Letters: Readers discuss Betsy DeVos, Trump, re-counts, and the Serenity Prayer

Religious schools

Donald Trump’s proposed secretary of education, billionaire Betsy DeVos, has implemented private education approaches in Detroit.

She supports vouchers that can be used for private and parochial schools.

It should be noted that it would be unconstitutional to put a requirement or prohibition for any specific religion at these private schools. Hence, such a school could be based on Hindu, Islamic or another faith-based system.

It seems as if we need public education with the faith teachings left to families.

Kerry Erington

Lenexa

Ideals to fulfill

Shocks reverberating through our country Nov. 8 were deafening. Donald J. Trump would stand in the same shoes as legends who ended slavery and lifted us out of the Great Depression.

The man who has supported a Muslim registry will be the face of a nation that subscribes to the sonnet, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

Recently, I had a conversation with someone I’m very close with. He emphasized that we should begin to accept and respect a Trump presidency.

There was no pompous intent, simply respect for the democratic process and acknowledgment of a fair win.

Yes, it’s not lost on me that Trump won the electoral college and will be president for the next four years. However, at this point, he has done nothing to deserve respect.

I’ll make a deal with anyone who voted for Trump: I’ll respect him if after four years people can proudly proclaim to their children that we’re about to inherit a world that has truly benefited because of Trump.

He’s got a lot of work to do. Good luck.

Elliott Brady

Overland Park

It’s time to come together

When will all the vitriol stop, from the unfunny political cartoons to the ongoing negativity coming from columnists such as Gail Collins and others?

I have had enough. How can unity happen as long as this is constant? What if people would take time to read Reinhold Niebuhr’s “Serenity Prayer”:

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

“Courage to change the things I can,

“And wisdom to know the difference.”

The path to healing and unity must begin somewhere.

Lynn Schaefer

Overland Park

Meaningful re-count

Are voter re-counts exercises in futility?

Those under consideration in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania would re-count the number of votes cast, not the validity of those votes.

Without knowing if the person casting the vote is a valid voter, a re-count of existing votes proves nothing.

Before the midterm elections of 2018, all states should be required to review and purge all voter rolls of dead people, illegal voters and those voting in more than one state.

John Lovelace

Olathe

Live in today, protect world

Americans wanting to go to Canada? The last time I heard that was during the Vietnam war.

Come on, folks: Let’s all try to get sane and protect the world we live in while we’re living in it.

Of course, our president-elect never had to go through that. He had five draft deferments, one for what — bone spurs?

I lost high school friends in that war, and I really don’t respect people who haven’t walked the walk but pretend to lead.

Robert Hendrickson

Kansas City

Trump’s leaders

The Democratic leadership is hammering Donald Trump’s cabinet selections for their collective lack of experience in government and in running a large bureaucracy.

The Democrats fear these newcomers won’t realize that, regardless of needs, you must show that you can’t get the job done without an increased budget each year.

They won’t know it’s important to approve someone else’s special projects so you can get your own boondoggles approved. They believe that you should never show that you came in under budget, or that budget will surely be cut the following year.

All of these newcomers seem to be successful with non-governmental backgrounds.

Most important, these successful executives won’t know how to keep their workers politically correct, regardless of whether it is advantageous or whether it accomplishes their mission.

Please don’t drain our swamp, Mr. Trump. The country needs our elite leadership.

Calvin Day