Readers sound off on prescription costs, Benghazi, socialism
Prescription costs
On the rising cost of prescriptions, the health-care industry spent billions of dollars from 1998 to 2012 lobbying Congress.
It’s going to be very difficult to get Congress to allow personal importation from Canada and to allow Medicare to negotiate prescription prices with the pharmaceutical industry. Here’s why:
▪ Members of Congress are insulated from high prescription prices because they don’t have to pay anything for their health care.
▪ Members of Congress receive too much campaign money from the pharmaceutical companies to want to rock the boat.
We need to contact our senators and congressmen to ask them to support the bills in their chambers: S 122 and H.R. 2228.
Get active with a group called Campaign for Personal Prescription Importation. There is also an organization that certifies Canadian pharmacies so people can safely order prescriptions.
Dan Kass
Mission
Benghazi probe
On the Benghazi hearings, the only two questions are: Why did we maintain a post in an unstable region and was the protection offered by the host government deemed credible?
Let’s assume a political determination established the value of Benghazi’s reporting as justifying its existence. International law dictates that the host country provide ground security and respond to increasing dangers. Not all nations take the responsibility seriously or can move as efficiently and capably as we’d like.
Marine guards are posted at embassies and a few major consulates general, not consulates.
One can question whether we should have had a post in Benghazi. We know ambassador J. Christopher Stevens requested upgraded security. We don’t know why he was denied but likely it was for lack of resources. Congress limits State Department funds.
We know what happened in Benghazi.
Eight investigations have reported. This ninth is a witch hunt.
Leslie D. Mark
Mission Hills
Socialist failures
Karl Marx never started a business and never paid his own rent. He was, by all accounts, the perfect parasite.
I would guess that explains the progressive parasite class’s endless obsession with the man who got everything so spectacularly wrong.
Everywhere there is unbridled Marxism or socialism, you find an even measure of misery. Even in Marxism’s crowning glory, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, there still existed a powerful, privileged and wealthy ruling class.
Tell me, why is it that every idea of the left is never an organic development of civil society, one freely chosen by the citizens?
The problem with socialism is that sooner or later it will run out of other people’s money.
Matthew Haefner
Kansas City
U.S. democracy
The Florida Supreme Court recently ruled that the GOP’s redistricting process violated the state’s Fair District Amendment, enacted two years ago to prevent gerrymandering. The court stated that Republican “operatives” and political consultants “did in fact conspire to manipulate and influence the redistricting process.”
The GOP-led legislature was also chastised for its secretive measures creating the map, including private planning sessions and destruction of important documents and emails.
Is anyone really surprised? I guess the surprise is that any state court has enough members with integrity to rule against blatant gerrymandering, which is known to happen in many states.
As a nation, we have to come to terms with the fact that political corruption is so deeply ingrained in our culture that many accept it as business as usual. Under circumstances of widespread political corruption, how can we expect to not have all kinds of social and economic problems?
My hat goes off to the five of the seven Florida Supreme Court judges who had the courage to make a ruling that is a victory, however small, for democracy. Let’s hope for more such rulings.
Ken Gates
Overland Park
Vehicle glitch
According to the Missouri Department of Revenue website, “You can renew vehicle license plates up to six months early.” Well, that's not exactly true. My car is due for renewal February 2016, and for my convenience I decided to renew early.
I had my car inspected, gathered my property tax receipts and proof of insurance and headed to the local department of motor vehicle office. It turns out you can only renew early if you have paid property taxes for the year before your car is due for renewal.
In this case that means 2015 property taxes. However, that tax bill hasn't even been sent yet. So I can't renew six months early like the Department of Revenue website states.
The Department of Revenue has made so many improvements in its level of service that I'm disappointed this “Catch 22” was not more clearly highlighted.
Cathy Eschmann
Lee's Summit
True blue, red fans
I am a fair weather Kansas City sports fan. I like the Chiefs and Royals.
Having said this, I watch the Super Bowl and World Series each year. Each time a winner is crowned, the owner and players always proclaim, “Our fans are the best, and we could never win without them.”
If this is true and the owner and players are honest, why don’t the owners and players reward those true-blue and red fans each year for their loyalty?
My suggestion would be to invite each season ticket holder of 20 years or more to a banquet where the ownership and players have dinner and conversation with these fans. Or give these loyal blue and red fans free parking after being season ticket holders 20 years or more.
I wouldn’t include corporation season ticket holders because they are getting a business write-off.
William Service
Shawnee
This story was originally published October 26, 2015 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Readers sound off on prescription costs, Benghazi, socialism."