Obnoxious TV ads

I am sure if the local news channels really tried they could add a few more commercials. That way we could have five minutes of the same old news day after day and 55 minutes of obnoxious commercials like those from high-interest loan outfits, siding companies, used car salesmen and, of course, all of the lawyers.

If you drive poorly and get a traffic ticket, call a lawyer. If you bought everything you ever wanted but do not want to pay for it, call a lawyer. If you are not feeling too well and want a lifetime disability even though you never paid a red cent into Social Security, call a lawyer.

In all fairness, there is a new lawyer commercial that I kind of like. It goes something like this: “Nobody loves a lawyer.”

Roger Riley

Independence

Gun safety classes

I am writing about the Jan. 30 article, “Bill would require gun-safety lesson in first grade.”

It is a shame to see how out of control people have become with guns. Mass shootings throughout the country have caused people to become extra cautious, and more security has been enforced.

An obvious example of this would be the shooting in Newtown, Conn., at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

I agree with the article about having kids take a gun-safety course at a young age because it has been proved over the past several years that it works. It is important for children, even at the age of 6, to know gun safety and recognize that guns can be dangerous when misused.

Also, it is important for the teachers to know gun safety because of possible threats. Hopefully, with this knowledge, kids will be safer and better protected.

Logan Gray

Leawood

Automatic weapons

Who needs automatic assault weapons? Three groups come to mind:

Our armed forces use these weapons in military engagements.

The second group consists of law-abiding citizens thrilled by the power they feel when handling and firing these weapons. We never outgrow our love for toys, and automatic weapons can provide the ultimate feeling of adventure and potency.

Last are criminally unbalanced individuals who use these well-designed human killing machines to their maximum affect.

People in the second group argue that the Second Amendment allows them to own automatic weapons to prevent government tyranny. But they also want to protect their toys.

Many are in the National Rifle Association, and our elected officials grovel at their feet.

It’s their unending politicking that allows these human killing machines to flow to the unhinged third group.

It’s foolish for anyone to want to remove all guns from society. However, the Second Amendment does not state that we have a right to own any weapons available.

I don’t hear the NRA advocating for our right to own small nuclear weapons, though these would provide us the ultimate security from tyranny.

George Lafferty

Fairway

Adele Hall’s spirit

I retired early and quickly became bored. I was at Crown Center one day, and they were putting up the Ice Terrace.

They displayed a help-wanted sign. I applied and was hired.

One day we had a man and his children skating. The man was devoting almost all his attention to the little girl, and the boy who was around age 5 was crying, wanting some attention and for Dad to take him on the ice.

I went over, hugged him and took him on the ice and held his hand while he skated. Before the day was over, security came over and handed me a note.

It was from Adele Hall, thanking me for my attention to the child. She said my actions were in the spirit of Crown Center and the Ice Terrace.

This lady cared about all, especially the youngest among us. Heaven is a richer place with her presence, and earth is poorer.

Charles Melton

Kansas City

Kansas hurts the poor

Gov. Sam Brownback eliminated a program paying $100 a month to each of an estimated 2,000 adults with disabilities living in extreme poverty, for an approximate savings of $3 million, and the governor travels around the country crowing about “reducing government spending.”

It seems the ruling precept of the governor is to “comfort the comfortable and afflict the comfortless.”

Marilyn Bynum

Kansas City, Kan.

Kansas seniors suffer

We have an unacceptable fee on seniors.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2013, all Kansans ages 16 to 74 needed hunting and fishing licenses to hunt or fish, unless an individual owns land (80 acres or more).

Before 2013, seniors age 65 or older were exempt.

This came up a year ago and had great opposition. You would think this idea would have been dropped.

At least this regulation could have made seniors already 65 or older exempt.

The tax-rate reduction by Gov. Sam Brownback is the major cause of these types of additional funding needs from the programs like this one.

Stop picking on selected groups — poor, middle class and jobless — to make up for shortfalls for good programs because of the insane idea of cutting taxes that have reduced the quality of living of all Americans.

Jerry Brown

Overland Park

Term-limit Congress

Congress is the main reason our country is on an economic decline.

Lawmakers bailed out banks, insurance companies and automobile corporations with taxpayers’ money.

Members of the Senate and House should not be able to determine their own salaries and future pay raises. Congressional salaries should be determined by popular vote by we, the people.

Congressional members are paid $174,000 a year. They receive medical benefits and are eligible for a pension.

There should be limits of tenure on U.S. senators and House members. They should serve no more than two terms.

Then we, the people, would have better representation.

With limits in tenure, the incumbents would have much less of a chance of corruption in government.

Terrance R. Hawbaker

Atchison, Kan.

Political questions

Has anyone else noticed the absence of former president Bill Clinton?

What’s going on?

Also, what’s the consequence of the Al Gore and Al Jazeera deal?

William A. Ingram

Kansas City

Overhaul Congress

The United States’ worst enemy to our way of life is the U.S. Congress.

Members of Congress cause the national debt by pork, add-ons and giveaways.

After all, Congress spends the money, not the president.

Members of Congress pass a bill that initially may cost a few million dollars, but by the time the pork and paybacks are added, the cost to the taxpayers balloons 10 times.

As citizens and voters, let’s take our country back. Put it to a vote:

• End the federal retirement system and go to the Social Security system for all government workers, including members of Congress.

• On health care, give them Medicare.

• End all government perks.

Let the people of each state determine what their Congress members get paid.

Stop passing laws under which U.S. companies can shut their doors here and reopen them in another country.

After all, our elected officials are public servants. They work for us, not big business.

Why would we pay them more to retire sooner and have better health care than we, the people they work for get?

Let them work for us.

Mitchell Scott

Lee’s Summit

Unblemished love

It is shocking to realize that the lives of millions of people are devastated by the terrible Alzheimer’s disease.

President Ronald Reagan suffered from this illness, and his life and the lives of those around him were dramatically changed.

Just imagine. The mind is completely eaten up. One is not able to converse using complete sentences. There is no problem-solving.

And lost is the ability to do things. How terrible is the loss of memories.

And you can’t imagine how loved ones and friends want to help but are completely lost, and they are lost in the mind of the sick one.

How long the disease will last in an individual, I don’t know. But Alzheimer’s with my wife, Twila, is not affecting a special part of her life — her feelings and expressions of love, a love that is spiritual, personal and so honest, lasting and sincere.

It’s a love that comes from the depth of her being, which Alzheimer’s disease has not touched.

I am so thankful.

Love was expressed recently with Twila in a deep sleep (she sleeps more and more). She called out loudly, “Douglas, I love you!”

Doug Sutherland

Raymore