Letters: Readers discuss reporting on the police, Stephanie Clayton and Jeff Sessions
Think of police
We get too many front-page anti-police tirades in The Star. I suggest that, for a change, your staff members might consider finding the truth in each case involving the police before printing articles slanted in favor of suspects.
Most parents believe their children are good people, even those who are criminals or mentally ill. By playing up their emotional side instead of the truth, you are making it very difficult for the police to do their job effectively and safely.
What will it take for you to stop playing up the emotional side of criminals and start investigating what really happened? Losing more dedicated policemen is not an option.
Eleanor Grubb
Lee’s Summit
Sign your name
Kansas state Rep. Stephanie Clayton is to be applauded for her efforts to end the ability of state legislators to originate and promote anonymous bills. (Jan. 11, 1A, “Kansas legislator plans measure eliminating anonymous bills”)
There are absolutely no logical reasons why legislators should be allowed to advance an agenda while hiding behind a wall of secrecy. Whether from leadership or rank and file, I would be interested in hearing any rational argument for why the current practice should be continued.
Terry Goodman
Overland Park
Family dysfunction
Let’s see: In the 1990s, we had Marty Schottenheimer with brother Kurt on the payroll, and he couldn’t do it. Now we have Andy Reid with son Britt on the payroll, and he can’t do it either.
Nepotism doesn’t seem to be working for the Chiefs.
Robert Meegan
Overland Park
Not Sessions’ fault
Attorney General Jeff Sessions is simply doing his job, which is to enforce federal laws and not to enforce them according to public consensus.
To follow public consensus instead of the law is simply anarchy, leaving enforcement up to the whims of elected officials, making them dictatorial and resulting in something less than a democratic republic we think we have.
The problem is that a federal law, the Controlled Substances Act, makes marijuana illegal. This is in conflict with states that have attempted to legalize pot, but federal law usually preempts state law.
President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder chose not to enforce the law, which is simply outrageous behavior by public officials. That was the real story missed by the media. Thus, they set up this conflict but never adjudicated it or sought legislative resolution through Congress.
Until the matter is resolved legally or legislatively, Sessions is not the problem.
F. Stephen Henslee
Overland Park
Revenue source
I wholeheartedly agree with Kelly Kultala’s guest commentary, “Dog racing not the answer for Kansas’ budget.” (Jan. 8, 7A) Although I am not knowledgeable about the financial aspects of dog racing, I can agree with her statements about the dogs being bred to race.
My father-in-law farmed land in the Abilene, Kan., area, and he often spoke of his dislike for the greyhound dog breeders because of the animal cruelty he witnessed. He spoke of the bodies of dogs he saw in the fields of those breeders.
To me, the answer for boosting the Kansas budget is the legalization of marijuana. Legalization of pot appears to have greatly benefited neighboring Colorado.
Since Kansas is in such huge financial debt, why can’t our state also legalize pot and get in on the cash cow?
The legal sale of pot could benefit Kansans in many ways: the farmers growing it, the businesspeople selling it, the regulators concerned with consumer safety and, of course, money in our state budget to benefit our children with the quality of their education.
The answer to our state budget woes looks simple to me.
Jean DeHaven
Prairie Village
This story was originally published January 11, 2018 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Letters: Readers discuss reporting on the police, Stephanie Clayton and Jeff Sessions."