Letters: Readers discuss a bill to help small farmers, TIF abuse and banking equity
Federal failures
“Get big or get out” are the immortal words spoken by Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz in 1973. His exhortation to U.S. farmers became policy through the farm bills that followed, giving larger farmers the advantage and dooming those who dared ignore Butz’s command.
Fewer than 50 years later, we see small farm towns laid to waste across the country, especially in Kansas, making me wonder about the cost of “progress” brought about by sweeping government directives.
H.R. 3941, the Local Food and Regional Market Supply Act, offers a little bit of fairness to small farmers, who are some of the hardest-working entrepreneurs facing the headwinds of current government policy.
In spite of these disadvantages, small farmers in our urban area have benefited us by building community, improving diets and raising property values wherever they toil. These are natural by-products of diverse localized farming, and they should be encouraged by the laws of our society.
I urge Kansas Rep. Kevin Yoder to support the little guy by supporting H.R. 3941 in the name of healthy agriculture from the roots on up.
Kelly Werts
Fairway
TIF robbery
“What Brownback got wrong about KC schools” (Jan. 11, 12A) chastises Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback for stating that the $2 billion school desegregation case was “a disgraceful example of wasting taxpayer money,” in the editorial’s words.
The Star thinks it wasn’t? The money was spent, and we have nothing to show for it.
The editorial goes on to say the schools’ “deplorable conditions were a direct result of a lack of funding.”
Wow.
Over the past several years, the city has given out more than $5 billion in tax increment financing deals. These TIFs take dollars away from schools, libraries, disabled people, the zoo and many more constituents. The money lost by the Kansas City Public Schools because of TIF giveaways could run to the millions.
The city gives out TIFs like candy on Halloween.
Recently, the downtown hotel developers made a presentation to the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority and the TIF commission soliciting bonds and TIF dollars. Both city entities gave them what they wanted, even though the pro forma information used in the presentations had 18 blank pages where financial data was supposed to be. That’s right — 18 blank pages.
There is plenty of money for Kansas City schools — if the city would curb its appetite for giving it away frivolously.
Dan Coffey
Citizens for
Responsible Government
Kansas City
Sin taxes’ cost
Really? Getting into the pot-growing business as an alternative to dog racing is a good idea for funding our schools? (Jan.12, 8A, Letters)
This reader might want to talk to folks in Colorado or the highway patrol there about what the trade-offs have been for legalizing pot. It’s not a pretty picture.
I recall that legalized gambling was going to benefit the schools, too. So how did that work out?
Couldn’t we find better options for funding our educational system besides efforts that attract the criminal element we all know these vehicles attract?
Here’s a thought: Maybe we could try legalized prostitution.
Selling one’s soul to the devil rarely has a good outcome.
Sherry Darrow
Leawood
Financial tool
Reading the article by Glenn E. Rice in Sunday’s special Martin Luther King Jr. section, I was glad it finally came about that so many black people will be able to go to a bank — but I was also really angry. (10F, “New community federal credit union reflects King’s message of financial independence”)
I must assume that even 50 years after King’s death, most of us had no idea that more than 40 percent of black Americans do not have a bank. They cash their paychecks at stores and have to pay fees, while so many of us now do all our banking with our cellphones.
When many of these people need a loan for an emergency, they have to go to a pawn shop or a payday loan thief.
It is so hard for me to comprehend that after we bailed out the big banks, which are now swimming in their profits, we can’t show some compassion for 42 percent of the black population.
This is Kansas City. But it makes you wonder if it is the same in other cities.
It is good to see that after all these years, we have this really great idea. I also know that many people here would be happy to donate the $25 for anyone who is not able to come up with this credit union membership fee.
Maria Baldwin
Kansas City
This story was originally published January 16, 2018 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Letters: Readers discuss a bill to help small farmers, TIF abuse and banking equity."