Readers share views on elections, political correctness, bankruptcy experience
Re-election game
A politician, when elected, should have only one goal. Stay in office. Here is a primer on how to do that.
1. Believe that you are God, the pope and a king all in one. Your ideas are the only ones that matter.
2. Never take ethics training. You are not going to have any anyway.
3. Sell your soul to the highest bidder, or Grover Norquist, whichever comes first. Don’t forget you can sacrifice your mother, spouse and children if it will keep you in office.
4. Learn to lie while looking sincere. Even when faced with evidence of what you did, claim your behavior was taken out of context. Examples of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton doing this are too numerous to mention.
5. Never directly answer a question. (See Clinton’s responses to the FBI “review.”)
6. Smile while you are telling the cameras that you represent the people.
7. When under fire for your stupid behavior, claim the other party is out to get you.
Kevin Hobble
Topeka
Politically correct
If I hear one more supporter of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump praise him for being politically incorrect, I’ll toss my cookies.
There is a reason for political/social correctness. Humans have a thin veneer of civility as it is. If we take this to the extreme, it’s an authoritarian group characterizing another as subhumans.
We saw the veneer of humanity ripped away, and it exposed how close to animal behavior we can get. Words do matter.
Do we really want to go back to an age when people in the majority called people in the minority terrible names? It is divisive and hateful.
Being politically/socially correct is a good thing. It shows control over your speech, something that Trump can only dream about.
Linda Katz
Overland Park
Experience counts
Every time I access internet news, I see another city or state headed for bankruptcy. The resulting domino effect of city and state bankruptcies and decades of fiscal mismanagement by our federal government have the U.S. Treasury headed in the same direction.
In this time of national financial distress, who better to serve us than a man whose corporations have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy four times: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Chapter 11 bankruptcy allowed him to keep his companies running while restructuring and reducing their debt.
That is precisely what the U.S. Treasury is going to have to do. Why not hire a man with experience, America?
Stephen Grant
Kansas City
U.S. economy
There is no doubt that wages have been flat and probably declining in real terms over the last several years. In this heated political season this fact, contrasted with what are alleged to be high stock prices, is cited by some as evidence of unfairness in the system and by others as evidence of a good and improving economy.
To give some perspective to these differing points of view, it should be noted that the increase in U.S. stocks this year has been one of the lowest increases in the world.
The economy may or may not be improving. It is after all an election year. But even if it is improving, as measured by stock prices as well as other measures, it is lagging behind a lot of the rest of the world.
It is important to keep things in perspective.
Jim O’Connell
Shawnee
Insurance rates
For two years, I have had vehicle liability insurance with the company that provides coverage to veterans, and I have never filed a claim on my vehicle in that time. But I recently received my bill for a 1998 Ford Ranger pickup truck.
The coverage will cost me $162 for six months. It had cost me $79 every six months.
I was able and proud to serve my country for four years of active duty in the U.S. Navy with an honorable discharge. Is this more than 100 percent increase the insurance company’s way of telling me, “Thank you for your service to your country”?
I am of the opinion that the insurance company is using subterfuge to calculate the increase on basic liability insurance. Members of Congress need to represent us and put a stop to unethical insurance companies gouging the elderly and needy instead of lining their own pockets.
Elected officials can be replaced by honest and ethical lawmakers so that we, the people, won’t be cheated on the whims of companies.
Terrance R.
Hawbaker
Atchison, Kan.
This story was originally published September 29, 2016 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Readers share views on elections, political correctness, bankruptcy experience."