Readers share thoughts on Republicans, Project Eldercool, Donald Trump

I would never mock Republicans, but I truly don’t understand them. A July 22 column, “Democrats should stop mocking Republicans,” says Republicans have greater respect for authority than liberals.

But how can you not question authority? The act of blindly following leads to dictatorship.

Cass R. Sunstein claims in his commentary that conservatives have a greater respect for purity, but who gets to decide what is pornographic? I know that my definition is different even from my husband’s.

Conservatives will never convince me that Sue and Gail’s marriage is less valid or valuable than Mary and John’s.

I also believe that our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens should be treated exactly like everyone else.

Sunstein states that we need to be “loyal” to our troops and first responders, but Republicans are the ones who have repeatedly blocked bills for veterans benefits.

He winds up by saying that liberals should stop mocking conservatives for “drawing on long cultural traditions and deep moral convictions.”

I am not mocking them when I say that their traditions and morals draw only from white Christians and that they refuse to accept any deviation from the idealistic fantasy world that lives only in their memories.

Claudia Mitchell

Olathe

Project Eldercool

In the summer of 1999, there were about 20 heat-related deaths in Kansas City. In response, Bishop Sullivan Center began Project Eldercool.

This program provides small window air-conditioning units to low-income seniors age 65 or older who are without air conditioners. We are now in our 17th summer and have installed more than 5,500 units in the Kansas City area.

With the temperatures soaring this summer, we want to help as many people as we can. If you need an air conditioner or know someone who does, please contact Bishop Sullivan Center at 816-231-0984.

Angela Fencl

Kansas City

Trump’s promises

The day after I listened to GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s speech at the Republican National Convention last week in Cleveland, I happened to be reading Martin Goldsmith’s book about his parents living in Germany in the late 1930s.

Goldsmith’s father described the time he happened upon a speaker telling people that he would lower taxes and would bring about law and order without mentioning how he would do it.

It sounded so much like Trump’s acceptance speech, which promised to bring law and order and lower taxes but didn’t fill in any details about how he would provide for these and many other promises about employment and controlling illegal immigrants.

I was suddenly afraid of how easily voters can be fooled into accepting a loud speech as truth and accepting easy solutions instead of working through complex issues with some sort of common sense.

Paul Budd

Sugar Creek

Clinton, Kaine

I’ve known Sen. Tim Kaine for the most of the last 50 years and I firmly believe his pick as vice president is the best news America has had in the last six months (7-23, A1, “Clinton VP pick Kaine has deep KC area roots”).

Ron Paradise

Overland Park

Sanders’ support

I understand the passion that Sen. Bernie Sanders’ supporters have for him and their huge feelings of disappointment and even anger toward the process for selecting the Democratic nominee for president. What I don’t understand is their failure to see what could happen if they turn toward another party such as the Green Party or the Libertarian Party, as many have been threatening.

They are not just taking a slap at the Democrats and their party’s presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, but in fact are helping to elect Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Wake up and smell the coffee, people.

This election is way more important than your hurt feelings. Surely, you must realize what it would mean to have Trump as commander in chief.

It would be a disaster. So yell and scream as much as you want, but in the end it’s time to do the right thing and defeat Trump.

David Briggs

Basehor

Royals’ struggles

The current Kansas City Royals remind me of that famous line from “The Charge of the Light Brigade”: “Not with a bang but a whimper.”

Richard W. Dahms

Country Club, Mo.

This story was originally published July 26, 2016 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Readers share thoughts on Republicans, Project Eldercool, Donald Trump."