Letter writers share views on guns, transportation sales tax, KCI
Open-carry gun laws
There are certainly bad guys with guns. And I’m sure there are good guys with guns.
But this open-carry stuff takes it to a whole new realm. Now there will be bat-crazy guys with guns.
They’re even scarier.
Dennis Stratton
Prairie Village
No on state sales tax
The sales tax for transportation on the upcoming Aug. 5 ballot is the wrong way to finance road construction. Sales taxes are by nature regressive, taxing those who can least afford them, and this tax does not affect those who use Missouri’s highways the most.
The proposed sales tax doesn’t apply to gas sales and bans future increases in gas taxes for 10 years.
Transportation and trucking companies are major users of Missouri interstates and benefit from one of the lowest gasoline taxes in the nation. The Missouri legislature is acting to benefit the trucking lobbies, not the citizens of Missouri.
Gov. Jay Nixon has it right in urging people to vote no on the sales tax for transportation. Vote no on Aug. 5, and write your legislators and tell them to pass an increased gasoline tax, a fair way to finance road improvements.
Charles Yaw
Kansas City
Weatherscan loss
If you are like us, you have noticed that Comcast has deleted the Weatherscan channel locally. We used it as our default channel and checked it several times daily for quick updates on impending weather changes. It has been frustrating since last month not being able to get a glance at any time where storms were heading.
If this channel was of any importance to you, please voice your opinion on the Comcast/Support/Channels and Programming forum (Weather Scan Channel Going Away?) or send a letter to Comcast.
Comcast has been directing people to the Weather Channel, but it pales compared with the immediate, local information provided by Weatherscan. This channel should be available to anybody, regardless of subscription level or provider.
Darlene Carter
Independence
Holy baseball play
Thank you, Bishop Robert Finn, Archbishop Joseph Naumann, priests and seminarians on both sides of the state line. The first annual Border Battles baseball game, held at Community America Ballpark was a huge success.
About 2,500 supporters were treated to athletic marvels and a good dose of holy humor, as Missouri walked away with this year’s trophy. Thanks to KEXS-1090 AM for its initiative. We look forward to next year’s game.
Julia Kovac
Kansas City
Teachers’ retirement
The Missouri Retired Teachers Association and Public Schools Personnel recently sent an email to its members warning of the Show-Me Institute’s request for financial reports from the Public School Retirement System. The MRTA believes the Show-Me Institute has some nefarious purpose in store for public pensions, but that is not the case.
I asked for these financial reports because a report from the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Laura and John Arnold Foundation piqued my interest. This report examined the composition of assets that state and local pensions hold.
It found that over the past 30 years, many pension plans have shifted their investments away from lower-risk bonds toward riskier investments such as stocks and alternative investments. I am curious whether this trend is occurring in Missouri.
I think Missouri taxpayers and pension-plan beneficiaries have a right to know what assets these plans are investing in and the risk associated with them. I wonder whether the MRTA agrees.
Michael Rathbone
St. Louis
KCI impression
When you enter a hotel, the first impression you get is of the lobby, and most are impressive.
What is the first impression one gets when flying into Kansas City International Airport? Hmm.
Richard H. Wiens
Leawood
KC’s rain bounty
Weather? What drought?
Steve Sherry
Kansas City
30th District race
So we have a Kansas House 30th District candidate who is just like the one who chose not to run. We will call him Lance Kinzer-lite. Randy Powell wants to continue to run our state into the ground with growing deficits, no chance of passing education reforms, and repeating the message of the far extreme right. All the while doing nothing to find ways to improve our state, its reputation and bring jobs to those who are out of work. Boy stop me if you have heard this song before.
His opponent, Ron Worley, is a seasoned experienced legislator who understands that if you draw a line in the sand you end up being on the island all by yourself. He knows you have to find ways to work together.
There are ways to find compromise that current GOP legislators in Topeka have forgotten. Let’s send a message on Aug. 5 that we not only want our party back but most importantly we want our state back.
Jerry Harper
Lenexa
Helping rich in state
Recently, our GOP-controlled Missouri legislature cut taxes and is now asking voters for an increase in the state sales tax through a ballot initiative.
Corporations and super-rich individuals are trying to get certain business taxes eliminated or reduced. That effort was tied to a state sales tax increase. A Missouri court threw out the idea just before the 2012 election.
Following up on the court decision, GOP legislators reduced taxes unilaterally and found a way to replace subsequent lost revenue by proposing a constitutional amendment to raise our state sales tax.
The GOP-led effort to cut and then raise taxes is an attempt to both reduce corporations’ and super-rich individuals’ contributions to state revenue and increase consumers’ contributions.
Consumers, by supporting the sales tax increase, would also support a transfer of part of their income from their pockets to corporations and the super rich.
Jim McBride
Rolla, Mo.
Voting problems
I read with interest your July 14 editorial, “Advice to the ‘suspended status’ voters of Kansas,” about how Secretary of State Kris Kobach is hindering Kansans’ ability to to vote.
My opinion is that the man is way ahead of his time in view of the current and past problems existing in and around towns in the Southwest United States.
If we follow the advice of The Star, we just might wind up with a presidential election that would result in giving the presidency a bad name.
Tom Osborn
Overland Park
Steve Rose column
I am amazed at the name-calling by Steve Rose in his July 13 column, “Recalling pulpit warnings on religious right.”
He used name-calling and castigation against Bible-believing Christians.
Members of the religious right are labeled extremist. No issues were intelligently discussed. Concern over government spending is a war on our budget.
That is an extreme statement. Most members of the religious right do not endorse a party.
Running down public schools is not the goal of any Christians I know. They are, however, concerned about some issues in public education.
I found this article to be both extreme and without merit.
Allen Bartlett
Belton
Obama’s crisis script
President Barack Obama’s crisis script: “No one is more upset than I am about this (choose crisis below) situation. I just found out about this after seeing the same reports as you. We are doing everything we can to get to the bottom of this and will make sure we identify those responsible. Let me be clear, I am very upset about (choose crisis).”
Fast and Furious, bad economy, Obamacare, National Security Agency eavesdropping, Internal Revenue Service targeting conservatives, Solyndra bankruptcy, stimulus failure, U.S. embassy in Benghazi attack, VA deaths, Russian land grabs and Iran’s nuclear advancements.
Having this language at Obama’s disposal provides the president the efficiency he needs to find time for golf and fundraising.
Gary Pederson
Kansas City
This story was originally published July 17, 2014 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Letter writers share views on guns, transportation sales tax, KCI."