Letters: Kobach’s voting roadblocks, dreadful treatment of aging veterans

Kobach roadblocks

Secretary of State Kris Kobach is ruining Kansas’ electoral process. I am 17 and I registered to vote last month.

American politics fascinate me, and I aspire to work in Washington, D.C., someday. I could get there if Kobach’s insane election laws weren’t passed.

However, with the loss of 30,000 votes (and that number will be inflated as time goes on), that dream will be smothered. It is ludicrous that it took more than two hours to upload my “proof of citizenship” to the voter registry.

You must have it in PDF form, the form must be a certain size, etc. I ask you, Mr. Kobach, do you want young adults to vote?

Do you want Americans to be turned away from the voting process? Get your act together, or you will never be elected to any higher office for the rest of your career.

Andrew Lee

Shawnee

Caring for veterans

A nursing home in Overland Park I had visited a few times was recently purchased by a new company and went through a housecleaning. The number of employees was reduced, and residents were shifted around.

Some were sent away. Among those who were asked to pack and move out were five veterans who fought in World War II and the Korean War. The new management refused to honor the government benefits the veterans were receiving over the decades.

Such cruelty toward those who responded to their nation’s call to fight for the freedom of “the forsaken” in faraway lands in their youths shouldn’t be allowed in this nation “under God.” I believe the city of Overland Park should step in and teach the virtue of elder care and “love your neighbors” to those who only see older residents as a money source.

The poor treatment of veterans in their old age directly speaks of the nation’s conscience and will somehow affect the morale of future U.S. troops heading for battlefronts somewhere in the future.

Therese Park

Overland Park

Benghazi, Chicago

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, former Obama administration chief of staff who was famous for saying “never let a crisis go to waste,” faced a tough re-election challenge this year in the Democratic primary against an Hispanic opponent who was critical of Emanuel’s record on violent crime. It turns out that a video of a horrible police shooting of an unarmed black teenager in October 2014 was kept under wraps until last week. That video would likely have been very harmful indeed to Emanuel’s re-election.

When the fatal attack on the Benghazi consulate occurred shortly before the 2012 presidential election, the real story was delayed for weeks by a bogus story about a YouTube video. The truth would likely have been very harmful to President Barack Obama’s re-election. Both Emanuel and Obama were re-elected handily.

Anyone see a pattern here? Hmm.

Jim O’Connell

Shawnee

Syrian refugees

Recent polls show that 67 percent of Americans are against welcoming 10,000 Syrian refugees into our country. The risk of the Islamic State’s infiltration into this group is too large a risk for the majority.

President Barack Obama threatens to veto a bill in Congress asking for extra scrutiny when vetting the refugees. Obama can govern against the will of the people because he will never have to take the blame for his numerous mistakes.

A terrorist attack by one of these refugees would be hard to blame on former President George W. Bush. But that won’t stop Obama.

Steve Prosser

Overland Park

Courtesy’s absence

I recently went for a bike ride on a trail in southern Overland Park. I am a friendly person and always greet those I meet on the trail. (I don’t greet those on phones. What’s the point?)

I was disheartened by how few people returned my greeting. Even more concerning was the number of times (seven) I had to slam on my brakes or ride off the trail to avoid a dog or a child whose owner or parent didn’t seem to care that they were blocking my side of the trail.

In one case, I shouted my usual “On your left” as I approached a boy and his father. The boy unexpectedly did a U-turn right in front of me, causing me to ride into the grass to avoid a collision.

This would have been a perfect teaching moment for the father, but he said nothing to his son or to me.

While I was driving home after biking, a woman cut me off while driving 10 mph over the speed limit. She must have been late to a soccer game.

Where has common courtesy gone? It was a rough day in southern Overland Park.

Julie Seitter

Overland Park

Political promises

It seems to me that politicians put themselves in memorable and potentially embarrassing positions when they promise things they are unable to deliver on their own. The 7-year-old issue, still a subject of partisan attention, is President Barack Obama’s promise to close the prison at Guantanamo.

Apparently that action required cooperation from Congress. So why did he promise something beyond his control? It might be better for everyone to clarify priorities from promises.

We can measure progress on priorities. Promises are a yes or no activity. The clamor for media attention as well as attempting to distinguish a candidate from the pack have led to extreme and unattainable campaign promises.

It’s better that we the public know where someone is headed, how he or she plans to get there and what cooperation, if any, is required from the outside. Then we could gauge the merits and reasonableness of the platform better.

If we continue to be swayed by unreasonable statements, then we will continue to hear them. We need to be more discerning than that.

Jack Mayer

Mission

New highway ramps

I want to thank everyone responsible for the new on and off ramps at 159th Street and U.S. 69 in Overland Park — from the administrative staff responsible for the funding to all of construction workers who worked so hard to complete the project.

I enjoy using U.S. 69 daily.

Jeff Van Oeveren

Overland Park

This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Letters: Kobach’s voting roadblocks, dreadful treatment of aging veterans."