Readers react to voting, the Republican Party and Kansas
Vote for future
As Missouri voters go to the polls Tuesday, we should remember that presidential elections are serious business. They should not be reduced to the emotional level of reality shows, sporting events or talent contests.
They have big consequences. They matter. We need to keep that in mind.
We should reject candidates who make big promises that we know are impossible to keep, who refuse to provide details about what they would do if elected, who are clearly more interested in show than substance, who pander to our base instincts and biases, and who try to divide us with us-versus-them rhetoric.
Roger W. Leonard
Republic, Mo.
Pitts column
Thank you Leonard Pitts for your March 8 column, “GOP’s descent into chaos threatens to pull down U.S.” Perhaps leaders of the Republican Party would like presidential front-runner Donald Trump to go away, but they probably see now that they actually created him and his ilk.
When some of them met the day of President Barack Obama’s inauguration to vow he would get zero support on anything he put forth — even some of their own bills — they gave no consideration to what was good for the country or to the will of the people.
They opted to do whatever they could to make Obama fail.
Why is that not seen as sedition? According to Webster, sedition is “incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority.”
It is time for those who believe in the development of democracy to speak and vote against a party that has failed the test in so many ways. Is it not true that we reap what we sow?
JoCele McEnany
Kansas City
Kansas sunshine
I have read so many times the saying our governor uses, “The sun is shining in Kansas.”
That is probably true for the Kansas residents with the silver and gold. Residents with the copper and nickel have to contend with mostly cloudy days, every day. That lets the sun shine through very seldom if at all.
Richard L. Gall
Edgerton
Thanking farmers
Kansas Citians are fortunate to enjoy the benefits of living in America’s heartland, close to an abundant, affordable food supply. To celebrate America’s farmers and the bounty they provide, the Agriculture Council of America will host National Agriculture Day on Tuesday.
This celebration is observed in classrooms and communities across the country. This year’s theme is Stewards of a Healthy Planet.
Ag Day is an effort to tell the story of American agriculture and emphasize that agriculture is part of all of us, but agriculture’s effect on the Kansas City region is tremendous. Even as the number of farmers and ranchers shrinks relative to our national population, agricultural production continues to grow, providing the necessities of life — food, fiber, clothing and shelter.
Today, each American farmer feeds more than 144 people, and agriculture is the nation’s No. 1 export and vitally important in sustaining a healthy economy.
As chairman of the Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City, I encourage all Kansas Citians to celebrate National Agriculture Day and be thankful for American agriculture.
Cliff Becker
Kansas City
Federal debt woes
I am developing bad feelings about our electorate when we allow every wannabe president to completely ignore the doubling of our national debt. This is a Sword of Damocles, and the thread is getting thinner.
There are so many things that would be great for our federal government to underwrite, but it would seems to me that we must start prioritizing. That is what most of us try to do with our incomes.
I want, I want, I want, but we must stop or at least slow some of our programs and slash waste. Where does the money come from?
It comes from us and our grandchildren and our great grandchildren and on and on and on. The interest alone on our debt is a major item in our budget — money that we spent years ago, and in time it will surely catch up with us.
We talk only about bringing our deficit down, but that is only how much we overspend, not how much we pay on our debt.
I am not a Democrat or Republican but a very concerned independent voter.
Bob Blackman
Raymore
This story was originally published March 12, 2016 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Readers react to voting, the Republican Party and Kansas."