Readers react to President Obama, marriage and student loans
Obama showdown
Even after all the mass shootings, Republicans have refused to enact gun safety legislation.
Time and time again, they have claimed it is a mental health issue, saying that we just need to enforce the laws on the books and that this is not what the American people want.
The executive orders signed by President Barack Obama do exactly what the Republicans have been asking for. He asked for money to address mental health issues.
He asked for increases in the number of FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents to enforce the laws on the books.
Also, contrary to their claims, several recent polls indicate at least 85 percent of the people in this country, including registered gun owners and members of the National Rifle Association, support background checks.
The response from the Republicans was total outrage and claims of overreach by the president. Even better is their claim of the failure to appoint a head of the ATF when Republicans have blocked the nomination.
President Obama has proposed everything his opponents have been asking for, so shouldn’t they celebrate getting what they’ve been asking for?
Once again, Republicans will do everything in their power to block their very own ideas.
Karen Lane
Shawnee
Faith, not hate
It is not hate to believe in the exclusivity of “traditional marriage.” It is not hate to believe that infants should be protected.
It is not hate to believe that parents should be given the choice to provide their children with a Christian education.
It is not hate to believe that our rights are bigger than government and that our rights come from God and not from any federal judge.
It is not hate to believe that individuals are accountable and responsible for their behavior — even Internal Revenue Service officials, judges and presidential candidates.
In fact, these are our nation’s founding principles, enshrined in the words of our founders and our most precious founding document, the Declaration of Independence.
And that is not hate. It is in fact our last best hope.
Charley Morasch
Leawood
Student loans
What price would you pay for your future? Sixty-nine percent of students who graduated from college in 2014 had student-loan debt, with an average of $28,950 per borrower, according to the Institute for College Access and Success.
Of the estimated 30 million people who attended college last year, that means about 20.7 million eventually can expect to leave college in debt.
Why should people who are trying to better their lives have to go so far into debt that they might not pay it off until their late adult lives?
Why should something that is so crucial in today’s society cost almost as much as a new house?
We as a country need to find a better solution to the rising student-loan debt and figure out a way that students can gain a better education without having to borrow thousands of dollars to get it.
Drew Higgins
Liberty High School
Liberty
Gun violence
Stopping gun violence is no different than stopping any other kind of violence because it’s not the gun committing the violence.
It entails, first, punishing the perpetrators to the full extent of the law, not the “slap on the wrist” or “catch and release” programs.
And, second, it’s about enabling law-abiding citizens to lawfully defend themselves against serious physical injury or death with the most effective assets available to them wherever they are.
I’ve successfully used force to defend myself multiple times with no collateral damage because I’m well-trained and mentally well-prepared and I value human life.
It’s the only truly effective answer to senseless and murderous behavior by terrorists or other violent criminals. It’s why we have an entire chapter (563) in our Missouri Revised Statutes regarding the Defense of Justification.
It’s the only thing that works with bullies in grade school, and it’s really no different as adults. There must be consequences for bad decisions.
Seriously bad decisions require serious consequences. And the time between the bad decision and the consequence needs to be as short as possible, which means we can’t wait for law enforcement to arrive when life or death is at stake.
Dick Hime
Raymore
This story was originally published January 11, 2016 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Readers react to President Obama, marriage and student loans."