<table> </table> <strong><span class="subhead">Military should drop &#8216;don&#8217;t ask, don&#8217;t tell&#8217;</span></strong></p><p>I did not vote for Barack Obama. The only Democrat I have voted for as far back as I remember is Ike Skelton. But I do agree with Obama&#8217;s promise to get rid of &#8220;don&#8217;t ask, don&#8217;t tell.&#8221; It&#8217;s a ridiculous law.</p><p>I was one of millions of &#8220;Rosie the Riveters&#8221; back in World War II, and my husband served in the Navy. We&#8217;re American flag-wavers, so we&#8217;d never want to damage our armed forces. But our military needs every able person, so we should let qualified people serve without fear of being fired simply because of who they are.</p><p>People didn&#8217;t like President Harry Truman&#8217;s 1948 order to end segregation in the military, but he knew the right thing to do was to treat everyone the same and make everyone toe the same line. Obama and Congress don&#8217;t need to study gays in the military. They need to look at what the president from the Show-Me state did and follow his example.</p><p><p align="right"><strong>Betty LaBombard</strong></p> <p align="right"><em>Odessa, Mo.</em></p> <strong><span class="subhead">Today&#8217;s nominees judged too rashly</span></strong></p><p>Sen. Harry Truman had his wife on his office payroll (2/13, Local, &#8220;Papers to offer peek at family of Bess Truman&#8221;) but he did admirable public service and was a morally brave and effective national leader during turbulent times. Of course, he could not be considered for any high office today, because Bess was on salary.</p><p>American history is full of inspiring leaders who pulled our national bacon out of the fire but who would not be appointed, nominated or elected today because of peccadilloes or perceptions of ethical fault in the course of their careers of achievement.</p><p>Our haste to discard nominees for irrelevant trivial matters will give us leadership by the bland, timorous and unimaginative.</p><p><p align="right"><strong>Michael W. Symanski</strong></p> <p align="right"><em>Overland Park</em></p> <strong><span class="subhead">Leave KCPD under state control</span></strong></p><p>When I joined the Kansas City Police Department in March of 1964, one of the things that was often repeated during our three-month Police Academy training period was how fortunate we were to be under the control of the state of Missouri instead of the city of Kansas City. That change happened due to the rampant corruption during the Pendergast era. Most other cities control their police departments, and many are corrupt.</p><p>The bright minds of <em>The Star&#8217;s </em>editorial staff strongly recommended that control be returned to the city (2/9, Opinion, &#8220;End budget battles: Unite city, police&#8221;). Do you people have your heads in the sand? Do you not read your own newspaper? Returning control of the Police Department to that bunch of clowns that you call the City Council, mayor and especially city manager is about the stupidest idea you&#8217;ve ever come up with. Why, they&#8217;re almost as bad as the school board.</p><p>Don&#8217;t mess with something that has worked well for many years and still does.</p><p><p align="right"><strong>Michael Fopeano</strong></p> <p align="right"><em>Parkville</em></p> <strong><span class="subhead">KC property taxes</span></strong></p><p>So now our local government is considering going back on its promise not to raise our property taxes (2/1, Local, &#8220;Council gets earful on troubled budget&#8221;). How about going back on their arrangement that some of the condo owners not pay any property tax for many years, some up to 25 years? I have been paying tax on my same house for 52 years, and at no time in those 52 years has anyone given me a tax break.</p><p>And why now are they going to raise the sewer rate? Is this a little bit of mismanagement somewhere?</p><p><p align="right"><strong>Ann VanDyne</strong></p> <p align="right"><em>Kansas City</em></p> <strong><span class="subhead">Trash fines ludicrous</span></strong>