Letters: Readers discuss political parties, Frank White’s finances and immigration

Party problems

Maybe a large part of the problem in the United States today is that politicians and voters are proud to be Republicans or Democrats instead of being proud to be Americans.

We should all set aside our political partisanship and work to keep the United States what it once was — work together instead of working against one other because we belong to different political parties.

The word “compromise” has become a thing of the past. If politicians do not vote the way the party leadership thinks they should, that leadership works against them.

Thomas Jefferson and many of our country’s other founders were wary of political parties, which is one reason in the early presidential elections the people voted only for a president. The individual with the second-most votes became vice president.

Our elected officials should think about this.

Russell Fenstermann

Lee’s Summit

Good neighbor

Dear Canada,

Thank you for allowing us to have the longest and most peaceful open and unrestricted international border in the world. Thank you for standing with us to defend the entire Western Hemisphere from the threat of Soviet-launched ICBMs during the Cold War. Thank you for your kindness and hospitality when we visit to take in the astounding beauty of your land. Thank you for maple syrup, Molson Golden beer and conflict-free diamonds.

In any neighborhood, sometimes a bully moves in next door. We will hold another election in 2020. Perhaps then we will return to being good neighbors. While we wait, thank you for your forbearance in these trying times.

Fran Abram

Overland Park

Help Frank out

I was distressed over how The Kansas City Star has depicted former Royals second baseman Frank White, who was on our first world championship team in 1985. I feel bad that his personal situation was on the front page June 15. (“Inquiry into Frank White’s finances goes to state”)

I love my Royals, but where are they when one of their best players is in a bad place? This Greek tragedy should not have been made public, in my opinion.

The Royals are paying millions of dollars for new players, but Frank’s debt is relatively small and with a little legal work, the Royals could write off that amount.

His collection of baseball memorabilia, invaluable to him and his family, will be auctioned off. Those items should be there for his grandkids and great-grandkids, but even proceeds from them will not cover his debt.

Instead of a foul ball, Frank needs a home run from Royals management. To me, and I’m guessing many other fans, it looks bad that this esteemed star is caught in a rundown that is crushing his life.

With all that he accomplished for this city, it should not be just about the money. Let’s help him slide safely into home plate.

Jesse C. Newman

Overland Park

Check the binding

I’m not sure what church the Rev. Jeff Sessions preaches at or attends, but I do believe his Bible is missing some pages. Romans 13 is not all there is. (June 14, KansasCity.com, “Sessions cites Bible to defend separating immigrant families”)

David Wristen

Leawood

Not right

This past weekend, the news again was about our southern border. (June 18, 1A, “Trump adviser says ‘nobody likes’ family separation policy”)

I’m not going to talk about the families being broken up, nor about Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ attempt to justify that using Christian scripture. These have both been condemned already by Christian authorities from Franklin Graham to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to Sessions’ own United Methodist Church’s General Board of Church and Society.

Since 2014, an increasing number of the people attempting to cross our southern border have come from Central America. These people are fleeing violence and chaos that our own government has helped fund by supporting dictators we think will support our causes. We have a responsibility to people fleeing chaos we created.

Instead, we toss them in prison, grab their children and tell them that the only way they will see their children again is to plead guilty to crimes they didn’t knowingly commit and agree to return to the very chaos they fled from in the first place.

As another United Methodist, I know that Sessions swore to “resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.”

This is oppression. This is injustice.

God forgive us. This is evil.

Joseph J. Ekstrand

Overland Park

This story was originally published June 18, 2018 at 8:31 PM with the headline "Letters: Readers discuss political parties, Frank White’s finances and immigration."