LETTERS 03/25/08

Adoption tax credits

In August 2007, I sent the following letter to Gov. Matt Blunt, Rep. Sam Graves, state Sen. Charlie Shields and Rep. Jason Brown:

My wife and I adopted two special-needs children over three years ago. This was an enormously expensive venture, but we took some comfort in the fact that Missouri offered adoption tax credits for people like us.

We filled out all the appropriate paperwork. To our disappointment, we were told that due to limited funds, only a portion of our promised refund would be awarded us.

The next tax year, 2006, we applied for the remainder of our special-needs adoption credit. Once again, we were disappointed. We were told that Missouri would be keeping these funds for at least six months, and that we could not even apply for a refund until July 1.

On July 1, we sent in our paperwork again. As of this writing, we have not heard back from the Department of Revenue.

We cannot help but think that if it becomes widely known that Missouri does not make good on adoption credits, the number of adoptions in our state will diminish.

Please help make refunds of special-needs adoption tax credits a priority. Our state’s unwanted children need your help.

Raymond E. Smith

Platte City

I was born with cerebral palsy and discovered early on that cannabis mitigated the most painful physical and emotional manifestations of my disorder. I later learned that cannabis can help stutterers speak more clearly and that decades ago, doctors discovered the herb’s ability to alleviate muscle spasms, from which I also suffer.

A year ago my children and I reluctantly fled our home in Kansas City and headed for the sanctuary of California’s Compassionate Use Act.

Although 12 states have enacted medical cannabis laws that protect patients against state penalties, patients in the remaining states risk losing their careers, their freedom and even their families because they use a natural, nontoxic medicine to treat illness rather than expensive and addictive pharmaceutical drugs.

Now that a bill to protect medical cannabis patients has been introduced in the General Assembly, Missouri has an opportunity to step up and do the right thing.

Patients all over the state are anxiously awaiting the assignment of House Bill 1830 to the Health and Public Policy Committee. Please contact House Speaker Rod Jetton and ask him to open his heart to Missouri medical cannabis patients so that they may stop living in pain, fear and misery.

Jacqueline Patterson

Bolinas, Calif.

I am the mother of an Army soldier who recently returned to the U.S. from Iraq. I hear a lot about ending the war, but realistically, no matter what happens, our soldiers will be there for a while to come.

So I’d like to know who will stop the deceptive, dishonorable “stop loss” policy. No one is addressing this issue.

A lot of our soldiers joined because they wanted truth, clarity, honor and direction. The Army emphasizes courage, strength, honor, keeping your word, etc. Why are they being allowed to do the opposite and teach my son that men with power do what they want and not what they preach?

The policy states that if your out date is within two months either way of your unit being deployed, they “stop loss” you and you have to return to Iraq, no matter what.

My son has honored his commitment as of September 2008, but his unit is scheduled to return in November 2008.

Please, put an end to this scam and honor our military veterans who have done their time. This is a national disgrace.

Cindy Miller

Lenexa

In his column of March 20 (Opinion, “No audacity: Speech was just liberal call to arms”), Jonah Goldberg damned Barack Obama with strong praise.

He called Obama’s speech in response to Jeremiah Wright’s inflammatory comments, “lovely,” “far better than I expected,” “a historic achievement,” “in short, there was wonderful stuff to be found in Obama’s address.”

Then he berates Obama for suggesting solutions such as “investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations.”

Goldberg sees this as “actually nothing new” and says that “his hope for something better proved too audacious in the end.”

Evidently Goldberg is against better schools, enforcing our laws and providing ladders of opportunity to our younger citizens.

Goldberg praises Obama’s speech, and then criticizes his solutions. I’d like to know, what solutions does Goldberg offer?

R. Vance Hall

Overland Park

Congratulations to The Star once again. You have succeeded in spreading hate and divisiveness by printing another vitriolic cartoon by the classless, moronic and completely unfunny Glenn McCoy (3/21, Opinion, “What — Me Worry?”)

Congrats on ignoring Sen. Obama’s message of unity and printing and disseminating the exact hate-filled rhetoric and cynicism he was speaking out against.

Bill Gordon

Topeka

More than 105,000 metro-area citizens live with diabetes. Many more have diabetes but are unaware of it.

Diabetes affects people without regard to age, ethnicity, body type or social status. Often, Type 2 diabetes symptoms do not appear until it’s too late. Left untreated, diabetes can lead to serious and life-threatening complications, including heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness and amputation.

Today is the 20th annual American Diabetes Alert Day. I strongly urge anyone who has not been diagnosed with diabetes to act before it is too late.

Take the American Diabetes Association’s online Diabetes Risk Test to find out if you are at risk for this serious, but manageable, disease. The simple, seven-question assessment is available at diabetes.org/alert or by calling 1-800-DIABETES for more information.

Bradd Silver, M.D.

President, Greater Kansas City Board

of Trustees

American Diabetes Association

Since Hammurabi (go look him up), laws have had unintended consequences. If the smoking ordinance passes in Kansas City, bars and restaurants will lose revenue. Independence provides an empirical example. Less revenue means less paid in taxes.

Some people will quit smoking; others will vote with their feet and buy cigarettes outside city limits. Either way, tobacco tax revenue will fall. Result? City revenues will diminish.

Now, do you really believe the city — already strapped for revenue — will accept the shortfall? Guess who the Gang of Fifteen will turn to, to refill their coffers. You, neighbor. You.

I’ll vote for it when they guarantee, in writing, on pain of resignation, that there will be no corresponding tax increase. And remember: The rights you lose don’t come back.

Paul Rodriguez

Kansas City

Bob Ray Sanders’ temperate assessment of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s comments about America (3/21, Opinion, “America needs Wright’s liberation theology”) helps us see that dramatic challenge can be healthy. Only the naive, looking back through the antiseptic washing of our nation’s history, see us as always right and pure.

I am a Lutheran, and our church emerged after the inflammatory action of Martin Luther nailing 95 theses — topics for discussion — on the door of Wittenberg Cathedral in 1517. Christianity survived his blatant effrontery and the ensuing debates and, I believe, grew stronger from some adjustments.

America now can survive Wright’s blistering rhetoric and grow from self-examination.

John Canuteson

Liberty

Last Tuesday, there were more than 6,400 kids and their families at the zoo enjoying a fun-filled and educational day. These are the kids Mayor Funkhouser says his budget is designed to help. These are the same kids who will have no zoo if his drastic funding cuts are adopted.

Just what are the programs that his budget is supposed to offer these kids? I may be missing something, but I haven’t heard one thing that the mayor proposed that is “kid friendly.”

I volunteer at the zoo almost every day, and I think we need a truth squad with regard to the mayor’s statements. Let’s start with his statements that those not living in Kansas City don’t contribute to the economic well being of the city. Has the earnings tax been rescinded? If so, please let us all know. I thought those monies were to help with the upkeep of Kansas City, as well as for fire and police protection. Where did all that money go?

Linda Brunk Smith

Kansas City

The legislature is considering adoption of the low-standard American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) process, in Senate Bill 1066 and House Bill 1911. Every person in Missouri who wants good teachers for our children should oppose these bills.

ABCTE allows anyone who holds any bachelor’s degree (no minimum GPA or other criteria) to become certified to teach by passing two tests — one in teaching and one in the content field. This is a low effort, minimal preparation (even in content field) mechanism.

Supporters claim these bills will address teacher shortages but Missouri already has multiple alternative certification entryways including the Temporary Authorization Certificate and Teach for America. These allow people with a degree in the content field which they desire to teach to enter the classroom immediately (if hired) and learn on the job with support.

ABCTE will not help the shortage of highly qualified teachers; it will make it worse. I urge all Missourians to contact your representative and senator today to express opposition to these bills, or any legislation that authorizes ABCTE as a route to teacher certification in Missouri.

Donna M. Gardner

Associate professor and chairwoman

Department of Education

William Jewell College

Liberty

I consider it very good news for Missouri that that former Mayor Charles Wheeler, also a former Missouri senator, is running for state treasurer (3/15, Local). Wheeler is one of the most educated and sharpest men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. He is a formidable man who will bring integrity to this office.

Wheeler’s life experience in the medical, political and legal fields will not only be invaluable to this position, but his high energy will inspire all those around him to do as he does.

It is obvious that age has nothing to do with what we can accomplish in life.

Verlin J. Boes

Kansas City, North

Thank you, former Mayor Kay Barnes, for getting the Sprint Center built and putting Kansas City back on the collegiate basketball map and entertainment circuit. Everyone talks about how much money these events bring into the city, which is indeed important. But it also puts our name on the nightly news.

Is the Sprint Center perfect? No. The escalators are narrow, the seats aren’t wide enough, and you shouldn’t sit upstairs if you have vertigo.

But Barnes was able to do what other mayors could not. She overcame insistence of “my design, my location” from other city leaders. Barnes showed me three traits: consensus building, ability to compromise and good judgment.

Wish her luck in her run for Congress. Heaven knows something needs to be built there!

James S. Tira

Overland Park

I recently took my wife to KCI (Kansas City Inconvenient Airport), and I could not keep up with traffic driving the speed limit of 70 mph. It was 5 o’clock in the morning.

I invite any law enforcement person from Missouri, Clay County or Kansas City to ride with me on 435 from Highway 152 to the airport. We were passed by 62 cars when my wife stopped counting. I believe most of them were traveling 80 to 100 mph as their tail lights disappeared quickly.

Jim Schmitt

Liberty