Letters: Readers discuss Democrats’ gotchas, Republicans’ complicity and CEO pay
Suspicious timing
I find it curious that recordings and witnesses continue to “be found” as congressional Democrats seem to pull out new information to embarrass or convict our president at the last possible minute. (Jan. 26, 2A, “House is given tape of Trump calling for ambassador’s ouster”)
The fact that these surface now makes me suspicious of their source and integrity.
Why would anyone working for our president use recording devices during a meeting with him? It seems that the intentions of the person doing the recording are nefarious at best.
I also believe this tactic was part of the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh last year, with Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s witness to something from many years earlier.
I can’t draw any conclusion except that the real collusion is by the Democrats, and the warning I believe they should hear is, “Do unto others as you would have done unto you.” There may be a time when you have a President Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren or Michael Bloomberg.
These accusations have not yielded any conclusion of guilt. What will their next witch hunt be?
- Robert Burger, Lenexa
No dummies
Innocent people don’t block witnesses. Innocent people don’t block evidence. Full stop.
President Donald Trump is guilty, and he knows it. His every action screams it, in complete refutation of any words he says to the contrary.
I suspect that Sens. Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts know he’s guilty, too. It’s not a question of fact at this point. The only question is whether the truth of his guilt comes out now, in the impeachment trial, or some time in the future with the inevitable next whistleblower, book deal or WikiLeaks dump.
Moran and Roberts are not idiots. They have to know it’s coming. The only question is whether they want to do their duty or be complicit in a cover-up.
- Michael Wisebaker, Overland Park
Can’t hold it
I disagree with Gov. Laura Kelly’s proposal to tax Netflix and other streaming services, because non-tangible things should not be taxed. (Jan. 20, 9A, “Gov. Laura Kelly’s plan to tax Netflix and Spotify misguided”) In these instances, you do not own the thing you are listening to or watching.
The government gets its funds from income, sales and property taxes. Netflix and Spotify are services and don’t fit into any of these categories.
- Ryan Schmitz, Lansing
Do the CEO math
A recent column by Robert Reich discussed corporate social responsibility, or more accurately, the illusion thereof. (Jan. 2, 11A, “No such thing as corporate social responsibility”) Reich used hard figures to illustrate his point, but I don’t think people truly realize — and put into perspective — that CEOs’ salaries aren’t even in the same universe as the average worker, let alone the same ballpark.
Allow me to demonstrate: Suppose I earn $100,000 a year (not a bad salary). That’s $48 an hour, based on a 40-hour work week, 52 weeks a year, not accounting for any unpaid time off.
If my CEO earns $12 million a year, that’s $5,769 per hour. Put another way, my CEO would earn in a single year what would take me 120 years to earn.
One more breakdown: He earns $1 million in one month, which would take me 10 years to earn.
And our fictional $12 million annual salary isn’t even that outlandish. Reich mentioned now-fired Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg making (taking?) over twice that amount in 2018 — $30 million — with a potential golden parachute worth $60 milllion … to leave.
I don’t begrudge anyone making money. That’s why I do my job. My point is that this disparity has gotten way out of hand, and for what? What does a CEO truly do? If you can answer, that makes one of us.
- Lane Sekavec, De Soto
Be a sport
By now, many of us have viewed the video of the fight at the end of the basketball game last week between the University of Kansas and Kansas State. The melee was so disappointing.
The Kansas player at the center of the conflict has offered an apology, and the schools and Big 12 Conference have issued suspensions and penalties. Perhaps it’s time for the media to step up and admit their part.
Every time stations go to a commercial break, it seems they show players posturing or blustering against their opponents. In the NFL, it seems that anyone who scores a touchdown is expected to dance and prance around, beyond the point of a spontaneous celebration.
Although it might not end conflicts between opponents who allow emotion to overcome their judgment, what if television profiled players demonstrating good sportsmanship? It might help.
- Burt Walker, Raymore