When Lee's Summit Downtown Days failed, so did the social contract | Opinion
Basic failure
Thomas Hobbes wrote in “Leviathan” that the government’s one nonnegotiable duty is the well-being of the people — salus populi suprema lex esto, or the public good is the supreme law. It’s the state motto of Missouri, in fact. We surrender some of our freedoms to government in exchange for our safety. When government cannot deliver it, the social contract is broken.
A recent example of this broken contract is in Lee’s Summit, which canceled its Downtown Days festival after teenagers created mayhem involving bear spray and ghost guns. That is not a scheduling decision. That is a society retreating before disorder.
Hobbes would have recognized it immediately: A sovereign that cannot maintain civil order is no sovereign at all. It is an invitation to further chaos. Hobbes further warned that government’s failure in this duty is not merely a political failing — it is a violation of the law of nature, and the violators are answerable to God himself.
Residents of Kansas City and its surrounds deserve better than festivals canceled, streets surrendered and officials who shrug. The primary job of government is not complicated. Keep the peace. When our leaders cannot or will not do that, they are failing the most fundamental test of legitimate authority.
- Mitch Woolery, Kansas City
New motto?
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe wants to do away with the Missouri income tax and replace it with much higher sales tax rates — but wants to exempt favored corporations (such as has already been done for FIFA World Cup tickets) from the sales tax. Where will public money come from?
Missouri Republicans can help the governor by reframing the issue: “Come to Missouri, where you have to homeschool your children because we have no public schools. Where you must drive your car through mud until you get to an interstate highway. Where you get to live with teenagers who are packing guns and are unlicensed. Have an adventure!”
- Gordon Risk, Kansas City
Some questions
Should we elect the Kansas Supreme Court’s justices? Without doing any research, I ask those in favor to answer the following:
How many members are on the court? Are they licensed attorneys? What is their party affiliations? What are their genders? Will elected members be screened for criminal and ethical violations? What legal experience will be the minimum to be elected? What states are they licensed in? How much money and from whom should those running be allowed to get from political organizations? Are people who are not Kansas residents allowed to contribute to the political funds? And on and on …
Be careful what you ask for.
- Richard T. Merker, Olathe
Look inside
We taxpayers are being tapped for untold amounts of money for this UFC debacle on the White House lawn and $14 million for needlessly painting the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. No one voted for these things, when food and gas cost way too much and health care is denied to many. Our national debt is approaching $40 trillion, and Social Security is running out.
I feel the same when scammers get hold of my credit card and charge all sorts of stuff I would never order. The difference: The credit-card companies usually reimburse my stolen money. I’m afraid American taxpayers will never get this money back.
When things go bad in a democracy, look in the mirror.
- Judith Zillner, Merriam
Too late
The article “7 vegetable seeds to direct sow in May for an abundant summer harvest” was printed in The Star’s June 7 edition. (7C) Although it listed several good suggestions for gardens in the Kansas City area, it would have been better to print this article at the beginning of last month for the benefit of local gardeners.
- Pat A. Loriaux, Lenexa
Open up
A couple was invited to visit two of their friends. After they had visited for a while, the host couple’s cognitively impaired son came out and gave a box to each of the visitors. The visiting woman opened her box and said, “The box is empty.” The host woman replied, “Oh, no, it is full of his love for you!”
In these troubled times, when there is so much animosity and hurt, let’s get out our boxes and pass them around. You never know what would happen if we all do that. Let’s try it.
- Charles Merrill Stiles, Overland Park