Letters: Readers discuss Kansas’ budget, Brookside’s Shop Beautiful and state animal inspections

Spending priorities

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback doesn’t fund pension plans or maintenance for roads and highways.

He doesn’t reasonably fund public education and wastes Medicaid.

He proposes giving away the tobacco settlement annuity at a sweetheart price, and he supports his political backers by giving their corporations income-tax-free status.

But he wants to build a “Brownback International Airport” in Johnson County.

Where does the money come from, Sam? Your “march to zero” is a march to bankruptcy.

Arthur Peterson

Leawood

Personal touch

The Spirit section of the Feb. 12 Star presented a delightful trip down memory lane. (3E, “Shop Beautiful in Brookside has kept its charm for 81 years”)

It was a time when most businesses were locally owned and the owners knew their customers by name and vice versa. I remember Dana Crick and her mother, Andre and Elspeth Bollier, as well as Abbey Fields, Sarah Douglas and their mother, Ruthelma Martin. We greeted each other with instant recognition, using first names.

Those were wonderful times.

I am so sad Crick Camera Shop is gone. I am grateful Shop Beautiful and Andre’s are still there to remind us of the good old days when shopping was personal and a pleasure.

Susanne Shutz

Mission Hills

Real reality

I recently watched the movie “Steve Jobs.” In one scene, there was a reference to a phrase coined by an Apple employee to describe the state of mind Jobs seemed to live in. They called it a “reality distortion field.”

I think this describes the state that surrounds the present administration and its advisers.

These fields have occurred before.We have seen the effect of one in the Kansas governor’s office and statehouse. It also appears that one may be forming in the governor’s office in Missouri.

We as citizens are forced to live in actual reality and therefore must stay informed and educate ourselves. We must make our opinions known to our legislators when these distortions begin to negatively affect our state, country and Constitution.

We live in a democracy, and I for one do not want to become a citizen of an autocratic state that tramples on the Constitution, alienates our allies and jeopardizes our well-being simply to fulfill promises.

David Goettel

Independence

Animal act

Anyone who has adopted an animal from a shelter or rescue network knows firsthand the important role these organizations play in helping our local communities deal with the results of unscrupulous dog breeders.

Of the 100 worst breeders identified by the Humane Society in its “Horrible Hundred 2015” report, 16 were based in Kansas, ranking it second only to Missouri’s 23. But by strengthening the state’s animal-inspection process, thereby making it harder for puppy mills to operate in Kansas, we can ensure more humane breeding conditions and lessen the burden on our shelters and rescue organizations.

Amendments to current Kansas House Bill 2097 and Senate Bill 47 would enforce an inspection schedule, making it unlawful for a breeder to circumvent the inspection process. Operators who fail would be required to pay a re-inspection fee and would have their licenses revoked if they failed three times within 24 months.

These common-sense changes in our state’s inspection process would reduce the number of neglected, abused and unwanted animals across Kansas.

I encourage my fellow Kansans to read both bills with amendments and to contact their elected officials to voice their support.

Laura Luckert

Prairie Village

Numbers game

I was amused by a recent letter in which the writer declared, “It is time to stop using Roman numerals.” He wants “plain English” to be used to refer to the Super Bowl.

By that, I suppose he means the numbers we use every day. However, those numbers are not English at all. They are — drum roll please — Arabic numbers.

Bonnie J. Dickson

Kansas City

Chiefs quarterback

Wake up, Chiefs fans. You will never see us lift that Super Bowl trophy until we get a quality quarterback.

Every year I hear talk of this is the year. Dream on. Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, general manager John Dorsey and coach Andy Reid, wake up, trade up and draft us a quarterback.

Dwain Lovitch