Readers share views on Gov. Sam Brownback, Benghazi and Little Libraries

Brownback because?

I do not see myself as a liberal but am very concerned about the direction Kansas is going on social issues and the experimental tax cuts, which don’t seem to be working as intended to spur job growth sufficient to make up for the tax cuts.

If there are inefficiencies in school administration, education fund allocation systems out of whack, state employees who are idlers, poor people who need a hand up, sick and elderly who need medical care, infrastructure needs that may go undone because we raided the bank for a short-term quick fix or eligible voters who aren’t permitted to vote, I think it’s government’s job to facilitate cooperative efforts to fix things, the “for the people” thing.

I would appreciate a letter in this space from those who voted to re-elect Gov. Sam Brownback with specifics for statewide improvements that have resulted from the tax cuts or other positive compelling reasons Brownback deserved your vote, other than it’s all the president’s fault.

Dave Smiley

Shawnee

Benghazi benefits

House Speaker John Boehner and the Republicans continue to take every opportunity to harp on Benghazi. By continuing to talk about Benghazi for their own nefarious political purposes, the Republicans insult and desecrate the memories of the Americans who died in that 2012 attack.

The Republicans have shown time and time again that their concern for Benghazi is not about those who died — far from it — but simply how they can use the deaths of these Americans to further their own radical political agenda and how they can profit from them in 2016.

Jerry Stogsdill

Prairie Village

Little Libraries

I have recently acquired a passion for building Little Libraries. I don’t think it’s a reaction to the adverse publicity of local governments or homeowners’ associations.

I enjoy reading and especially like sharing my books with others. It’s a thrill to see people stop at my Little Library and take a book or leave one.

No one has left a Kindle or Nook yet. There’s a special thrill I get from holding a real book in my hands.

In the words of Frank Zappa, “So many books, so little time.”

Steve Katz

Leawood

Flap in Indiana

Religious freedom is now not legal if you are on the social reservation. If you are on the right, pray in silence.

David L. Davis

Leavenworth

Presidential quiz

Presidential candidates will torment Americans during the next year or so with sound bites and slogans that we have heard so many times before, saying they plan to “turn things around,” “take back the country,” “get America moving again,” “reduce the size of government,” blah, blah, blah.

I demand answers to the following questions:

▪ Why do you want to be president, and what skills uniquely qualify you to fill this demanding position?

▪ What are your goals and how do you propose to attain them?

▪ What are three major federal programs you plan to eliminate?

▪ How would you simplify the income-tax system and the health-care system?

▪ How will America change for the better if you are a successful president?

Serious candidates should be prepared to answer these questions without hesitation, although few will do so.

Kenneth Lee

Raytown

Kansas guns, safety

As of July 1, Kansans won’t need training to carry concealed weapons because of a new law (4-3, A1, “Gun permits won’t be required”). Actually, training will still be needed, just not required.

Police need and receive intensive and repeated training to use guns to protect us and themselves. However, the Kansas Legislature has reasoned that citizens do not need similar training to conceal-carry firearms.

Ironically, after July 1, people hunting in rural, sparsely populated areas in Kansas and intending to shoot only game will be required to have more firearm-safety training than people carrying concealed guns in densely populated areas.

What could possibly go wrong?

James R. Babcock

Robinson, Kan.

Bad trade deal

If secrecy is the hallmark of theft, then the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal will no doubt turn out to be a major crime. Its entire contents are completely secret.

Our past trade deals have wiped out most of Detroit’s and other cities’ livelihoods. Will this new one do the same to the Kansas City area?

What would be funny if it wasn’t so serious is that there are politicians and others commenting favorably on this treaty when they have no way of knowing what they are talking about.

Michael Stone

Leawood

Mental health funding

We live in a country where government is of the people, by the people and for the people. How blessed we are.

However, in reality, we live in a society where government is of certain people, by certain people and for certain people. I am referring to mental health medication in Kansas.

Medicaid patients are again at the mercy of the Legislature. Sitting in nice, comfy seats, our legislators may be regulating the kind and number of mental health drugs a Medicaid patient can use. That seems ludicrous to me.

Why do we look at the most vulnerable when we are trying to cut spending? We need to find other places to cut costs and balance the budget. We can’t keep shoving mental health into the back seat.

Let’s let our conscience be our guide, not out pocketbooks.

Rosemary Pappert

Roeland Park

Tom Schweich

Whether in my role as a parent or as a supervisor, it was important for me to remember that what I did not correct I condoned. This principle keeps coming back to me as I think about the tragedy of Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich’s suicide.

If the state Republican Party leader was involved in a whisper campaign, then the party must decide between correcting the behavior or condoning it. I am eager to find out what it decides.

Mark Lewis

Liberty

Seeking Google

Are you enjoying your Google Fiber? I’m not.

Google canvassed our neighborhood more than two years ago, and I signed up. I was told I would receive an email to complete my registration and placed a $10 deposit. I waited.

Google crews laid their cable on our street, and I allowed them access to the utility poles in my back yard three times. I saw my neighbors being hooked up and called Google.

A company representative couldn’t find my application. I went to the Google retail store on Ward Parkway on July 19, 2014, and paid my $10 and signed up. They told me I would have installation by August.

That didn’t happen. I called the regional manager, who said there was nothing she could do.

I called headquarters in California. Same answer. I have 15 emails with customer service reps in California stating I would be hooked up in August, September, November, by the end of the year, first of the year and then March and finally by April at the latest.

It is April and no Google, even though my neighbors have Google from the same poles I would.

McKay Anderson

Kansas City

End sexual assaults

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This year the focus is on sexual assault on college campuses.

With scary statistics, such as 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men experience sexual violence in college, this topic needs to be addressed.

As a community, we need to come together to create a safe environment, full of respect, tolerance and equality. An easy way to start is by helping spread the word on your social media channels using and searching #itsonus and #notmycampus.

You can also get involved by attending Sexual Assault Awareness Month activities in your area.

Everyone benefits when campuses are safer. As this year’s slogan states, “It’s time to act. Safer campuses. Brighter futures. Prevent sexual violence.”

Karly Schieder