Readers sound off on Bernie Sanders, presidential campaigns, electoral college
Backing Bernie
When rich people’s cars cost more than a house, something is wrong. Greater and greater wealth is concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. The attitudes of wealthy people and business groups matter a great deal more than those of me and you, the irrelevant group.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders has done very well despite a near media blackout and the public’s inability to recognize a core American problem — wealth and power disparity. The middle class is tired of being the doormat of corporate America.
America, wake up and cut through the rotten political system of social and economic frustration. Feel the Bern, and it’s not Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton.
Ronald E. Popplewell
Kansas City
Hate Merchant
I read a book, “The Hate Merchant,” written by Niven Busch, an author (“Duel in the Sun”) and Hollywood screenwriter (“The Postman Always Rings Twice”). Published in 1953, “The Hate Merchant” could be an essay on exactly what is happening in the current presidential campaign.
I highly recommend this short, fascinating book, available on Amazon and other sites.
Joyce Riley
Prairie Village
Electoral College
GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump had said he would have considered running as a third-party candidate.
That was a horrible idea. With three candidates, perhaps no one gets a majority of the Electoral College vote. Then the selection goes to the House.
Any rich guy might buy enough representatives to get elected, and we would have a president whom probably 60 percent of the voters didn’t want.
Bill Betteridge
Independence
Trump candidacy
I want to warn all area residents that as a historically progressive conservative, like former Sen. Bob Dole and former President Dwight Eisenhower, I was amazed recently when I received a fundraising call from the Donald J. Trump for President campaign, looking for seed money.
I replied I thought he was self-funding. Some choice words ensued. Don’t be fooled into helping this mentally bankrupt group drag our country back to the Stone Age.
David Davis
Overland Park
Shameful wages
Kansas City is living the tale of two cities. While Kansas City experiences a downtown renaissance, the janitors who clean it are struggling to make ends meet.
Real wages for most working people have shrunk, and nearly one-third of Kansas City children live in poverty.
We need to make sure we’re growing good jobs in Kansas City. Janitorial pay is so low that many qualify for public assistance.
Profitable corporations pay the janitors who clean their buildings so little that taxpayers have to step in to pick up the tab. This shouldn’t be the case.
Our community is standing up for better wages for Kansas City janitors. Working families should share in the prosperity as our city enters a new era.
We support Kansas City janitors in their fight for a living wage, a better contract and a brighter future for their families.
Deacon Mike Lewis
Kansas City
Constitution at risk
Billionaire Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was right not to pledge loyalty to the Republican Party. Establishment Democrats and Republicans are now two sides of the same coin.
Trump knows that either side of the establishment will continue the slide from our Constitution. A third Constitution-friendly party is probably our only hope for the disruption of the promised fundamental change to our country’s founding form of government.
If the fundamental change is allowed to continue, say goodbye to the Constitution.
Bill Jordan
Belton
Kindness counts
We traveled from Topeka to Kansas City recently to attend our grandson’s wedding. We were hopelessly lost in North Kansas City and stopped to ask for assistance from a very kind man.
He and his wife explained that we were in the wrong part of the Kansas City area, and then they took time to give us explicit directions to get to our destination. My husband, our great-grandson, great-granddaughter and I wish to express our gratitude to these kind folks who live on Northeast Normandy Lane.
We never thought to get their names, but we thank them wholeheartedly.
Fannie M. Banks
Topeka
This story was originally published May 14, 2016 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Readers sound off on Bernie Sanders, presidential campaigns, electoral college."