Lee Judge cartoons

I completely agree with recent letters criticizing Lee Judge’s endless negative portrayals of Republicans. Additionally, his tired characterizations of all conservative ideals are very predictable and unoriginal.

Mr. Judge is a poor example of a political humorist because he is neither funny nor politically relevant. Cartoonist Glenn McCoy’s illustrations, on the other hand, are intellectually acute, and he absolutely nails the current political issues with his keen perception.

I encourage readers to look for McCoy’s cartoons in The Star and decide for yourselves who has a better grasp of the issues. There’s no comparison, but, unfortunately, Star readers are stuck with Lee Judge.

John Stark

Kansas City

Keep GOP playbook

As a Democrat, I hope the GOP sticks to the playbook the Republicans have used in the past two presidential elections.

Keep listening to the birthers who, despite the evidence, continue to claim the president is not a U.S. citizen.

Keep labeling non-Caucasians as being illegal immigrants or dependent on the government and begging for handouts (that 47 percent). Keep producing the Richard Mourdocks, Michele Bachmanns and Todd Akins within your party and let them speak their minds.

Continue to yearn for the 1950s and see that as the ideal place to take this country. Continue to rail that compromise between the political parties is a weakness.

Continue to see a conspiracy involving the president behind every rock.

Again, GOP, I sincerely hope you stick to this playbook in the future and refuse to alter course.

Michael Choate

Lenexa

Cab driver’s assault

Like many people, I was upset to see such a hard-working woman attacked so viciously while driving a cab (12-28, A1, “ ‘His intention was to end my life,’ driver says”). What was even more shocking was the fact that the owner/partner of the cab company was proud to say this is the only attack this year.

But he offered no financial help for her medical bills or her lost wages and hid behind the “contract worker” excuse. He gladly accepted the insurance payment on his destroyed cab, yet no assistance for her.

So the cab is more valuable than a good worker?

A hard-working woman representing your cab company gets attacked in your cab, and you offer no compensation to her for her struggling family in a holiday season?

I’ll pass on using your cab company from now on and hope others do the same.

Larry Stocker

Leawood

U.S. digs deeper hole

The United States is in a massive budget deficit. Our president noticed that, so he sent Congress a defense budget (wish list) that was an increase from last year’s spending.

Both Republicans and Democrats in Congress are aware that the increased expense will require us to borrow more money from China.

If you agree, do nothing. We can always cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid to balance the budget.

If this increased spending concerns you, call, write or email the president and your senators and your congressman.

Right now, the fiscal cliff looks better for the country than any of the plans advanced by the president or the Republicans. At least all of us share in the pain instead of increasing funding for special interests and requiring the rest of us to make up for the difference.

Paul Hirth

Olathe

Expanding Medicaid

The expansion of Medicaid is very sensible. It will cost Kansas no money for the first three years and only 10 percent after that.

Expanding Medicaid will create jobs. It will help Kansas hospitals. and it will improve health care for Kansas residents.

I hope our elected officials in Kansas will support the Medicaid expansion.

Daniel Keleti

Leawood

Obama divides U.S.

Just as Abraham Lincoln went down in history as the president who united this nation, I fear Barack Obama will go down in history as the president who divided this nation.

Jim Lockhart

Merriam

Heroic sacrifice

A heroic Navy SEAL lost his life last month, having been ordered to rescue a civilian kidnapped in Afghanistan. Although the SEAL team successfully rescued the civilian volunteer from Colorado, I am not pleased with the command decision to place our special operators in harm’s way to protect a person who intentionally placed himself in an extremely dangerous environment.

If a civilian chooses to accept this risk, our young SEALs should not be expected to sacrifice their lives to extricate such a person from a decision that turned out badly.

My thoughts are with the family of the fallen SEAL.

Dennis Wright

St. Joseph

Mellinger columns

OK, Sam Mellinger, we get it. You don’t like the current Kansas City Chiefs.

But enough’s enough. Either back up or lighten up.

Leo Schell

Manhattan, Kan.

Future of U.S. at stake

As a country, we are in debt to the point of each family in America owing tens of thousands of dollars to cover it. Our government collects $6 in revenue for every $10 it spends. We borrow the other $4.

Every week we read columns from Paul Krugman, Robert Reich and others who say we should actually borrow more, go more in debt because in Krugman’s twisted logic he says how much we borrow doesn’t matter, we can simply print more money. What?

Does that really make sense to anyone?

And the only solution coming from our president is to take more money from those with some success, even though President Barack Obama knows that with his additional spending desires, the extra taxes collected will only cover about 3 percent of his reckless spending plans.

No thoughts to actually spending less? Of course not.

The entire future of our country is in the balance, and rarely have our so-called Washington leaders — people actually listening to the nonsense and babbling of the Krugmans and Reiches of the world — been so lacking in the smarts to help fix any of it.

Tim Goodheart

Overland Park

Relief on mortgages

People get mortgage debt relief from their mortgage holders because they were stupid enough to buy overpriced houses. Now we taxpayers are supposed to kick in another 10 percent to 35 percent of this relief amount.

This is subsidizing stupidity, and when you subsidize something you get more of it.

Ben Watkins

Claycomo

Outdated gun rights

A group of colonialists farmers led by George Washington had just defeated the world’s mightiest military (British), so the Second Amendment (passed in 1791) sought to protect us from any future tyrannical government.

It simply states: “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

That’s it. It has totally outlived its usefulness and meaning.

Could these same National Rifle Association people defend themselves against the nuclear bombs in today’s world? Do you hunt with pistols or automatic assault weapons? I think not.

Where are the pro-life people on this? Here’s one, and I’m incoherent with sadness. Can’t we all just get along?

Otto Rieke

Shawnee

Caring Missouri GOP

Let’s see, Missouri Republicans contend that they don’t have enough money to match the $8 billion the federal government wants to give the state for Medicaid. But they have the money to finance and implement a phony voter identification law.

I wonder who those guys care about?

Dell Anderson

Blue Springs

Voter ID restrictions

It is a courtesy (provided by the merchant) to pay with a check in a grocery or department store after producing a picture identification card. But it is a right to cast a vote in this country at the local, state and federal levels.

It’s guaranteed by the 15th and 19th Amendments to the Constitution. No picture ID is required.

The conservative Republicans, who wave the Constitution around at every opportunity, are the ones now marching to the beat of restricting this basic American right, electing people who are more than eager to limit the number of Democrats who vote.

It didn’t work in this past national election, and I pray that the judges in courts all over the country read the Constitution for what it really says and strike down every illegal attempt to disenfranchise voters.

Karen Stigers

Kansas City