Unfettered Letters

Sun-powered home

We installed solar on our home in January 2010. We believe it was a good investment as well as being good for the environment, using no coal, gas or oil.

Our solar system operates only on the power it produces. Since installing the system, our electric bills have been almost cut in half. If we wanted to run on solar only, we could add more solar panels and a battery backup system for nighttime use or on less-sunny days.

The sun’s energy is free. All you have to do is collect and use it. If you don’t want panels on your roof, you could install solar shingles or put solar panels on ground trackers. Shingles are currently less efficient than panels, but solar panels on trackers can increase the power you generate.

Most reports you read state the more energy efficient the home is, the more it is worth when it comes time to sell it. The fewer natural resources we use today, the less they will cost tomorrow.

Raymond and Katherine Baisch
Lee’s Summit

Politics hurt U.S.

The gang of 12, the president and Congress must include “non-entitlements” in their vocabulary. This means that the government does not guarantee benefits.

One priority should be the elimination of U.S. tax credits. This credit allows companies to move U.S. jobs overseas, shelter company profits and not pay taxes.

The problem is the president and Congress. Obama selected the chief executive of G.E. to run the “New-Jobs Focus Panel.” G.E. is a company that sends jobs overseas, shelters profits and does not pay U.S. taxes. Most U.S. citizens have also said that another “non-entitlement” should be reducing the president’s and Congress’ generous salaries and benefits.

No matter if the Congress and president are Democrats or Republicans, their only interest is getting re-elected.

Carl Antrim
Independence

Moderate political void

It’s time for plain talk. Both parties are responsible for the mess we are in.

I would like someone to start a national moderate party. I’m sure there are moderate Republicans and moderate Democrats who have had to leave their party (like myself) because they are not represented in those parties any longer.

I’m tired of calling myself an independent. It is the moderates who keep things in perspective.

They believe in taking care of those that really need help but always within our means. They want to protect our country without selling out to corporations charging 5,000 percent profit on products sold to the government.

Do you want a Congress that can actually make reasonable decisions again? Then make a call for the moderates to return.

Nancy Sams
Knob Noster, Mo.

Truth in politics

Politics is power, nothing more. It does not matter if dealing with the crisis of the national debt, Obamacare or the murder of John F. Kennedy.

Politics is the ultimate power. Truth is the only resource to combat power, as truth possesses a threat to power.

People have to fight power at a risk to themselves. Patriots, like the tea party members, defend the country against the government.

Bureaucrats resist by influencing the media and use their powers as a politician. Read the editorial pages of newspapers like The Star, or watch the national news on ABC, CBS or NBC as proof of political power influence.

The choice of a politician is to “serve the people” or “scare the people.” Fundamentally people want the truth. The difficult question is can they get the truth from power hungry politicians?

Frank E. Loeffler
Leavenworth

KC Beanstalk Garden

Kansas City Community Gardens’ Beanstalk Children’s Garden at 6917 Kensington in Swope Park is truly spectacular. The plant variety and the explanatory notes by each plant make the garden an excellent learning experience for our urban children and adults.

The Beanstalk garden is a jewel that is too good to miss.

Judith M. Wasserman
Leawood

KC is second rate

Southwest Airlines’ in-flight magazine, “Spirit,” has an 11-page promotional section this month titled “Spirit of Missouri.” If one were to take the piece literally, there is only one major city in Missouri, and it isn’t Kansas City.

Of the eight color photographs, exactly one is related to Kansas City: a photograph of the Argosy Casino. Five photographs feature St. Louis attractions.

Within the body of the lengthy paid promotional piece, a Kansas City topic or attraction is mentioned exactly three times. Again, one of those three is of the Argosy Casino. St. Louis has 11.

The section features eight paid advertisements, up to a full page in size. Kansas City advertisers’ total: one, a half-page ad for the Argosy Casino. St. Louis: five, including three full-page ads.

Is there no agency or organization actively promoting Kansas City? How could we be all but omitted in 11 pages about Missouri?

Why does Kansas City continue to be a second city? Perhaps because we don’t even try.

Paul DeRanek
Kansas City

Costly car rental rush

I recently rented a car in Bozeman, Mont. I was quoted a rental price with loss damage waiver insurance added in to the tune of $27.99 a day.

I was not asked whether I wanted insurance. The agent rushed me through signing and initialing the contract.

I know I goofed up by not reading the contract in that busy airport line. But come on — they knew what they were doing.

Don’t let this happen to you.

Joan Harrison
Kansas City

GOP hearts of stone

As a lifelong Democrat, I find the tea party Republicans to be a paradox. They wrap themselves in the flag and thump the Bible, but in my opinion, have distorted views of both.

Christ was an advocate for the poor and less fortunate. He was an inclusive person concerned for all. I don’t see the GOP presidential hopefuls reaching out to blacks, Hispanics, immigrants, seniors, women, or gays or advocating for the poor, the homeless, the disabled or the hungry. They seem to believe that the “have-nots” of the world got there by their own shortcomings and thus are deserving of their fate. If Jesus were alive today, I strongly doubt that he would share this viewpoint.

The Republican candidates all say they’re for freedom. But the freedom they espouse is for corporations and business to be free to do whatever they desire — pollute the environment, outlaw collective bargaining, abolish the minimum wage, limit workplace safety regulations, do away with consumer protections and perhaps most importantly, pay low, low taxes.

One of the tea party favorites is to have a “spine of titanium.” Sadly, though, they all strike me as having hearts of stone.

Chris Brethwaite
Kansas City

Obama made tea party

Through immaturity, ineptitude and missed opportunities, President Barack Obama misread the will of the American people. A political vacuum was created, which forced the creation of the tea party.

I find it ironic now that Obama and his supporters are so intent on bad-mouthing and destroying the tea party. You created it, so now you have to deal with it.

The cat is out of the box now. It is too late to put it back.

Robert C. Thomas
Liberty

Reform welfare system

Reform of our system must include much tougher rules for the duration of welfare benefits. Government should be just, or it will be regarded as illegitimate.

Where is the justice in a system that limits unemployment to six months while paying welfare much longer? I don’t advocate longer unemployment payouts. I just think that two years is plenty of time to find work.

I’ve paid 12 percent of my income into Social Security for 42 years now. If my money had been set aside and grown at 7 percent, I could draw more than Social Security pays at retirement.

I understand my money is gone. I’ll never recover what I should. But investment managers recommend that I save 10 percent for retirement, not 12 percent. We are paying too many who have never paid into the system. This is an injustice.

Other welfare costs are transferred to taxpayers through higher costs of goods and services, i.e. “free” cell phones for the poor in some states.

Call me old-fashioned, but I believe that someone who works and pays taxes should have more and better than those who don’t.

Jon Bucher
Independence