Letters: Readers discuss an anti-McCaskill commercial, foster families and FIFA
Go, Claire
If you have watched any television lately, you have probably seen the redheaded woman who claims to be sick of politics and is supporting the Republican-led effort for tax reform.
Everyone should know that she is an actress and that the advertisement is being paid for by the billionaire Koch brothers, who stand to save millions of dollars if this passes in its present form.
The actress goes on to say that Sen. Claire McCaskill is standing in the way. I say good for Claire.
These changes would decimate the economy and aid the last people on earth who need a tax break: the super wealthy.
Don’t buy into this. Instead, send McCaskill a huge vote of thanks for standing up to President Donald Trump and the Kochs. They are decidedly not on the side of the average American.
Those of us who live in Kansas already know the devastating effects from this kind of poorly conceived “tax reform” championed by Gov. Sam Brownback, which led to huge deficits and spiraling debt.
Richard Watson
Overland Park
Foster family need
The media (not just The Star) need to look a little deeper before jumping on a sensational headline. (Oct. 11, 1A, “More than 70 kids missing from Kansas foster care, contractors say”)
Foster programs in Kansas and around the nation certainly have problems. I don’t personally know what has happened to the missing children, but would it be so astounding if one out of a hundred children ripped from their homes through no fault of their own might decide to run away to escape the system? I’m not sure how you could stop that unless you propose to lock them up.
If you don’t want kids sleeping in offices, we need more foster families. It’s not easy. It’s time-consuming, emotionally draining and often frustrating — but it’s also rewarding.
Caseworkers burn out faster than matches. I cannot imagine doing their job, but guess what? We need a lot more of them.
Ultimately, although I can’t say I have the answers, I would guess that having more decent, respectable jobs throughout the state and treating drug addiction like a health problem would go a long way to keeping these kids in their homes and out of foster care in the first place.
John Stark
Overland Park
Consider source
Everyone who read the guest commentary by Jeremy Cady, Missouri state director of Americans for Prosperity, may want to read the book “Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right” by Jane Mayer. (Oct. 12, 15A, “The tax code is broken. Will McCaskill help fix it?”)
The Koch brothers and other billionaires bankroll Americans for Prosperity. Their aim is not the prosperity of common Americans.
Their principal goal is to enrich themselves by the power of their money.
Darrell Zeller
Overland Park
NFL solution
I have an idea: Play the national anthem while the players are in the locker room before they run on the field.
Claire Biggs
Nixa, Mo.
Here’s the door
Hey, Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona, it’s time to pack up your sunflower seeds. In the words of Rex Hudler, “You got to go.”
Tim Downey
Kansas City
Boy Scout changes
Allowing girls to join the Boy Scouts is the biggest brand blunder since New Coke. (Oct. 12, 6A, “Boy Scouts to let girls in some programs”)
According to one online poll I saw, an overwhelming majority think this is a bad idea. If most girls and their parents think a path to Eagle is needed, they should be able to bring about change in the Girl Scouts. That, of course, would imply that the majority had a say in things.
An organization is bowing to political correctness and a minority of participants to change a 100-year-old institution.
Ed Coleman
Kansas City
This story was originally published October 14, 2017 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Letters: Readers discuss an anti-McCaskill commercial, foster families and FIFA."