Gov. Sam Brownback and most conservative Kansas legislators repeatedly inveigh against “big government” dictating how people should live. But then they do exactly that by mandating the University of Kansas Medical Center establish a stem-cell research center.
On April 3, we mailed our tax return to the Kansas Department of Revenue, with a refund due. By May 10, we had not received the refund, so we called the Department of Revenue. The people there told us that tax returns are not even entered into their system for 16 weeks.
Whew, finally I can rest easy (5-10, A1, “Hot-button bills get their day in Missouri”). Our Republican legislators have taken action to protect us from that evil, subversive United Nations.
The proliferation of automatically dialed phone calls has reached beyond nuisance level, and we receive at least five per day.
After receiving my new property tax bill and reading about others, I have concluded that I must be one of the lucky homeowners in Kansas City (5-7, A1, “Homeowners stunned by assessments”). The value of my home in Brookside increased only $56,000 since 2011.
Bravo, bravo, bravo to Jason Collins for his decision (4-30, A1, “Sports can help society change”). As an African-American lesbian who has been out for more than 40 years, I am dumbstruck.
As a citizen and a fixed-income retiree, I am very concerned about the discussions I have heard about reducing Missouri’s modest income tax because Kansas did. That state has put itself in a budget hole.
One official suggested that Kansas City International Airport convert and retrofit Terminal B as the departure/drop-off/central security area. That’s better than dropping $1.2 billion for a single-terminal KCI.
Every day, rural communities across Kansas benefit from a law that provides needed income, good jobs and steady investments in our state. This law, the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard, has helped Kansas become a national leader in developing, generating and exporting renewable energy.
Forty-four years ago, I was born with spina bifida, which left me paralyzed from the waist down. Now, because of that paralysis, I receive hemodialysis three times a week to treat end-stage renal failure.
President Barack Obama renewed his pre-2008 election pledge to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Regardless of how one feels about Gitmo, to announce his desire to close Gitmo within weeks of a terror attack on U.S. soil shows either ignorance or arrogance.
The American people held a referendum in blood to resolve the issue of state nullification, or the right of a state to defy an act of Congress. That referendum was the Civil War.
Another First Friday is upon us, and I beg those business owners who have contracts with towing companies to call off the dogs (tow trucks). If your business is closed for the day, please do not allow your contracted tow company to profit off patrons who are revitalizing the art district (particularly the old West Bottoms).
Kansas City Aviation Department officials should remember that the airport is not there for the city. It is there for the people who travel to, from and through Kansas City.
The Missouri legislature has been debating whether to increase access to affordable health care through Medicaid expansion. Currently, Missouri makes it harder than most states to qualify for coverage.
Several letter writers have proposed the cute, if not intelligent, idea that the framers of the Constitution envisioned only flintlock muskets. That being their structure for the Second Amendment, why do they not also propose that the First Amendment never envisioned radio, television, the Internet or high-speed printing presses?
A lot of concerned letter writers are absolutely correct. The Second Amendment needs modern interpretation.
As a Grandview High School alumnus, resident and former school board member, I remember when Grandview C-4 schools were known for their students’ high academic achievement. Today I have deep concern for my community and our schools.
I find it incomprehensible that House Speaker John Boehner would actually say, “How much more money do we want to steal from the American people to fund more government?” I cannot believe he is equating all taxes for the government with stealing.
“Arms” is the most important word in the Second Amendment. Arms is defined as “any weapons used for offensive or defensive purposes.” Therefore, some libertarians insist they have a constitutional right to keep and bear any weaponry they desire without government restrictions.
The fact that the rogue nations of Iran and North Korea are threatening nuclear devastation while the U.S. Supreme Court is defining homosexual legal rights seems somewhat oxymoronic.
The renowned English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley once asked, “If winter comes, can spring be far behind?” In the case of Missouri weather, yes it can.
It’s time to accept the science regarding climate change. It’s happening, and humans are the cause.
I live north of the Missouri River, and a couple stores/shops I have visited over the past few years have been playing Christian music, which I really like to hear. Just recently I shopped at some more stores/restaurants in the Northland and found to my surprise that they are playing Christian music, too.
There were 108 homicides in Kansas City last year. Many young people live in terror of being shot. Boston experienced terrorism, with three persons murdered and more than 170 injured, a horrific act that demands justice. What I don’t quite understand is how we allow little children to live with terror every day without national alarm or altering our lifestyles.
