Readers share thoughts on League of Women Voters, Kris Kobach, politicians, liberals
Kobach’s label
And I thought I belonged to an organization that is non-partisan and promotes political responsibility through informed and active participation of citizens in government. That’s why I joined the League of Women Voters.
Little did I think that I was a communist. But that’s my label, according to Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach in his comments at the recent Kansas GOP Convention.
I have been unaware that while I was registering voters and organizing candidate forums for the league I was actually promoting communism. I thought I was contributing to democracy.
I believed an informed, active citizenry ensured a healthy democratic government. Silly me.
Diane Kuhn
Shawnee
Better politicians
We citizens elect people whose salaries we pay but which they get to vote to increase. We also pay for their health insurance and their retirement.
We do not limit how long they can serve in Congress. They become lifelong politicians and millionaires at our expense.
We who have worked all our lives have had to pay all of the above out of our salaries. They have used our Social Security to pay other debts of the federal government. That was never supposed to happen.
It is time to turn the tables. Transfer all their retirement to Social Security. Cut their salaries in half until they work together and pass a budget and stay within the guidelines to reduce the national deficit. They should pay for their own health insurance and pensions.
It all comes back to the taxpayers.
Shirley I. Kimsey
Platte City
Magic of liberals
I have recently become a fan of the Republicans. The way they accumulate and use power is amazing.
According to liberal rants, the Republicans are waging a war on women, denying the rights of minorities, defunding all aid for the poor and favor giving more money to the rich and pretty much any morally bankrupt act.
They have accomplished all this in the last seven years without having much power. For two years, the Democrats controlled the presidency, Senate and House. The Republicans controlled nothing. For four years, the Democrats controlled the presidency and the Senate. Last year, the Democrats controlled only the presidency; the Republicans controlled the Senate and the House.
Even though the balance of power clearly favored the Democrats for six of the last seven years, according to liberals the Republicans managed to advance their agenda.
Something doesn’t add up. Either the Republicans possess magical powers or liberals are trying to create an alternate reality.
I don’t believe in magic.
William Gray
Overland Park
Old hat, new ring
On Feb. 10, Chris Christie removed his hat from the race for president. On Feb. 26, he threw his hat in the ring for vice president (2-27, A14, “Christie endorses Trump, steps up attacks on Rubio”).
The enemy of your enemy is your friend continues to hold true, in politics anyway.
David Wristen
Leawood
Populist flops
Populism is the idea that the will of ordinary citizens should prevail over a privileged elite. Populism isn’t new. It is unusual that it’s happening now in both political parties.
On the left, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders is railing against the billionaire class. It is a position like that of the 19th century Populist Party.
On the right, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is vowing to deport 11.5 million illegal immigrants and ban Muslims from the U.S. His position has historical precedent. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry said it makes Trump “the modern-day incarnation of the Know-Nothing movement.” The Know-Nothings in the late 1840s and early 1850s opposed immigrants and Catholics. Sound familiar?
Sen. Sanders found an audience because of the 2008 financial crisis and public anger against Wall Street and Washington, D.C. Trump’s ugly strongman bluster has hijacked the voters Fox News and the GOP have been grooming for decades in their attempt to repeal progressive legislation.
Neither Sanders nor Trump can do what he is promising. Trump’s remedies are simplistic and dangerous, and Sen. Sanders seems to have forgotten about an obstructionist Congress.
The silver lining: Populists do not win national elections.
Bernadine Kline
Liberty
This story was originally published February 29, 2016 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Readers share thoughts on League of Women Voters, Kris Kobach, politicians, liberals."