Letters | Mitt Romney, presidency for sale, global warming - Kansas City Star

Romney for president

Some letter writers have negative views of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney because he is a millionaire and a Mormon â€" two great qualities for being president.Mormons are polite, educated, mannerly and honest, have work ethics and don’t come to work with nose rings, green hair, cellphones, crack pipes, summer teeth (some are gone; some are missing) and a pack of cigarettes.Manners, taste and class are the hallmark of a civilized society and prerequisite to be the president of the United States. Being rich makes a president harder to be bought, and all of the towels and silverware won’t be ripped off when he leaves.Wade WilliamsKansas CityBuying U.S. candidatesIf I gave $10 to a presidential candidate, what should I expect? A private meeting? Nah.If that candidate were elected, would I get policy changes or executive orders that reflect the amount of my $10 donation? Nah.Now if I gave $10 million to $100 million, would the newly elected GOP candidate tailor policies and directives to reflect the strings attached to the millions of dollars donated to the GOP candidate’s campaign?The candidate probably would jump through hoops to make millionaire and billionaire donors as happy as little pigs in stuff.It’s buying a government and all its future actions and decisions.That means for $100 million, a donor could expect the United States to enter a military conflict to support that donor’s favored cause.Paul ComerfordBlue SpringsGlobal warming hoaxWhile researching another topic, I ran across an interesting graph. The graph shows the mean temperatures in Britain from 1650 to 2000.In 1650, the mean temperature in central England was 47.9 degrees Fahrenheit. In 2000, the mean temperature in central England was 48.5 degrees Fahrenheit.Now if our use of fossil fuels is the cause of global warming today, how does one explain an increase in mean temperature of a mere 0.6 degrees Fahrenheit over 350 years, especially when the favorite culprit today is the automobile? From 1650 to beyond 1850 there were no automobiles to contribute to any such warming.It is my opinion that we are seeing a continuing rise in global temperatures resulting from a continuing recovery from the ice age. Man’s part in this warming, if any, is likely not measurable because this is a natural phenomenon.Since Earth’s creation, it has been subject to (or victim of) many periods of warming and cooling â€" some very long in progress and others catastrophically rapid.Don ForsytheRaytownRe-elect McCaskillClaire McCaskill entered the U.S. Senate six years ago and immediately became a leader. She has fought against waste and fraud on many fronts.Whether it is questioning the spending of the General Services Administration, the loose accounting of the defense contractors or neglect found at Walter Reed Hospital, she has attempted to hold those in charge accountable. Sen. McCaskill has worked hard to assure that students in the state will be able to receive loans to attend college.She refuses to take earmarks. She is a respected and trusted spokeswoman for the Senate as well as the state of Missouri, appearing often on television shows to explain government policies.Sen. McCaskill is now fighting huge amounts of money being spent by opposing political action committees on negative ads across the state. We need to show people such as Karl Rove and the Koch brothers that we cannot be bought by outside money.It is important that we re-elect this fine woman as our U.S. senator from Missouri. Her independent spirit and show-me attitude represent this state perfectly.Charlotte RobinsonRaytownMultiplying billboardsIn the eight dark years of the George W. Bush presidency, billboards proliferated along U.S. 50 between Lee’s Summit and Warrensburg, Mo. Does a federal regulation still exist prohibiting excessive advertising with a penalty for this in terms of federal money for highways?James ObertinoWarrensburg, Mo.Deadbeat taxpayersA July 19 letter writer said that Sen. Claire McCaskill doesn’t deserve another term because she’d been delinquent on taxes. The writer must have missed the article on July 11, “Challengers tardy on taxes.” It seems the GOP candidates are deadbeat taxpayers, too.Now who are you going to vote for?Suzanne B. ConawayKansas CityU.S. citizen hotlineI request a hotline for the legal American people who have had their civil rights violated by the corrupt regime in Washington, D.C. I’ll press the number “one” for that line only.Sharon StathopoulosRaymoreEnd KC gas blendThe price of gasoline is higher in this area compared with the rest of the nation. Along with other reasons (the shutting of a refinery, which you hear all the time), this area requires a special blend of boutique gasoline to prevent smog.Only a few areas of the country require special blends, and Kansas City is among them. Also, adding ethanol to the gasoline negates any of the smog-preventing measures.If we intend to keep adding ethanol to gasoline, and that seems the case, it makes no sense to have boutique blends, which add to the price of the gasoline, in the area.I don’t know who decided this, but if it was the Mid-America Regional Council, something should be done about this. Given today’s parameters, this decision should be reversed immediately.Alfred LillyLenexaMoral objectionsWhile many politicians have been worrying about whether some religious groups object to paying for insurance for contraception, I morally object to other things, such as:• Congress has abdicated the authority assigned to it by the U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11 that gives it the sole power to declare war (not to pass a resolution.)• Bloated military budgets (including new atomic bomb plants).• The senseless and failed war on drugs.• Failure to prosecute those who advocated or participated in torture in the name of the United States.• Failure to even begin to deal with the one real problem: overpopulation.• Taking my tax money and finding ways to hand it to religious organizations, including vouchers for schools that teach mythology as science.I will stop there for now.I would like for a national-level party official, legislator and/or presidential candidate to respond on the record as to why my moral concerns are apparently not as important as those of people who want to deny women control of their own bodies.I will not hold my breath while waiting for a response, however.Charles WilsonRaymoreRoyals’ poor announcerI have been a Kansas City Royals fan since the team started in 1969. I have been attending games as much as I could afford every season, including this season. I faithfully watch them on Fox Sports KC, and when not I have always listened to the radio broadcast.Rex Hudler, who joined the Royals’ broadcast team this season, is by far the worst broadcaster I have ever heard. It seems he talks sometimes just to be talking.In doing so, he makes some of the most obvious remarks one could imagine:“If you don’t win, you lose.”“If you are going to steal third, you gotta make sure you make it.”“That’s a knock to right field. That’s what we call it in the big leagues, a knock.”“He doesn’t want to make an out right now.” “He sure would like to get a hit here.”They are paying this guy for this? I urge the Royals to limit this disaster to only this season. The rest of the broadcast crew is doing a great, professional job.In the meantime, I will continue to mute my TV and listen to the radio broadcast so I don’t throw things at my television.Randy OdellIndependenceBox tops for schoolsThose little Box Tops for Education squares that are on so many products could make a big difference in Kansas City area schools. If Kansas Citians cut out the box tops and take them to the nearest school, many items for physical education, music and school supplies can be financed.Each box top is worth a dime. So just imagine what hundreds of those little gems could do for kids.How about a dropbox at your workplace or church? This is a small way to make a difference that matters.Julie MonahanLenexa