Unfettered Letters

Views on the economy

Millions of dollars but no sense

How is the American taxpayer supposed to make any sense of what is going on now? We have politicians who spend millions, for the head political office maybe close to a billion, for a job that pays a fraction of a million.

We cannot find anyone intelligent enough to run one of our corporations if they don’t demand millions, some even hundreds of millions.

Now we are led to believe this whole thing that threatens the financial solvency of most major countries was derived from your and my neighbors’ inability to pay their mortgages.

Maybe we have bigger problems than what we realize, since this was brought to us by the supposed best and brightest talent that America has to offer.

Jerry Jackson

Liberty

Stimulate the economy

Here are some ideas for an immediate and long-term economic stimulus.

Short term: Immediately increase the federal gasoline tax by 25 cents a gallon and use the money immediately to put people to work on highway and bridge construction. After paying nearly $4 a gallon for gas this summer, I do not think too many folks would have issue with this plan. It would put people to work immediately.

Long term: Institute a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with a rate the first 10 years at 4.99 percent, the next 10 years at 5.99 percent and 6.99 percent for the last 10 years without any prepayment penalty.

Ed Casey

Kansas City

AM radio doesn’t preach hate

John Meyer (11/24, Letters, “Fairness Doctrine for airwaves”) accuses AM radio talk-show hosts of preaching division and hate. Could it be that said hosts express a conservative worldview diametrically opposed to the liberal views voiced in most other media outlets? The division exists due to two opposing ideologies; the hosts don’t create the division.

Disagreeing, criticizing, exposing otherwise unreported information and questioning political correctness are not hate. As to fair and balanced airwaves, there are no laws prohibiting liberals from airing their views.

As a consistent listener to talk radio, I don’t hear hosts or callers “filled with hate” toward Barack Obama. Do they disagree with his positions and voting record? Yes! They want smaller government, not more bureaucracy; strong military, not appeasement; free market enterprise, not socialism; adhering to our longstanding Constitution, not rewriting it; lower taxes, individual freedom and responsibility.

If Mr. Meyer would listen carefully to sound conservative principles, he might realize the ignorance of which he speaks of lies in the minds of many liberals.

Antoinette Sluga

Paola, Kan.

Cure KC of its Funk

After viewing the recent expose on the predatory practices of area tow companies in the Power & Light District, and reading The Star’s reporting on Mayor Funkhouser holing up in his house as he launches lawsuits against the City Council for less-than-important issues while payments are made to city employees for actions his wife has taken, I am reminded of the story of Nero playing his fiddle while Rome burns.

Time and again The Star’s Opinion section includes comments by people rescinding their past support for Funkhouser and asking for his recall. If people would aggressively begin to put up signs in conspicuous places demanding that action, he might get the message and quit.

My wife and I will not patronize the Power & Light District until someone takes some responsibility for the anarchy that rules that area via the tow truck drivers, and I hope we’re not alone.

Kansas City, take back your town. It appears to be in a serious Funk.

Tommy Fagan

Leawood

Here’s what should be done regarding Mayor Funkhouser’s insistence on having his wife work in his office.

Let’s send him the message that he does not have our support in this situation. The reason he persists in this irrational behavior is that he believes he has the support of the people.

Let’s deliver this message through a letter signed by all of our community’s leaders from across the city, and let’s have our leaders pledge to organize a recall drive if the mayor refuses to heed the letter’s message.

Granted, such a recall effort would be the largest in our city’s history, but with grassroots support from all quarters we can do it.

Finally, let’s not forget the mayor is acting so irresponsibly because he not only believes he has our support, but he also thinks we lack the will to recall him. Let’s prove him wrong, and make our mayor realize that he is supposed to serve the will of the people and not his own self-interest.

John Kelley

Kansas City

A festive way to help fight hunger

With the current economic conditions, the food pantries are overburdened and undersupplied.

We recently held a 50th birthday celebration for a dear friend. His request was to bring a food item rather than a gift. We had a large table with birthday-wrapped empty boxes, which were soon brimming with all kinds of staples. The result was a very nice contribution to the Village Presbyterian Food Pantry.

There will be many social and family gatherings in the days ahead. I hope others will take the cue. It is a very simple way to help and adds a new dimension to a holiday gathering.

Barbara Alley

Leawood

Business ethics education

W. Waite Welker Jr. (11/26, Letters) was insightful to question the ethics education of CEOs in the wake of the recent financial crisis.

The short answer to Mr. Welker’s question is that most CEOs get little to no solid ethics training. This is because the agency that accredits MBA programs does not require stand-alone ethics coursework. Hence, many business schools opt to scatter ethics topics thinly across the curriculum, claiming that this constitutes ethics education. In most cases, it does not.

Kansas State University does not buy into this lax model. Instead, we require our MBAs to take a capstone ethics course while also offering an elective in professional ethics and covering ethics in other courses. I’m proud to say that our model of ethics education has been recognized internationally.

We utilize this model because we, as educators, have a duty to society to arm future managers with knowledge of ethics and corporate social responsibility.

Diane L. Swanson

Professor of management, Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kan.

Peace in Middle East

Allan Abrams of Brit Tzedek v’Shalom rightly calls on President-elect Obama to make peace between Israel and Palestine a priority (11/25, Opinion, “Peace should be one of the top priorities for Obama”). It’s time for both peoples to join the community of nations, to have trade and travel with each other and the rest of the world, and to live in peace. All this has been offered to Israel twice since 2002 by the entire Arab League, but partly because of settlers who are politically powerful, Israel has thus far refused the Arab Peace Initiative.

Settlers raid Palestinian villages, kill their animals, send untreated sewage into fields, beat up farmers and throw stones at school children. They prevent peace for Israelis and Palestinians at the expense and safety of all, including unwitting American taxpayers who send millions per day to support their outrageous behavior.

Andrea Whitmore

Fairway

Joe the Blunderer

It’s incredible how dumb Sarah Palin is. You think you already know, you haven’t heard the full extent yet. At a rally, she told Missouri Sen. Chuck Graham, who uses a wheelchair, to “stand up, Chuck. Let the people see you.”

When discussing the great Depression with a reporter, she stated that FDR (wrong president) went on TV (not in widespread use till the ’50s) to explain what happened.

No wonder she’s considered quite an idiot.

Oh, wait. That was Joe Biden who said those things, not Palin. Never mind.

Chad Kincham

Liberty

Economic woes

Bail out hardworking consumers

If we are planning another stimulus package, how about bailing out the hardworking consumers this economy depends on?

This new $700 billion stimulus package could be broken into $14,000 no-interest loans to 50 million households to be used exclusively to pay down their household debt. This loan would be paid back from future tax refunds or Social Security benefits.

To qualify, the household would have to owe no current taxes, have a good work history and good credit as well as a to-be-determined qualifying debt-to-income ratio. The money would be paid directly to the creditor to pay down debt principle.

The government should also encourage the creditors to renegotiate the interest rates on the remainder of the debt, thereby giving the families more money to inject into the economy while providing the institutions and companies holding the debt an infusion of cash.

Craig Colbert

Prairie Village

What happened to sacrifice?

I have a problem when I see CEOs of large corporations sitting before Congress begging for a piece of the $700 billion pie. Especially when these same people flew in on corporate jets they refuse to get rid of and refuse to take a cut in their high-dollar salaries.

In 1982 when the oil bust came, my husband had a radiator and air conditioning shop in Oklahoma City. We did a lot of oil field work. My husband gave his employees a choice: He would let some go, or lower their salaries and quit paying their health insurance. They chose. He kept everyone on and gave them a little bonus whenever he could. Half the time he didn’t draw a salary for himself.

I had just given birth to our second child, and we had bought a new car. Luckily I worked for Ma Bell and made a decent salary, but I still had to supplement bill-paying with our small savings account.

Our new baby sat with me at the county health department, not the pediatrician’s office, for her wellness visits and I used cloth diapers.

We sacrificed and we made it. Why can’t they?

Linda I. Schill

Paola, Kan.

Mayor Funkhouser

Council jealous of Funkhouser?

It appears the City Council wanted Alvin Brooks to win the mayoral race. Well, he didn’t, so get over it.

Stop running the mayor down. He was voted in because we in Kansas City wanted a change. Maybe the City Council should resign, along with the school board.

Mayor Funkhouser is trying to help the people of Kansas City. Let’s get behind him and work for a better city.

Could it also be that some in the council are jealous because the mayor and his wife love each other? It think it’s great.

Larry Brown

Kansas City

Ode to Mark and Gloria

Following is the love story of Mayor Mark and Gloria.

Like Romeo and Juliet

They are one very hot duet.

Always together, they’d campaign.

Out of 12, only Mark did reign.

They chose some friends as office staff

But refused a loan, one big gaffe.

A loaner car Mark accepted,

Later on it was rejected.

Frances Semler was Park Board pick,

Illegal workers left her ticked.

Gloria worked with Mark for free

Because she loved his company.

She was sued over Mammygate,

The council joined in the debate.

Should Gloria from Mark depart,

Even though this would break both hearts?

An ordinance was quickly passed

So her work with Mark could not last.

The loving couple was distraught

Which gave rise to another thought.

File a suit for her right to be

Working with Mark in the city.

Meantime, they would both work from home

Till the decision was made known.

This left at City Hall a gap

Which also raised another flap.

The Wall Street Journal joined in, too

Recounting several points of view.

Watch The Star for the next chapter,

Learn how the Funks fare hereafter.

Margie Haugh

Kansas City

Looks are part of TV news

Those women at KMBC complaining that they were demoted (11/15, A-1, “KMBC hit by gender lawsuit”) don’t seem to know TV is an entertainment industry. They got on TV in the first place because they were the pretty one, not necessarily because they were the best journalists.

I was in broadcasting for 25 years and saw a lot of better-qualified reporters, male and female, passed over for eye candy. Providing the whole package is the job.

Using youth, then finding somebody new, is what the entertainment industry does. It’s why we don’t have to fear what the Victoria’s Secret catalog will look like in 20 years and why George Brett isn’t still playing third base for the Royals.

When someone can’t deliver everything they were hired for, it’s time to show some class and move on.

George Thomas

Overland Park

Dear teen, please stop smoking

Dear 18-year-old Sarah Rocco (11/25, Letters, “Smoking bans hurt business”),

I’m sure you are a very bright and intelligent college student. So stop fretting about your right to smoke in a designated smoking area and about bars losing business because of smoking bans. Use that energy to kick your habit.

One of my biggest regrets is the smoking habit t I acquired in high school and college. Fortunately, after several unsuccessful attempts, I finally quit at age 40.

Sarah, you know that cigarettes are addictive, expensive and destructive to your health. Do yourself a big favor. Empower yourself and stop smoking now. You will never regret it.

Vicki L Smith

Lenexa

Head Start helps prevent crime

Lewis Diuguid’s column (11/19, Opinion, “Head Start: For kids, a lot of love and caring”) on the merits of high-quality early education programs like Overland Park’s Head Start Center makes several strong points. As police chief, I would add that high-quality early education is also a proven way to ensure children will succeed academically and help prevent crime and violence in the long run.

At-risk kids who don’t participate in early childhood education are five times more likely to have committed a crime by the age of 27. In Kansas, as of the 2007 school year, 86 percent of its 3-year-olds and 66 percent of its 4-year-olds were not enrolled in any high-quality early education program.

The crime-reducing benefits of programs like Head Start make them too important to cut. We must ensure that kids have access to high-quality early childhood education.

John Douglass

Chief, Overland Park Police Department

Overland Park

Bush-bashing days are numbered

Syndicated columnist Rhonda Chriss Lokeman’s counting of blessings in last Sunday’s Star was a good idea (11/23, Opinion, “Multiple reasons for giving thanks this week”). I thought about my blessings and would like to add a few things that she left out.

First, I am thankful we have had no additional fatal terrorist attacks in America in the seven years since 9/11.

Second, I am thankful for the dedication of our troops and for the dramatic turnaround of the war in Iraq. I think it’s possible the impending victory might lead to a lasting establishment of a pro-Western democracy in that dangerous part of the world and lessen the dangers of terrorism for my children and grandchildren. I can’t be sure of it, but I will pray for that to happen.

Lastly, I am thankful that Lokeman and her Bush-hating comrades will have to find new topics. Glibly potshotting President Bush and Vice President Cheney for the last eight years has been a little too easy for them.

LeRoy A. McGrew

Unionville, Mo.

Boycotts hurt working people

I agree with Jean M. Kaiser (11/23, Letters) that the forced abortion case in China is barbaric and unbelievable.

Unfortunately, I have to disagree with her stance on boycotting Chinese products. It is natural to want to lash out in protest to this unfair and unethical practice. And there have been plenty of good reasons to avoid certain products from China over the last couple of years.

But who are you hurting when you boycott something? First of all, it would take a whole lot of people to put a dent in China’s manufacturing empire. But say we could hurt their economy. Would the detestable government officials feel the effects? Or would it just affect the overworked and underpaid citizens?

The socioeconomic impact might remove the need for the government-forced abortions, because more people would make that difficult choice based on their own poverty.

I think that with all sovereign nations, as Buddhists might say, change must come from within.

Chris Fischer

Blue Springs

Talking turkey about Palin

As governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin’s task of pardoning the turkey this year took on the grotesque. Anyone watching the governor couldn’t help but be appalled by the complete unconsciousness of Ms. Palin while delivering a run-on narrative of her own making.

The interviewer asked the typical questions such as what she planned for the future. Her answers were typical roundabouts that had me scratching my head and asking, “What was the question?”

I hear how smart she is and how talented she is and, frankly, I just don’t get it. I’m not quite sure what her appeal is other than her attractiveness. I’m also saddened by the enormous support that has followed her.

She’s like the Pet Rock. I hope.

Alison Barnes Martin

Leawood

It’s time for Robert Gates to go

I am very concerned about the notion of Bush’s Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, staying on at the Pentagon. Gates has vocally opposed Barack Obama’s withdrawal plan for Iraq. Gates has also become the leading voice in the Bush administration pushing for an aggressive nuclear weapons posture. And even many conservatives have argued he has a habit of skewing intelligence to fit his predetermined policy preferences.

Obama’s desire for a diversity of views around the cabinet table is refreshing. But Gates’ support for the policies of the past makes him the wrong person to lead U.S. military and foreign policies in a new direction.

Vic Burton

Kansas City

Slow down and enjoy holidays

“ ’Tis the season to be …” Oh, my, what will it be for you and me?

Do we enjoy smiles and happy thoughts and times of belly-bouncing laughter? Do we enjoy seeing children filled with excitement and sharing happy dreams? Do we enjoy friendly hugs and warm handshakes? Do we enjoy just being relaxed and visions of how we can help others? This happy time is out there for us if we seek it.

There is another side that we hear and feel so much in this season. People are rushing, and short tempers are evident. This business of trying to find and purchase gifts in a calm spirit is so hard. Feeling stress often is infectious, and it can do harm.

This season is so short. I do hope that we will find in it joy.

Doug Sutherland

Raymore

Thank you to Scout troop

Congratulations to Troop 162 of the Boy Scouts of America who provided us with an excellent reminder of patriotism on Veterans Day with the demonstration of the 800 American flags near Johnson Drive and I-35.

It matters not as a veteran whether your service was World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm or Iraq. Veterans surrendered a part of their lives so that you and I might live in a free land and where we can worship in the manner of our choice.

We all should remember that freedom is not free, and it appears to me that veterans are the ones who have paid the price for our freedom.

A classic reminder of the service provided by veterans was the flag demonstration. We all owe the scout troop a thank you for their timely reminder.

Benton T. Munday

Prairie Village

Views on the U.S. economic woes

Opinions on aiding the Big Three

Like Lawrence MacLachlan (11/22, Letters), I grew up in Detroit, on the east side. When I drive through my old neighborhood, wonderful memories emerge, along with tears for what it once was.

Hard times are not new to Detroit. There have always been strikes and layoffs. What is different are the attitudes.

A worker today looks into the TV camera and cries about how they will not have a Christmas in anticipation of being laid off. One time when I was a kid, my dad — and most of Detroit — was laid off or on strike for nine months, and we kids never knew his worries. He just kept working any odd job that he could find.

Please TV reporters, the poor are still quietly helping the poor. Find them and tell their story.

Barbara Smith

Shawnee

Steven Addison (11/24, Letters) writes that we owe the unions a “thank you.” He states: “Those of you do not belong to a union should thank a union worker every time you meet one.”

Steven, I don’t feel the need to thank the United Auto Workers from the old Fisher Body Leeds plant. In the ’70s, they used to giggle about striking while talking in the restaurant across the street. One plan I heard included placing lug nuts inside car doors during assembly, which guaranteed a rattle for a customer. Not much thanks needed there, is there?

Then there were the union Kansas City firefighters who staged a strike three times: 1975, 1979 and 1980. Among the things we need to thank them for is that they walked out on a half million citizens of Kansas City, leaving them without professional fire protection. Who wouldn’t want to thank them?

Union air traffic controllers? In 1981, President Reagan pink-slipped about 11,000 air traffic controllers who walked out in violation of their contract and federal law. Some were quoted as saying they thought Reagan was bluffing. Apparently, he wasn’t.

No, Steven, I don’t owe them any thanks.

Larry Dickstein

Lone Jack

I wonder why the Honda and Toyota people are not begging for a bailout.

Bob Bacchus

Kansas City

Bailout for Citigroup

What’s with all this hand-wringing about a lousy $25 billion in bailout funds for the auto industry?

We just gave Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson (an unelected official) almost 30 times that amount to do with as he pleases. The pork-barrel spending alone in the Wall Street rescue bill dwarfs anything that has been proposed for the auto industry. Citigroup just received an additional $20 billion to go with its previous $25 billion. It needs the money to finish building a new ballpark for the New York Mets.

Perhaps its time to make Paulson king and give him another trillion dollars to play with. Maybe we can build a new stadium for every professional sports franchise in the country.

Let’s keep our priorities in order.

Bill Kuhlmann

Independence

The taxpayers are being asked to bail out Citigroup from bankruptcy.

If we lend Citgroup the money, certain conditions should apply. They should be treated as a poor credit risk and charged 28.99 percent interest. If they fail to meet any of the conditions, interest will increase to 39.99 percent.

What goes around comes around.

Suzanne Colbert

Gladstone

Use money to create jobs

I am glad that we are a nation that helps those who are in need. My concern is that we are continually finding ourselves in a financial crisis, and we are going to be out of money.

We have increased by almost a million people within the last year who are in need of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. I wonder if some or any of the billions of dollars that have been floating around in the air are going to be used to actually get our nation back on its feet. I wonder if any of the money will benefit our supplemental programs, our schools, health insurance and all of the other financial issues that have been affecting us.

Let’s find a solution to decrease poverty. I believe the bailout money should be used to create more jobs. More jobs would make it less likely that people would need to use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Let’s begin to rebuild our nation and start meeting the needs of our people by strengthening small businesses.

Brandy Herrera

Kansas City, Kan.

Pure capitalism doesn’t exist

Mark Robertson (11/25, Letters, “Obama supporters ill-informed”) calls Obama’s economic plan “socialistic wealth redistribution.” He merely spews more supply-side Reaganomics tripe. That angle has reached a cyclical bottom, and to maintain this status quo is ignorant.

Our suppliers of goods and credit are crumbling. Mr. Robertson offers “capitalism” as a solution. But there are no pure economic systems. These ideals are used only for analysis. The problem is people. People cheat, people lie, people steal, and people commit all varieties of crimes to secure themselves wealth. These human inclinations quickly and radically change any economic studies that lead to official policy

Any system we adopt now must include more oversight, not less, as we now painfully see. The supply-side has cycled out, and it’s time to create real jobs and demand. Frankin Delano Roosevelt did it successfully, and not too many people look back at him as a socialist.

John D. Colle

Blue Springs

Crying ‘socialism’ a scare tactic

I read with great interest Roger Merryfield’s Midwest Voices column (11/22, Opinion, “A post-election primer on the new ‘fairness’.”). How useless are inaccurate, sarcastic rants from poor-loser Republicans during this time of crisis?

This is the U.S.A. No one is going to try, or be successful at, implementing a socialist system into our economy. To say otherwise is another example of the politics of fear that the American voter clearly demonstrated that they no longer want to be a part of.

Rob Meacham

Overland Park

Control deer herds with hunts

We are sure we are not the only ones tired of hearing about the deer population getting out of control and roaming into the suburbs (11/25, Local, “Deer numbers raise worry; Shawnee Mission Park says herd threatens fragile ecosystems and the health of visitors”).

There is a very easy solution to this problem: managed deer hunts. It has worked at such parks as Burr Oak Woods and Fleming Park. And for a double winning situation, the meat can be donated to Share the Harvest and help feed our hungry.

Yet many people are against the killing of Bambi’s parents. If these people don’t support these hunts, then they have no reason to be angry about these deer eating their flowers and rubbing on their trees.

There is a food chain in nature, and if one population gets out of control in this circle, we’ll see the consequences. We are the top of the food chain, and it is our responsibility to manage it.

Nick Parks

Kansas City

Matt Anderson

Kansas City

Athletes’ drug use exaggerated

I agree with Jason Whitlock when he says that the federal government, including our incoming president, needs to focus its attention outside intercollegiate athletics (11/23, Sports, “Obama fumbles political football”). However, Whitlock is guilty of the same offense he suggests Barack Obama avoid — talking about an issue he knows nothing about.

There is no evidence to support Whitlock’s statement that “the use of performance-enhancing drugs is out of control within most athletic departments.” In fact, the opposite is true. The use of anabolic steroids in college athletics peaked in the late 1980s and has been on the decline since then. This is documented and published in national studies that have been monitoring this problem since 1985.

One of the greatest challenges we have in the field of drug-use deterrence is educating our young athletes that the norm is nonuse. When sports writers exaggerate the drug-use problem, they aren’t being merely inaccurate — they are being reckless. A substantial majority of college athletes are drug-free. This isn’t wishful thinking; it’s a fact.

Mr. Whitlock, when addressing concerns in the sports world, we want to hear “Thoughtful Jason.”

Frank D. Uryasz

President, The National Center# for Drug Free Sport, Inc.

Kansas City

Fairness Doctrine unnecessary

I would like to respond to those who would like to see the Fairness Doctrine reinstated so that there can be regulation of certain programs or talk-show hosts who happen to have a differing opinion other than their own.

Whenever people complained about a new TV show that might contain offensive content, they were told to deal with it and change the channel or turn the TV off if they didn’t like it. So I say to you the same thing. Deal with it.

Why is it so hard to change the radio station or turn it off completely? Have you ever heard of putting in a CD or a cassette? Why not invest in a satellite radio? You can find plenty of news and talk radio to your liking there.

Talk radio, just like TV shows, news channels and the newspaper, is driven by ratings. If you turn it off, change the channel or quit subscribing to it, it will go away on its own without the unnecessary regulation of the Fairness Doctrine.

Kellis Miller

Blue Springs

Arm ships to fight pirates

I was on a cargo ship during World War II. We were not afraid of pirates, as we were armed. All World War II ships still have their gun mounts, so why not use them?

This would be a simple solution to piracy. Arm the ships themselves, as piracy is just another type of warfare. This would be much cheaper than assigning naval vessels to protect shipping lanes (11/21, A-10, “As pirates prowl, nations try to react”).

Or maybe they could go back to protective convoys?

Don Airington

Kansas City

Wars over, but troops remain

World War II ended in 1945, 63 years ago, but we still have military personnel in Germany and Japan.

The Korean War, or police action, ended, or supposedly ended, in 1953. That was 55 years ago, but we still have military personnel in South Korea.

When the two candidates were campaigning for election on Nov. 4, I never heard either one of them say a word about bringing troops home.

I believe our military personnel have been there too long and are no longer essential to the security of the continental United States. If someone would say they have not been there long enough, please say how many years would be long enough.

Raymond Lungren

Kansas City, Kan.

Thanks for self-defense class

I would like to say thank you to everyone involved with Bob “Thunder” Thurman’s “Counter Attactics” self -defense class that took place Nov.15 at Harris Park Community Center in Lee Summit.

My daughter Elizabeth and I attended the afternoon class. I never thought that a three-hour self-defense class could change my outlook on life so much, but it did.

Thurman, a Professional Karate Association World Champion from 1982 to 1990, developed the “Counter Attactics” program after his life was turned upside down by an unprovoked attack on his pregnant wife.

With violence at the level it is today, everyone needs a bodyguard. Thurman’s program teaches you how to be your own personal bodyguard and gives you the self-confidence do so.

Thank you once again for changing my and so many others’ outlook on life.

Penny Mizener

Kansas City

On bailouts and the state of the economy

Bailouts won’t help much

I am 85 years old and I have seen a lot in my years. I am a veteran of World War II and went through the Depression. Now things are in bad shape, and we are going down the same road as we went in 1929.

I think this all started back in 2000 when President Bush, Phil Gramm and yes, Alan Greenspan let the risky financial industry get blocked from regulations. They were told five years ago where we were headed by Warren Buffett. Now they are pointing fingers at everyone else. They let the housing marketplace run wild and explode till it went down to where it is now.

This bailout is not going to help much. It all adds up to greed and power from big money. I may be wrong, but I think not. The working class has been stepped on for too long, and it’s time to change.

Kenneth White

Kansas City, Kan.

The Oct. 3 bailout bill was passed when Congress felt compelled to act or the “historical crisis” would allegedly become many times worse. But would it have?

During the House debate before the initial defeat of the bill, its opponents saw it as a “mud sandwich” later made only grudgingly edible by adding plenty of pork. Therefore, would not acting perhaps have avoided the domino effect of election politicking, panic and serial bailouts after the bill’s passage, since its purpose — to unclog toxic debt and get credit flowing again — was changed to buying banks instead?

Isn’t that like someone calling a plumber to unclog their home’s drain but after looking around the plumber decides it may be better just to buy the house?

S.A. Zobans

Independence

We, the people, need help

It’s odd that since Barack Obama won, several issues have come to the forefront. These issues — taxation, inflation, unemployment, foreclosures, cover-ups, rebuilding America’s reputation and pulling out of Iraq — have all existed and worsened in eight years through a do-nothing president. But suddenly Congress wants to act?

And when they do, they help big corporations who contributed to this mess with their greedy, lackadaisical attitudes, knowing that no matter how bad their bottom line, they’d still become millionaires.

Yes, gas has gone down. Whoopee! Of course, our lame duck president wants something good to be said about his tenure. But we can’t afford skyrocketing food or utilities. We wonder how we can afford to feed our families, while these corporate executives’ salaries could very well bail out thousands in a heartbeat.

Something’s wrong with this picture. When will someone on Capitol Hill start helping us, “the people?”

Susan Dickey

Kansas City

Economic mess is our own fault

Everyone is all sad about the economy. Guess what? We, the people, are responsible for the mess we are in.

If you want to know what happened, it all started years ago. We wanted to buy things cheaper — imports. Then the unions wanted guarantees and free benefits. Then corporations built plants offshore.

If you still don’t understand, go to a shopping center and count the imported cars in the parking lot. Inside the shopping area, pick up anything and see where it is made. Then you will understand what happened to the economy. It’s simple. We don’t make anything anymore.

Ken Anderson

Independence

Blame greed for bad economy

It goes back centuries. When there is trouble on board the ship, don’t blame the sailors. This applies to:

The cost of the war. Dale Carnegie said, “When you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.” Our elected officials knew it was wrong in 2003 and could have cut off funding but didn’t.

Excessive credit by bankers. They begin corrupting students on campus with plastic.

Wall Street sold bad packaged mortgages all over the world and knew they were bad.

Deceptive credit ratings of AAA on bad packaged mortgages.

Alan Greenspan caused the housing bubble by lowering interest rates.

And people want to blame the workers! If none of the five above had happened, we’d be enjoying a surplus in the annual national budget. The problem is amoral, unethical and greedy leadership, and these role models are influencing the youth of today.

Dennis L. Maloney

Prairie Village

Thoughts on Obama presidency

Obama, stand up for taxpayers

President-elect Obama, we are expecting real changes. It’s up to you to stop the “crime” of short-term fixes, after-the-fact bailouts and unearned rewards.

If banks, mortgage lenders, automobile executives and labor leaders don’t understand the four-letter word “risk,” or choose to let others worry about it later, and our government continues to buy its way out of their irresponsibility, then don’t blame us if we misunderstand, or misdirect our understanding of, the term “taxpayer.”

Two quotations seem appropriate:

“Freedom lies on the far side of intelligent discipline.”

“The trouble with planning is you have to think — ahead!”

Richard Muther

Kansas City

We must be willing to change

Francis Slobodnik (11/15, Letters) is disturbed by the “notion that change, whatever it is, must be good, just because it is change.”

Maybe change isn’t always good, but history has shown that most of the nations that have fallen in the past were hampered by the inability to change. It was when a nation and its leaders thought they were invincible. This brought about their downfall.

They who do not learn from past mistakes are bound to repeat them. Change may not solve all problems, but neither does a head in the sand.

Tom Krasick

Shawnee

U.S. voters a fickle bunch

Our elections show that we are a nation of mind-changers.

When was the last time a new president-elect succeeded an outgoing president of the same political party? I had to think a bit to remember. Answer: It was a full 20 years ago, in 1989, when President George Bush succeeded outgoing President Ronald Reagan.

If 20 years seems like a long time since we did not change political parties at the election of a new president, when was the last time before 1988 that we did not change political parties as the result of such an election? How about 60 years ago? I was only a grade school student when it happened — in 1929 when President Coolidge turned the White House over to President Hoover.

How long will it be before the next time?

Robert B. Langworthy

Prairie Village

Precious Doe killer’s sentence

A Jackson County judge called Precious Doe’s killer “a textbook sociopath” at his sentencing. So why didn’t he go the extra mile and change the verdict to death?

So Harrell Johnson will go to prison. He will be fed three squares a day, might get to watch his favorite TV shows and most likely will not be in the inmate population. Johnson will never have to pay taxes again and won’t have to worry about where he is going to sleep.

So this is punishment? When did these monsters become victims, and their victims don’t matter? It sickens me to think he will have a protector in prison when Erica, an innocent, had none.

Vic Ortega

North Kansas City

Mayor should focus on crime

I am concerned that our beautiful city is fast becoming a war zone. One can rarely view local news or read The Star without reports of additional violence (homicides, rapes, carjacking or theft) in our city.

What are our city leaders doing to solve this situation? I really do not care if Mayor Funkhouser works on city business from City Hall or Brookside, but I do want to hear from him that he is dealing with the violence that is consuming our city. I see our mayor riding the trolley to promote light rail, lifting metal plates from streets and pumping gas.

I want to hear, see and read anything about what he is doing to promote safe neighborhoods in Kansas City rather than learn about his lawsuit with the city over volunteers at City Hall.

We should challenge Mayor Funkhouser to give the city his plans for dealing with the violence, concentrate on the real issues and do the job he was elected to do.

Roscoe G. Bernard

Kansas City

Irresponsible pet owners

I found your dog the other night. He was shivering on a dark country road, all 14 pounds of him.

He was very grateful to be in my warm arms. He’s very sweet. He also was not wearing a collar, is not neutered or housebroken and doesn’t know how to walk on a leash or play with toys.

So you weren’t really a very responsible pet owner, were you? Something tells me you really didn’t “lose” him either.

Mary Kay Ritter

Holt, Mo.

Bottled water healthy option

Washington University’s decision to stop selling bottled water will simply deny students a healthy beverage option (11/17, Local, “Across Missouri.”) Much of the increase in bottled water in the past several years has simply replaced drinking beverages with caffeine or sugar. Denying the option to buy bottled water is likely to increase consumption of other bottled drinks. It will also make it more difficult for students engaged in sports to stay hydrated.

In addition to Washington University, bottled water is being removed from many campuses as well as being taxed and regulated in many cities because politically correct environmental activists are spreading misinformation about its impact. Yet my research on bottled water, which is available at www.enjoybottledwater.org, debunks many of the myths and demonstrates that bottled water has a safety record that is better than tap.

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency recommend bottled water for people with compromised immune systems because it is more reliable than tap water.

Denying consumers the opportunity to choose a healthy beverage on campuses or anywhere else is simply foolish and unfair.

Angela Logomasini

Director of risk and environmental policy, Competitive Enterprise Institute

Washington

Cooperating for a good cause

On a recent Saturday I found a note on my door announcing that the youth group from the Leawood Baptist Church would be collecting food for the Prairie Village Presbyterian Food Pantry.

As a member of a third church in the area, I am delighted to help support this wonderful example of community cooperation. Congratulations to these young people and their sponsors.

Dot Kirklin

Leawood

Thanksgiving thoughts from readers

Editor’s note: No political arguing or economic pondering today, just a plateful of gratitude. Thank you for sharing your thankful thoughts. Happy Thanksgiving!

As I recount my reasons to be thankful, I’m humbled to remember that not everyone is so blessed. I’m thankful for two healthy sons (one born three months ago) and my job, since my husband got laid off in September. I’m thankful that said husband is loving, caring and a great help around the house.

I’m thankful we have a home and money for food, things we often take for granted. I’m grateful for the love and support of friends and family. And most of all, I’m thankful that the source of all these blessings — the God of the universe — loves me (and you) enough to provide them and carry us through tough times.

If we remember to truly love those around us, we might be a reason someone else is thankful.

Jodi Bertram

Shawnee

I know my many blessings are impossible to count. But I tend to be unthankful and fuss. Sadly, my son inherited this unlucky gene. I’m trying to help him. If he has one balloon but is grumbling for another, I take away the one he has. “If you can’t be thankful for what you have, you can do without.” But what about me?

Suppose the day I complained about the mound of dirty laundry, the closet would empty? Or when I fussed because I wearied of cooking, the stove would quit? Or when I wished I could stay in bed all day, suppose I’d develop a dread disease and truly stay there? The thought is scary.

So right now, I’m thankful for a son like mine. I can learn from him. I’m thankful for a land of opportunity where I can serve God without fear. I’m thankful for a large circle of family and friends. Life is blessed when we share it.

Lastly, I’m thankful to God for life, love and salvation through his Son. Truly I am blessed.

Lois Graber

Richmond, Mo.

I’m just your average teenager.

There are clothes on my back, food on the table and a roof over my head. But sometimes, I forget all that, in light of a new cell phone or a new Jonas Brothers CD.

This year, however, I take in the world around me and wonder how I could ever take anything for granted — my home, my friends and family, all of it.

This Thanksgiving, I’m not just thankful for the bare essentials, but for everything: 16 years worth of blessings. Every friend, every mistake, every experience; they all make me who I am.

In a world that calls for change, sometimes that’s all you have: yourself. I’m thankful for who I am, and everything and every person who helped me get here.

I’m just your average teenager.

Claudia Tran

Overland Park

I am thankful for my family that continues to grow, knowing others are alone.

I am thankful for my home, knowing others have no home.

I am thankful for our grocery stores and the vast choices available, knowing many go hungry.

I am thankful for the privilege of voting, knowing people in other parts of the world have lost their lives trying to do what so many of us take for granted.

Anita Wheeler

Independence

I began 2008 with losing my Bible, a cherished first anniversary gift from my husband, 11 years worth of notes marked inside.

Our family derives 100 percent of our income from the residential real estate market. We began noticing a market shift in November 2007 and have been scrambling all year to reinvent how we do business to defend against a significant decrease in this year’s income over last.

In September, exactly one week to the day before our catastrophic health insurance policy was to be replaced with a great, comprehensive one, swollen lymph nodes were found during an emergency appendectomy. The diagnosis was made three days later on our 12th wedding anniversary: Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

People wonder how I could possibly be thankful this season. But I am more thankful this year than any in recent memory. Our struggle has caused me to cling even more to God, allowing me to know him in a way that I never would have otherwise.

Choosing thankfulness has allowed me to realize I’m the richest woman I know.

Jean Janner

Olathe

Thanksgiving Day is my 68th birthday. Great thanks for my life to the Lied Liver Transplant Center in Omaha, blood donors and a donor who chose to check the donation box.

Thanks are given to another donor who gave double lungs to a close friend who received that gift in St. Louis in August.

My transplant was in 2004, and now I share in the lives of my family, drive again and live on my own. Miracles!

I am thankful for magic moments with grandchildren: a phone call from my 5-year-old grandson saying “I am good reader, Grandmother”; hearing my 8-year-old granddaughter sing a prayer before her dad’s birthday; helping a 10-year-old adopt a Christmas family.

Bless those who donate blood and organs. Profound thanks pour from my heart for these generous gifts of life.

Cheryl Barnett McLaughlin

Shawnee

We are thankful to be living among the most giving people on Earth. People who are the first to rush in when disaster strikes, however distant. People whose workplaces, churches, service and social organizations freely extend helping hands.

And for little people who are so serious as they place cans in their schools’ Harvesters bins or write thank-you notes to soldiers. Also, for teenage people who donate blood or sleep in cardboard boxes to solicit funds for the homeless, or sew neck coolers for battlefield troops or study ballroom steps to share a tea dance with their elders.

True, these are a people who are sometimes self-indulgent and raucous and forgetful of history’s lessons, but they are also a people who seem incurably afflicted with an abundance of heart. We are grateful for these, our fellow Americans, and proud of them, too.

Bruce and Reta Jo Mitchell

Kansas City

I’m thankful to be alive. I have two wonderful daughters, two great sons-in-law, a lovely, beautiful, genius, 14-month-old granddaughter and another on the way. I am thankful I have a good family and friends. I love being alive!

I am thankful that I am able to learn something new every day. I am thankful I was born a fair person with no prejudices. I am thankful I was born free. I am thankful I was born in this country, which permits people to have a voice and countless opportunities.

Even though we are going through bad times, I am thankful, because I know we will pull together and see this through. I have recently lost a lot of salary, but I am thankful it is not worse.

Cole Morgan

Olathe

At this special time, I am grateful for:

T: (being) Together for 68 years.

H: Health and happiness.

A: Almighty God.

N: Neighbors who are special.

K: Kindness from everyone.

F: Family and friends.

U: U.S.A.

L: Love of all people.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and remember all those who aren’t as fortunate as we are here in the United States.

Jean McCleery

Kansas City

I am thankful to be alive. On July 20, 2007, my sister’s birthday, I entered the emergency room at St. Luke’s South Hospital for an emergency operation.

I am also thankful to live in America, the greatest country on Earth.

And last but not least, I am thankful that I have a job in troubled times.

Michael Knight

Fairway

I am thankful for my dad. He is 93, and I have been his caregiver for nearly 10 years. I am thankful that he still feeds himself, still knows when he wants to “potty,” still can use the telephone and still knows his grandkids and great-grandkids. He is “iffy” on the great-great grandkids.

He knows all of his medication and will tell me if one of his pills doesn’t look right. He has a telephone romance with a dear, sweet friend from church. He has missed church since he was placed on hospice two years ago.

I am especially thankful that my dad is still alive and that he loves me unconditionally.

Mary Dannaldson

North Kansas City

For someone who will be 78 years old in a couple of months, I think that is something to be thankful for. My children are still working at their jobs, and mostly in good health. I am certainly thankful for my health, which allows me to do volunteer work that gives me a sense of satisfaction.

I lost a son-in-law three years ago to a brain tumor, and felt at the time that it was so unfair that a young man was taken who was so productive and so well loved by his family. Now I am so thankful that he was in my daughter’s life for 25 years and showed such love.

I am thankful that I was able to get a new knee so I can still get around well, that I was able to have cataract surgery and don’t have to wear glasses all the time anymore. (Now if I could get a new memory stick, I’d have it made.)

I have a home, family, nice neighbors, a good church and time to enjoy all of them.

Yes, I feel that I have a lot to be thankful for.

Imogene Goss

Kansas City

I am thankful for a lot of things. I am thankful for my parents and my sister because they always protect me and care for me. I am thankful for God and Jesus because they created all of us and they created houses and everything for you and me.

I am thankful for clothes and food because they keep us warm and keep us healthy. I am thankful for a house because we don’t have to live in the cold. I am thankful for a cozy soft bed so I can sleep terrific. I am thankful for laundry rooms because we don’t have to be dirty all of the time.

I am thankful for school so we can learn lots of great stuff. I am thankful for many things.

Jack Plank, age 8

Overland Park

I am very thankful I was raised by wonderful parents. I firmly believe the greatest gift parents can give children is to make end-of-life wishes known and to provide clear directions for funeral planning and liquidation of assets.

My task was made so much easier because my parents were generous, thoughtful and very organized.

Charlene Epp

Fairway

I am thankful to God that I live in the United States. Having just returned from a short-term medical mission trip earlier this month to Nicaragua, those who live in poverty here in America have nothing to complain about. Nicaragua is the poorest country in Central America.

Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, is full of trash, diesel fumes and congestion. A livable middle-class home in Managua would be condemned in Kansas City. You cannot drink the water for fear of traveler’s diarrhea.

The government promises people better living conditions but does not deliver. People are afraid to vote against candidates of the Sandinista government for fear of terror. Guards are stationed in front of nearly every business to deter crime.

Arriving back in Kansas City, I am thankful to call America the last great hope on Earth. We are not a perfect nation, but no other country comes close.

Wilson Winch

Independence

I’ve always been extraordinarily thankful for fresh starts and clean sheets. And that goes double or more for family, good neighbors, the kindness of strangers and great love.

I don’t think I’d barter with imagination, curiosity or optimism.

My life would be poorer without blue cheese-stuffed olives, a paint color called ambrosia, reggae music and dancing in the kitchen. I never tire of watching “Midnight Cowboy,” listening to Etta James and doing nothing with life-long friends.

I live better because of well-written books, 30-minute meals, a self-cleaning oven and an occasional poem that explodes upon contact. I would hate to give up my worn leather gloves, funny jokes and really hot coffee.

This year though I’m particularly thankful for the new family in the White House, resilience, hope and the staff at the place my mother is learning to call home.

Stevie Reynolds

Kansas City, Kan.

This Thanksgiving we will make lemonade, made from real lemons. I’ll give a toast that my boys will find corny, but that’s OK.

It’s easy to acknowledge my blessings, to enjoy the lemonade. What’s difficult is to find hope within the sour lemons life hands me.

I’m thankful for the people and circumstances in my life that bring me constant hope. The doctor at the nursing home where I work who hugs the residents — not a job requirement, but a human one. The bonds of siblings who travel from four states to support my mom, who recently lost my stepfather. The friendship of my father, stepfather and mother, taking a sour situation and turning it sweet for all to enjoy.

The lifelong friends from high school, college and former jobs who are there in tough times even when I haven’t seen them in years. My family members, who sustain each other daily.

When life gives you lemons, lemonade is the hope realized. Hope turns sour into sweet and makes me thankful.

Kathy Kline

Ov