Readers share views on guns, Gov. Brownback, Sen. Moran, U.S. debt
Public safety first
I have three suggestions that I believe would help limit the number of shootings.
The first is to ban all assault weapons except for military and police.
Second, I would like to see candidates for public office and talk-radio hosts tone down the rhetoric.
For example, when presidential candidates refer to whole groups of people as rapists and criminals, or members of Congress refer to groups of people as drug runners, or talk-radio hosts refer to people they don’t agree with as sluts, or when political figures use rifle targets to pinpoint people who need to be taken out, we set a stage where violence is seen as OK.
People on the edge of mental stability can get the impression that attacking certain people is a good thing.
My third recommendation is for a safety net. When Republicans came out strong for making Medicare a voucher system and for privatizing Social Security, the suicide rate among the elderly spiked.
A government safety net would ensure security for the vulnerable, which would include the elderly, children, those unemployed and those in fear of unemployment.
Arthur Basler
Lee’s Summit
Oust Brownback
Enough is enough.
In April we had another disastrous revenue shortfall in Kansas, and there is talk of even more drastic measures to balance the Kansas budget. I encourage everyone to read the testimony of Scott Drenkard of the Tax Foundation, one of the most conservative tax groups in Washington (rerouteroadmap.org/blog).
He states that the Brownback tax plan encourages tax avoidance, not economic growth, and is the reason for the revenue shortfall in Kansas. It has caused other taxes to increase.
Kansas has the eighth-highest sales tax in the country.
We must refuse to vote for any legislator who supports the Brownback tax cuts, no matter how much we might like that person’s stand on other issues.
It is long past time for the thoughtful, moderate Republicans who once ran Kansas to be in charge again. We must take back our state from legislators who disregard the needs of the ordinary people of this state.
If the Legislature doesn’t act, we must march on the Capitol.
In short, it is time to throw the bums out — and that includes “Sneaky Sam.”
Charlotte MacFarland
Manhattan, Kan.
Strangling debt
Nineteen trillion dollars in debt and counting. If we ever fall into another recession, and we will, please tell me how we’re ever going to be able to afford another Keynesian-led recovery?
Saddled with this much debt, we won’t be able to pump up the economy with anything but hot air.
Sadly, President Barack Obama’s lasting legacy items are that everything is political and the ends justify the means.
Plenty of audacity. Zero on the hope.
Jim Eschrich
Lenexa
Praising Moran
I want to express my deep appreciation to Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas.
He recognizes the importance of medical research and cancer care.
His leadership was pivotal in the University of Kansas Cancer Center being awarded the National Cancer Institute designation.
Not only is this important for scientific innovation and medical care, but it also serves to help recruit the best and brightest researchers and clinicians to the area.
It is a significant driver of our flourishing local and regional health- care economy.
I was fortunate to have worked alongside Sen. Moran during our Ebola crisis in 2014.
He was relentless in his efforts to help. He repeatedly demonstrated honest concern and deep interest in the health of the people of Kansas and the United States.
His efforts continued beyond the crisis.
On his prompting, he and I traveled to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to meet with its director, Tom Frieden, to discuss how to better safeguard the United States from health and security threats.
I am proud to know Sen. Moran. He is a humble man of action, deep conviction and selfless service.
Lee A. Norman, M.D.
Kansas City
Tax-free Kansas?
We recently visited Oklahoma City for a competitive cheerleading event, and I noticed something on the return trip that struck me as funny.
On Interstate 35 at the Oklahoma-Kansas border, there is a small state sign posted.
It says, “Welcome to tax-free living in Kansas.”
So, that’s a joke, right?
Richard Ludwick
Overland Park
This story was originally published May 27, 2016 at 8:08 PM with the headline "Readers share views on guns, Gov. Brownback, Sen. Moran, U.S. debt."