Readers react to Hillary Clinton, Republican debate questions and the Royals parade
No Clinton fan
I am anything but a Hillary Clinton fan (she asks donors for $5 contributions while purportedly paying $200,000 for a month in a mansion rental property).
But it amazes me that her political adviser (no doubt paid big-time bucks for supposed expertise) has failed to redirect the media’s attention regarding Clinton’s State Department email debacle.
Even run-of-the-mill widget 101 companies have employee orientation on the first day of work.
All the more so for top-level management employees — you know, like, say, a U.S. secretary of state — who is no less than No. 4 in line to the office of president.
Why has no one taken to task the State Department’s internal computer security manager?
What happened to “The restroom is on the right, break room on the left, and here at the State Department we use XYZ email for secure, encrypted government communications” orientation?
John Blair
Wichita
Tougher questions
I was amused to hear the Republican presidential candidates whine about the questions in the CNBC debate (10-31, A12, “Furious GOP cancels future NBC debate”).
How could any of the GOP White House hopefuls be president if they can’t handle John Harwood, chief Washington correspondent for CNBC?
To be fair, I put together some non-gotcha questions for the next Republican debate:
1. What’s your favorite color?
2. Do you prefer puppies or kittens?
3. Do you prefer chocolate or vanilla?
4. Can you ride a bike?
5. Why does President Barack Obama hate America?
6. Can you beat Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in a foot race?
Marcus Wallace
Kansas City, Kan.
Parade letdown
It was so disappointing to hear all the wonderful coverage being given to the Kansas City Royals parade Tuesday in downtown Kansas City.
The part no one is covering is that many people did not get to see the parade in person because of the bus service.
We did as asked and decided to use public transportation. We waited from 9:30 until 10:30 a.m. at the Plaza, and not one bus came.
We then walked to another Plaza shuttle location to find 11 blocks of people five and six deep waiting. And at 11:45 a.m., still many blocks away, we gave up and watched the parade at a local restaurant.
With school out, I don’t understand why school buses were not used to help get crowds to the parade route.
There were so many disappointed Kansas City Royals fans because of the poor planning of something as simple as bus service that the city asked us to use.
Jeanette Cleary
Overland Park
Indoor e-cigarettes
I do not understand why e-cigarettes and “vapes” are allowed in some public venues.
With the banning of cigarettes in public places, the entire tobacco culture was supposed to be stifled because of this.
E-cigarettes used in public venues cause about the same amount of disruption as real cigarettes.
They cause people to feel uncomfortable from the sight of the vapor and the sight of the e-cigarettes themselves.
They also diminish one of the main reasons cigarette smoking was banned in public venues. They give children and young adults the impression that it is acceptable to smoke in public venues.
I believe that cigarettes should not be allowed in public venues and that we should take into careful consideration what these new forms of cigarettes are doing to our future.
Tommy Sih
Mission Hills
Same-sex marriage
Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said in an interview that gay marriage is not a constitutional right.
“I don’t, but I’m not a lawyer, and clearly this has been accelerated at a warp pace,” he said.
The former Florida governor said same-sex marriage was going to ruin the family structure.
He also said “irrespective of the Supreme Court ruling, because they’re going to decide whatever they decide, and I don’t know what they’re going to do, we need to be stalwart supporters of traditional marriage.”
But his opinion, I felt, didn’t respect the diversity of this 21st century world.
Juno Park
Leawood
Cheering Royals
Many have written in and said the Kansas City Royals players are not heroes. I get it.
As heroes go they probably aren’t. But they are great role models.
They are clean-cut guys just playing baseball and winning. In such a time of darkness in our world with crime and killings, we are all desperate for something to celebrate.
The numbers at the Nov. 3 World Series victory parade in downtown Kansas City showed that. Family, friends and neighbors all came together for something to cheer and smile about.
Thanks Royals: We needed that.
Peggy Corlee
Kansas City
This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Readers react to Hillary Clinton, Republican debate questions and the Royals parade."