EDITOR:
Hello, Mr. DeJarnett (a contributor in last week’s Letters to the Editor in The Landmark), hope you are doing and feeling well. I really appreciate your response of Sept. 23, 2020; you have some interesting comments. We continue to agree to disagree.
A. I agree the National Debt is horrendous. True government can’t be progressive, it has to be responsive and reactive to public needs. At every level of civil service, Federal, State, County or City, our countries fiscal budgeting processes have become incomprehensive to all except a very few. In 1995, Newt Gingrich torpedoed the Federal annual funding process and chaos has become the normal. Too many layers, we need to re-organize funding structures top to bottom.
Today it takes a specialized skill set to actually financially manage public offices at any level. Not just university degrees but actual hands on, live in the trenches, experience. Vigorous application of ethics would also be of great benefit to all. Missouri State statutes regarding county government are not only woefully inadequate, it’s highly probable the statutes are actually illegal.
B. Too many embedded antiquated religions and their affiliates entrenched in inadequate attitudes and manners are driving the young people away. Somewhere along the way, morals and ethics disappeared when Super churches with 5-10 thousand members started buying jets for their elite members. No longer is there individual support, it’s strictly gathering money from the masses for questionable purposes. Ergo, my stand on taxing all denominations of churches/corporations.
C. The impact of early voting in Missouri will be measured with this election. As 27 other states have freed up the gerrymandering impact in their states, so be it for Missouri. Voter fraud isn’t eliminated by notary, it’s just another way to keep people from voting. Voting NO on Amendment Three will also be adequate proof that it’s time to advance, not retreat. The State statute requiring notary needs to be revised or eliminated.
Mr. DeJarnett, I just called the Board of Elections in Platte City to verify this, THEY WILL ACCEPT WALK IN BALLOTS FROM COVID-19 AT RISK VOTERS who show them acceptable identification. Just be sure to bring the return numbered envelope provided with the ballot. Wear your face mask, please. Pay attention to the election deadline, get your voting done early while the weather is still good. Or, do you plan on standing in line? Hope it doesn’t snow.
D. And those pesky judges on the ballot? It’s the only way judges can be removed, they have to be voted out of office, the same applies to county commissioners. The Missouri Judicial Performance Review Committee has reviewed the performance of 52 judges appointed under the Missouri Non-Partisan Court Plan. For more information, go to YourMissouriJudges.org .
You can also go to www.vote411.org, and get the election information you need, see what your ballot will contain.
If a trip is not practical, you CAN TRUST your post office to process the mail in a timely and efficient manner. Just get it mailed as early as possible. Mail in voting is a prime example of making the United States Postal Service (USPS) the prime governmental entity responsible as National ballots are official government business.
E. I was 16 during the national riots in March, 1968. If all you remember about riots is the property damage, then your focus on commerce is skewed with your stand on religion. The riot was and still is about human lives. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.
F. “Our armed forces are entirely voluntary”. While there is no “draft”, every male turning 18 years of age MUST register with the Selective Service. There is even talk that women may soon be required to register also. In this day and age, IF CONGRESS approves a declared war, an entire generation would be called to arms in days. Volunteering became the result of economic need, jobs moved to foreign countries allowed the powers that be to keep fomenting war.
G. In 1969, esteemed author James A. Michener, in his book titled “Presidential Lottery”, entailed the reckless gamble in our Electoral College system. While the 13 colonies may have recognized the inherent danger, we’ve failed to establish reasonable and effective processes and procedures at the State level to ensure accurate elections.
The first page of Michener’s book states: “The system has three major weaknesses. It places the legal responsibility for choosing a President in the hands of an Electoral College, whose members no one knows and who are not bound to vote the way their state votes. If the Electoral College does not produce a majority vote for some candidate, the election is thrown into the House of Representatives, where anything can happen.” As evidenced in 2016, the person that won the popular vote across the nation was not chosen President, the direct result of the first two weaknesses. There’s your “interference”.
H. Your closing paragraph made me chuckle. Newspapers are still one of the most effective ways of communicating issues. They have provided us the opportunity to provide diverse and informative dialogs and/or debates that are becoming rare. They have provided ample space during a critical time in upcoming national events that affect everybody, letting us express our First Amendment rights. My sincere thanks to The Landmark.
These are epic times. Young people voting their first time will remember it for the rest of their lives. We are still a very young nation; we are experiencing growing pains. This decade will be a call to arms for all the people that are capable, skilled, and committed to work for democracy and our hard-fought freedoms, so that we make the changes necessary to continue LIFE, LIBERTY, and the Pursuit of Happiness. We have a LOT of work to do and, yes, you and I are both too wordy.
–Carol Clopton
Kansas City in
Platte County