Unfettered Letters

Selling out to lobbyists

Diane Stafford’s column concerning the plight of Brooksley Born (3/26, Business, “Caution in ’90s comes true”) gives validity to those of us who support public financing of political campaigns.

One has to wonder if our current debacle with the financial industry could have been avoided had not millions of dollars from money-industry lobbyists flowed into Democratic and Republican campaigns in the late ’90s.

Larry Smith
Shawnee

Hillary’s campaign debt

Here is my plan. I read that Hillary Clinton cannot locate anyone to pay her bills. Not even her millionaire husband will help, so she will write the millions she owes off her income tax (12/23, A-2, “Clinton writes off campaign loan”).

So the next time I buy a soft drink and candy bar in a store, I will look around for someone to give me money. Then, if I don’t find someone, I will “loan” myself the $3 to pay the bill and write if off my taxes.

Bob Faulkner
Prairie Village

Politicians must scale back

The voters were bought in this presidential election. Does anyone care? Yes, we made history, but are we ready for the future that awaits us? It may not be the “change” that is good for this country.

I cannot tolerate the extravaganza spending on campaigning and now the presidential inauguration celebration. It is heartbreaking to me that people are losing their jobs, homes and savings while Congress is debating whether to bail out the Big Three. No more bailouts!

Barack Obama says he is for the poor. So please, president-elect set the example to show compassion and scale down your inauguration celebration.

Where were the other politicians, media talk shows and financial advisers to inspire a solution that both candidates should have stopped all campaigning and put those funds into the market to help with the financial crash? No one said a word. It was taxpayers’ money, wasn’t it?

It’s time for congressional term limits and a cap on campaign spending.

Patricia Baker
St. Joseph

Campaign contribution limits

Gov. Matt Blunt acted in the best interest of democracy when he signed a law repealing Missouri’s campaign contribution limits (7/12, Local). Voters and candidates will be able to exercise their First Amendment rights more effectively as a result.

Challenger candidates will be able to raise funds more effectively, allowing them to compete with the name recognition, media access and existing donor base that incumbents already have. Better-funded challengers will be able to campaign more effectively and create a more informed public.

By limiting contributions, Missouri was limiting political speech. Missourians should be thrilled that Gov. Blunt has repealed these restrictions and allowed political speech to flourish.

Sarah Duzyk
Communications associate, Center for Competitive Politics
Alexandria, Va.

Hillary’s hat in hand

There she stood. Up there, center stage, needing you to pay her bills because she wanted to be the president.

She has a husband with a net worth around $75 million, and she wants the public to pay her bills.

That’s why her husband has so much money.

Bob Faulkner
Prairie Village

Political labels

If Chris Koster had been a Democrat who moved to the Republican side, how soon into the story (7/9, Local, “Fundraising by Koster called into question: Allegations suggest that his campaign used back-channel sources to skirt contribution lids”) would the title Republican Chris Koster appear?

Tom Nicks
Lenexa

McCain’s campaign funds

Ed Robertson (6/23, Letters) writes that if John McCain had reversed his position on the use of public funds as Barack Obama did, The Star would have used the term “flipped-flopped” to describe his actions.

Where has Mr. Robertson been these last several months? In the fall of 2007, McCain opted into the public financing system for the GOP primaries, which meant he’d later receive just over $5 million in public funds in exchange for agreeing to a fundraising limit of about $54 million for the entire primary process. The primary process doesn’t end until McCain accepts the nomination at the Republican National Convention in September.

By late November 2007, his campaign was practically broke, so McCain took out a pair of $1 million loans, using as collateral the public funds he would receive. After McCain had the Republican nomination all but sewn up, he decided he didn’t want to be bound by the $54 million limit. He did a 180 and opted out of the public financing system.

Mr. Robertson is probably not aware of this because the so-called “liberal mainstream media” is bending over backward to help McCain get elected.

M. L. Stone
Gladstone

Clinton endorsement

On Feb. 9, 2001, a New York Times editorial concluded President Clinton’s pardon of Marc Rich “added millions of Democrats to the rolls of those who regard him with bitter disappointment.”

It is noteworthy that this column preceded revelations of payments made to Hugh Rodham totaling $400,000 in return for a pardon granted to Almon Glenn Braswell and the commutation of Carlos Vignali’s 14-year sentence for cocaine trafficking. Unanswered questions also surround the $244,000 received by Tony Rodham from Edgar and Vonna Gregory, recipients of Clinton pardons in March of 2000.

The New York Times printed a follow-up to its Feb. 9 editorial on Feb. 22. The subjects of that editorial were the payments to Hugh Rodham from Braswell and Vignali.

I am one of those “millions of Democrats” who, on two occasions, voted for Bill Clinton. Am I the only one who remains “bitterly disappointed” by these blatant sales of presidential clemency? Did The Star take these disgraceful pardons into account when it decided to endorse Hillary Clinton’s campaign to add four more years to the two-decade-long Bush/Clinton saga (1/19 editorial)?

Paul G. Schepers
Kansas City

Campaign filing oversight

Former Councilman and former Mark Funkhouser campaign treasurer Evert Asjes will get my vote for understatement of the year award and it’s only January (1/17, Local, “Bookkeeping error ‘our fault’; Squitiro says $80,000 in campaign funds is not missing and problem will be reconciled ”).

He may have “acknowledged that some people expect more from a former city auditor” concerning Mayor Funkhouser’s filing an incomplete campaign report that includes a large amount of unaccounted spending.

I am left to wonder if Mayor Funkhouser’s poor recordkeeping is indicative of his current work as our elected official that we don’t hear about.

P.C. Jaros
Kansas City

Democratic leaders

I want to agree with Joe Williams (1/2, Letters). Our new Democratic Congress has turned out to be a disappointing bunch of wimps. Now, whenever a national Democratic organization calls me begging for more money, I reply, “Have you brought home the troops yet? Have you impeached Bush? Have you tortured Rumsfeld?” And then I gently hang up the receiver.
I doubt that any of the bigwigs will ever get my message, but it sure makes me feel good — for a few minutes.
Jeanette B. Welch
Warrensburg, Mo.