Letters: Readers discuss Trump’s revenge, Limbaugh’s optimism and teen tanning risks
Honorable service
Purple Heart recipient Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and his twin brother were relieved of duty by President Donald Trump, and Trump promises further disciplinary action against them. The colonels did their duty and honored their oath to support and defend the Constitution.
As a retired colonel in the U.S. Air Force, I have seen Trump denigrate veterans and active duty troops for years, calling traumatic brain injuries “headaches.” Trump, a draft dodger with phony heel spurs, which don’t stop him from golfing more than all other presidents combined, wants punishment and repercussions for military officers doing their duty.
These are the actions of a dictator, not the leader of a free country. If the generals still have integrity, they will protect Vindman and tell the president to keep hands off.
- Allen J. Parmet, Kansas City
Not so fast
I am tired of hearing who “won” the Iowa caucuses or the New Hampshire primary. A narrow win should merely mean that the winner receives one additional delegate out of the thousands to be chosen. Unfortunately, instead of letting the process play out over several months, the networks treat this as a game and hope for an early knockout.
What makes this a problem is that these pundits could influence voters who have not yet cast primary ballots to give up on candidates who lost a couple of primaries. That could also cause potential donors to give up too soon, effectively knocking viable candidates out of the race.
It’s like the race to name the winners on election night. (Remember “Dewey Beats Truman” or Al Gore’s “victory” over George W. Bush?) At least those errors were irrelevant to the final outcome, but calling the race for the nomination before it is over can have real consequences.
- Stu Lewis, Prairie Village
Listen to Limbaugh
I listen to Rush Limbaugh while I eat lunch during my busy work day. This is what I know about him from years of listening: He loves this country. He has great faith in the American people. He wants every person in America to live the American dream. He believes the foundational truths that all people are created equal and that we all have inalienable rights granted by God. He is generous. He knows the issues.
His is a strong, conservative voice that millions of Americans find refreshing, entertaining and optimistic in an age of pessimistic identity and grievance politics. I challenge every Star reader to listen to Rush for one month and then decide what you think of him.
- Suzy Brown, Kansas City
Big skin risks
As a pediatric dermatology provider, I know many teens are planning trips to tanning beds to “pick up a little color” before spring. To many parents, tanning beds seem like a harmless remedy. However, the Skin Cancer Foundation recently published the following statistics on the relationship between tanning bed use and melanoma, a potentially fatal skin cancer:
▪ Women who have tanned indoors are six times more likely to be diagnosed with melanoma in their 20s than those who have never tanned indoors.
▪ People who first use a tanning bed before age 35 increase their risk for melanoma by 75%.
▪ More people develop skin cancer because of indoor tanning than develop lung cancer because of smoking.
In 2016, Kansas joined 17 other states in passing legislation prohibiting minors from using tanning facilities. House Bill 1892 in the Missouri legislature would make the state No. 18 if passed. Missouri minors now can use tanning beds with a note from a guardian.
Similar bills have been introduced in previous sessions. Encourage Missouri legislators to pass this measure and give our minors a chance at a bright and healthy future.
- Laura Ericson, Overland Park
Help for renters
Even in Kansas’ wealthiest county, Johnson County, poverty is something we must address. The Kansas City Star reported that to live comfortably in the county as a single parent with two children, you must make $6,109 a month. (Jan. 12, 913, “Poverty is an issue, even in wealthy area, according to report”)
Renting as a low-income family can be a struggle. As a child, I bounced from house to house with my four siblings when my family could not make rent. Single mothers are often forced to rely on abusive relationships and live in subpar housing to get by. One in four households that are eligible for assistance do not receive it because of a lack of funding.
I urge Sens. Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts and Rep. Sharice Davids to ease the burden on renters by supporting a renter’s tax credit, and to tell the leaders in the House Ways and Means Committee to do the same.
- KayLa Cortes, Manhattan, Kansas