Barr’s service to Trump, liberal waste and electric cars

About principle

I am concerned about the lack of action taken on special counsel Robert Mueller’s report. I have read Volume 1 and am listening to it again as an audiobook so I can process the information further.

The document clearly lays out Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, yet Congress has not made significant progress on legislation protecting our upcoming elections. No representatives have spoken up strongly enough about issues specifically in North Carolina, Florida and Wisconsin.

There are 10 clearly outlined and documented cases of obstruction against the president, yet none of my elected officials is asking questions or holding him accountable. The Senate wants to whitewash, while the House wants to steamroll.

Where is the bipartisan protection of our country and democracy?

Our elected leaders are shirking their responsibility of their constitutional duties to provide oversight on the executive branch.

I hope they all are able to put fear of retaliation from President Donald Trump aside, risk their seats and do their duties to represent and protect us from all enemies foreign and domestic.

I urge them to do their jobs, or we’ll be forced to elect men or women willing to stand up and fight for our country and representative democracy.

Kyle Katz

Raytown

Loyalties clear

President Donald Trump has found his Roy Cohn, and in the process, new Attorney General William Barr has thoroughly trashed his own reputation.

Let me make it perfectly clear: Barr accepted the position of the country’s top cop, and instead he appears to be acting as the president’s personal lawyer.

During Wednesday’s Senate hearing, it was quite apparent that Barr would obfuscate and stretch the truth as to whether he had or would discuss with the White House cases referred by the special counsel to other jurisdictions.

Barr should review his oath of office.

Dorothy Buchholz

Olathe

Bounce along

Whenever a government employee, such as Attorney General William Barr, is asked to appear before a congressional committee to answer questions about topics related to his job duties and his performance of those duties but chooses not to appear, the committee ought to replace him with a personalized bobblehead.

The committee could then ask it questions while video recording its apparent answers.

Larry Schaffer

Kansas City

Flip-flopped

There was some very depressing information in commentator George F. Will’s Saturday column, “Our politicians have no qualms about borrowing from the future.” (9A)

According to Will, in 1960, “public goods” (defense, diplomacy, courts, infrastructure, schools and basic research) accounted for 75% of federal outlays apart from net of payments on the national debt, and “payments for individuals” were the other 25%. Today, just 59 years later, those figures have been flipped: Public goods are 25% and payments to individuals 75%.

So now, the U.S. government is simply a clearinghouse for tax dollars — taking from some citizens and giving to others. Liberal Democrats should be proud.

Graham Marcott

Fairway

Breathe easier

Last week, a report from the American Lung Association found that Kansas City has worse air pollution compared with previous reports. The report, “State of the Air,” highlights that work remains to be done to protect the health of the people in greater Kansas City.

More than 141 million Americans — more than four in 10 — are still exposed to unhealthy air. This includes families in Kansas City. The metropolitan area received a grade of D for its levels of ozone pollution. While breathing ozone pollution is unhealthy for anyone, children, older adults and those with lung disease are at greater risk from the impacts of air pollution.

However, there is also good news. Although Kansas City experienced three unhealthy air-quality days in this report, this year is significantly better than the 2005 “State of the Air” report, when the area had 39.5 unhealthy ozone days.

The American Lung Association in Kansas & Greater Kansas City calls for the administration and Congress to adopt science-based solutions to reduce emissions that are causing climate change and to ensure that no community or family gets left behind.

Sara Prem

American Lung

Association in Kansas &

Greater Kansas City

Overland Park

Chip in, electrics

I am seeing more and more electric cars on the roads in Missouri and Kansas. These vehicles don’t use gasoline, which means they add to the deteriorating and deepening potholes without paying their fair share of road upkeep via the gasoline tax.

Maybe a usage fee should be put on electric cars to help with the cost of our roads and bridges.

Richard Wiens

Leawood