Letters: Brownback, how smart is President Obama?

Wrong-track governor

Gov. Sam Brownback and his supporters are insane with the proposed budget, ignoring facts and the quality of life that all Kansans want. Eliminate income tax exemptions, tax the wealthiest to pay their fair share of taxes and use the tax revenues.

Stop putting any new form of taxation on the middle- and lower-income people that puts them in the regressive tax category. Put the state sales tax at 6.3 percent like was in 2011, making this the only burden for low-income people.

Stop proposing consumption taxes.

Jerry Brown

Overland Park

Brownback’s gifts

Gov. Sam Brownback's gift to visitors is known as the Rural Opportunity Zone, which induces people to live in one of 77 designated Kansas counties (1-28, A1, “Brownback promoting an urban opportunity”).

Are the people who qualified for the income tax breaks and student loan breaks among 2014 actually visitors? In order to take advantage of Brownback's inducement, a person must establish domicile in a rural opportunity zone on or after July 1, 2011, and prior to Jan. 1, 2016.

How many of these visitors are renting at a nominal fee from a friend like U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, who is known to visit Kansas on rare occasions? How many of the visitors will maintain residency once their incentive expires?

Brownback proposes to extend the gift to visitors to five ZIP codes in Kansas City, Kan., and Wichita.

Holly John Blythe

Shawnee

Presidential fake

Is anyone else tired of hearing how intelligent President Barack Obama is? Where is the proof?

Do we have his school records? Does he know the number of states in the Union? As commander-in-chief, does he know the correct pronunciation of a Navy medic known as hospital corpsman (cor-man not corps man)?

Has he never heard about the insanity of retrying failed policies? He could not be too smart for not observing from history that when taxes go up, revenues go down.

How does he do speaking off the cuff minus Teleprompters? This failed “leader” is a con man.

Steve Prosser

Overland Park

Highway dangers

If you wonder why there are so many wrecks on Kansas 10 west of Kansas 7, then you should drive it some time. The posted speed limit is 70 mph, but no one pays any attention to it, most of all the young women.

It would be nice if the police in Johnson County would be out there a little more often.

Frank Thompson

De Soto

Drilling concerns

I'm still processing on the switch from global warming to global climate change. Now fracking?

Geez, what is it with you folks? I seriously think you won't be happy until we're all riding around on bicycles with our little red book in hand.

Oops, sorry, make that a little green book.

Drill, baby, drill.

Jim Eschrich

Lenexa

Community college cheers

Over the past seven years, I have attended Johnson County Community College, tuition free through the Brown & Gold program. I pay only $10 membership fee per year.

I have taken practically every history course offered. At age 79, I am a great deal older than the instructors and most of the students. Because these are considered credit courses, I am required to take the tests, exams and write the papers. I got to know many of the “professors” personally and became especially fond of the late Fred Krebs.

I only recently stopped participating in this outstanding program because I found it increasingly difficult to retain the information well enough to meet my personal high standards.

About 57 years ago, I graduate an Ivy League university. My education at Johnson County Community College has paralleled and often exceeded anything I learned many years ago.

Yes, Mr. President, offer free tuition, but like so many scholarships, make the students earn it or repay it. Monitor dropout rates to see whether the program fits that particular area.

Hail to the Johnson County Community College Cavaliers.

Steve Katz

Leawood

Presidential contest

As the hopeful Republican players in the next presidential election are exploding “out of the woodwork” (the Democrats are playing it “close to the vest”), we as the electorate must be careful to judge the candidates correctly.

Rather than accept the various delusions and fantasies (religious or secular) that many of these characters use to justify what they feel will secure for them the power they want, we must look to the “rational actors.” Both parties are struggling still with basic tenets that have been with this country since its beginnings, and consequently must be handled with care and consideration, not seemingly “magical” solutions.

John Nelles

Shawnee

Saudi oil

So, the king of Saudi Arabia is dead. Of course, the Western world has good relations with Saudi Arabia for one reason and one reason only — oil. So much money is to be made.

While King Abdullah pumped billions of dollars into modernizing the country’s educational system, allegedly curbed the authority of the religious police, on the surface encouraged interfaith tolerance, allegedly cracked down on extremism, and offered a plan for peace between Israel and the Arab world, let us never forget the floggings (can you imagine being flogged hundreds of times or a thousand times?), amputations, stonings and beheadings (some cracking down on extremism!). Good riddance, King Abdullah.

But, it is not as if the fun has ceased. Ever since King Abdullah’s successor took office just days ago with King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, more people have been beheaded.

Scott McBean

Overland Park

This story was originally published February 3, 2015 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Letters: Brownback, how smart is President Obama?."