Letters to the editor: GOP troubles, stormwater politics, immigration

Republican trouble

Since the days of Karl Rove, Willie Horton, David Stockman, birthers, anti-Barack Obama anything, government shut downs, the tea party and jihad right-wing hate radio, the Republican Party has created the base appeal that has created its own Frankenstein monster. And, that monster has created a life of its own in the persona of GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump.

And that monster now roams the village with impunity, seeking to destroy its creator out of revenge for being born. Born of old-fashion racism, anti-tax, anti-welfare, anti-immigration, anti-Hispanic, anti-women’s health, pro-greed, pro-guns, pro-military, pro-life only before the child is born, pro-God (but only a Christian God), and the Bible whose interpretation has taken on new heights of hypocrisy just to anger their base to get votes, accumulate power and sow unnecessary fear as this monster now leaves establishment Republicans to their fate.

This monster threatens those less fortunate than himself and threatens to destroy the Republican Party and puts the nation at risk for years to come. He is a peril to both the republic and the party of Lincoln. The real question now for this monster’s creator and before it is really too late, is what do do with this broken monster?

Tom Davis

Merriam

Aiding U.S. first

The litmus test for immigration into the U.S. should be, “How does it benefit us?” Selfish and not compassionate, you say?

How about taking care of our sick, poor and impoverished first? Would you take food and a bed from one of yours to give to an immigrant? Isn’t that carrying the notion of altruism to an extreme?

Entitlements are now 62 percent of our federal budget, practically double what it was 30 years ago. Our debt is approaching $20 trillion. We don’t need large numbers of unskilled workers and additional mouths to feed and care for.

Many European countries with zero population growth need and benefit from immigration. The U.S. does not.

This should be our litmus test. With certain interruptions, the world has given us “its tired and its poor” ever since we became a nation.

We are currently experiencing indigestion. We need to take a break to get our house in order.

Steve Katz

Leawood

Warming planet

In response to the Dec. 23 “Climate Change” letter, the writer states that NASA satellite data shows the Earth has had zero warming in the past 18 years. However, when I go to www.climate.nasa.gov the data shows a very different picture, including this statement:

All three major global surface temperature reconstructions show that Earth has warmed since 1880. Most of this warming has occurred since the 1970s, with the 20 warmest years having occurred since 1981 and with all 10 of the warmest years occurring in the past 12 years.

I will continue to share this information as well as the scientific data that supports the increase in ocean temperatures, shrinking ice sheets, declining Arctic sea ice and extreme weather events in hopes of slowing the effects of global warmng and ensuring a livable planet for my children and grandchildren.

Barbara Nichols

Leawood

State hospital woes

By the late 1980s, Osawatomie State Hospital had climbed to a lofty perch (12-30, A4, “Kansas lawmakers hear update about Osawatomie State Hospital”). The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital’s survey results placed the hospital is the top 2 percent of all U.S. hospitals surveyed — both public and private.

I can imagine my late father repeating one of his favorite sayings to our governor and state lawmakers, “You get what you pay for.”

Gerald K. Gentry, Ph.D.

Olathe

Wastewater ills

The Johnson County Stormwater Management Program is a collaborative effort between the county and the 20 cities within Johnson County to fund the design and construct flood mitigation projects. The partnership also includes other cities, counties and agencies in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

In other words, Johnson County has the equivalent of 21 stormwater departments. The largest concentration of these government entities is in the Shawnee Mission area. Fewer gutter administrators would leave more money for stormwater services. Consolidation in the area would also help slow down accelerating property taxes and wastewater fees.

About $6.5 million was unspent in 2014 and carried over to the stormwater utility fund in 2015. Excessive revenue and project cancellations and ones under budget were given as reasons for the over funding. Stormwater revenue or gutter taxes come from three sources: sales taxes, property taxes and a part of the operations and maintenance portion of the wastewater bill.

Johnson County is the only county in Kansas with a sales tax element for stormwater. The gutter tax appears on my property tax statement as “905 OPC STO.” In 2002, this government entity was created in Delaware, the favored incorporation destination in the United States.

In 2003, the Johnson County Wastewater use bill started. With all these funding mechanisms, I understand why I received so many letters with different subject lines during a storm sewer project that went through my neighborhood and property. One letter would state the project was a capital improvement.

Other letters would call for the upgrade or replacement of sewer lines. And so on. As the project progressed, I found myself on that long list of property owners who had troubles with an Overland Park construction project and annexation policies.

Jeff Harkness

Overland Park

This story was originally published January 5, 2016 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Letters to the editor: GOP troubles, stormwater politics, immigration."