Posted on Thu, Jul. 17, 2008

Anheuser-Busch sale

The sale of Anheuser-Busch to Belgian InBev is like a history of the United States (7/14, A-1, “Anheuser-Busch says yes to buyout: InBev’s purchase of the St. Louis staple would create the world’s largest brewer”).

An immigrant brings beer-making and business skills to America and becomes wildly successful. Over the years, the beer becomes America’s favorite suds with an astounding 48 percent of the market.

The company survives moralistic politicians and Prohibition by making ice cream and soda.

The stock becomes widely dispersed among employees, distributors and mere investors over several generations. Generally, the company was a good corporate citizen and mostly fair in its business dealings (its ill treatment of the Roger Maris family being a well-known exception).

Now the stockholders receive a nice bonus in the InBev acquisition.

Families, and America generally, seem to be cashing out our productivity and inheritance by our aggregate conspicuous consumption (vehicles, vacation homes, electronics).

This Bud is for all of you at A-B for the last 148 years. Thanks for selling to Belgians (no telling what Brits would have done to the beer).

Jim Dingwerth

Kansas City

Carter gained respect abroad

I feel compelled to protest Andrew Reiz’s letter (7/14) attempting to put down Barack Obama by comparing him to Jimmy Carter. I lived in England during the Carter administration, and President Carter — unlike George W. Bush — was highly respected abroad. I recall that the British were generally surprised to hear that Carter got so little respect at home.

Thank God that President Carter did not “bomb Tehran into talcum powder” as Reiz recommended. We did that to Hiroshima and Nagasaki with far greater “just cause” than 52 hostages held in the embassy, and to this day no one sane is proud of dropping the A-bomb.

Until the debacle of the war in Iraq, our restraint of our obvious military might gained international respect for America.

Diane Marshall

Independence

Obama just another politician

Will the real Barack Obama please stand up? All this recent policy shifting has the faithful starting to agitate.

FISA? Railed against it, now supports it. Out of Iraq in 16 months? Now maybe not so fast. Iran not a real threat? Guess they did just test fire some long-range missiles, some capable of reaching Israel and American troops in the region. Faith-based initiatives and abortion rights? Hmm, better look central on those issues, might need some of those disgruntled conservative voters in November.

Spike Lee said that after Obama is elected we’ll have to measure time as “before Obama and after Obama.” Puh-leeze! Get a radar fix on reality here.

Obama is just another politician who mastered the art of hyper-rotation and political expediency when it comes to the issues. His supporters have already crowned him the new JFK, the new messiah.

What will they do if he ever becomes his own person? We all know what the Rev. Jesse Jackson has in mind.

Mark Haskell

Olathe

U.S.-Iran relations

Lee Judge’s cartoon (7/12, Opinion) depicting the U.S. threatening Iran is hilarious, if your sense of humor appreciates sedition.

To be fair, Judge would have to show the forces and material moving from Iran into Iraq to sustain the insurgency that we all would like to see ended. Leaving that out of his cartoon was dishonest.

While it would be initially unpopular and controversial and has not been openly discussed, the simple solution to the quagmire in Iraq might be to attack Iran. They seem to want a confrontation with the U.S.

They have funded, supplied and assisted in staffing the Iraqi insurgency, and it would be better to engage Iran now than after they develop nuclear weapons.

Mike Wheeler

Kansas City

The power of young voters

As we move into the general election season, we will no doubt see both presidential candidates reach out to voters of all ages, races and ethnic backgrounds. All voters will be influential in determining the outcome in November, as this year’s election promises to be another tight race.

One voting bloc that might well decide who will be the next president of the United States is young voters. In 2008, young voters appear to be more energized than ever before. It appears as though young voters understand the importance of their involvement in the political process.

It is great for America that our younger generation feels inspired to take an active role in our democracy. This is one of the greatest lessons we can teach young people in our society.

So to all younger, first-time voters, congratulations on your decision to take part in the electoral process.

No matter whom you vote for in November, I strongly encourage you to make voting a lifelong commitment.

Kelsey Boswell

Liberty

Movement on light rail

After reading The Star’s light rail article (7/13, A-1, Light rail to KCI is no sure draw”), I’m inclined to go to Home Depot, buy materials, and begin work on a starter line myself. It’s time for light rail naysayers to change their self-serving view.

Sunday’s light rail article, like most of The Star’s articles addressing this issue, was packed with “light-rail-is-not-convenient-for-me” excuses. The reality is that “convenience” is quickly tumbling to the bottom of our list of priorities. The longer we drag our feet on light rail, the quicker “necessity” leaps to the top of our list.

Gas isn’t getting cheaper, and salaries don’t seem to be getting higher. If we approved a light-rail plan today, it would be years before we had functional regional mass transit. I wonder how much we’ll be paying per gallon by then?

Dustin S. Cates

Kansas City

In the last five years I have been to Kansas City International Airport maybe three times. Would light rail to KCI benefit me? No.

I would take public transportation more often if it met my traveling needs.

Why don’t we build the light rail system from Harrisonville to Platte City and then have KCATA and the other area transportation companies change all of their routes to go east-west across the rail line? Two bus rides and a train ride could get you anywhere in the Kansas City area.

Eric Fields

Kansas City

Expanding rail service

Frank Busalacchi, Wisconsin’s secretary of transportation, made a valid point in his “As I See It” column (7/9, Opinion, “Time to upgrade America’s passenger rail service”). Amtrak can help the nation cope with high gas prices.

Freight rail can do even more. Last year, U.S. freight railroads moved the average ton of freight 436 miles on a gallon of diesel fuel. And freight trains emit just one-third as much greenhouse gases per ton-mile as trucks.

Secretary Busalacchi lamented the lack of passenger railcar capacity. But of equal concern should be the lack of capacity on the nation’s rail freight network, where most passenger trains operate. Some corridors are already approaching capacity and can take little or no additional traffic. Other corridors will reach that same level in coming years.

Since moving more freight and passengers to the rails will reduce fuel consumption and pollution, action should be taken now to increase capacity so that both freight rail and passenger rail can continue to grow.

Edward R. Hamberger

President and Chief Executive Officer,

Association of American Railroads

Washington, D.C.

Frank Busalacchi really got it right when he said it is time to reinvest in passenger rail service.

A recent Amtrak trip to Chicago was one of the most pleasant and relaxed travel experiences I have had in years. Plus, we arrived 30 minutes early.

Busalacchi also mentions that there are $1.75 billion in federal funds available for state high-speed rail projects. High-speed rail would be a great fit for Missouri. Our central location makes us the perfect candidate for a high-speed rail hub serving our region or the entire country.

We could start with a triangle serving Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield-Branson. The construction and maintenance jobs could not be exported, and expanding the system in any direction would be the logical next step.

Ross Freese

Kansas City

Tony Snow obituary

It was with great disappointment that I read the obituary of President Bush’s former press secretary Tony Snow as crafted by Douglass K. Daniel of The Associated Press (7/13, A-14).

Daniel couldn’t leave well enough alone by reporting on Snow’s wonderful life and career and his courageous battle with cancer. How classless for Daniel to smear Snow by saying he did not always have “command of the facts.”

Daniel failed to comment on Snow’s tremendous ethics, faith and dedication to his family, which were really what made this person the respected individual he was.

News reporting? There may be a small touch of it in there somewhere, if you can glean it through the editorializing that is passed off as news reporting.

Deborah Eveans

Olathe

‘Drugstore’ clearly restaurant

I am writing this as a very shocked patron of Justus Drugstore: A Restaurant. I in no way understand why an enactment dated 1951 cannot be changed (6/28, A-1, “What’s in a name? Trouble for restaurant”). Almost nothing is the same since that date. I cannot remember the last time I called a pharmacy a drugstore. Also, it is listed as a restaurant.

I also cannot understand why, in this difficult economy, anyone would want to put owners Jonathan Justus and Camille Eklof to the amazing expense of having to redo their phone listing, cards, sign and, worst of all, their rave reviews and appearances in national food magazines, to say nothing about obtaining a new liquor license.

This saddens me, and I feel it is very unfair.

Esther Rudnick

Prairie Village

Rushed out of Kauffman Stadium

It was a beautiful July night. The weather was incredible for this time of year in Kansas City. The Royals were playing an excellent game against the Mariners but had fallen behind by one point. In the last inning, David DeJesus hit a home run, bringing in a runner and winning the game 5-4. It was spectacular.

Our kids were excited and we were letting the crowded stadium clear out, enjoying the sight of the fountains, watching the grounds crew as they worked the field, and visiting with friends. Less than 10 minutes after the game ended, Royals security was going through the seating areas, informing small groups of fans that it was time for them to go to their cars.

I’ve been to a lot of events, sporting and otherwise, but never before have been told when it was time for me to leave. I could understand if the game had been over for a half-hour, but it had been minutes.

What had been a perfect night at a Royals game was soured by the rude and discourteous staff. Ewing Kauffman would be extremely disappointed.

Melissa Hall

Odessa, Mo.

Religion and environment

The “Voices of Faith” question on 7/5 (Faith) was “Why and how should religion be concerned about the environment?”

The Catholic priest, Pat Rush, concisely and precisely answers with focused emphasis on references to Genesis, Francis of Assisi, St. Benedict, Thomas Aquinas and Pope Benedict XVI.

The Unity pastor, Duke Tufty, gives us stuff about the “womb” of the Earth, which is “literally our mother,” and tells us that “human beings are going to determine the destiny of every species on the planet.” This raises the question: How was the destiny of the species on Earth determined before the human species arrived here?

In our book, the answer is in Genesis, and in our day, the explanation is by a teacher named Benedict.

Frank Grimaldi

Kansas City

---