Now is not the time to turn funding for Ukraine into a political football | Opinion

Aid to Ukraine

Why is it that the United States had no problem funding billions of dollars, and sacrificing thousands of lives, to invade other countries (i.e. Vietnam, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan) to force unwanted democracy on them, but Republicans are objecting to funding for Ukraine, a country that was invaded by an admitted enemy of the United States, and involves no soldiers being deployed. This makes absolutely no sense.

Get your heads out of the sand, people, and don’t make this a political football. These are not statistics, these are people’s lives. Help them save their country and their democracy, the outcome of which will affect the entire world.

- Carol Kelly, Overland Park

Only temporary

The House passed a temporary spending measure to prevent a government shutdown and allow the Senate to pass this year’s budget. (Oct. 1, 2A, “House passes 45-day funding plan to delay imminent shutdown”) While this is a step in the right direction, it is only temporary. If the budget isn’t passed, it will affect millions of employees’ paychecks.

During government shutdowns, federal employees don’t receive pay but are guaranteed back pay, which could take months.

But government contractors, such as military health care workers, might not receive back pay because they are employed by a third party. Their employers, not federal law, decide whether they will get paid.

Contractors have started planning for a possible shutdown. Some have implemented plans for the worst-case scenario: Employees have been put on temporary leave, had their hours reduced or been laid off entirely.

Even though these workers help make our country better, they are not guaranteed jobs once the government gets its act together.

The bill expires Nov. 17. With the disagreements in Congress over immigration, disaster relief and Ukraine, that may not be enough time. Among the people guaranteed paychecks are those in Congress. What about the rest of us?

- Arthur Newby, Olathe

Counting votes

The National Popular Vote has been approved by 16 states and the District of Columbia — but not by the voters in Kansas or Missouri. Please give this your immediate attention.

Are you a voter who wants to make every vote equal and believes that one-person-one-vote should apply to presidential elections? Are you someone who thinks the Electoral College no longer serves the purpose of the American voter? I’m addressing Republicans, Democrats and independents.

We need all voters to show up and vote in presidential elections. The 60% of registered voters who voted in 2020 need to have the other 40% show up. And that other 40% need to know that by showing up their votes will count.

If your elected representatives in Washington know how strong you feel about this initiative, they can act on our behalf before July 2024. The only way the law, and our one-person-one-vote process, will be enacted is if you let your representatives know that you support this.

The process takes five minutes. The site will give you more information. Act now by going to www.nationalpopularvote.com

- Thomas Curry, Leawood

Course of justice

We hear a lot about former President Donald Trump not receiving any jail time. I realize that stranger things have happened, but I was thinking if you were to take all of the crimes that have been credited to Trump and spread them over 100 common citizens and each went to trial, there would be an abundance of jail time to keep everyone of these people in jail for years and years.

Sometimes it has seemed that Trump is toying with our justice system just to see how much he can get away with. Whatever sentence is given to Trump, one part of the deal should be that he never goes on a golf course again; he cheats too much anyway.

- Richard Clyde Lumpkin, Prairie Village