Letters: Supreme Court nominee, Uber regs

High court pick

Merrick Garland, a perfect example of what anyone could ask for in a Supreme Court justice, has been offered up as a sacrificial lamb on the altar of intransigence (3-17, A1, “Supreme Court pick sets judicial battle lines”). Republican senators, with daggers in hand, plan to murder the nominee's dream of public service to the nation.

And in doing so, shake the very foundation of the Republic. Leading the pack is Brutus, in the persona of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, whose dagger drips with blood lust, revenge and hatred.

As the nominee and all men of goodwill say, “Et tu, Brutus!,” Brutus stands on the funeral pyre and says to the crowd gathered on the Senate steps, “...it's not that I loved America less, it's that I hated the president of the United States more.”

Tom Davis

Merriam

Voting matters

If you are fortunate or unfortunate enough, depending on your viewpoint, to live in the district represented by Rep. Mike Kiegerl, then you've received Mr. Kiegerl's email legislative updates.

One included the following: “I opposed HB 2595, which also passed 89-34. My reason was that I was not greatly invested in the bill, and I got 21 messages opposing and none favoring it. Therefore, I followed my constituents. This was not a vote of conscience and ought to demonstrate that your communications are important.”

Could you be any more patronizing?

Then he goes on to explain why he voted in favor of HB 2199, which makes teaching sex education in the schools a much more difficult task, as the bill he supported makes all students and their parents opt in rather than having a much smaller number of parents opt out of the class. His support was a matter of conscience in disregard to constituent opinion.

So, when you go to vote later this year, if you want a representative who admits he ignores his constituents in favor of his conscience, who is a strong supporter of Gov. Sam Brownback and his policies, then Mike Kiegerl should get your vote.

David Vanderwell

Olathe

Uber regulations

Because I am approaching the age when I will need to curtail my driving, I am very disturbed by the possibility of a Missouri law reducing the oversight of Uber and taxi drivers' background and qualifications (3-22, A1, “Uber picks up support for bill to override KC’s regulations”). This would make me fearful of using either when I no longer have much ability to defend myself.

Should I start carrying a gun? Perhaps I can hope that self-driving cars will be widely available in time and I will be able to afford one, but that seems unlikely.

My fantasy is that Gov. Sam Brownback's absurd fiscal policies will bring prosperity to Kansas in time for me to hire a chauffeur.

John A. Brunk

Overland Park

Candidate Trump

Regarding a possible delegate chaos over Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, the GOP has been fractionated ever since former House Speaker John Boehner spread the welcome mat for the tea partiers, which allowed libertarians and the Freedom Coalition to rise to prominence in the party and change its character. Rep. Bill Huizenga, a Michigan Republican, is a key part of this ill-conceived transition.

The popularity of Trump to Republican voters is because of the same factor that makes former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton the Democratic voters’ choice for president — promise of a new approach to dealing with gridlock in Washington, D.C. Trump is keenly aware of the importance of compromising when necessary and has extensive experience in working out differences to make his real estate projects workable. Clinton participated as first lady in her husband's second term in which he and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich found a way to bring both sides of the aisle together to address the nation's problems, and voters are looking for the same from Hillary Clinton.

Moreover, Trump is not a politician, which is a huge factor in his favor. That is more important to his supporters than his shallowness and nonpresidential demeanor.

Trump’s main competitor for the GOP presidential nomination, Sen. Ted Cruz, just doesn't get it and never has, as he continues to warn voters that Trump will be bad for the “party,” not realizing that voters have a revulsion to the establishment. The GOP itself also doesn't get it.

If it did, the Mitt Romney fiasco would not have been staged, nor continuation of this self-destruct behavior planned.

Jim Kudlinski

Overland Park

Confusing election

What I have learned in the campaigns thus far:

It is OK to scream, shout, bully, disrespect others to get your way. It is OK not to do your job and still keep your job.

Tampons are luxury items and are taxed as such. People on welfare are no longer allowed to buy a can of tuna fish for meals (there is one state that denies purchase of fish on welfare).

Married women are denied the right to vote since their name does not match what’s on her birth certificate. Transgender people must used the bathroom for the sex listed on their birth certificate (should make things interesting if the draft returns).

Women's biology is different from what was taught in school (according to Todd “legitimate rape” Akin).

It doesn't matter what the people want — 94 percent demand that genetically modified organism foods be clearly identified, yet the Senate tried to deny us this right. We have the potential to get a foreign-born president even though the Constitution states the president must be born in the U.S. (or territories — last check, Alberta has always been part of Canada).

Women are denied safe abortions and safe pregnancy prevention? Still-births and miscarriages, natural occurrences, are considered murder?

Carol L. Neill

Overland Park

This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 10:41 PM with the headline "Letters: Supreme Court nominee, Uber regs."