handle the expected influx of children of illegal immigrants requiring verification for college educations.

The average salary is $27,431 to $41,563. That’s in addition to Obamacare that we all pay for.

Is this a great country?

Bill Wood

Overland Park

Mend political rift

Yes, President Barack Obama will be in the White House another four years. He won.

I hope he remembers, however, that more than 59 million Americans voted for Republican challenger Mitt Romney. That’s a lot of Americans.

Romney got a lot of grief over the 47 percent comment he made at a fund-raiser earlier this year.

Anyone from either party who runs for president can count on 47 percent not voting for him no matter what.

It’s always that pesky remaining 6 percent that calls the shots, and a successful candidate just needs to get two-thirds of them.

I just listened to former senator Evan Bayh, an Indiana Democrat, on C-SPAN. Now there is a Democrat I like.

Go to www.nolabels.com to learn about a bipartisan effort to fix America. I just signed up.

Maybe with a fix America would be less divided and have much brighter future.

Jerry Ameling

Lee’s Summit

Pancreatic cancer

November is National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.

In the last 30 years, there has been a revolution in science and medicine, resulting in increased survival rates for many diseases.

Unfortunately, pancreatic cancer has not benefited from these advances.

Pancreatic cancer is the only one of the top killers with a five-year survival rate in the single digits, at just 6 percent.

Even more alarming is that the disease is expected to move from the fourth- to the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States by 2020, possibly as early as 2015.

We must change this, and we can.

I lost a good friend to pancreatic cancer in six months. I’ve seen the urgent need to create hope for others.

Now is the time to be a hero in the fight against pancreatic cancer.

Please visit www.pancanvision.org to learn more.

Together we can make a difference.

Charlotte Garrett

Greenwood

Recurring Plaza trouble

What is going on at the Plaza? Last summer a curfew was enforced after Mayor Sly James encountered some problems with roving youths.

We had similar problems last year.

After the curfew was in place, the problem appeared to be solved.

Guess what? The groups are back and bigger.

One weekend we were out to dinner with friend at a local cafe and decided to take a stroll around the Plaza and enjoy the evening.

We were no more than out of our car an two blocks down the road when we heard sirens and saw lights. The next thing we knew we had several young kids running at us and away from the police.

We turned the block to encounter a group of about 25 to 30 kids blocking the sidewalk. We were having so much fun we decided to head home before much more excitement happened.

Another weekend my daughter and son-in-law were at the Plaza with friends. Guess what? Same experience, different day.

Is this the new Plaza experience?

Ken Bailey

Independence

Lee Judge cartoon

Lee Judge has a very biased and consequently incorrect view of Republicans (11-8 editorial cartoon).

Not all Republicans are rich and white.

I fall into the not rich category.

If Judge were to attend the Wyandotte County GOP meeting, he might notice that people of color attend the meetings.

And, Judge, we are all equal at the meeting. No one has to sit in the back.

Some of the people who have married into my family are of Hispanic heritage.

They are Republican and not wealthy.

Political views are more powerful than color or ethnic heritage. President Barack Obama gets accused of instigating class warfare, and I certainly believe there is some validity to that opinion.

However, he pales in comparison to the Judge cartoon. That cartoon does more to instigate class warfare than anything the president has done.

Obviously, Judge is entitled to his opinion, and he earns a living doing so. But Judge should try not to be so incorrect in his view of Republicans.

Remember, most doctors are Republican. Judge might consider that if he needs their services.

Tom Horton

Kansas City

Deal with real issues

The airwaves were filled with excuses from the right over President Barack Obama’s re-election. Pundits said those who voted for Mr. Obama were uninformed (blame the media and our schools), looking for handouts and are “victims.”

I am none of those things, nor are any of the individuals I know who voted for the president. Perhaps many on the right should take a look in the mirror to find who really is playing the “victim.”

If they do, maybe, just maybe, they will allow the word “compromise” to parse their lips and allow for some cooperation and deal with real issues facing our nation.

Tom Witwer

Overland Park

Rich are getting richer

I was delighted to find that the Republicans are talking about redistribution of wealth. It’s about time.

All statistics on the matter show that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer and the middle class is shrinking.

Yes, let’s talk about it.

Louann Stahl

Kansas City

Preventing disaster

What do our lawmakers and government get out of playing God? It looks as if they want to make everyone part of a syndicate — from the Hell’s Angels to the Sunday school teachers.

Our world leaders have the symptoms of a cult that wants to turn everyone’s faith and godly world into a war. Throughout the world, good people have become used up by their lawmakers, bankers and crooks.

Unless the common people in the public step up and connect with other people in the world, we may be in for World War III.

This great world needs honesty now.

William Leroy Elwood

Osceola, Mo.

Safety of U.S. embassies

There should be a better way to communicate with foreign countries that does not put our envoys, ambassadors or workers in danger. We need better security and a better communication system among our embassies.

Safety should be a primary concern of our government.

Rex Newbold

Shawnee

Suicide prevention

Nearly 1 million people make a suicide attempt every year in the United States, and every 40 seconds, someone in the world dies by suicide. As a mental health professional, I have seen the warning signs in patients.

They include increased alcohol/drug use, risky behavior, threatening suicide or expressing a strong wish to die, giving away possessions, unexpected rage and obtaining a way of killing oneself, such as acquiring guns, poisons or medications.

It is important to know that 90 percent of the people who die by suicide have a diagnosable and treatable psychiatric disorder at the time of their deaths.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will bring together people around the world who are bereaved after a suicide loss to share in a day of healing and support through the 14th annual International Survivors of Suicide Day program.

A local program will be Saturday at VFW Post 846, 8804 Grant Ave. in Overland Park.

If you or someone you know has the warning signs of suicide, get help or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Markie Burkett, RN

Overland Park