Opinion Line Extra (March 20)

There was a time when this nation had respect for the democratically elected president of the United States. The Republicans who signed the letter to Iran have made it clear that this is no longer the case. This nation is doomed when the office is not respected.

Can someone explain how it is anything but treason for Republicans to contact the hard-liners in Iran and issue threats – while the administration is in negotiations to avoid a war? You must ask yourself: Why do the Republicans want a war so badly that they’re willing to do this?

How convenient. Hillary Clinton turned over 55,000 pages of personal e-mails to the State Department after her aides reviewed them and selected which pages to hand over.

Hillary Clinton. Seriously? She has done everything to make her aspiration to be our leader a farce. I recognize that a large contingency would vote for her, no matter what. But any American who respects integrity, honesty and the rule of law would eliminate her from contention to be president.

This president will get the pipeline built when Warren Buffett tells him he can. Follow the money. Buffett makes money from oil being shipped overland instead of under. And people think the Koch brothers control everything.

The politically motivated anti-Obama Republican rhetoric has had the probably unintended consequence of stoking racial prejudice. Republicans will suffer along with the rest of the country.

Republicans seem to really enjoy taking from the poor and middle class to give to the rich.

It’s interesting to watch our nationally famous Kansas legislators frantically trying to stick their fingers into the huge, badly designed and ever-leaking Kansas budget dike. They probably haven’t had the time to remember that they were the ones who built it.

If the governor really wants to end the budget shortfall, it’s time to start taxing churches – their property and income. If you disagree, you must believe there is separation of church in state.

In our current state of money issues, our state legislators would be foolish to fall behind on legalizing something they can tax and regulate – marijuana. But we all are watching the governor fumble our future, our credit rating and children’s education.

For those who complain about people spending dollars on pets: How many of you spend high dollars on your prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, pot, chew tobacco, fattening foods and other things that cause avoidable health issues? Don’t complain until you look in the mirror.

I have worked in both the private and public sectors, and that experience has taught me that there is waste and ineptitude in both.

Seeing a floor plan of the new airport would be helpful for the general public before the opening, to help reduce confusion in the first days.

This story was originally published March 19, 2015 at 7:01 PM with the headline "Opinion Line Extra (March 20)."