Letters to the editor: Rex Hudler, guns and presidential politics

Royals broadcasts

With regard to any negative comments about Rex Hudler as a Kansas City Royals commentator, may I say that at the beginning I also thought his remarks as childish and lacking in depth.

However, with time, I have learned to accept them as a result of his enthusiasm for a team that has had its ups and downs and a refreshing change from the staid monotone of Hall of Famer Denny Matthews and the dangling phrases of Ryan Lefevre. Rex is as genuine and fresh as a country morning.

Perhaps too childish? Well, baseball brings out the child in all of us, as we fondly remember our first major league game, full of awe and enthusiasm. Don't go anywhere, Rex.

Enrique Chaves

Overland Park

Guns no solution

“Abe Lincoln may have freed all men, but Sam Colt (inventor of the revolver) made them equal.”

I am sure that this quote always brings a chuckle when repeated down at the gun shop or on the shooting range. It equates a 74-year-old bigot with three people at a talent show; infants and young children are on parity with drive-by shooters; the equivalence in a murder/suicide; the similarity between an angry old man and a father with his child in a movie; a severely disturbed person is on a par with an armed police officer; and who cannot see the symmetry between a 4-year-old boy who in play shoots his sibling.

It is as if a particular segment of our population looks to a gun as a solution to their inequalities.

John Nelles

Shawnee

Park’s column

I always look forward to and appreciate Therese Park's perspective on life in 913 each week “9-19, 913, “Life's burdens aren't equal, so let's be charitable”). Her latest column was especially relevant — be charitable and kind to others — especially when you have not walked in their shoes.

Colleen Boeding

Merriam

Apprentice president

Listening to Republican presidential contenders Ben Carson, Donald Trump and Carly Fiorina makes me think some Republicans want a new reality series, “The Apprentice President.”

In the series, the winner will eventually learn the laws of the United States (such as about religious freedom and there being no national language), they may obey them, and may even enforce some of the laws. Additionally, the Apprentice President may speak diplomatically to world leaders they talk with (clearly, Benjamin Netanyahu will be spoken to respectfully), and they may not offend all of the others, but then they may.

After all, this is an apprenticeship contest, isn't it? If their diplomatic blunders cause war, we will probably win because they will have increased military spending so that we spend more than the top 20 countries of the world, not just the lead 12. These blunders we need to accept: apprenticeships are not free, after all.

Chris Roesel

Roeland Park

Sanders for president

We need an explanation as to why the news media are ignoring the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. In two days, he raised $1.2 million in small contributions from individual donors after an ad was launched against him recently by a Clinton-aligned organization.

Plus, he's leading in the polls in Iowa and New Hampshire. But despite what is obviously a serious, well-supported campaign, the media will hardly mention his name.

On a recent Sunday morning on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” a banner on the bottom of the screen showed Sanders ahead in New Hampshire and Iowa, but no one mentioned Sanders during the segment. Instead they talked about Hillary Clinton's campaign and Vice President Joe Biden, who is not even in the race.

It's not just Stephanopoulos' “This Week” either. Mainstream news programming, including NPR, PBS and even our local KCPT-TV, Channel 19, consistently fail to give coverage to the Sanders campaign.

Bernie Sanders talks about the issues that most Americans are concerned with. Sanders is not so much a politician as a political revolutionary.

This scares and threatens the domination of the political and media establishments. That's why they are afraid to mention his name.

They know how much his positions are catching fire with the public and so they want to keep his campaign a secret from as many people as they can.

Ken Gates

Overland Park

Savings plan needed

I recall having a piggy bank as a youngster. Today I have another receptacle for my change.

My concern is that today I seldom have any change to add to my savings “bank.” It’s probably due to the fact that I don’t carry any cash today and instead use a debit card. When I suggest this concern to friends, I get a similar response.

Since World War II, Americans have not been a nation of savers. Today, interest rates are so low, there’s little motivation for people to save.

Like so many others, Sharon and I have an emergency fund that we add to monthly. The problem with this is that we seem to have frequent emergencies, forcing us to with draw down our savings.

To survive in today’s climate, we Americans need to first reduce our debts, and then to save by paying ourselves first.

Steve Katz

Leawood

This story was originally published September 28, 2015 at 8:12 PM with the headline "Letters to the editor: Rex Hudler, guns and presidential politics."