Letters to the editor: PV councilman should resign, conservative common sense, Obama

Councilman wrong

David Morrison, the Prairie Village councilman who aided a homeless recovering drug abuser to get into City Hall to sleep for several days, calls his action a “one-time lapse in judgment. (11-5, 913, “David Morrison returns, blasts those who sought ouster”)” He contended that he was “doing the right thing in the wrong way.”

Earlier, Morrison remarked that he didn’t put up his homeless pal in his own home because he was fearful for the safety of his family. What he is trying to gloss over is the absolutely callous disregard he demonstrated for the safety of the City Hall employees.

I worked in a different city hall for 17 years. Many of my colleagues and I worked weekends and evenings to meet deadlines.

One Saturday morning I tripped over the body of a sleeping homeless man who had somehow sneaked into the building and staked out the door to the women’s restroom on the eighth floor.

The man woke up. He was huge and he was drunk.

I have never been more afraid. I was able to keep ahead of him during my panicked descent down the staircase to the police department at the basement level.

Morrison purposely gave a man he didn’t trust access to weekend and evening workers. If Morrison cannot prioritize the safety and well being of Prairie Village city staff and officials over some do-gooder whim, he should not be holding public office.

He owes every Prairie Village staffer a sincere and abject apology. If he had any decency, he would resign.

Jacqueline J. Leonard

Merriam

Money in politics

As independent money from all sides has turned politicians into telemarketers and as partisan politics has debased itself into popular media, we will see no longer the bipartisan arrangements nor institutions of society remain in place one moment longer than the present majority wishes.

Choice means nothing if it cannot provide consistency for the majority and justice for those who at present are not constitutionally represented.

John Nelles

Shawnee

Thanks to The Star

I cannot imagine the same kind of World Series excitement being enjoyed on any kind of innovative, hand-held technological instrument compared to the feel of the hand-held morning newspaper — the “real enchilada” — the feel of the printed, crackling page after page, the terrific reporting, writing and photography and dedicated delivery.

How fortunate we are to have The Kansas City Star still in print in our town. Many thanks to the other “star” of the series.

Mary Pat Miller

Overland Park

Ebola profiteering

I’ve read about the dollars that are going to be made on this Ebola virus scare. It's something I have felt all along.

The Ebola problem would be driven by the media hype and the dollars that would be made by the drug companies. It goes along with the greed that has this country by the throat.

Ray Mantooth

Shawnee

China’s advantage

Stop the presses. The Star on Nov. 12 proclaims “China joins climate causes.” It’s hailed as another triumph for President Barack Obama's string of foreign policy victories.

But one has to read further to learn that Obama has committed America to reducing carbon emissions by 26 to 28 percent in the next 10 years while China is permitted to continue unrestricted carbon emissions until 2030. Meanwhile, China continues to add coal-fired energy plants.

Thus, Obama pledges further restriction on American economic growth while China, unfettered, gleefully pumps carbon for the next 15 years as its economy grows while ours stifles. Even the most avid among the dwindling believers in global warming must be shaking their heads at this one.

Lee Levin

Overland Park

Conservative sense

I find it amusing that the liberal pundits are confused as to why three “red states” voted for conservatives in midterm elections this month and also voted for increasing the minimum wage. Let me explain.

Believe it or not, conservatives do think that every worker should earn a “living wage.” However, they also believe that this issue (and several others) belong in the hands of the states and not the federal government.

Conservatives believe that it doesn't make sense to impose same wages on diverse states such as New York, California and Arkansas and Mississippi. This is common sense, which the liberals seem to lack.

Terry Kliethermes

Leawood

Losing Democrats

What can be made of two consecutive midterm election routs of the Democratic Party with a re-elected Democrat in the White House? Obviously the electorate is very upset with the Democrats in 2010 and 2014.

Yet their leader has occupied the White House since 2009. Are his Republican opponents simply too weak?

Are the state nominated Democrats all too incompetent? It appears to me that President Barack Obama is given a pass for his incompetence because he is black.

This leaves the white Democrats to bear the brunt of the voters’ wrath. There seems to be a race to the bottom between the United States and the Democratic Party.

Once the party and the United States have been driven into the ground all that is left will be Obama playing the Nero-type fiddle while Rome burns. Sorry, Democrats, but it appears to be a battle between my children's grandchildren and my country against your political party.

You must/will lose this battle

Joe Lavender

Lenexa

This story was originally published November 18, 2014 at 2:19 PM with the headline "Letters to the editor: PV councilman should resign, conservative common sense, Obama."