Readers share thoughts on same-sex marriage, TV campaign ads and a veteran’s thanks
Same-sex marriage
I wonder whether Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has considered the blatant ignorance of his recent statement about same-sex marriage and its support by Kansans.
Would he support making voting rights for women, African-Americans or everyone who lives in Lawrence unconstitutional if Kansans voted overwhelmingly in support? Would he support discrimination against physically or mentally challenged individuals if statewide support was overwhelming?
Discriminating against one class of people with respect to any real or perceived characteristic is clearly unconstitutional and, may I purposefully add, un-American.
Jeff Roitman
Overland Park
TV campaign ads
Campaign ads, if they were not so absurd and ridiculous, would be humorous. Both parties are guilty of belittling their opponent with lies and accusations.
Their famous closing is “and I approve this message.” This is a total insult to the intelligence of the voters.
Oh, and by the way, “I approve this message.”
Jim Lockhart
Merriam
Veteran’s thanks
On a recent Thursday afternoon, I ventured to Oak Park Mall to shop and walk. I use a walker, which makes opening doors a bit clumsy.
Two young people — one entering and one exiting the mall — foresaw my trouble.
The first was a young lady. She waited to hold the door open while giving me a beautiful smile, which absolutely made my day.
Upon leaving the mall, my last stop was Nordstrom. My legs were finished, and I needed to find the shortest way to the exit.
I asked a young sales clerk, and, with a smile, he not only pointed the way, he escorted me to the exit and then held the door. Outside, he waited while I rested a bit to be sure I was OK.
Unfortunately, I have no names. But to both, this Vietnam veteran gives his enduring thank you for your kindness. You’re a true credit to your generation.
Yes, I know there’s a disability button to open doors, but it’s the thought that counts. I’ll pass it forward.
Lee Hancock
Westwood
Tale of two nations
Thomas Piketty, in his best-selling book, “Capital in the Twenty-First Century,” says, “The 1 percent in America right now is still a bit lower than the 1 percent in pre-revolutionary France but (it) is getting closer.” Those who know history know what happened to many of the wealthiest 1 percent then.
Is a revolution in order again? Without the guillotine, of course, but something needs to be done before any evidence of a real democracy completely disappears and our nation is transformed into a full-fledged plutocracy. We need to vote out the extremists, reform campaign-finance laws, reform the tax code to make it more progressive and prosecute the rich bankers, chief executives and others who milk the system for all it’s worth.
Trickle down, indeed.
Frank Strada
Overland Park
Brewing cauldron
Overseas, we have mullahs inculcating people with insidious teachings. Into this cauldron they produce many terrorist groups and in the end the Islamic State. Then comes the farcical question “How did this happen?”
In our country, we are creating a recipe with all of our factions being mixed in a pot. I wonder what kind of “soup” we are creating. I don’t think we’ll like the taste.
Bernard Zybko
Shawnee
KC Royals, joy
In a year marked by violence, disease and corruption, the Kansas City Royals inspired us to be, in the words of Christian apologist C.S. Lewis, “surprised by joy.”
Bob Marrin
Kansas City
No on incumbents
This country must change for the better.
Young people should tell their parents and grandparents not to vote for the incumbents but for someone new. Young people should tell them they want a future with good-paying jobs.
Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and other countries have created a new economic order and are going for development, building water projects, dams, high-speed rail, power plants and space programs going to the moon.
Young people should say they are tired that the most powerful branch of the federal government (Congress) isn’t doing a thing other than giving its power to someone else. Now comes a lawsuit against the president. Give me a break.
Some are calling for President Barack Obama to be impeached. Our representatives don’t want to do their job, so they must be removed.
If nothing changes, then nothing changes.
Tim Kilian
Parker, Kan.
California overreach
Missouri businesses should be worried by a recent ruling paving the way for a California law to take effect next year that bans imports of eggs produced in the other 49 states (10-4, A6, “Koster weighs options on California egg law”).
Essentially, California passed a law that requires out-of-state egg farmers to abide by costly burdens simply to provide economic protection for California egg farmers, who were opposed at the ballot box by animal activists in 2008.
In this case, the anti-egg laws were lobbied for by the Humane Society of the United States. More generally, this legal ruling means that any activist group can use California’s ballot box to attack California businesses, and then California’s Legislature can try to force those same regulations on other states.
Considering residents of the other 49 states can’t vote in California’s elections, the whole scheme reeks of anti-democratic, special-interest activism at its worst, and it could hurt economies across the country.
Today, California wants to ban eggs. What will California do next?
Will Coggin
Center for
Consumer Freedom
Washington, D.C.
Abortion, slavery
My wife and I watched the 2012 movie “Lincoln,” and I am amazed at the politics and public opinions that consumed the people concerning slavery during that period. The courts, politicians and the public had clear differences on whether slavery should be legal.
The topic was passionate, deadly and divisive. In spite of the differences, the moral choice was to make slavery illegal, and it passed.
One hundred-fifty years later, we have a similar morally divisive issue that is passionate and deadly; abortion on demand. Where is our Lincoln?
As before, the Republicans are leading the way on a morally divisive issue. Where are the Democrats, and why are they fighting again for something the country has legalized but is morally wrong?
Let’s hope that voters can make the changes needed to do away with abortion on demand just as slavery was.
Gene Zwolinski
Leawood
Winning with money
In the last 12 months, I’ve attended four meetings/hearings of the Platte County Planning and Zoning Committee concerning developers requesting to put high-density developments in the middle of low-density neighborhoods.
The only thing I’ve taken away from this tremendous waste of time is that no matter how many signatures are on your petition, no matter how many letters and emails you send, no matter how many facts you present or how many people show up at the meetings, the guy with the money always wins.
Bob Hatem
Platte County
Overpriced wars
Nations are like shoppers. Before they go to war, they reflect, “Is it going to be worth more than it costs?”
Those costs, among nations that have fusion bombs and the means of delivering them, have gone up a thousandfold.
Americans, and other rational nations, realize this. That is why the frantic cries for intervention in every dust-up around the world are being ignored.
We know by now, or should know after three failed wars, that our power to remake a country in our image is limited. And we know that an exchange of hydrogen bombs would put humanity back to the Middle Ages.
President Barack Obama is right. Those goods are overpriced.
We aren’t buying.
Ben Vineyard
St. Joseph
This story was originally published October 9, 2014 at 10:00 AM.