Best in beef plants

Shame on you. The beef industry, especially the large plants of Cargill, JBS, Tyson, and National Beef, are cleaner and more careful in the production of clean and safe beef than at any time in history and than in any other country in the world.

You were crazy to allow such a biased appraisal of one of the greatest industries in the country (12-9, A1, “Beef’s raw edges”). Most of all the contamination of meat occurs by mishandling in homes or by restaurants. When it leaves the plant, it is inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and approved for healthy consumption.

Jerry Marcus

Wichita

‘Les Miserables’ review

Did Robert Trussell and I see the same “Les Miserables” (12-7, D8, “ ‘Les Miserables’ still packs a punch”)? The downsizing of sets and wonderful addition of special lighting enhanced the classic.

The actor who sang the part of Inspector Javert is a show-stopping baritone, not a tenor. The orchestra was the best theater orchestra I’ve seen, and I’ve seen many, and perhaps most shockingly, Trussell revealed the death of one of the most beloved characters to an audience whom, we must assume, had not seen “Les Miserables.”Mr. Trussell’s review was simplistic, naive and silly.

Bill Doty

Overland Park

Making all votes count

Benjamin Harrison defeated Grover Cleveland without dispute in the Electoral College yet failed to win a majority of the popular vote. The long absence of further discrepancies between popular and electoral voting led many to view the Electoral College as a largely ceremonial body.

In the election of 2000, ballot irregularities in Florida left the choice of that state’s Electoral College votes in doubt. Weeks of debate followed, and then action by the U.S. Supreme Court.

That led to Florida’s deal-changing votes to fall by default to George W. Bush. He became president despite having lost the popular vote by more than a half million ballots. These people’s votes did not count. The majority does not rule in the United States of America.

Don Freeman

Kansas City

Republican reclamation

When tea party members started feeling powerful, they dubbed anyone who disagreed with them as RINOs (Republican in name only). They attacked officeholders who dared disagree by targeting them in their next primary, often with a more loyal tea party candidate.

Now, after the repudiation of the tea party at the polls last month, the Republicans need to take their party back.

Take it back from the racists, the climate-change deniers, the birthers, the extremists, the anti-governments, the super PACs, the haters, the warmongers, the dividers, the obstructionists and the anti-women’s rights, anti-science and givers vs. takers people.

Take it back from Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Bill O’Reilly, Fox News, Grover Norquist and all the others who daily spew venom and hatred of the left merely to make themselves wealthy.

Take it back from the angry white men and all those who are trapped in a bubble of denial and misinformation.

Take it back from the super wealthy who care more for their yachts and $100,000 automobiles than they do the welfare of the country.

It’s time for reasonable Republicans to take back not their country, but their party.

Dennis All

Lee’s Summit

End tax cuts for rich

The 1986 “grand bargain” to shore up the Social Security Trust Fund called for middle- and lower-class tax increases to pay for future obligations of baby boomers.

When the trust fund grew large enough to tip the U.S. government into surplus, the Congress voted by a narrow margin for President George Bush’s plan for “temporary” tax cuts to spend down that surplus and put it to productive use.

The money for this cut came from 1986-present FICA tax increases on middle-class incomes. It is for this reason that I strongly believe that the upper-class tax cuts should be allowed to expire on schedule, so as to allow the wealthy to begin repaying the money that we, the middle class, need for retirement. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the effect of these upper-class cuts on growth to be 0.1 percent of gross domestic product. To insist on maintaining these cuts at the expense of seniors, the middle class and the impoverished is immoral and illogical.

As a Republican representing a moderate district, Rep. Kevin Yoder is uniquely positioned to change the terms of this debate. We need to meet the president in the middle and maintain tax cuts on lower brackets, which benefit everyone equally.

Tom Kessler

Overland Park

Reforming U.S. taxes

Taxes are under consideration, and maybe tax reform. Here is a simple idea that should appeal to Republicans and Democrats alike.

End the corporate income tax. Do this by the simple act of treating all corporations in the same manner as LLC and sub-Chapter S corporations.

That is, profits are passed along to owners as they are earned. What are some advantages?

•  Double taxation is ended.

•  Revenue would stay the same or be increased as actual owners pay individual taxes on actual profits.

•  It would free an estimated $2 billion of cash that corporations are just sitting on to go to work in the economy.

One has to wonder how CEOs and corporate boards get away with this policy anyway. Their mandate is to maximize shareholder return. The cash they stash is earning less than the rate of inflation.

•  Thousands upon thousands of corporate tax lawyers, accountants and assorted geeks would be freed to pursue something actually meaningful in life.

•  This is the George W. Bush mantra: “Who would you rather have spending your money? You or your corporation?” Tell your congressperson this is a good bipartisan idea.

A step in the right direction.

Ron Platt

Overland Park

Contact congressman

Contact your congressman, whether you voted Republican or Democrat in the November election. Contact your congressman, unless you have more than $250,000 yearly income. Contact your congressman, and let that person know that you expect cooperation to decrease the deficit. Contact your congressman, and instruct your representative not to raise taxes on the middle class.

Contact your congressman, and demand a safety net for the poorest of citizens. Contact your congressman, even if you didn’t vote for that individual.

Contact your congressman, and be part of the solution.

For Kansas Rep. Lynn Jenkins, phone 202-225-6601. For Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, phone 202-225-4535.

Jane Gilbreath

Kansas City