Readers share thoughts on coal, guns, President Obama
Coal industry woes
Some letter writers claim that the Obama “regime” is killing the coal industry, when in fact it is the natural-gas boom that began under the Bush “administration.”
Note their partisan use of “regime” when referring to a Democrat president.
Paula Lutz
Lee’s Summit
Arizona gun tragedy
The Arizona shooting range death is a tragic example of “where fools rush in” (8-28, A2, “Accident sparks debate”).
I have heard no fewer than one dozen “experts” flap their mouths about what went wrong. Except what went wrong was the parent(s), shooting range owner/management and instructor permitted a 9-year-old to partake in this sordid sense of adventure.
By the way, there’s been nary a peep, moan or groan from the National Rifle Association.
This young lady should have been home playing with dolls, having a make-believe afternoon tea or learning how to bake chocolate chip cookies. Now she will have to live with this tragedy for the rest of her life, probably with self-imposed guilt, because some card-carrying morons thought letting her shoot an Uzi would be cool.
This also affects the family of the instructor, any one else present and the range management, if they have any sense of propriety.
Sell more guns, learn how to handle assault weapons. Kids may be called upon to defend the homeland, as in Third World countries.
Don Rinck Sr.
Mission
Pledge to Obama
I pledge allegiance to the president of the Socialist States of America and to the loss of liberty for which he stands, one nation, under the anointed one, totally divided, with equal poverty and injustice for all.
Joe Neuner
Olathe
Sharpton, Kobach
I’m always amazed how the Rev. Al Sharpton shows up wherever there’s a racial incident in the news.
He may be sincere about it. But I strongly suspect it’s just a way to keep himself in the national spotlight. Why do the people who pay his salary, whoever they are, keep funding his campaign of self-promotion?
And, I’m always amazed how Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach shows up wherever immigration laws are in the news.
He may be sincere about it. But I strongly suspect it’s just a way to keep himself in the national spotlight. Why do the people who pay his salary, and we know who they are, keep funding his campaign of self-promotion?
Steve Hicks
Lawrence
KC train wreck
If you did not read G. Joseph McLiney’s Aug. 23 Midwest Voices column, “Voters tied to streetcar tracks,” you should. Mr. McLiney is so spot-on it would be hard to state this ongoing streetcar travesty any clearer.
The voters sent a resounding no for a continuation of the folly currently under construction. Our sly mayor and his lackey, Councilman Russ Johnson, continue to demonstrate arrogance and total disregard for the wants and needs of the citizenry and steamroll ahead with their shortsighted agenda.
Councilman Johnson’s threats and bullying tactics obviously are parroting his leader’s directives, disregarding their constituents’ mandate. Honestly, just who do these people think they are?
The mayor and some of the council members need to give streetcars and airports a rest, and then maybe common sense will have a chance.
Unless you are one of the unfortunates, aren’t you glad you don’t own or manage a business on Main Street downtown or in the River Market right now?
Robert Asher Sr.
Kansas City
Illegal immigration
Our king is now saying that he is going to fix the border crisis through executive action.
The reality seems to be that the Democratic Party is using these children at the border as props to justify amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants, all of whom will get free health care, school, housing, food and welfare supplements at taxpayer expense.
I am sure, though, that the unions will get their dues and when the newcomers get to vote it will be for the amnesty party.
The Democrats will call for more taxes from those of us who pay taxes and we will be constantly required to pay more until there isn’t enough revenue to support the spending.
Welcome to Detroit.
Frank Green
Kansas City
Death-row sadness
We in Missouri have executed eight men in nine months. As of Jan. 1, there were more than 3,000 people living under the sentence of death in this country.
Less than 1 percent are executed each year. Three states account for 20 of the 26 executions in the U.S. this year — Texas seven, Florida seven, Missouri six.
How are decisions made as to who is chosen to die? Does each of the accused have fair, unbiased, adequate representation?
As of March, there had been 144 persons exonerated in the U.S. since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976. Six had been in Missouri.
Sadly, none of the executions has brought the victims back to their loving families and friends. Their pain and grief continue.
In addition, each execution creates another grieving family. Each person executed had loved ones who knew there was more to him than his most violent act. Their grief also continues.
The convicted are in the custody of the Department of Corrections, which in Missouri is fast becoming the Department of Executions. Let’s execute justice, not people.
Theresa Maly
Kansas City
Streetcar memories
A funny thing happened while they were digging up the streets to lay rails for the new streetcars. They encountered the old rails buried a few years back. I’ve often wondered why we did that.
Growing up in the inner city, our family made extensive use of the public-transit system. We went everywhere, even on dates, which accounts for the song about the girl who could be jolly when you took her home on the trolley.
My favorite rides were through the tunnel from the garment district to the West Bottoms and that great rickety ride to Swope Park on free swim day. We could walk no more than four blocks in any direction from our house and we had a ride.
Then the city grew and spread out and the density wasn’t right and someone sold our streetcars to somewhere in South America and the fun rides were over. And if you were on a bike or in a car, it quickly became obvious that streetcars were not designed for your convenience.
But then, maybe someone has figured out all those bugs.
Richard C. Lumpkin
Prairie Village
Trouble in Congress
Well, it finally happened. We have a Congress that is too stupid to do its job.
From what I can tell, if our representatives vote on certain things they will lose their jobs. Too bad we don’t have a way to easily impeach the Congress.
You and I would lose our jobs if we did not do what was expected of us. I would like to know what training this Congress had with what was expected of it to do the job at hand.
It’s kind of sad that we had in the past skirt chasers and drunks who got more work done than the present Congress.
The question has always been on my mind, why?
Why are we afraid of young children who have more of the spirit that our forefathers had? Why the war in Iraq, where no weapons of mass destruction were found?
Why is not one person rotting in jail for the banking mess? Why does it take almost a dollar to buy a can of corn?
It’s time for a new constitutional convention to be called.
M. Freeman Wildrick
Lenexa
Royals broadcasts
OK, I give up. Kansas City Royals broadcaster Rex Hudler is not going anywhere.
But I have one request. Whoever is feeding him all those stats about which percentage of a certain pitch the hurler is prone to use, quit it.
We do not care. Those stats are of no interest to anyone I know, and they just serve to give Hudler more air time for his blathering.
Thank you in advance for your consideration of my request.
Wayne Miller
Lone Jack
This story was originally published September 1, 2014 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Readers share thoughts on coal, guns, President Obama."