Letters: Rock the youth vote, Kansas sales tax on food

Voter participation

Finally, I have heard about and found government and history teachers who are telling students to bring their citizenship documents to class, and then offering them the documents to register to vote and get ballots by mail.

With this procedure, young people 18 to 24 years old could change from one in three being registered to 90 percent. They could produce a change from one in seven voting to two in three, like happens with older citizens.

Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Go, teachers and students. Be national leaders.

Chris Roesel

Roeland Park

Kansas tax losses

Rep. Marvin Kleeb, Kansas House tax committee chairman, stated, “If we were to lower the sales tax on food, we’ve got to go raise taxes somewhere else” (1-18, A4, “Kansas losing grocery sales tax revenue, study says”). Didn’t the legislators realize this clearly obvious fact when they voted to lower the progressive income tax?

Because Gov. Sam Brownback lowered the progressive income tax on the wealthy, the regressive sales, property, fuel, tobacco and liquor taxes were increased. Also, user fees for licenses were increased.

In addition, Kansas was forced to borrow $1 billion because the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System and the Kansas Department of Transportation banks were robbed to pay for the loss in income tax revenue. By investing the borrowed $1 billion in stocks, bonds and hedge funds, the Legislature is gambling that a profit will result, assuming that the stock market improves.

However, these are the same people that promised that the income tax breaks would pay for themselves. More money would be put in our pockets.

There would be an influx of new businesses. The income tax breaks would hit the economy accelerator.

It would be a shot of adrenaline into the heart of the Kansas economy. I can hardly wait to see the sun shinning once again in Kansas.

It’s our responsibility to register and vote.

Holly John Blythe

Shawnee

Brownback’s denial

Thanks to Gov. Sam Brownback’s plan to eliminate income taxes on 200,000 businesses, the state of Kansas is facing a $170 million budget deficit. Month after month, state services are suffering while the state is hemorrhaging money.

Financial experts have warned that Brownback’s income tax cut has failed to promote economic growth and will not bring more jobs to the state. But Brownback will not repeal the plan. It’s no wonder he has been voted the least popular governor in the United States.

Despite this dire budget crunch, Brownback failed to even mention the deficit in his recent State of the State address.

Obviously, Brownback is in denial and out of touch with reality. For the sake of Kansas’ future, he should seek professional medical help.

Jane Toliver

Leawood

Herbert column

It is one thing to support a viewpoint and another to oppose a viewpoint. It is something apart from either of those to call the ideas you disagree with “bonkers,” “absolutely deprav(ed),” “nonsense,” on a “march to derail the culture,” “wacky” and “ruining the culture” (1-13, 913, “Liberals are in attack mode, while conservatives hide”).

And, likewise, to call the ideas you agree with and the persons who share them “truth, patriotism and the American way,” “church mice,” and “nice conservative enclaves.”

Thankfully, the piece I am writing in reference to grew less hyperbolic after the first dozen paragraphs. The general rhetorical approach seemed to me to be the language of rallying people to awareness or action against a deadly threat.

Yet, no lives are in danger or in anything close to danger in any of the upsetting situations presented.

The Kansas City Star is not a tabloid. I subscribe to it to read about facts, not emotions and certainly not emotionally argued “facts,” with the exception of opinion letters from readers. I expect not to see so much purple prose from The Star’s paid writers and columnists, regardless of the political thrust or editorial nature of an article.

Sarah Kabala

Overland Park

Question Trump

President Bill Clinton was impeached in 1998 for perjury and obstruction of justice relating to sexual improprieties. He was then acquitted of these charges in 1999. Although his wife forgave him, many Americans saw his behavior as an unforgivable sin and also blame his wife.

Recent remarks by Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University, gave me pause. He is quoted as saying: “My father proudly replied that Jesus pointed out that we are all sinners, every one of us. And while Jesus never told us who to vote for, he gave us all common sense to choose the best leaders. … Dad explained that when he walked into the voting booth, he wasn’t electing a Sunday school teacher or a pastor or even a president who shared his theological beliefs. He was electing the president of the United States, and the talents, abilities and experience required to lead a nation might not always line up with those needed to run a church or lead a congregation.”

About whom was Mr. Falwell speaking? GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump. A thrice-married, former pro-choice liberal Democrat (but now claiming to be a God-fearing conservative) accused of infidelity while married to his first wife, who now struggles with Bible verses and is not sure he has ever asked God for forgiveness.

Trump, the ultimate hypocrite, repeatedly attacks Hillary Clinton for personal misdeeds attributed to her spouse. He lies pathologically, divides the country along racial and cultural lines and now has Falwell excusing his lack of family values.

As both a Christian and as an American, think hard about hypocrisy and forgiveness and what it really means to support such a candidate.

Cheri Cox

Overland Park

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 4:46 PM with the headline "Letters: Rock the youth vote, Kansas sales tax on food."