Print edition: 
Legislators don't deserve perks
Regarding The Eagle editorial exposing the pension perks for our elected state officials ("Curb pension perks," Oct. 13 Opinion): It is outrageous that the taxpayers have allowed this to happen. There is no way those in the Topeka mafia deserve any Kansas Public Employees Retirement System benefits. They make enough money and perks off the state and lobbyists.
Ninety days of work a year? Only five years to be vested? If any state senator or representative can justify this, let him or her speak. I'll vote for any candidate who renounces the nonsense.
The underground parking project for legislators, the renovation of the Capitol and this pension-perk scam have cost the Kansas taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
If your local, friendly politicians think they are deserving of the perks, vote them out.
ROBERT GRAHAM
Fredonia
Not banks' fault
In response to "Banks bait, switch" (Oct. 13 Letters to the Editor): The writer claimed the new fee on debit-card transactions is "another example of the morally corrupt business environment" and has nothing to do with banks' right to make a legal, reasonable profit.
I have to disagree. This is the result of the Dodd-Frank financial reform act, which has more than 500 new regulations. The Dodd-Frank bill, following a push by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., instructed the Federal Reserve to set a price control that capped the interchange fee paid by retailers to banks in order to accept debit cards.
The system and fee structure being used between banks and retailers were working just fine before the ever-intruding government became involved. The new fee has sparked some consumer backlash, but instead of blaming the financial institutions we should lay the blame on Durbin and the Federal Reserve. Changes to consumers' bank accounts or debit cards would not have been made had it not been for the Dodd-Frank bill.
This is just one more example of many where big government sticks its nose where it does not belong. I hope we will elect a conservative president in 2012 and have enough of a conservative majority in both houses of Congress to repeal the Dodd-Frank financial reform act.
JIM BULLARD
Wichita
GOP bullies
So now President Obama is a bully (Oct. 11 Letters to the Editor)? How exactly is that? Is it because when he completely capitulates to the Republicans, he doesn't say "please" and "thank you"?
The writer complained about Obama trying to incite the public into stampeding its representatives. That was fine when the tea party did it to the Democrats. It's called democracy.
The Republicans have a lot of leadership, don't they? They wait for the president or the Democrats to propose something. Then they oppose it, even if it was their idea to being with. As for demagoguery: Remember "death panels"? Remember "socialist state"?
The jobs package is full of Republican proposals that Republicans now oppose. The stimulus package was a huge failure? A full one-third of the package was tax cuts, which the Republicans now oppose.
How did Wall Street get massive windfall profits from the stimulus package? They came from the Wall Street bailout pushed by the previous Republican administration.
"The Obama deficits"? This president inherited an annual deficit of $1.3 trillion from conservative Republican President Bush, who signed the 2009 budget into law.
Debasing the national currency? The tea party did that for us, by fighting to not pay the debts that its party ran up.
JESS DUNCAN
Wichita
Back conservative
The liberal media and the establishment Republicans are coming out in full force to pick the Republican presidential candidate. Mitt Romney is their choice, and the establishment Republicans' money is flooding to him. They fear true conservatives, just as they feared Ronald Reagan.
Now that Herman Cain is the rising conservative, he has become their target. They are doing everything they can to discount him and are now attacking his "9-9-9" plan with scare tactics. The 9-9-9 tax plan is a gateway to the Fair Tax, which would be great for America.
The big-government-loving liberals, media and establishment Republicans fear anything that would take away the power from them and move it back to "we the people." American citizens are waking up, and we sent a loud and clear message to Washington, D.C., last November.
We're tired of the same old establishment politicians telling us what is best for us. Let's send them a clear message. They are not going to pick our candidate this time around. We need to unite behind a true conservative and take our country back.
MELISSA ELSEN
Maize
Second-class
Are women human beings? I live in my body, yet so many think they have the right to legislate how I live in my body.
Are women somehow less? Am I a second-class citizen in the country of my birth?
If I am less than the unregulated human beings, why should I pay taxes at the same rate as the unregulated? Part of my body belongs to the state.
Have you ever heard someone say, "She got herself pregnant"? When will the state hold men accountable for their irresponsible behavior?
L. GEROULD
Wichita
