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The Star welcomes letters from our readers. Please click the button or submit a letter to The Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO. 64108. To contact the editorial board, call 816-234-4885.

Letters to the Editor

Editorials

Yael T. Abouhalkah

Lewis W. Diuguid

Barbara Shelly

Kathleen Sebelius and the ‘fourth scandal’

One can envision the hearings. The outraged congressmen and the pompous senators grilling the secretary, with no answer likely to satisfy. The TV lights and live coverage on Fox. A new revelation (or non-revelation) popping up every couple of days. Is it any wonder good people are reluctant to go into public service these days?

Who needs legislators in the Do-It-Yourself State?

We still raise corn and cotton in Missouri, and cockleburs pop up as weeds. But we aren’t producing a bumper crop of Democrats these days. And, sadly, our state politicians are no longer immune to the frothy eloquence of charlatans who sell the false logic of income tax cuts and anti-worker laws and other brands of snake oil.

Mary Sanchez

Did a sweatshop worker die for your sneakers?

Consumers need to keep pressing companies to follow through on their ethical commitments and codes of conduct. We need to make it clear that responsibility for poor working conditions and safety lapses rests with them, not just with third parties overseas.

Public Editor

Steve Rose

Hostess unions, the bell Ding Dongs for thee

Hostess has a new owner, who is opening the plants that make Twinkies, Ho Hos and Ding Dong brands. Only they are reopening without any unions. That’s one big step for American capitalism. And one big step backward for unions.

Let’s hope the Koch brothers don’t buy media

By the acquisition of major newspapers, wealthy Koch brothers of Wichita could purchase the forum for opinion that influences millions of voters. Whether you are conservative or liberal, the prospect of having that much power concentrated in so few hands should be plenty scary.

Syndicated Columnists

Barack Obama’s incredibly shrinking presidency

President Barack Obama’s scandals are interlocking and overlapping in ways that drain his authority. Everything he advocates requires Americans to lavish on government something his administration, and big government generally, undermines — trust.

Midwest Voices

The lessons of the Kermit Gosnell verdict

The principles implicated by the murder trial of the Pennsylvania abortion doctor make the trial and the static nature of public opinion significant news items. The significance, however, has been lost in a debate focused on the media rather than the weightier issues the case necessarily entails.

Some advice for today’s graduates

This is the time of year when we are looking forward to graduations. I have heard many graduation speeches, only a few were good. I have given the topic some thought. As a retired senior citizen, if I were asked to speak this is what I would say.

As I See It

Judges should be picked on merit

“The Missouri Nonpartisan Court Plan belongs to the people of Missouri,” writes Missouri Bar President Patrick B. Starke of Lee’s Summit, “and we must not let politicians and out-of-state special interests with big money steal it.”

How to contribute

The Star welcomes essays of up to 600 words. An essay and color photo of the writer should be sent by email to oped@kcstar.com. or by mail to:

The Star, Opinion Pages
1729 Grand Blvd.
Kansas City, MO. 64108.

Be sure to include a one-sentence author description, including city of residence, and daytime phone number. All submissions are edited, may be republished in any format and become property of The Star.