Readers react to American history, Kansas City projects and Gov. Sam Brownback
U.S. history, slavery
I hope people realize that slavery existed in the United States and the colonies for hundreds of years before there was a Confederacy. Are we going to ban the Stars and Stripes along with the Confederate flag?
And, by the way, the United States exists only because we stole the land from the American Indians. It’s important to point out that there is plenty of shame to go around.
Rick Alexander
Independence
Big-dollar KC projects
The Kansas City Star gives taxpayers information about the big projects that will affect the city and our pocketbooks. Four big projects are up for voter support:
▪ Tearing down Terminal A and building a huge new one.
▪ A new downtown convention hotel.
▪ Improving the entertainment district.
▪ A new home for the American Royal folks.
I believe Mayor Sly James said it best when he questioned “how much we would be willing to be taxed for.” It appears the ones who will benefit the most are the contractors.
We have the most convenient airport in the nation. For those who have several hours between flights, we should help them experience downtown Kansas City or expand our upcoming streetcars to Westport or the Country Club Plaza.
I think double-decker buses from the airport would create a vacation atmosphere.
Darrell L. Apple
Kansas City
Schools vs. prisons
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback should know that history has taught us one thing. You build schools today or prisons tomorrow.
Ed Stine
Prairie Village
Lee Judge cartoons
The only time we will see an unflattering image of a donkey in a Lee Judge political cartoon is if he is on the other end of a selfie stick.
Ron Rommel
Gladstone
KCI monopoly
The “right” answer to a problem depends upon what you are trying to achieve (7-22, A1, “Study group backs new, single terminal for KCI”). Obviously, the study group was not prioritizing traveler satisfaction.
I travel a lot and agree with Councilman Scott Taylor: “We still have the most convenient airport now.” It is a relative pleasure to fly into and out of KCI.
If we have to make improvements, they should not make the core function worse. The plan means we would lose easy in-easy out, being on one level and (the real bugbear to the airlines) short waits at security because each serves only a few gates.
We would gain more concessions and moving walkways. This is a good tradeoff?
The reality seems to be that the airport’s customers are the airlines, not the fliers, and they want a passenger nightmare like Denver because it lowers their costs. Airports are basically monopolies, and this is how monopolies behave.
Plan to come an hour earlier for your trip.
Joshua Freeman
Kansas City, Kan.
Voting always matters
I have yet to talk to anybody who will admit that she voted for Gov. Sam Brownback in the last election. So in my opinion, the real problem is that people decided to not vote at all, and this is the mess they created.
What will it take for people to get off their collective behinds and take advantage of the privilege of voting?
We can vote them in, and then if they don’t live up to our expectations, we can vote them out.
Look in the mirror and determine whether you are going to be part of the democratic process in the future. Just look at what happens when you do nothing.
Jan Alverson
Overland Park
Business in U.S.
In America, businesses can have record amounts of cash on hand with enviable balance sheets and access to cheap capital, have a record stock market and make record profits, all while being overtaxed and overregulated.
I’d sure like to hear an economist explain the mechanics of this.
John Goldsmith
Napoleon, Mo.
E-cigarette tax
I oppose any tax increases but especially one that would tax electronic cigarettes. I was a smoker for 18 years, and e-cigarettes were the only thing that worked for me.
If e-cigarettes are taxed, it lessens the incentive for smokers to switch and reduce the harm they are doing to themselves. The proposed tax would close the doors of hundreds of electronic cigarette stores as users would go out of state to purchase these products rather than pay 20 cents per milliliter more for e-liquid (the nicotine-infused liquid used by e-cigarettes).
Whatever gains in revenue would be made with this tax would be offset by the losses of sales tax from sales fleeing to border states. Not to mention the job losses and empty retail spaces.
There are many e-cigarette business in this state, and most would likely close their doors if this tax goes through. The only e-cigarettes that would be left would be those produced by big tobacco companies.
This tax would benefit big tobacco, not Kansas, because it would leave the big companies as the largest e-cigarette companies selling the product. How could this tax ever help Kansas?
Hugh Brown
Olathe
Kansas officials
Did you ever get the feeling that we are represented in Topeka by a group of egotistical idiots? I cannot find anyone who will admit he voted for Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback.
Dwight Borger
Lenexa
Enforcing all laws
I think all law enforcers should resign. Let’s see how well law is enforced by parents and communities with timeouts and warnings. Let the results of those efforts speak for themselves, and then maybe law enforcers will get the support they deserve.
Sandra Hay
Lone Jack
Voter manipulation
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s comments on the number of fraudulent voters in the state is reminiscent of Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s imaginary 205 communists in the State Department.
Must we again endure a witch hunt as one more politician manipulates fear into power.
John Nelles
Shawnee
Voter ID laws
It is the law of our land that you must be a U.S. citizen and registered voter to participate in elections. It has been proved that there were many illegal votes in numerous states during the last presidential election.
This is why we have True the Vote, an organization that has uncovered duplicate votes and voters using names from deceased people. Other forms of invalid votes have been reported.
Why are the Democrats so opposed to legal voting? Identification cards are easily obtained. People do not have any trouble signing up for unemployment, food stamps or disability benefits.
George Soros is pouring a lot of money into preventing voter-ID legislation. Why does The Star continually print articles against the Republican effort to have voter-ID laws protecting the integrity of elections but always supports the Democrats’ efforts to prevent laws requiring proper voter ID?
Terri Streeter
Kansas City
Dear Chicken Littles
You cried when Kansas taxes were cut. You cried when Kansas taxes were raised.
You must be disappointed that the sky has not fallen. What will you cry about next?
Tom Moloney
Overland Park
Stolen memorial
My mother is Myra Jenks. She was president of Historic Merriam, and as president she worked for years to have a marker that tells about the B-24 Liberator bomber that crashed in Merriam during World War II.
Her hard work paid off when Historic Merriam and the city shared the cost and the marker was placed last winter. This month she found out that someone had stolen it.
I am sure the thief thought it was bronze, but it just looks like bronze.
Mom is 92 years old, and this was the last thing she did as president of Historic Merriam. The city has ordered a new marker, which will probably meet the same fate.
Sherry Jenks Howe
Merriam
This story was originally published July 25, 2015 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Readers react to American history, Kansas City projects and Gov. Sam Brownback."