Readers share views on Confederate flag, right-to-work bill, terrorism
Senseless flag
I recently passed a man displaying the Confederate flag on the tailgate of his truck. Make no mistake, that flag is a symbol of hatred.
It was flown over the Capitol of South Carolina as an answer to the civil rights movement and in support of the majority’s opposition and resistance to desegregation. I have to wonder, what part of the flag’s history are these people proudest of?
Was it the forced brutal enslavement of Africans that their ancestors profited from? Or maybe it was the senseless and horrifying rapes of young girls and women.
Maybe the brutal beatings, lynchings, castrations or cutting off of limbs from slaves trying to escape suits these people’s fancy.
I truly would like to know.
But most whites such as the pickup driver do not want to face that reality and instead tell blacks we need to get over it.
How, when some whites are constantly reminding us of their superiority and their insensitivity to a people still feeling the effects of slavery?
Gloria Davis
Kansas City
Pass right-to-work bill
Missourians have a chance to see their business climate greatly improved by becoming the 26th state to adopt a right-to-work law.
Despite the recent absurd attempt to link such laws with racist conspiracies (9-10, Editorial, “Sustain Gov. Jay Nixon’s veto of anti-union bill”), these laws empower employees to decide whether they want to pay union dues, ending compulsory unionization.
The Heritage Foundation found that, adjusting for cost-of-living variation, there are no differences in private-sector wage levels between right-to-work states and forced-union states.
American Legislative Exchange Council research in Rich States, Poor States: ALEC-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index finds that from 2003 to 2013, the right-to-work states significantly outpaced forced-union states in personal-income growth, gross state product growth and employment growth.
The fact is, workers deserve the right to decide whether to join a union. Like the First Amendment that allows freedom of the press, workers deserve the right to work in their chosen field without being forced to pay union dues.
Right-to-work laws do not outlaw unions or harm private-sector wages. They do, however, give employees more choice and improve states’ business climates.
Ben Wilterdink
Research Manager
ALEC Center for
State Fiscal Reform
Arlington, Va.
Creating terrorists
We rejoice that our special forces eliminate a high-ranking member of the Islamic State, and we are pleased when drones take out other terrorists in the Middle East.
But it would be good to consider that these American actions also create more terrorists. Whenever our troops kick down a door looking for the enemy or vaporize bad guys (and sometimes civilians close by), the American military and the CIA make more Muslims hate the United States.
And hatred of the U.S. creates terrorists.
They do not hate us because of our liberty. They hate us because of what we do.
The struggle with Muslim terrorists will go on indefinitely, perhaps for generations, because our best ways of fighting them (as we must) make us ever more hated in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Hatred creates terrorists. This is a problem for which there is no good solution.
James Obertino
Warrensburg, Mo.
Goofy government
These three sentences tell you a lot about the direction of our government and cultural environment.
1. We are advised not to judge all Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge all gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics.
2. We constantly hear about how Social Security is going to run out of money, but we never hear about welfare or food stamps running out of money.
3. We are cutting benefits for our veterans, giving no pay raises to the military and cutting the Army to a level lower than World War II but are not stopping payments to illegal immigrants such as housing subsidies, free medical, food stamps and free education.
Am I the only one missing something?
John Lovelace
Olathe
‘Fair tax’ not fair
I attended a fair-tax meeting with Sen. Jerry Moran last month. The fair tax is a new way to reduce taxes for the rich.
It would reduce taxes only for the top 10 percent of taxpayers. The top 1 percent would reduce their taxes by $75,000 per year.
The rest of us taxpayers would pay more to make up their tax reduction. One of the items purchased by wealthy people (stocks) is exempt from the fair tax.
This is even better for the rich than capital gains, which cut their taxes on stocks in half. The fair tax cuts their taxes on stocks to zero.
Fair-tax advocates completely redefined the term “sales tax” to make the tax appear smaller. They claim the tax would be 23 percent, but it would increase the buyers’ costs by 30 percent.
The fair tax would have a major effect on the American economy. New homes and cars would be 30 percent more expensive. Construction would drop drastically, causing unemployment.
If a new tax scheme has only positive qualities and no negative effects, be suspicious, be very suspicious. Ask yourself who benefits from the change and who is supplying the money to support the change.
Paul Hirth
Olathe
Civil rights leader
We lost a great champion of justice and the people with the death last month of Julian Bond. He led civil rights efforts with exceptional leadership skills.
Bond was a great man and human being. Lord, give him peace and rest in your kingdom. Amen.
Florentino Camacho Jr.
Former Lulac
Civil Rights and
Human Rights
State director
Kansas City
Serving, protecting
In response to the gentleman questioning whom police are “serving and protecting” when they work speed traps (9-11, Letters), well, my friend, they are protecting you, your family, your friends, your neighbors — all of us. Those speed-limit signs were put there for a reason.
No one simply got bored one day and decided that was how he would spend his day, putting up signs. Have you ever questioned how many drivers the police take off the road because of speeding or, even worse, driving while intoxicated?
These are the drivers who fatally injure and disable innocent citizens every day of the year. These are the drivers who deliberately choose to disobey the law, putting everyone on the road in danger, including themselves.
Hospitals see patients every day who were speeders or were injured by one. Unfortunately, not all walk out and go home to their friends and loved ones.
Perhaps we need more speed traps. So next time you see that officer at the side of the road, think about it.
He just may be the reason you will get home safe to your family tonight.
Is he serving and protecting you?
Most definitely.
Carolyn Milligan
Lexington, Mo.
School money crisis
I began my career as an educator in 1951 in the state of Washington. At that time, Washington had the nation’s highest rate of state support for schools.
It had the lowest percentage of private schools in the nation, and public schools were ranked among the top three in the United States. In the mid-1950s, a conservative governor ran on a platform to cut state support and use local levies for funding schools.
Today, Washington schools rank near the bottom in per-pupil funding and class size and have the highest percentage of private schools in the country. Because a severe gap in spending between rich and poor districts violates the state constitution, the Washington State Supreme Court recently imposed a fine of $100,000 a day on the state until a plan to reduce the spending gap is approved.
The Kansas governor and Legislature have ignored our state Supreme Court as they violate our constitution requiring adequate school support. What action will it take?
R. Vance Hall
Professor Emeritus
University of Kansas
Overland Park
This story was originally published September 15, 2015 at 5:28 PM with the headline "Readers share views on Confederate flag, right-to-work bill, terrorism."