Letters on Krauthammer, zoo elephants, immigration, sovereign truth, Grandparents Day

Krauthammer shows his tunnel vision

Columnist Charles Krauthammer continually issues his rants against President Obama, but his column “Stop ‘inversion’ by lowering corporate taxes” (Aug. 30 Opinion) provided a great opportunity to see the tunnel vision behind his rantings.

Krauthammer said Obama complained that companies that move their headquarters out of the U.S. were taking advantage of an “unpatriotic tax loophole” that hardworking American families have to make up. Krauthammer found it “odder still because Democrats routinely ridicule the very notion of corporations as persons…. Now, however, Democrats are demanding that corporations exercise a patriotic conscience. Which is it?… Corporations have an indisputable fiduciary responsibility to protect their shareholders’ interest.”

Exactly. In his tunnel vision toward ranting against the president (and Democrats), doesn’t Krauthammer notice that he makes the Democrats’ argument?

If corporations are persons, they are unpatriotic to leave the country to avoid taxes that support the liberties and services with which they’re provided as citizens. If corporations are not persons, they then are not unpatriotic to do whatever is in the best interest of their shareholders.

So, indeed, which is it?

Retire elephants

Regarding “Zoo asks for $5.3 million from county for elephant exhibit” (Sept. 3 Eagle): With other zoos closing down their elephant displays in recognition that it’s impossible to meet these animals’ complex needs, it’s baffling that the Sedgwick County Zoo wants to squander millions to build a new cage that will be measured in square feet. Wild elephants roam up to 30 miles every day; a zoo cage can never come close to providing elephants a fulfilling life.

Wild elephants spend each day socializing, exploring, playing and participating in other activities. Every milestone, such as new births and the rainy season, is cause for celebration. Elephants gather to grieve when a family member dies, and have been known to visit relatives’ graves years after a death. Elephants are exceedingly intelligent and need to use their brainpower in multifaceted ways to remain engaged and healthy.

The zoo should scrap plans to cram more elephants in an exhibit and retire Stephanie and Cinda to live out the rest of their lives in an accredited sanctuary.

It’s up to us

Our politicians are largely unconcerned about the “common good” – about U.S. citizens. What they are most concerned about are their own political careers, which are depen-dent on contributions from corporations and on the votes of Hispanics.

If we want to turn our country over to Mexico and ensure the destruction of the United States, then let President Obama grant amnesty and a pathway to citizenship to a few million illegal immigrants and grant more work visas to highly skilled workers. That would encourage even more illegal immigrants to come here, lower wages and keep our own citizens underemployed.

But if we want to put teeth back in our immigration laws and put our citizens back to work at decent wages, we need to find ways to discourage illegal immigration. We need to make it difficult for those who are here illegally to stay, and enforce existing immigration laws by deporting them. We also need to lower the number of visas granted.

We can let the president have his way while we sit this one out, or we can protest. It’s up to us.

Sovereign truth

The writer of “Packing courts” (Aug. 22 Letters to the Editor) called our new Kansas Supreme Court justice, Caleb Stegall, a “powerful man dedicated to using his religious beliefs to establish his own personal prejudices under the law.” Hold on. Don’t organizations such as Americans United for Separation of Church and State have their own definition of truth and prejudice?

God has the only sovereign truth. The rest of us are limited by our education, the books we read and those we linger near.

The establishment clause of the Constitution does not advocate a strict separation between state and religion. Government is to assume a neutral stance that treats all religions fairly and enables religious liberty in its language.

Legacy of service

Grandparents’ Day (Sept. 7) gives an occasion to look ahead. Since 1965, when I came to the United States, celebrations of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day have focused on the parents – at least for one day. Same goes for Grandparents’ Day. But none seems to mention a word about what a parent or a grandparent can do.

A grandparent is aware of the short time ahead, likes to leave a legacy, but is not sure of the form of legacy to leave behind. Service to others helps the community and gives happiness to the doer of service. Volunteering in a society with a cause that is dear to you will send a message to children and grandchildren to follow your example. A better form of legacy than service to others is difficult to find.

This story was originally published September 5, 2014 at 7:05 PM with the headline "Letters on Krauthammer, zoo elephants, immigration, sovereign truth, Grandparents Day."