Letters: Tax increases for Kansans, North Korea’s nuclear threat, dress code in the Kansas Legislature

Higher Kansas taxes

Be prepared. Some Kansans will face a new increase in their 2015 income taxes.

In last year’s legislative session, Kansas lawmakers snuck changes into the state’s income tax deductions. This “back-door” increase will cost Kansans $97 million.

The biggest change is that mortgage interest, real estate and personal property taxes will be reduced to 50 percent of taxpayer’s federal itemized deductions. All other itemized deductions, including unreimbursed medical expenses, will be eliminated.

Individual tax stings will range from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars or more on middle-class families and some older adults.

Legislators passed this tax increase under the radar to help reduce the projected $170 million budget shortfall caused by Gov. Sam Brownback’s elimination of income taxes on 200,000 business owners.

The governor’s income tax experiment has failed to bring jobs to Kansas as he promised, the state is hemorrhaging money, and all state services are suffering.

How dare Brownback raise taxes on middle-class families and the elderly to pay for tax cuts for the rich. It’s no wonder Brownback was voted the least popular governor in the U.S.

Kansans, you have been warned.

Jane Toliver

Leawood

Keep KCI as is

It seems that everyone wants a new airport facility. I for one find the present terminals at Kansas City International Airport more than adequate and convenient.

I only have one problem. There are very few nonstops. Why? We have no major or smaller airline using us as a hub.

I loved the TWA hub format.

If you can get a long-term commitment from one of the airlines, then I think we can consider new construction. If not, I don’t see the need.

John Horsley

Overland Park

Kansas dress code

Why is it that when a politician like Kansas state senator and fashion policeman, Mitch Holmes, does something as arrogant, ignorant, sexist and misogynistic as imposing his own moralistic dress code for women testifying in front of his ethics committee, people don’t even have to look to know he has a “R” for Republican by his name (1-23, A4, “Legislators deride panel dress code”)?

Maybe this guy should just keep his eyes on the face of the person testifying and focus on listening to what the individual has to say rather than inappropriately leering at what the person is wearing. It’s called having common decency, respect and self-control — all of which this senator seems to lack.

Jerry Stogsdill

Prairie Village

Herbert column

Danedri Herbert’s Jan. 13 column, “Liberals are in attack mode, while conservatives hide,” was surprising in the level of vitriol she directed toward those she defines as liberals. Ms. Herbert always writes from a conservative point of view, but this column seemed to be an anger-fueled tirade against liberals who she has decided want to ruin the culture.

She used terms such as “absolute depravity” and “insane” to describe those who disagree with her political views. Ms. Herbert described Kansas as a nice conservative enclave with leaders unlikely to do anything to move the needle to the right.

It may surprise Ms. Herbert to learn that many Kansans think our leaders have moved the state too far to the right. Our governor and Legislature focus most of their energy on upholding conservative moral values and little time figuring out how to get us out of the fiscal hole they have created.

It is puzzling how spending down our financial reserves and letting our state’s infrastructure deteriorate is a conservative value. Ms. Herbert needs to remind herself that many hard-working, honest Kansans do not share her political views. We are good people with no desire to derail the culture.

We live and work in Kansas and we even pay taxes unless we fall into the group our governor and Legislature has chosen to exempt. Those of us on the other side of the political spectrum also love this state and want the best for its citizens. I’ve always believed in the saying “there’s room for all of us.”

I don’t think Ms. Herbert would agree with this philosophy.

Sara McAllister

Shawnee

North Korean threat

Whether North Korea tested a hydrogen bomb or an “ordinary” nuclear fission device, the basic truth remains the same — North Korea has crossed the nuclear threshold and is never going back. At this point, the only acceptable response is to beef up our ballistic missile defenses so Pyongyang’s nukes cannot put American cities at risk (1-16, Commentary, “North Korea rattles its sabers once again”).

Our existing ground-based midcourse defense system provides a vital foundation for this effort. In nine successful tests it has detected and destroyed an incoming ballistic missile attack of the type North Korea would deploy.

Now we must expand and upgrade this system with new radars and sensors and overhaul the “kill vehicle” that is used to actually destroy the incoming target missile and maneuvering warheads. We should fund expanded and more frequent testing to ensure the ground-based midcourse defense system can overcome enemy decoys and countermeasures. And we should consider deploying even more interceptors beyond the 44 currently slated to come on line.

During the political “silly season” our media and political leaders are all too often consumed with superficial gaffes and “winning the day.” But the North Korean nuclear test is a timely reminder that our enemies aren’t trying to win a day.

They are preparing to defeat us in a war. And it is up to our leaders — in the current administration and the next one — to stop them.

James Lyons

Admiral (Retired)

Warrenton, Va.

This story was originally published February 1, 2016 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Letters: Tax increases for Kansans, North Korea’s nuclear threat, dress code in the Kansas Legislature."