Readers share thoughts on the Postal Service, the Kansas budget and money in politics
Postal Service woes
I recently went to the post office at Union Station at 7:30 a.m., opening time. At 7:40 a.m., someone sauntered (slowly, as if in a dream) to the doors and began opening them.
Another five minutes passed before she came to the desk. Two persons were in the back, one moving around with a coat, and another just arriving to work.
There were already three persons in line waiting for service.
The person behind the desk was sullen and curt, and it was obvious that coming to work that morning was an imposition. This behavior was no surprise.
While waiting in a very long line one lunchtime, I noticed a lady was walking around in the back and only one person was waiting on customers. I asked her whether she could help customers.
Her reply was, “It is not in my job description.”
I told a young man waiting on me recently I needed no insurance, I trusted them. I meant this.
His reply was, “We can only guarantee what goes on here. Once it leaves here it is not our problem.”
Hmmmm. I am not surprised the post office is in trouble.
Victoria DeBlase
Kansas City
Kansas budget woes
What has happened to the good people of the state I was educated in (12-10, A1, “Kansas shortfall prompts cutbacks”)?
Democratic candidate for Kansas governor Paul Davis should count his lucky stars that he will not be responsible for righting that ship.
So much for pro-growth tax policies. I am glad I can watch this debacle from afar.
May the U.S. economic rebound come to Kansas’ aid.
David Zoller
Kansas City
Money in politics
A recent article said that despite numerous cases of military fraud that have produced long prison sentences, the problem continues with a frequency that law-enforcement officials find troubling.
A number of the cases involve bribery.
A Justice Department official said there are obvious parallels between corruption in politics and in the military.
Bribery among congresspersons is actually sanctioned by rulings of the Supreme Court.
What else can you call it when obscene sums of money are spent to elect a candidate, who then is expected to respond legislatively with a quid pro quo?
What would you call the checks from tobacco lobbyists passed out to representatives?
And what do you call House Speaker John Boehner’s busy schedule of delivering millions of dollars to battleground states to influence the election of candidates expected in gratitude to toe the party line?
I call it bribery.
If we can’t find a way to adjust our moral compass, then our wonderful country will flounder in the wrong direction and the sick, weak and poor will suffer.
Robert R. Cook
Manhattan, Kan.
Congress shenanigans
Pork barrel politics is alive and as bad as ever.
How is it that the House of Representatives has again attached so many provisions for special interests that I wonder who is really running the country?
Many in the House represent only those who donate the most, not the citizens who elect them. Just a few of these new provisions would:
▪ Dramatically expand the amount of money that wealthy political donors can inject nationally.
▪ Limit the Environmental Protection Agency enforcement of the Clean Water Act. (Who doesn’t want clean water?)
▪ Negate banking control regulations. (They want to allow those same problems that brought the last recession?)
▪ Cut funding to the Internal Revenue Service. (No one likes to pay taxes, but if everyone pays, we all benefit. Without the resources for enforcement, more and more will find a way out.)
I agree with some of the provisions and disagree with others. But to hide them in the spending bill intended to keep the government operating rather than deal with each issue on its merits is just wrong.
Charles Gordon
Lee’s Summit
Kansas’ machine
Chicago had the Daley machine. New York had Tammany Hall. Kansas has the Koch machine.
Ed Stine
Prairie Village
Medicaid expansion
The Kansas City Star should be applauded for its common-sense stand on health-care reform and on the failure of Missouri, Kansas and numerous other Republican-dominated state legislatures to approve the expansion of Medicaid eligibility, despite little cost to the states and clear benefits to state hospitals and budgets.
It defies human understanding that our Republican-controlled legislature would deprive 300,000 Missouri citizens of health-care coverage so it can thumb its nose at President Barack Obama and his long-overdue attempt to humanize a system that has denied health insurance to about 50 million U.S. citizens.
Extending health-care coverage and Medicaid benefits should not be a political issue. It’s just plain common sense.
David L. Smith
Lee’s Summit
Voting Democratic?
In the next election, I am voting for Democrats because I believe the lies and myths their party leaders spread about those evil, mean and hateful Republicans who want to:
▪ Make me get a voter identification card to keep me from voting more than once or keep me from voting because I’m not an American or keep me from voting because I died.
▪ Stop the government from wasting taxpayers’ money and balance the federal budget.
▪ Punish those who break the law.
▪ Stop spreading the wealth, keep me from mooching off the government, take away my free stuff and have me become a responsible taxpaying citizen.
▪ Stop killing innocent babies.
▪ Keep marriage defined as between a man and a woman, the way God planned it.
▪ Keep God in our Pledge of Alliance, in our schools and on our currency.
It’s now up to Democrats to redefine and transform America to a new socialist nation because the old ways and beliefs are out of date and just don’t work anymore.
Thomas Hay
Lake Waukomis
CIA torture response
I am an American. I love this country, and I am proud of what we accomplish and how we govern ourselves.
I have been a Republican all my life. I can’t express how disappointed I am at comments made by many Republican members of Congress and in particular by the next Senate majority leader over the release of the CIA report (12-10, A1, “Brutal tactics detailed”).
Our nation has always ultimately done the right thing. However, our Republican leaders are denying that the CIA did anything wrong in carrying out some of the most heinous tortures imaginable.
Our Senate leader and others express a concern that reporting what we actually did (which I doubt is a secret to anyone) will cause more unrest and hatred among our enemies. Wrong.
When any nation makes a huge mistake based on bad judgment, the whole world looks for corrective action. It is disappointing that our CIA and some congressional leaders are pleading “no wrongdoing.”
Until that changes, our CIA will not change.
That will result in more hatred from our enemies and, yes, less trust from our friendly nations.
Calvin Wrege
Overland Park
God bless America
The U.S. is the leader of the free world. Polls that conclude that we are “war-weary” are bogus.
Iraq and Afghanistan veterans fought out of dedication to American ideals. Where is war-weary when 10 people apply and one is chosen to fight alongside other volunteers who make up our armed forces?
Sure, most Americans don’t want to go to war, but where is war-weariness to Americans when they go about their lives studying, working and recreating?
I suppose the populace gets weary hearing or reading about war, but people are no more than spectators in the arena.
They can stop reading or watching whenever weariness moves in.
Polls claiming to equate the warrior with the spectator are a discredit to our nation’s heroes.
Carl Stuart
Independence
This story was originally published December 12, 2014 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Readers share thoughts on the Postal Service, the Kansas budget and money in politics."