Readers react to the Grain Belt Express, sexism in politics and government aid
Success for farmers
Bravo to the Missouri Public Service Commission for denying a plan for a 780-mile transmission line to carry wind-generated power from Kansas through Missouri to Eastern power grids (7-2, A1, “Missouri nixes power plan”).
The “Grain Belt Express” was touted by environmentalists as a way to create jobs and provide low-cost electricity in Missouri. Where have we heard that before?
Does the Keystone XL pipeline project come to mind?
This time the environmentalists have no problem polluting Missouri, Kansas and other Midwest countrysides with hideous wind turbines and transmission towers.
Damage to be done by high-voltage lines crossing pasture and farmland is indeterminable. Missouri farmers are to be congratulated for standing their ground against the Sierra Club, the U.S. Department of Energy and a huge wind-energy conglomerate based in Great Britain, which viewed the farmers’ land as easy pickings.
The farmers argued that if Eastern states are starving for power they should construct wind turbines off the East Coast. What about turbines on the roofs of buildings in energy-guzzling cities? They could also use clean-burning fossil-fuel plants or construct nuclear plants.
Flyover country should not be viewed as the energy solution for either coast.
Ron Stone
Raytown
Sexism in politics
If you doubt that there is still sexism in American politics, just imagine a woman candidate as heavy as Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie or former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee being taken seriously.
Terry Cracraft
Kansas City
Lee Judge cartoons
Lee Judge is probably the best cartoonist out there. He is always spot-on. We look forward to the Opinion page with his enlightened work. It is delightful every time — never evil like some on the far right.
Pam Bennett
Lenexa
More guns solution
Now that you can open or conceal carry firearms in the Kansas Capitol, without benefit of a permit or training, I assume the legislators who passed these insane gun laws will be thrilled to see the results of their collective wisdom packing heat and walking the halls, offices and chambers of the Statehouse (7-9, A6, “Kansas Capitol gun rules loosen”).
Surely the legislators won’t be upset if some constituents bring their AK-47s into the lawmakers’ offices to discuss concerns or into the legislative galleries to watch the elected officials work. Hopefully, we will see legislators proudly exercising their Second Amendment rights by openly carrying shiny new side arms on the floors of the House and Senate.
After all, emotions and tempers never run high in the Kansas Capitol so what could possibly go wrong? Even if it did, the legislators’ friends and contributors from the National Rifle Association have the simple solution.
More guns. Yippee ki-yay.
Jerry Stogsdill
Prairie Village
Government aid
A recent letter to the editor told a story of hard work and self-reliance. I applaud the strength and courage it took to come back from adversity and become successful while raising a child alone.
However, the point of the letter was to wonder why some people always want the government to help them out.
I find it necessary to point out that the police and ambulance crew who responded to the writer’s motorcycle accident were government employees. The hospital where he recovered was heavily subsidized by government funding.
The student loans he took out to train for a new job were backed by the federal government. During the periods between jobs that he describes, did he take unemployment compensation? Now that he has retired, I hope he is taking the Social Security and Medicare that he has earned along the way.
I hate to point this out, but despite your hard work and self-reliance, you have received government assistance every step of the way. So have I.
Government-assistance programs, from food stamps, to student loans, to Social Security, make this a stronger society.
Samuel Bennett
Kansas City
Voters’ picks matter
Homo sapiens is being challenged. We have reason to be gloomy about our future.
Now that we are able to destroy the Earth, is homo sapiens man enough?
Our species appeared about 100 million years ago. For the first time in a billion years, brains are overpowering brawn. We took over the Earth.
Brains can always overcome muscle, but can they keep from destroying themselves?
The pot is always boiling, and the job of keeping the lid on is a hard one, requiring more money, effort, daring and brains every year. That’s a good argument for extending free public education to cover at least the second year of college.
Everyone needs to know more economics, geography and history than high schools teach.
We don’t need more college to get us better jobs. We need it to train us to be better voters. Voters making bad decisions have toppled democracies since the early Greeks.
We should worry less about our senators’ and representatives’ thinking and more about the thinking of those of us who put them there.
Ben Vineyard
St. Joseph
Capital punishment
I’ve never understood the reasoning behind the death penalty. Are we supposed to kill to show that killing is wrong?
Can we bring back the innocent we’ve executed? (A number of death-row inmates have been exonerated by DNA evidence.) Since Timothy McVeigh was put to death, will we find out who John Doe No. 2 was?
Can this archaic punishment be reconciled with the Christian beliefs of so many Americans, particularly “Thou shalt not kill”? Who would Jesus kill?
Here’s a start: Hold a public referendum with an open vote. If the death penalty gets a majority, the names of all those who voted in favor will be put into a lottery. One name will be drawn each time a prisoner is to be put to death. The person whose name is drawn becomes the executioner.
No excuses are permitted. Refusal to be the executioner earns a jail sentence.
Those who affirm the death penalty should have the courage to act on their beliefs.
Marc Robinson
Prairie Village
Royals announcers
When will the Kansas City Royals’ television announcers learn that they are not being paid to coach the players? The players already have coaches right there in the dugout.
The role of reporters is in fact to report what has happened and what might happen — together, of course, with bios on players, relevant statistics and summaries of the game from time to time.
But such advice as “Got to quit thinking he’s going to hit it out of the park,” or “Just put the sweet part of the bat onto the ball” is worse than inappropriate.
The announcers’ purpose appears to be that of trying to impress all of us on just how much their own playing time has resulted in broadcast communications brilliance.
They should just focus on their jobs, not one belonging to others.
Go Royals.
Gene Lowry
Kansas City
Thanks to U.S. troops
I would like to express my deepest appreciation to all the active troops around the world for all they do to keep us safe.
I would like to say thank you to a particular combat outpost 15 miles outside of Ramadi, Iraq, where our son and his sniper team are stationed.
These soldiers endure 120-degree heat, sandstorms, bad food and mortar fire from the enemy. They have given up pool parties, trips to the lake and going to watch the Kansas City Royals play so that we can experience a level of freedom few in the world have.
So, I encourage everyone here at home to take a minute and pray for our troops’ safety. These soldiers have given so much so that so many can enjoy freedom.
Freedom is not free, so remember those who are paying for it with their sacrifice — a sacrifice that few of us would be willing or able to endure.
James Birt
Kansas City
This story was originally published July 9, 2015 at 5:30 PM with the headline "Readers react to the Grain Belt Express, sexism in politics and government aid."