Letters to the editor: The caucuses, election season and legislative maneuvers

Kansas caucus

In August, I moved from Missouri to the great state of Kansas. Somewhere along the line in obtaining new license plates etc. I was very efficiently registered to vote.

I was excited about attending my first political caucus. I was a little surprised to learn that the caucus was being held between the hours of 1 and 3 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon and that people need not bring any form of identification.

Being of advanced age I decided to get there early in order to avoid long lines and to find a place to park. I got there promptly at 1 p.m. and managed to find a parking spot on the street four blocks from the polling places, all uphill.

The walk was longer than the line that I found. Once I got inside I waited 2  1/2 hours for something to happen. Finally a clipboard was sent around for us to sign our name indicating our vote for our candidate.

We were then dismissed and after a lengthy wait to get out the door, left to see as many people on the outside as had been on the inside waiting to get in. Fortunately, the walk back back was downhill.

Grace Borgmeyer

Prairie Village

Masterson wrong

What are Kansas legislators thinking? Sen. Ty Masterson once again proposes skirting scrutiny, handing more power to the executive branch and taking away control from the oversight committee?

And his Senate Committee on Ways and Means is trying to slip this bill through out of sight of the public. The chutzpah and gall grows by the minute in Topeka.

SB311 takes all designated education funds (including federal funds, food service and all state aid) and moves fiscal responsibility from the School Finance Department (currently headed by former educators) to political appointees in the Kansas Department of Administration. This is a bad idea.

Here are a few good, quick reasons why:

▪ It reduces transparency.

▪ It puts too much control in the hands of the governor and his staff.

▪ It erodes the authority of the State Board of Education.

▪ The Department of General Administration does not understand school finance as well.

▪ It increases the chances the Department of Administration could misuse federal funds, putting them in jeopardy.

▪ It would undoubtedly reduce the level of service and responsiveness to school districts.

It removes decision-making from education professionals and puts it in the hands of politically appointed staff members, who work for politicians.

Leslie D. Mark

Mission Hills

Shameful GOP debates

Future Republican debates should be rated PG-13 because of GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump’s lewd sexual references, crude behavior, name calling and bullying.

His performances are not suitable for young people and are contrary to the way we teach children to behave. As a retired teacher, I used presidential debates as a civics teaching lesson.

Now they set the poorest example for children. Shame on you, Donald Trump.

Jane Toliver

Leawood

Rescuing America

What have we done to deserve this? There are no positive comments regarding the group of people with no visible positive traits, campaigning to be president of the United States.

My seventh-grade grandson shows more maturity than the three Republican candidates I saw on TV one recent evening. On the Democratic side people can pick from a Sen. Bernie Sanders, a democratic socialist, and a woman with more baggage than what anyone would find in the belly of a 747.

The thought that one of these misfits will become president of the United States is frightening.

There are very serious problems facing this country, domestically and internationally. I’ve yet to see anyone on the stage seriously discussing what really matters, much less offering possible and reasonable solutions.

I can only hope some champion will come charging over the next hillside on a noble steed to rescue the damsel in distress — also known as the United States of America.

Dean Parkhrust

Olathe

Sanders leaning

I would like to see a woman president. But I am not sure Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is the right one to be the first, so I am leaning toward Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders.

He seems to be an honest man and he says things that go along with many of my own ideas. I am going to remain undecided until after the conventions.

Linda Overton

Overland Park

Surviving U.S.

Students of American history, make your voices heard. Our great nation has survived 240 years of military attack, terrorism, natural disasters and less than effective leadership. Consider the inglorious accomplishments of past presidents such as Andrew Jackson, James Buchanan, Chester Arthur and Warren Harding, to name a few.

The sun has risen again and again over our great democracy. No matter how much our media, our political commentators, our past leaders and opponents assail the candidates, our political system will survive. Fortunately, we don’t have a king, a monarch or a despot to rule our country.

Ask yourself what makes a person great? And, do the times make the person or does the person make the times?

Regardless of what the news media, the “experts” and the polls tell us, we can be assured that the sun will rise over America once again in late January 2017.

Steve Katz

Leawood

This story was originally published March 14, 2016 at 8:06 PM with the headline "Letters to the editor: The caucuses, election season and legislative maneuvers."