Predictions about Biden may be coming true
Shortly after Biden was elected in 2022, I wrote the following: “It seems impossible that the American public has elected to the office of president of the United States a mentally impaired old man most probably politically compromised through he and his son’s illegal business dealings with unfriendly foreign powers.” This has proved to be very true.
In his first three days in office, Biden did more damage to this country than any other president in the history of the United States. Since then, I have been convinced that we are headed, quite possibly in the near future toward a communist regime.
There may be some good things that seem to seriously discussed by government officials that may divert this disaster.
If, and that is a big if, Hunter is actually imprisoned, Biden is impeached, McConnell retires and Hillary, Pelosi and Schumer somehow decide they have had enough, and these people are replaced by people who really care about the future of America, I think we may have a chance to return to the greatness we once knew.
Don McCullough
1604 Denholm
Big 12 is right to look
to the future
In my childhood, which spanned the glory days of Bill Snyder’s first tenure at K-State, road trips to football games became some of my most cherished memories.
I recall a 2003 trek to Iowa State with my grandparents to see the Wildcats defeat the Cyclones 45-0. After the game, future Chiefs player Jon McGraw handed me one of his gloves on his way off the field. I still have it.
At the time, more than half of K-State’s conference opponents were within a 6-hour drive of Manhattan. Those hours of “windshield time” with my family were so important to me.
Alas, a new era of college sports has arrived, thanks in large part to corporate greed by TV networks. Soon, Maryland will play conference games in southern California.
The Big 12 Conference, just to stay alive, did what it had to do and brought in four new schools set to debut this fall. I was bummed to see UCF and BYU join, still clinging to the nostalgia of those short road trips to places like Lincoln and Columbia.
Nonetheless, the league did the right thing, and continues to do so by bringing Colorado back into the fold. By the time this letter prints, Oregon or Washington could be on board as well.
The Big 12 will no longer be the conference of middle America, but the conference of the continent. Many long road trips lie ahead — even lengthy flights to Orlando, the Pacific Northwest, or basketball games in Mexico.
I applaud Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark for his leadership. He didn’t try to hang on to the past, as I’ve done. He sees where college sports are going and has done his best to protect the universities in his conference.
For the sake of K-State sports, may we all hope he continues to do so. Even if it’s going to require a lot more windshield time.
Tyler Dreiling
2235 Buckingham St.
Rezoning a disservice
to neighborhood
Manhattan’s government is rezoning 407 Pottawatomie Ave. from low-density residential to a commercial district to provide a “step-down, or buffer” between the neighborhood and east-adjacent public parkland that is inexplicably zoned commercial/industrial. The parkland is part of the Southeast Park officially established by voters after the 1951 flood.
This absurd park zoning justification further qualifies the action as illegal spot zoning that threatens the existence of Manhattan’s most historic neighborhood.
Merriam-Webster defines spot zoning as: “The rezoning of a small parcel of land within the limits of another zone that is illegal when not done in accord with a comprehensive zoning plan or when arbitrary or discriminatory.” This rezoning meets the full description.
Our city government’s behavior has demonstrated tremendous disservice to Pottawatomie Neighborhood citizens and our community.
Mel Borst
1918 Humboldt St.
Big Pharma a driver
of out-of-control
drug prices
Heading into an election year, a top concern for voters remains the high cost of prescription drugs.
A major contributor to this crisis are the anti-competitive and profit-juicing strategies employed by Big Pharma to protect monopoly pricing on their products and drive prices ever higher.
I support a free economy and the ability to recoup an investment made in research and development but Big Pharma uses tactics that go far beyond. Among the tactics used to prevent competition from entering the market and driving down prices are patent schemes that add new patents to existing drugs for changes as minor as an alteration of their pill casing, which offers no improvement to a drug’s clinical value for consumers, adding months or years of blocked competition from cheaper alternatives such as generics or biosimilars.
The Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act is an important step in addressing this problem. This legislation received unanimous support from both Republicans and Democrats during a legislative markup in the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. The bill supports healthy market forces to help lower drug prices.
As the manufacturer, Big Pharma plays a critical role in setting drug prices. Patent abuse creates the illusion of a free market when in reality it is a legal way to create effective monopolies on certain drugs.
It is time to reform our patent system in a way that allows for recoupment of investments without stymying future competition.
Lee Modesitt
800 Poyntz Ave.
