Letters to the editor

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Aug 24, 2008

Check the past record

Tooting his own horn, Pat Roberts' letter July 25 about all he has done for the Medicare bill was sure far-flung for a man who has such close ties to the man who vetoed the first bill in the first place.

What does he have to say about his votes before he started running for re-election this time?

He voted to make it harder for seniors to get Medicare, more expensive for seniors to get medications and for more restrictions in available treatment options.

He also voted to made it illegal for Medicare to negotiate for lower drug prices, which ended up earning drug companies billions of dollars in profits while costing the taxpayers of this country billions and hurting Americans who couldn't afford their medications.

Sen. Roberts is also bragging about his efforts with the Boeing tanker mess.

The senator could have protected Kansas workers and Boeing months before the bids went out if he cared about Kansas as much as he would have us believe.

Roberts had two chances to fight for Kansas and Boeing, first as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and then as a member of the conference committee. Both times, he didn't fight.

If a man can have a closed-door fundraiser and raise more than $600,000 in less than two hours, then I think maybe it's the big companies that own Mr. Roberts, and he is most likely big money's biggest lobbyist himself.

The man raised more than $3 million for his re-election campaign, and most of it has come from large donors. Any time they give him that kind of money, you can only imagine what kind of return they want.

JIM KING,Perry

It's safer up here

I would like to comment on the Aug. 10 letter written by Bill Wenzel, "Enforce safety."

I have the occasion to drive to Texas every month and I have never seen these "drive friendly" signs he said are posted on many byways and highways of Texas.

He said Topeka drivers and law enforcement have a "complete lack of respect for the traffic laws and no visible evidence of law enforcement." He said he "drove in a blinding rainstorm and counted 21 vehicles without their headlights on."

First, let me say that I fear for my well-being every time I drive on the highways of Texas. Few cars in Texas go the speed limit. And tailgating is a state pastime. Texas drivers are friendly, though -- they wave at me (with one finger) when they pass me going at least 15 mph over the speed limit.

Second, maybe we folks here in Kansas just know how to drive in inclement weather. I have been in Texas when it rained and snowed, and the safest place to be was in a parking lot. I think most drivers felt the need to go even faster to get where they were going even quicker to get out of the weather.

I think the last time it snowed in northern Texas this past winter, there were several multi-car pileups on the highways. How many were there in Kansas?

ARTIE GONZALES,Topeka

Time to fix Topeka

The board of directors of the Elmhurst Neighborhood Association wants to thank the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce for expressing anxiety about deteriorating conditions of our city ("Chamber calls for sales tax hike," July 16).

We strongly agree with the chamber's message and support the chamber's call for a half-cent sales tax increase, with revenues earmarked to support four neglected areas including streets, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, alleys and street lighting; crime reduction by adding neighborhood police officers, cleaning up neighborhoods, and removing abandoned and unsafe structures; flood control; and improvement of downtown Topeka, North Topeka and central Topeka.

Over the past 10 years, the Elmhurst Neighborhood Association has communicated to the city council concerns similar to those expressed by the chamber. We are convinced new funding is needed to address the seriousness of these long-neglected problems.

We are encouraged by the chamber's decision to communicate its concern directly to city council. We hope others will speak up and that they will do so soon. We believe the time to act is now. We believe the chamber was correct when it said, "Our community is falling apart before our very eyes. We think it is near a crisis point now."

MARC GALBRAITH, president,Elmhurst Neighborhood Association board,Topeka

Bush should pack it in

I have just finished reading George Wills' column "It's war, but all the U.S. will do is talk about it." There was something missing from this piece. The name of our president, George W. Bush.

How have we come to such a mess in our nation that no one in the media is asking President Bush why he is enjoying his vacation at the Olympics instead of dealing with something as important as Russia invading Georgia? Could it be that he's made us all but impotent with his wars?

George Will spends his time talking about the political positions of Barack Obama and John McCain, neither of whom can do a blessed thing except talk for the next five months. Not one word about George Bush.

If we aren't going to expect anything from the man beyond photos of him having fun at the Olympics, then let him resign now and save us the cost of paying his wage.