<strong><span class="subhead">Withdraw from Afghanistan</span></strong></p><p>It&rsquo;s time to put a deadline on our helping the people of Afghanistan. We will train their police forces and their army. If the United States can train our solders to fight in a foreign land in six months, we should be able to train their solders to fight for their own country.</p><p> We should tell them we will give them all the training and equipment they need to get the job done in two years. That means they have to get their government in order. Clean elections, a government free of corruption and the ability to get along all with all the different tribes and religious groups. </p><p>If they really want freedom, peace and a chance for economic growth, it&rsquo;s up to them to figure it out. Big brother Uncle Sam can&rsquo;t hold their hand forever!</p><p>We give them a helping hand. In two years they are on their own. If they can&rsquo;t hack it, our conscience is clear.</p><p><p align="right"><strong>Joe Purcell</strong></p></p><p><p align="right"><em>Kansas City</em></p></p><p>As a reluctant but patriotic draftee during the Vietnam War, I had many contentious discussions with military professionals. One thing that was seared into my psyche and embedded into my brain was that the military&rsquo;s job is to fight and kill people. When, where and who soldiers kill is decided by civilians. We the people, our politicians and ultimately the commander-in-chief decide who, when and where to go kill.</p><p> Not every circumstance suggests a military solution. The Oakland Raiders tend not to be a cultured group of gentlemen. Should Gen. McChrystal invade their training camp and coach the Raiders to appreciate the arts and play classical music?</p><p> President Obama, get out of Afghanistan. What is our military mission there? To bomb them from the eighth back to the seventh century? The Taliban and al-Qaida are in Pakistan, the 9/11 terrorists came from Saudi Arabia, and the WMDs are in Iran. </p><p>Afghanistan is not a game about winning and losing. We do not &ldquo;lose&rdquo; by leaving this conglomeration of tribal nomads. There is no military game there.</p><p><p align="right"><strong>Otto Rieke</strong></p></p><p><p align="right"><em>Shawnee</em></p> <strong><span class="subhead">Freeze Congress&rsquo; pay, too</span></strong></p><p>We have all heard that there will be no cost of living increase in Social Security checks for seniors in 2010 and possibly two or three years in the future. It is now time for our senators and congressmen to step forward and vote not to give themselves an increase in pay for the same years.</p><p>It has probably been forgotten by most that Congress voted several years ago that unless they voted not to get a raise that theirs would be automatic. Let&rsquo;s see now which of these &ldquo;great&rdquo; men and women will make the same sacrifice they are asking us seniors to make.</p><p><p align="right"><strong>Ron McKinney</strong></p> <p align="right"><em>Overland Park</em></p> We who receive Social Security may have to forgo the COLA increase for the next two years. How about the Senate and Congress not receiving their automatic annual salary increases for the next two years? </p><p>Let&rsquo;s get some dialogue going on the subject.</p><p><p align="right"><strong>Barb Lione</strong></p></p><p><p align="right"><em>Lee&rsquo;s Summit</em></p></p><p><strong><span class="subhead">The trouble with tort reform</span></strong></p><p>One of the methods discussed of lowering health care costs is tort reform. Some states have tried this with mixed results. </p><p>The only way for effective tort reform is a loser-pays system, where the lawsuit loser pays all costs and legal fees. The problem is that poor people would not be able to be represented unless there was a slam-dunk case. </p><p>The solution is to provide the ability for poor people to find legal representation when private attorneys will not take a contingency case. A public attorney department similar to the public defender would have to be established, where a person could apply for representation, and if the public attorney found sufficient cause, they would be represented.