Readers sound off on Donald Trump, liberals, guns, Planned Parenthood
Trump tantrums
All I have to say is that my 2-year-old grandson has more emotional maturity than Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Mr. Trump calls everyone he doesn’t like horrible names yet says moderators are picking on him. He claims that if people criticize him, he’s entitled to slam them any way he can. That is so very immature.
I simply can’t envision him as president of the United States.
Connie Cowley
Raymore
Liberals, voter fraud
As a conservative, I have often thought that a liberal is stupid, uninformed or evil. Nothing has changed my mind.
The Kansas City Star’s opinion page is weighted heavily toward liberal comments, even though conservatives are in the majority. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback gets hammered daily by these loons. Journalism is dead in this city and in many others.
It’s refreshing to note that maybe Republicans are fighting back in Sedgwick County and doing some voter fraud of their own, after having been the victims since at least John F. Kennedy’s election. Without voter fraud and dirty tricks flooding the country with future Democrats, the liberals wouldn’t have a chance.
Steve Prosser
Overland Park
Guns as scapegoats
I am a life member of the National Rifle Association. I have legally owned at least one gun since 1971.
I have legally owned at least one handgun since 1975. My guns have never hurt or killed anybody.
The anti-gun people in this country need to investigate what Fast and Furious was all about and look at the laws that were broken by our government.
Will somebody please explain to me which is to blame for the latest movie theater incident in Antioch, Tenn., a hatchet, a pellet gun or pepper spray?
It’s becoming very obvious that the anti-gun people have their heads put away and locked up.
Nick Leedy
Raymore
Planned Parenthood
I have an idea. Let’s force Planned Parenthood to split into two parts: one that focuses entirely on women’s health and does no abortions, and a second organization that performs no health services except abortions.
We would gladly fully fund the first organization but not one dime for the second. Problem solved.
Our government forced the split-up of AT&T, the big oil companies and the railroads because they were misbehaving. Why can’t the government force the split in Planned Parenthood?
Robert C. Thomas
Liberty
Minimum-wage issue
Debate on the minimum wage rages in The Star and in City Hall. Unfortunately, the argument is poorly framed.
The key issue is not $7.65 per hour versus $15 per hour. The key issue is over $7.65 and zero. Yes, zero.
The two most vulnerable groups in the labor market are those who will lose their jobs when the minimum wage is raised and those marginally skilled workers who do not now have jobs. These two groups have limited skills and little to offer the job market.
Raising the minimum wage would price them out of the market and set their incomes at zero. This is the cruelest feature of the minimum-wage issue.
It compromises the most unfortunate people’s chances to ever get started in the job market. The minimum wage condemns the weakest and the poorest to perpetual poverty.
Gary Anderson
Kansas City
Oppression in U.S.
We purport to fight terrorism by our aggressive postures and behaviors. We profess to preserve and promote democracy by shrouding ourselves and our global neighbors in a perpetual slavery of fear and mistrust.
We squander trillions of dollars on national defense while the reality of dehumanizing poverty oppresses millions of our own citizens and hundreds of millions around the world.
At the end of the day, or when we take a deep breath to disengage from the frenzy of our lives, don’t we see this all as insane, unjust and immoral?
Louis Rodemann
Kansas City
Gun, car safety
As a gun owner and automobile driver, I have a concern with who owns a gun and who drives a car. This worries me because of the concern I have about the mental condition of these people, along with their training in using these destructive devices.
Laws help this but do not save anyone from what can happen. Much of the problem is with people themselves.
So what can we do in this situation? Not much except pray that people use their common sense to eliminate these occurrences.
Jerry Shapiro
Leawood
Tax burden for rich
The Internal Revenue Service said it will reject all checks for more than $99,999,999 because check-processing equipment can’t handle sums that big (9-15, A6, “Sorry, your check for $100 million is no good here”).
So everyone who has to pay more tax than that (14 individuals and corporations last year) will now have to write two checks.
Understandably, Grover Norquist and Pete Sepp, two Republican anti-tax advocates, howled in protest. They say it is another example of burdensome government regulation and overreach. After all, not all taxpayers are required to write two checks. This onerous burden falls only on the uber-rich. How is that fair?
Fortunately, here in Kansas the wealthy have a benevolent governor looking out for their interests. He not only chopped their tax rates, he exempted 300,000 of our state’s richest from having to pay any state income tax. That means 300,000 checks these burdened folks won’t be forced to write.
We should better publicize this wonderful benefit. If Norquist and Sepp make such a fuss over a mere 14 checks, imagine how many uber-rich will flock to Kansas once they hear we’ve lifted that ox yoke from 300,000 of their brethren.
Talis Bergmanis
Fairway
Flawed liberal logic
The Sept. 15 Star editorial, “U.S. must step up to help Syrian refugees,” begins with victimization stories and describes America’s “inadequate” response and President Barack Obama’s request for funding for 10,000 Syrian refugees. Next is to quote precedent and finally to describe “compelling” reasons.
This editorial is an example of why the public is rebelling against established political correctness hoopla and responding to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who ridicules the obvious flaws in liberal reasoning such as this commentary.
First, no country has ever done more to assist the helpless and hopeless than America has. Why attempt to trash America? The editorial even bestows responsibility for creating the Syrian refugee crisis on America.
Second, why do liberals want to interfere in remote humanitarian endeavors but object to any kind of military resolve toward ending genocide in areas the refugees are fleeing?
Of course, the third thought is to simply request more money from the never-ending pool of printed debt. Heaven forbid that any liberal give up anything when it’s so easy to print money.
Finally, the editorial concludes that these refugees are so smart they will quickly contribute to the American economy. Balderdash.
Calvin Day
Kansas City
Disputed commentary
Someone please inform Ben Wilterdink, of the American Legislative Exchange Counsel (9-16, Letters), to keep his opinions about Missouri law to himself, at his office in Alexandria, Va. When we need your input, we’ll call you, Ben.
Douglas Hitchcock
Kansas City
Go KC Chiefs
Three of the four wheels (starting pitching, relief pitching and hitting) have come off the Kansas City Royals’ bandwagon, and so am I. Go Chiefs!
Joseph Gray
Kansas City
Royals’ lost luster
I’m sure Johnny Cueto is a good person, but my theory about the many losses the Kansas City Royals have had is this: Since Cueto came to the Royals, the team has been losing a lot.
I’m not a believer in good or bad luck, but maybe. Sorry, Johnny.
Marian Watkins
Overland Park
This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Readers sound off on Donald Trump, liberals, guns, Planned Parenthood."