Posted on Mon, May. 05, 2008

Death of Kentucky Derby horse

It’s too bad the horse Eight Belles died in the Kentucky Derby in such a horrible and painful way (5/4, Sports, “Triumph, tragedy at Derby”). This horse died in vain for all of those who participate in and profit from the horse-racing business.

Karen Marcel

Overland Park

Count me in as one who really can’t see the “sport” of horse racing when we race young horses on spindly legs for our “pleasure,” and then have to see one of the beautiful ones die on the track in full view of the pleasure-seekers.

There are all kinds of animal cruelty in this world, from dead or maimed fighting dogs, euthanized greyhounds and more thoroughbreds that are put down than anyone ever admits. Money made at the expense of God’s creatures. Shame on all of us for letting it happen.

L.R. Smith

Kansas City

Gas tax holiday

The 18.4-cents-a-gallon federal tax on gasoline supports the Highway Trust Fund dedicated to the maintenance of the federal highways. And now John McCain wants a tax cut? You just want to shake these Republicans and say, “It’s the infrastructure, stupid, that and the $9 trillion national debt we have now.”

Hillary Clinton, always a Republican-lite, is in favor of the same tax cut.

Barack Obama alone questions the past energy policy shortcomings under Bush-Cheney and is not pandering to voters with the proposed tax holiday.

Saving 18.4 cents is piddly when gas is $3.50 a gallon. At least the GOP in Jefferson City knows Missouri highways need maintenance, and so far there’s been no talk of a state gas tax holiday.

I expect gas prices will fall mysteriously two months before the November election.

Ed Gentry

St. Joseph

Some folks have the weird idea that the money a person earns belongs to the federal, state and local governments, and that whatever the above government entities lets them keep, they should be grateful for.

John McCain has suggested that the federal gasoline tax be suspended from Memorial Day to Labor Day to give the motorist a small tax break. Liberals in Congress, who are mostly Democrats, want to know how he intends to pay for it.

The federal government has no money of its own, so there is no way to pay for anything unless it fleeces the taxpayer who earns the money. So when someone in government wants to know how you can cut taxes, it is very simple. Just do it. Let the government spend less, and let the taxpayer keep more of his money.

K. A. Parker

Leawood

Hillary Clinton and John McCain, by supporting the gas tax “holiday” — an idea that would do harm to the economy and the environment — have proved that, unlike Barack Obama, they are running for panderer in chief.

Daniel E. Smith

Kansas City

‘Off the Easel’ profanity

I was very dismayed that The Star’s editorial board approved cartoonist Pat Oliphant’s “Off the Easel” profanity (5/2, Opinion), profanity that I would never utter, let alone want to read in my own newspaper: “He’s not heavy, he’s my _____ pastor!” I just could not believe my eyes.

How could a newspaper that I highly respect print such profanity in a cartoon? You owe your subscribers an apology, and I hope you will be more sensitive to your readers in the future.

The Rev. Karalee Hawkins

Shawnee

Last Friday I was deeply offended while reading the “Off the Easel” cartoon. My problem was not with the point of the cartoon but with the obscenity it contained.

Was it truly necessary to curse to make the point? It was the most offensive of curses, using the Lord’s name in vain. I am surprised and deeply offended that the expletive was not edited in some way.

I realize that not everyone shares my religious convictions. However, I am amazed and deeply troubled that there is apparently no standard of common decency left in our society.

Seth Hartsock

Kansas City

Ethanol fuel and gas mileage

My car hates ethanol. I used to get 40 mpg on the highway in my Toyota Corolla. With ethanol made from corn and blended gasoline, I only get about 35. That’s a drop of over 10 percent. Many other people have reported similar results. Theoretically, mileage should only drop 3 to 4 percent with E-10 (10 percent ethanol), as reported in Steve Everly’s article “Does Ethanol measure up?”(4/27, A-1).

America’s ethanol policy is contributing to food shortages and starvation around the world. New data shows that ethanol is not green after all, but is damaging the environment in many ways. Since ethanol is not what we thought it would be, America’s policy must change. People are beginning to learn the true cost of using ethanol.

If our government repeals our ethanol policy now, they can treat the whole thing as a failed experiment. If they delay, it will be viewed as failed leadership.

Chris Luhnow

Prairie Village

Oil prices have hit $120 a barrel, and yet we continue to hear critics fretting over the negligible energy difference between conventional gasoline and ethanol-blended gasoline. Underinflated tires, fuel temperature and erratic braking put a bigger dent in our fuel economy than using E-10, and still we act as though the ethanol industry is robbing us blind.

In fact, using E-10 may cause a 2 percent decrease in fuel-injected cars. That means a car that would normally get 30 miles to the gallon on the highway would instead get 29.4 mpg using E-10. That’s a difference too small for the average consumer to notice.

Moreover, it’s important to understand that ethanol is offered for reasons in addition to performance. Energy independence is at the forefront of domestic concerns, and ethanol has opened the door to homegrown energy sources. Ethanol isn’t the silver bullet, but unlike other fuel alternatives still years down the road, ethanol-enriched fuel is available now.

In the big picture, that seems a lot more important than a possible 2 percent dip in gas mileage.

Robert White

Director of operations,

Ethanol Promotion and Information Council

Omaha, Neb.

Sebelius’ stand on coal

Since our governor, Kathleen Sebelius, is so against the two Sunflower generation units at Holcomb, here is an idea for her to really substantiate her stand: How about the governor’s mansion being solely supplied electricity by wind generation?

Do you think on a hot summer day with no wind, hence no air conditioning, she might change her mind?

Bill Hill

Leawood

Justice Roberts’ speech

Last week I drove across town to hear a speech by Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. at the Lied Center in Lawrence. He proceeded to read an excruciating essay, obviously written by a very bored law clerk, on the Louisiana Purchase.

I had high hopes that Justice Roberts would address a timely issue of great interest to us all, such as the War of 1812. I wish I had my gallon of gas back.

Richard L. Warrick

Lawrence

Photo ID requirement

The League of Women Voters of Missouri strongly opposes the constitutional amendment, HJR 48, which would require voters to obtain and show a government-issued photo ID before exercising their constitutional right to vote.

Research shows that photo ID requirements encourage racial and ethnic discrimination at polling places, prevent eligible voters from participating, and limit turnout. Genuine instances of impersonation at the polls are rare, and the costs of this proposed solution to an unproven problem are great.

In 2006 the Missouri Secretary of State estimated that almost 240,000 Missourians of voting age, including about 16 percent of our seniors, don’t have a state-issued photo ID. The burden of obtaining one falls hardest on elderly, low-income, minority or handicapped people, who often lack the required documents (birth certificates or marriage licenses) needed to obtain ID. A photo ID requirement would disenfranchise the very people who must work the hardest to vote at all.

Missouri should be in the business of encouraging full participation, not impeding the right to vote. The Legislature should oppose the voter ID requirement and instead focus on improving poll worker training and ensuring our elections are more efficient, secure, accurate and re-countable.

Jo Sapp

President, League of Women Voters

of Missouri

Columbia

Red light cameras

Now that we are going to be under the watchful eyes of traffic cameras placed at dangerous intersections (5/2, Local, “Red light cameras get OK”), I hope some genuine effort is put forth to clear up a couple of issues that will develop in the vehicle identification process.

It would seem that a vehicle with a temporary tag taped high in the window would be very difficult to identify for ticket-mailing purposes. The same goes for those tags that are covered with the dubious, super-spy smoked plate covers, the purpose of which I’ve never understood.

It’s common knowledge that many drivers simply “update” their temp tags using a copy machine and black marker and use them for months or years.

The smoked license plate covers prevent law enforcement from seeing whether the tags have been renewed properly and will defeat the camera.

I really don’t see why any of this is allowed. Now it will cost the city money in the form of tickets that can’t be collected from offenders photographed by the new cameras.

Art Richards

Lee’s Summit

Influence of lobbyists

Thank you for running the article, “Influence of lobbyists is hard to shake” (4/27, A-14). This insidious influence is undermining our democracy and affects almost all areas of public life: health care, the environment, the military and agriculture.

I am hopeful that we will someday have public elections. Perhaps if candidates John McCain and Barack Obama stick to their pledges, we will see it in the upcoming presidential election.

Royceann Mather

Overland Park

English only, please

I would like to thank the local newscasts for their reporting of the thunderstorm warnings and tornado warnings on May 1.

Not once did I hear the warnings in Spanish, nor did the scrolling information across the screen come across the TV in Spanish. Someone finally realizes we are in the United States of America and our native language is English.

I am tired of going to stores to see a sign in English and then the same sign in Spanish, or calling into local companies on their toll-free numbers and being asked what language I prefer in their automated response units.

We speak English in this country, and those who are here should learn to speak the language of the country they chose to make a home in and work in (I won’t go into legally or not).

If you are in the U.S. and want the American Dream, learn to speak English or go back to your country and speak your native language there.

Jodi Jeffries

Belton

Kansas City not so pretty

My first response to Susan Turner McMillan’s letter (4/22) saying Kansas City is the prettiest U.S. city was “You cannot be serious!”

I have had the honor to travel to 46 of the 50 states of our great country and see many of our major cities. To me, this entire city is a real cowtown. Cities like Phoenix, Denver, San Diego and Portland have a much higher quality of life and are infinitely prettier than this town.

Other beautiful towns across this country include Charleston, W.Va., Duluth, Minn., and Annapolis, Md.. This place is clean? I’ve seen more trash on highways in this city than I saw in the entire state of Wisconsin. Impeccable landscaping? Get real.

Please, folks, get out and see your country for yourself before making such nonsensical statements about Kansas City. As for me, I’m heading back to the Ozarks. Goodbye!

Bruce Turrell

Kansas City

Teen pregnancy

While I approve of Betty Banner’s (4/26, Letters) and Frank Campo’s (5/1, Voices) suggestions for preventing teen pregnancy, I would like to propose an additional suggestion.

Cut the welfare payments off and let Mom and Dad (if there is one) take care of their daughter’s “mistake.” Teen pregnancy seems to have become a profession for some and a taxpayer’s burden for 18 years or longer.

Genevieve Wolff

Olathe

---