Readers share views on Grover Norquist, religion and the Koch brothers

Norquist budget

Following the story of the Kansas Legislature’s struggles over budgets, taxation and spending, I’ve continually heard that some legislators have signed some kind of pledge to Grover Norquist. My impression is that this pledge is an impediment to the Kansas Legislature agreeing on a budget.

Here’s a thought. Now that the Legislature has bought a little time — partly to avoid putting state employees out of work through furloughs, thereby denying Kansas families of income — maybe this time could be used to enlist the help of Norquist.

Maybe the Legislature should ask Norquist to submit a full state budget proposal by June 30. If he submits such a proposal, then the Legislature could vote it up or down.

If no such proposal comes from Norquist, then all signatories to the Norquist pledge should be considered released and absolved of any pledges made on behalf of any Kansans to Grover Norquist.

Make sense?

Bruce Rennie

Overland Park

Religion misused

I am agnostic, with the opinion that an individual’s religion should and can only be assessed by witnessing words and actions.

Having never visited a jihadist website, I cannot speak to whatever rhetoric is presented. I assume the devotees on them are hateful, anti-Christian and anti-West.

What I can state unequivocally is that every week our countrymen and women post tens of thousands of comments under Internet articles that include contempt aimed at Muhammad and Allah (the God of Abraham), vilification of Muslim Americans and calls for the deaths of Muslims and the worldwide eradication of Islam.

Paul Gumbel

Kansas City

Tap Koch brothers

The Koch brothers should just give the Kansas legislators the $400 million they need to balance their budget. After all, Kansas is their fiefdom.

Kansans are their subjects, and Kansas legislators are their servants.

Think of the philanthropy.

Larry Schaffer

Kansas City

Change tax policies

We need economic reform, not our local, state and national politicians promoting falsehoods such as a flat or fair tax, which would further widen inequality and the gap between the rich and the poor.

We have more information than ever, yet our politicians seem to know less.

Three decades after World War II, the distribution of income was far more equal. Yet the American economy grew faster in those years than it has grown since tax rates on the top were slashed in 1981.

President Bill Clinton raised taxes on the wealthy in the 1990s, and the economy produced faster growth and higher wages than it did after President George W. Bush slashed taxes on the rich in his first term.

Higher taxes on the wealthy can finance more investments in infrastructure, education and health care, which are vital to a productive workforce and to the economic prospects of the middle class. Eliminate income-tax exemptions, get the wealthiest to pay their fair share of taxes and use the tax revenues.

This would also allow lowering taxes on the middle class — potentially restoring enough middle-class purchasing power to keep the economy growing.

Jerry Brown

Overland Park

Disability payments

The June 6 Star story, “Report finds errant disability checks,” on $17 billion in Social Security disability overpayments and the potential insolvency of the program by the end of 2016 will no doubt become fodder for added attacks on government social programs. However, the story exaggerated the problems.

As the story reported, the $17 billion was an estimate for a 10-year period, and about $8.1 billion of the overpayments have been recouped. So, we have a net of about $9 billion overpaid during a 10-year period, less than $1 billion per year.

Disability payments are funded from the 6.2 percent Social Security tax. Since 2000, this tax has been split 5.3 percent for Social Security retirement and 0.9 percent for disability payments. Any near-term insolvency in disability payments can easily be avoided by changing the way the money is split, something Congress has done 11 times going back to 1968.

If you want to attack government waste, try the Department of Defense.

It spends well over $1 billion per day, and the Government Accountability Office has stated that Defense Department financial statements cannot be audited because of financial management problems.

Dave Pack

Lenexa

Equitable tax plan

I read with interest about Kansas HR 25, which would eliminate income and inheritance taxes and replace them with a sales-tax system.

The goal of reforming our tax system is commendable. I do have one suggestion. Instead of a flat tax on consumption, change it to a flat tax on total wealth.

This is a much more significant source of funds and certainly would raise much more money than a sales tax that would weigh most heavily on the poorest Americans. Not only could a wealth tax generate more money, it would give those with the most money the biggest opportunity to contribute to our country.

I understand that a wealth tax is a bit of a radical idea, but it has at least as much chance of passage as HR 25 and would be much more popular with the bulk of Americans.

Richard Randolph, M.D.

Lenexa

Kobach’s power

Kris Kobach has been whining about “rampant” voter fraud in Kansas since he first ran for secretary of state (6-9, A4, “Kobach’s power grows”). He has repeatedly asked for legislation that would allow him and his office to prosecute those alleged cases.

Kobach apparently thinks county district attorneys and federal prosecutors are not doing their jobs to his satisfaction. Gov. Sam Brownback has now signed legislation that would grant Kobach the power he wanted.

I read in The Star that only 11 confirmed cases of voter fraud had been identified in the state between 1997 and 2010. Kansas has 105 counties, and 11 cases statewide over 13 years seems minuscule to me.

Kobach’s witch hunts will be a further drain on the state’s finances.

Besides, if voter fraud were as widespread as Kobach thinks, he would never have been elected, let alone re-elected.

Judi Vallejo

Overland Park

Kansas non-essentials

If Kansas deems 21,000 employees as “non-essential,” why are they there to begin with?

It appears to me the Legislature is non-essential.

I suggest voters furlough all members next election.

Larry Hitchcock

Westwood Hills

FCC Internet grab

There are lots of reasons not to like the cumbersome new rules established by the Federal Communications Commission to govern the Internet.

Regulating the Internet much like a public utility — a classification developed for telephone networks of the 1930s — will likely mean higher costs and slower speeds for consumers.

The same goes for small businesses and entrepreneurial companies such as those in the Kansas City Startup Village. Many could be crushed by new fees and taxes spun off from the new FCC rules, curbing innovation and fresh opportunities for growth and investment in our state.

Although net neutrality is important and needed, what the FCC did is not net neutrality. The FCC has made itself the central figure to regulate and control the entire system.

The FCC could set policies to create net neutrality, but it just as easily could regulate and restrict the Internet more strictly than Internet providers ever could or would have.

Real net neutrality, supported by both parties in Congress, could help promote innovation throughout the Internet. But misguided regulation could put that spark at risk.

Congress should help fix this issue by working together.

Thomas Cox

Shawnee

Star coverage

Thank you for finding ways to report on our Kansas Legislature that show respect for the lawmakers’ humanity while holding them responsible for their inhumane actions.

Rosanne Stoneking

Prairie Village

This story was originally published June 11, 2015 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Readers share views on Grover Norquist, religion and the Koch brothers."