Senate’s low point

The vote in the Senate was one of the lowest points in memory (12-5, A1, “Treaty fails, despite push from Dole”). The Senate refused to ratify the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was modeled on present U.S. law.

Our government refused to sign what has already been American law for years. The treaty failed ratification by only five votes.

Two of the “nay” votes were, inexplicably and outrageously, cast by the two senators from Kansas, Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts.

Both men walked past Bob Dole, the frail 89-year-old former senator from Kansas who had been wheeled into the Senate well to encourage his Republican colleagues to vote for it.

Dole’s old friend, Sen. John McCain, voted yes. As one TV commentator described it: “Bob Dole reached into their hearts and found nothing.”

One can only imagine Sen. Dole’s reaction to his successors from Kansas, especially after his extraordinary personal appeal to their better instincts.

Whatever prompted our two sitting senators to cast their votes may be long debated.

But their deed dishonored themselves, Kansas, the disabled of the world and America’s standing among the nations of the world.

Gregory M. Rieke

Overland Park

Correct GOP course

I am a 71-year-old who has voted for the fiscally conservative candidate in every election since 1964.

However, if the Republican Party doesn’t back off from its love affair with the fetus and its war on contraception on this terribly overpopulated planet, and doesn’t acknowledge climate change and Homo sapiens’ role in causing it, and won’t give the time of day to environmental concerns, and continues its homophobic, Bible-thumping, Christian fundamentalist preaching, we will never, I repeat, never win another national election.

Michael Fopeano

Parkville

Obamacare in Kansas

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is quoted saying Obamacare is an overreach by Washington, and Kansans have rejected the state’s participation.

I have lived in Kansas 41 years, so I guess he is speaking for me, but I don’t recall rejecting the Affordable Care Act. In fact, I am very much in favor of it. I wish the governor would say “Kansans who voted for me and for my right-wing conservative state legislators” and not “Kansans” when he makes these claims.

I know we are in the minority, but we are still here and still have a voice. And his voice is not my voice.

Tom Thornton

Mission Hills

Cuts in military needed

Our military presence throughout the world is just ridiculous. So that no one thinks I’m anti-military, I am a combat Navy veteran of World War II.

I went into Guam in the summer of 1944, and our military is still there. We signed the surrender papers with Japan in 1945. We are still there in large numbers.

What about Germany and other European countries? Oh, yes, we are still there, and the war was over nearly 70 years ago. Enough already.

Keep our military at our embassy posts throughout the world, of course, but severely trim back all the men and women from these overseas bases.

I hope Congress takes a strong look at our military on foreign soil and what it continues to cost us.

I respect the uniform and those who wear it. We fought for you, and we have no regrets on that behalf. Let our Congress come together and make some progress on this important issue.

Bob Hemenway

Kansas City

Healthy initiatives

I think it’s wrong to tax soda and junk food more than water and healthy things.

I understand that it helps people. But it’s individuals’ choices whether they want to stay lean and fit or get fat and obese. Government shouldn’t tell people what to eat.

The government is trying to help us, but authorities are just making things worse. The people who have health issues need to stop unhealthy practices, and the government doesn’t need to get involved.

Smoking is a great example. Smoking was a bad problem before and during World War II. But now we’ve raised awareness, and because of that fewer people smoke.

Adam Keller

(age 10)

Kansas City

Job creator incentives

The reason given to extend the George W. Bush tax cuts is the recipients of those tax cuts create jobs.

If this were true then they should be automatically extended each fiscal quarter that the unemployment rate is less than 5 percent or the unemployment rate is reduced by 0.1 percentage points.

If the U.S. unemployment rate is above 5 percent and it has not been reduced by at least 0.1 percentage points for a fiscal quarter, then the Bush tax cuts should expire because the tax-cut recipients are not creating the proposed jobs.

Al Mason

Overland Park

Saving women’s hearts

If there’s one thing Rosie O’Donnell is known for, it’s not being afraid to speak her mind, usually to get a laugh.

This year her message about her own heart attack is dead serious, and she will certainly save hundreds of women’s lives, if not more.

As a heart-disease survivor and a volunteer with WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women With Heart Disease, I hear stories similar to Rosie’s every day — women who don’t recognize their heart-attack symptoms and delay calling 911.

The most recent data show that only one in five women believe heart disease is their greatest health threat, and many say they would do something other than call 911 if they were experiencing symptoms of a heart attack.

Although women may experience heart-attack symptoms typical of men, they also can experience a wide range of less-recognized symptoms.

They include a shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting, as well as unusual fatigue and pain in the back, shoulders and jaw.

Rosie has said she was lucky, and thankfully she was. This is no laughing matter, and Rosie has done a great service to women by sounding an alarm and raising awareness.

Kristen Seltman

Overland Park

Charity, not government

It is not that we conservatives don’t believe in helping those in need. It is precisely that we do that drives our position on federal programs.

We’d rather give a dollar to the Red Cross than give it to the federal government to then give 70 cents to the Red Cross.

Or give a dollar to a local government to give 95 cents to a school lunch program than give it to the federal government hoping that up to 60 cents of it will make it to our school or even a distant one that we care about.

True conservatives will always advocate a culture that takes care of its own rather than give up on culture and ask the federal government to do so.

Please consider this before criticizing a presidential candidate for paying too little in taxes but who gives more to charity than he pays to a necessarily less efficient government.

Think about the wonderful technology that lets us donate ever more efficiently.

Could this technology have been created by government? No. It is a product of our culture.

What might an exit poll on Superstorm Sandy relief donations tell us about our belief in helping those in need? Hmmm.

Blake Isaacs

Lee’s Summit

Soaking TV watchers

We all watch the news media and how the commentators slam chief executive officers, professional athletes and others in sports and Wall Street for getting huge salaries.

Yet all these CNN, MSNBC, Fox and other news anchors, make large mega-bucks themselves.

Where do they get off slamming others, while they are in the same league. It is all about money.

It is one big show (snow) job that is fed to the American public. What a joke.

They are all in the same boat while We, the people, hang on to the side, getting soaked.

Joe Parizek

Overland Park