Letters: Readers discuss column choice, the MPERS system and Meryl Streep
Unworthy columns
I’ve always thought complaints about The Star’s liberal bias were misplaced, but now I wonder if the paper isn’t sacrificing its journalistic integrity by attempting to placate readers who see such bias on every page. Witness the opinion pages for Tuesday.
First, the headline saying the account of Russian hacking is “full of holes” does not fit the essay’s argument. (Leonid Bershidsky, “Account of Russia’s alleged interference is full of holes”) The result is that the casual reader already sure his man won’t be given a chance has another reason to feel outrage. A more accurate headline would be, “Classified info omitted from public account of Russian interference,” which would surely evoke a different response. So the headline is what? A bone for the casual pit bull to retain his subscription?
Second, the piece advising everyone to be thankful for first lady-to-be Ivanka Trump (Margaret Carlson, “We should all be thankful for the arrival of Ivanka”) does not belong on the op-ed pages of a major daily, but in a fanzine devoted to all things Trump. For those who disagree that she is a “crack real estate agent and fashion maven,” the article offers no reason to reconsider. For those who admire her, the article is smooth strokes. Puffery. Pap. Not opinion-page worthy.
You can do better, Kansas City Star. Can’t you?
Steve Hatfield
Liberty
Retirement system
The Missouri Department of Transportation and Patrol Employees’ Retirement System is dramatically underfunded, and the Republican-led House, Senate and governor have done nothing to fix the problem.
According to a report released by department management last June, the $2 billion fund has about 15,000 members. Last year the fund took in $205 million, earned $92 million and paid out $242 million.
Unfortunately, this is based on a pie-in-the sky 7.75 percent actuarial return. Even at this, MPERS is 55 percent funded. With low interest rates and financial markets at all-time highs, the fund is in reality funded at substantially less than 55 percent.
Even some of the institutional managers who run the investments for MPERS, such as Jeremy Grantham of advisory firm GMO, think we will be in a low-return environment for many years.
The legislature is not properly funding the plan and is lying to its members. Both the participants and agencies need to fund the plan. As with so many problems in Jefferson City, the legislature is not solving issues.
Holmes Osborne
Independence
Bumpy time ahead
I was impressed with Meryl Streep’s courageous comments during her acceptance speech at the Golden Globes ceremony. She is correct to be offended when a powerful man mocks a handicapped person during a very public appearance.
Who would do such a thing, other than a 12-year-old bully on the junior high playground? (Jan. 10, 3A, “Trump weighs in on Streep’s Globes speech”)
America is in for a bumpy four years.
Ruth Kauffman
Overland Park
If Donald Trump has us pay for the wall, then charges a tariff on Mexican imports, ultimately the price of these imports to the American public will be higher.
In essence, we — Joe Public — will foot the whole bill a second time. Simple math.
William A. Ingram
Kansas City
Tweeter-in-chief
Making fun of presidents is a grand old American tradition. Donald Trump should be grateful Will Rogers and Bob Hope aren’t around anymore. He really would wear out his Twitter finger.
Mary Mitchell
Kansas City
For those of us who prefer to get news from the newspaper and who do not inhabit the Twitter world, perhaps The Star, as a public service, should publish all of the president-elect’s tweets.
Place them in a box on the front page. No comment would be necessary. He would be speaking without the filter of the print media. We wouldn’t have to wait another 165 days for a news conference, and we would be on top of what concerns him throughout the day and deep into the night.
The leader of the free world and the executive producer of “The Apprentice” deserves to be heard from regularly in our daily paper.
Bonnie Vontz
Kansas City
This story was originally published January 11, 2017 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Letters: Readers discuss column choice, the MPERS system and Meryl Streep."