Readers share thoughts on Gov. Brownback, candidate Eric Greitens, Hillary Clinton
Failed economics
The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics notes: “Generally, economists have found little support for the claim that tax cuts increase tax revenues or that most taxes are on the ‘wrong side’ of the Laffer curve.”
Unfortunately, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and his Republican devotees didn’t do their homework, and now our youngsters who are taking beginning accounting in high school are asking why the governor cut the prime source of income based on a theory that hasn’t been viable over time.
The Legislature has tried to blame the Kansas Supreme Court, which simply has reminded lawmakers to do their due diligence in distributing an equitable school funding formula.
Taxpayers are now told that a special session to correct the situation will cost them an additional $43,000 a day. The only positive outlook is that taxpayers will have the opportunity to replace some inept legislators in the next election.
Unfortunately, Brownback will remain in Topeka, stumbling with a policy of his design. Should Kansas lawmakers be required to pass a reading test before running for office? The Laffer curve is no laughing matter.
Bruce Eighmey
Kansas City, Kan.
GOP TV ad, guns
I was watching ABC evening news coverage of the horrific shooting in Orlando, Fla. Once again we see the atrocities that gun ownership brings to a society that for the most part does not believe in arming itself.
After seeing the bloodbath brought on by one man, ABC news cut to a commercial for Eric Greitens’ “Taking Aim” GOP campaign for Missouri governor.
Mr. Greitens is seen holding a semi-automatic weapon throughout his message, and then ends the ad by shooting a dozen or so rounds, which sounded very similar to what I had just witnessed on the news.
When will our country start taking responsibility and say enough? Guns provide nothing more than a means to kill. Semi-automatic weapons do it in a much more efficient way by killing more humans in a shorter period of time.
It’s time to take the guns away, please.
Roberto Irwin
Kansas City
Clinton’s negatives
Bill and Hillary Clinton have endured continued Republican attacks ever since they entered politics.
Today, Hillary Clinton is running for president, and Hillary Clinton-bashing is good, clean political sport.
It doesn’t bother Hillary Clinton when some Republicans say she has a lot of baggage, but who loaded the suitcases?
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email server is under constant investigation. Republicans suggest she should be indicted, but federal criminal indictments are serious business, saved for serious crimes and hopefully based on serious evidence, which has not materialized.
Former secretary of states have used private email servers.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump promised he would make her email server a central issue in his campaign, and it is, and should be, political game.
Trump has promised to seek prosecution of her if he wins the presidency, and that conflation of law and politics is the heart of the problem.
“Wrong” doesn’t necessarily mean “illegal,” and in this case, that remains the critical distinction many seem to want to ignore.
Hillary Clinton has admitted it was wrong to have a private server. It was not illegal for her to have one at the time.
I doubt she will be indicted.
Charles G. Coy
Washington, Mo.
Media fairness
I think the way heroism is portrayed in the media is unfair. The coverage is incredibly biased toward the famous or well known and practically ignores the average person.
If Jennifer Aniston were to give $10 to a homeless person, it would be all over the news. She becomes a saint for giving away an amount of money that doesn’t even put a dent into her fortune.
However, if a normal high school student gives $50 to a homeless person, which is more significant to him than $10 was to Jennifer Aniston, nobody notices.
It’s the same for much more drastic measures as well.
Examples include heart-wrenching stories where people push somebody out of the way of an oncoming car and take the impact themselves, or when a parent donates a vital organ to a child so he or she can live.
If somebody like David Beckham did that, the whole world would know and hold a candlelight vigil.
I believe we should change the unfairness in media so that good deeds of all types can be recognized.
Emily Lamb
Kansas City
This story was originally published June 20, 2016 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Readers share thoughts on Gov. Brownback, candidate Eric Greitens, Hillary Clinton."