Readers share thoughts on the Ebola virus, ballot issues and Clay Chastain

Ebola virus in U.S.

It is outrageous that the U.S. government is allowing Ebola-infected people into this country. Time will tell if we severely regret this. But why take the chance?

I have to get a health certificate for my dog to take it to South Dakota. I have to quarantine my dog for 30 days and have a health certificate before being allowed entry into Canada.

With all the illegal immigrants entering the United States from South America and now Ebola from Africa, what are our leaders thinking?

Will Kazenski

Kearney

No on Amendment 6

On Tuesday, the Missouri ballot will include Amendment 6, termed “Early Voting.” Do not be fooled by this amendment.

It would actually do more to restrict early voting than expand it. Worse still, if it passes, because of provisions it contains, it would be next to impossible to make any changes regarding early voting.

This amendment bears no resemblance to the Early Voting Citizens Initiative petition that some people may have signed earlier this year, which actually would have expanded access for citizens to vote. Amendment 6 is a bogus attempt to mislead voters.

Read Amendment 6, and vote no on Election Day.

Above all, vote. Your vote does count.

Wilma Christensen

Independence

Chastain recurrence

If Clay Chastain doesn’t live in Kansas City, why do we keep seeing his opinion about trying to get light rail to Kansas City?

Loree Lilly

Lenexa

Steve Rose column

Steve Rose says to call him a Republican In Name Only in his Oct. 26 column, “Call me a RINO and hear me roar for Davis”. You can call me a RINO, too, but in my case it means “Republican Is Not an Option.”

I absolutely will not be voting for Gov. Sam Brownback, Sen. Pat Roberts or Rep. Kevin Yoder. Today’s Republican Party is a threat to our democracy.

It promotes rule by the wealthy 1 percent and corporations. In states with Republican majorities in their legislatures, there have been obvious attempts to discourage voting by people who tend to not vote Republican.

Today’s Republican Party is anti-life. Republican efforts to cut food stamps, stop the expansion of Medicaid and resist expansion of health insurance to the millions of Americans who have none has led to thousands of people having their lives shortened.

I reject today’s Republican Party as a party of greed, which is anti-democracy, anti-life and, ultimately, given my Christian values, anti-Christian.

Republican Is Not an Option.

Dave Pack

Lenexa

Davis for governor

I am a Republican. I am also the treasurer for the Paul Davis/Jill Docking Campaign for Governor.

Former senator Bob Dole asked me whether I’d switched parties. I said I’ll never change parties, but I needed to take action because Gov. Sam Brownback had pushed through a tax plan that is detrimental to Kansas.

A responsible tax policy must meet two criteria: It must be fair, and it must raise the necessary revenue to support state services, such as schools. Brownback’s policy fails on both counts.

While certain businesses and LLCs are now exempt from paying state income tax, the employees who work for those businesses must still pay income taxes on wages. This is unfair and a true injustice.

We’re all citizens of Kansas and should share equally in the responsibility as well as the benefits. The failure of the governor’s tax policy to fund the budget, including schools and roads, has been documented by Moody’s Investors Service, Standard and Poor’s and the state’s legislative research council. The bottom line is we are spending more money than we are taking in.

It’s time to go in a different direction. That’s why I support Davis and Docking.

William A. Kassebaum

Burdick, Kan.

Murder of Machole

Rev. Vernon Debose spoke the truth about the person(s) who murdered 10-year-old Machole Stewart, saying they are “no better than ISIS in Syria.” Terrorism is terrorism, no matter where it establishes a presence (10-29, A3, “Justice for slain girl urged at prayer vigil”).

Black lives are just as important as white lives, and the murdering of citizens, especially children, screams for a communitywide response and mobilization.

My heart goes out to the families personally affected.

Kathleen Kennedy

North Kansas City

Immigration crisis

I agree that 50,000 children crossing our borders illegally is a problem for this country. Then I hear all the great fixes that should come from Washington, D.C.

The Republicans want to close and protect the border, and the Democrats want comprehensive immigration reform. You could do both and still not solve the problem.

These children are running from drug cartel members who kill and rape them, and the real problem is our high consumption of illegal drugs and our drug laws.

To change what is happening, we must decriminalize drugs.

If sales of drugs were legal, this problem wouldn’t be happening. It is our fault and not our laws or border enforcement.

Thomas S. Galbreath

Independence

Libertarian run

Randall Batson, Libertarian candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in Kansas, has a better chance of getting the tea party vote than incumbent Republican Sen. Pat Roberts or independent challenger Greg Orman.

Roberts ignored multiple invitations by Milton Wolf, a Republican tea party candidate in the primary, to debate — even when Wolf confronted Roberts on camera in Hutchinson, Kan.

Roberts babbled stupidly until his handler stepped in and interjected, “This is not the time or place.”

Sen. Roberts jumped at the chance to debate Orman but was a coward toward Wolf. What gives?

I’ve watched some important GOP senatorial primary races, including incumbent Republican Mitch McConnell against Matt Bevins in Kentucky and incumbent Republican Thad Cochran against Chris McDaniel in Mississippi, during which both incumbents used underhanded schemes.

I truly affirm that neither Roberts nor Orman will get my vote. I’m open to the other candidates.

Steve Hohe

Shawnee

For good of America

Looking back, do you remember when you were encouraged to vote during an election instead of having politicians trying to suppress your vote? Do you remember when it was not necessary to buy a candidate?

Greed is the name of the game. What has happened to this country?

Do we still call it a democracy?

When was the last time Congress worked together for the good of the country?

John Cook

Kansas City

Royals treatment

I am a San Franciscan and a Giants fan who attended game six of the World Series in Kansas City.

Let me just say that never in my life have I enjoyed being so terribly outnumbered and, by evening’s end, absolutely clubbed into submission.

From the moment I hit the parking lot at Kauffman Stadium in my Giants gear, folks made a point to walk over, introduce themselves, welcome us to Kansas City and wish us good luck. People offered to buy us beer and brats.

Most mind-bending was the woman who apologized for the lopsided score.

My wife and our friends spent the better part of our flight home marveling at the generosity and warmth of the Royals fans and wondering whether we’d dropped into a parallel universe.

At some point, I recall announcing to my wife that I was prepared to move to Kansas City as soon as possible.

They refer to your part of the country as “flyover states.” Folks should make a point to actually drop in to Kansas City for a heaping helping of an America most people only dream about.

John Pritzker

San Francisco

This story was originally published October 30, 2014 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Readers share thoughts on the Ebola virus, ballot issues and Clay Chastain."