As Pride month ends, here’s what Roger Marshall should be ‘sad’ about, not LGBT flags | Opinion

Senator’s priorities

I was struck by Sen. Roger Marshall’s recent comment, ”It’s a sad state of affairs,” referring to the White House displaying an LGBT Pride flag to commemorate Pride month. (June 20, 1A, “Marshall seeks to ban Pride flags from fed buildings”)

My first thought was: No, it’s a sad state of affairs when a U.S. senator is incensed about a celebration of people who aren’t hurting him or his family while gun-toting maniacs roam the country shooting people, and they could hurt him or his family.

And he’s doing nothing about it. That is another “sad state of affairs.”

- Barbara Young, Independence

Unhappy birthdays

Less is not more. Please bring back the celebrity birthdays column that used to appear in The Star’s print edition. It listed more birthdays than its replacement from Encyclopaedia Britannica and included ages.

I tried to like the new version, but I don’t.

- Jeffery Psota, Kansas City

Distracted driving

Pedestrian safety from drivers has been on my mind this summer, so I thank you for highlighting the concern in the your editorial, “Why do so many drivers put pedestrians at risk?” on Wednesday. (10A) Beyond the cited factors of speed, road rage, substance use and lack of respect for traffic laws, I add widespread distraction from devices.

A new concern I have is the use of scooters and smaller vehicles, often by children whose peripheral vision is not fully developed and who have not been taught the rules of the road. An unthinkable tragedy would devastate all involved.

If your words, and these, can prevent even one accident, the time and print space is merited.

- Mina Steen, Mission Hills

Trump’s time

Did Donald Trump not have time to inspect the documents he was taking to Mar-a-Lago? He should have done that rather than spending time calling all those Republicans to find votes he had not won — one of 30,000-plus other lies he told us.

He should have made time to attend the inauguration of his duly elected successor, President Joe Biden, as all respectful presidents have done.

If Trump wasn’t capable of carrying out the duties of the office, he should not have run for it.

Please, America, elect a truthful, capable, respectful candidate in 2024. Let’s work to create an America we can love and be proud of, a country that all those around the globe who want democracy can support and work with to make our world a better place for all.

- Marlys Ballard, Overland Park

Yes, flat tax

In praising Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of the Legislature’s flat tax proposal, The Star’s editorial board endorsed a gut punch to Kansans struggling to make ends meet. (June 7, 8A, “Kansas GOP never sold unfair flat tax to voters”)

Kansans making between $15,000 and $30,000 a year would have experienced a 5.15% marginal tax rate reduction. Full-time, minimum-wage workers would, in effect, receive a pay raise, while those making less wouldn’t pay any state income taxes.

A single-rate tax would relieve Kansans of the burdens associated with tax filing. Americans spend 2.6 billion hours annually preparing their taxes — paying CPAs and attorneys to decipher tax schedules, deductions and credits.

Cutting taxes and maintaining a budget is possible, as 24 states have proved. North Carolina, for example, reduced its income tax rate to a single 4.99% rate and has enacted a gradual reduction of the corporate income tax, all while stabilizing its budget. Kansas’ $2.3 billion surplus is more than enough to cover the estimated $500 million cost of a single tax rate package.

If Gov. Kelly and Kansas Democrats care about the most vulnerable, they must join efforts to create more prosperity for all.

- Michael Austin, Kansas legislative director, Americans for Prosperity, Topeka