Dear Andy Barr: You used to be so nice. Why are you so hateful and cruel to constituents now?

Hateful and cruel

U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, once upon a time you were a nice guy. Your ugly comments about the recent gathering at the Kentucky Theatre were shameful. I challenge you to watch the Town Hall meeting. You will recognize these people. People from the Episcopal church where you grew up; people you went to high school with; civic leaders, many of whom are Republicans. You know you are lying when you accuse us of being paid to come. You also know our government is threatened by President Donald Trump.

I heard people speak at that meeting with shaky voices. I heard elderly people. I heard from a 15-year-old. I heard from Republicans and Democrats. These are your constituents. How did you become someone who is so hateful and so cruel?

Diana Martin, Lexington

Missing Barr

There will always be division in our country until we can agree on what is true.

U.S. Rep. Andy Barr’s, R-Ky., claim that those who attended a recent town hall were radicals or paid actors is not just false — it deepens the divide in the 6th District and across our nation.

The cancer patient receiving care at UK Markey Cancer Center isn’t a radical. Neither is the veteran receiving care at the VA, the student attending school on a grant, the nature enthusiast who loves our national parks, or the Kentuckian whose life-saving medication comes through the mail from Medicaid. These folks had the courage to share their truths and concerns with their congressman. And instead of showing them respect, he chose to lie about them in a press release.

If Barr didn’t want to attend an in-person town hall, he should’ve just said so.

We can’t move past this division without shared truths. It’s time for leaders who listen, not those who distort reality to avoid accountability.

Rep. Adam Moore, Lexington

Barr’s virtual town hall

U.S. Rep. Andy Barr — My call was one of first calls your staff acknowledged on your recent virtual town hall. It seems when I told your staffer my topic, I was taken out of the queue. Instead, a preponderance of the callers was complimentary of you and didn’t ask hard questions.

I appreciate that you often talk about the need to reduce the federal deficit. But I’m puzzled. If it’s so important to reduce the deficit, then why did you and your Republican colleagues vote for a third reduction of $20 billion from the IRS earlier this month?

Some history: The IRS received a much-needed $79 billion increase over 10 years as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act to improve technology, customer service, and auditing of tax returns. But with this latest budget bill, a total of $60 billion of the $79 billion increase has been clawed back by the Republicans.

These $60 billion in cuts means less revenue will be collected especially from people who don’t pay on a regular basis like the wealthy and corporations.

So, with the total cut of $60 billion, tax revenue - that could have helped reduce the budget deficit – will decline.

Jeanette D Coufal, Lexington

Avoiding voters

Some of you might remember the old Cold-War “Duck and Cover” PSAs when a turtle would hide his head to avoid nuclear fallout. U.S. Rep. Andy Barr and his colleagues are adopting that strategy by refusing to meet in person with voters in order to duck fallout from them over President Donald Trump’s policies. Even worse they are shamefully and contemptibly lying by saying concerned citizens are “paid activists.” Very well. If “Braveheart Barr” and his fellow Republicans will not have the courage and integrity to meet with you, then you need to set up a time to communicate with them.

I would suggest on Election Day.

Jay Hopkins, Frankfort

‘He knew’

When U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., posted on social media that the recent town hall convened by “Gathering for Democracy” would be “manufactured outrage by paid activists,” he knew that was not true.

Now that the video recording of the event has been sent to his office along with hundreds of cards with stories and questions for him, there are a number of requests those of us who were there could make.

We could ask him to watch the video of his constituents voicing their concerns. But we know that’s not going to happen.

We could ask him to respond to some of the comments. But we know that’s not going to happen.

We could ask him to apologize for dismissively mis-labeling and mischaracterizing the actions and motivations of one thousand of his constituents. We could ask, as a minimum, in the name of decency, that he stop making statements that deliberately mislead his constituents, all for political gain. But we know him well, and we know that’s not going to happen.

We can only hope that enough people understand exactly what his game is, and that they will let him know that this kind of behavior from our representative is unacceptable.

Steve Kay, Lexington

Tariff troubles

A lobbyist for the bourbon industry wrote an Op-Ed in a recent Herald-Leader complaining about the negative effects on the bourbon industry that will be caused by the impending government tariffs. However, she never mentioned the root cause of the problem. So here it is — the tariff problem for the bourbon industry is being caused because MAGAs have elected a president so clueless he thinks that tariffs are paid by foreign governments. Despite President Donald Trump’s diploma from the prestigious Wharton School of Business, the president does not realize that tariffs are paid by the importer, not the exporter, and foreign governments are not involved in the payments. Unfortunately, he is too arrogant to ever admit he is wrong, which is most of the time.

So, the average American taxpayer will end up paying what will essentially be a huge, inflationary sales tax after the importers raise their prices to cover the cost of his tariffs. I think we need a new law that only gullible MAGAs who voted for Trump should have to pay the cost increases caused by the Trump tariffs.

Kevin Kline, Lexington

Signalgate

Donald Trump took away security clearance from former President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Vice President Kamala Harris a few days ago. Shortly after that petty, vindictive act, the Defense Secretary, Director of National Intelligence and other officials discussed highly sensitive, imminent war plans with a reporter in a group chat on Signal. A reporter who had the good, patriotic sense not to publish what he had been privy to, and by doing so probably saved the lives of more than a few pilots. Meanwhile, all leaker-obsessed Donald Trump could say about this treasonous act was, “The Atlantic is a failing magazine”.

Still feel safe, America?

Ross DeAeth, Lexington

Blinded liberal view

Every day, the Herald-Leader runs a letter from a leftist still worrying about the end of democracy. What exactly don’t you like?

You don’t like a clear majority in a democratic election? You don’t like violent rapists and murderers being removed from our cities? You don’t like that the U.S. again has a sovereign border? You don’t like that we’re negotiating an end to a multi-year war in Europe? You don’t like that we’re FINALLY doing something about a bloated government that is trillions of dollars in debt?

Or is it just that you hate one person so much that you are blinded to anything else?

Doug Reed, Lexington

Oligarchy

We are being ruled by the Super Rich — individuals and corporations — who are concerned only with becoming richer at our expense. Time to wake up to their scam and take back our government “of the people, by the people, for the people.”

Louis DeLuca, Berea

Grate news

Donald Trump is not “Making America GREAT Again.” He is “Making America GRATE Again.”

Paul Winther, Lexington

Russian invasion

I am a Vietnam veteran, and I remember the appeasement of Adolph Hitler in WWII. Russian President Vladimir Putin is an aggressor like Hitler. Ukraine is fighting bravely for it’s true independence from Russia. Putin not only wants Ukrainian land, he wants to make Ukraine a demilitarized puppet of Russia.

Ukrainians say it is better to die on your feet than beg on your knees. Support Ukraine!

Bruce Gordon, Georgetown

Revenue question

Question - recognizing that we, the US, are $36 trillion in debt, why do all politicians, especially Republicans, continue to talk about reducing taxes? If you are a billionaire, more tax cuts are on the way. All politicians should not reduce taxes, but start to pay down the debt, and not make the debt greater. This is common sense, but all the politicians are out to lunch. The Republicans want to tax the middle to enhance the billionaires, and the Democrats want to tax the middle and spend more dollars we don’t have. The middle seems to be stuck with no relief in sight.

Why is it that when politicians are interviewed, they are not asked, “What about paying down the debt?” and to provide real solutions, not trickle down, or bring manufacturing jobs back. How will they bring jobs back when AI is posed to replace workers?

No reporter or talking head from either the print or tv media ever asks this basic question.

Congressional members who won’t meet in person with their constituents do not deserve to stay in office. No budget for all of 2024, and 2025 doesn’t look good either. This is their job - to pass a real budget, not a continuing funding resolution.

Carole Cole, Nicholasville

Veterans Affairs

In a recent article on the assault on VA mental health care by President Donald Trump and Department of Government Efficiency leader Elon Musk, Trump mouthpiece Peter Kasperowicz is quoted as saying, “Under President Trump, the VA is no longer a place where the status quo for employees is to simply phone it in from home.” So, a mental health provider who sees at least eight patients for one-hour telehealth sessions, and then does their charting after dinner, is simply phoning it in?

Is there no bottom that this administration can reach in denigrating our faithful public servants, many of whom are, themselves, veterans?

Trump has called dead soldiers “losers” and current service members “suckers.” In my 20 years of service, I repeatedly swore an oath to support the Constitution of the US against all enemies, foreign and DOMESTIC.

It’s hard to imagine a U.S. citizen who is more of an enemy to the Constitution than Donald J. Trump.

Shame on all service members and veterans who support this tyrant.

Chris Flaherty, Mt. Sterling

Trump approval

For 10 years I have been thinking this about some supporters of President Donald Trump: “Well, you’ve got to realize that they really don’t know just how bad he is. They are too busy with their lives to keep up with the news. They just missed all the horrible things he’s doing and the lies he’s told. If only they knew the truth and the facts, they wouldn’t support him; etc., etc.”

I now think it’s way past time to put that thinking in the trash bin. If at this late date “they don’t know” then they must be brain dead. With all the news coverage of the evil, unwise, and senseless things he’s done and is doing it’s no longer possible to pretend that “they don’t know.” The truth is that they do know, and they are perfectly OK with both what he is and what he’s doing. In some cases, that’s hard to accept, but I think it is the truth. And I personally am no longer willing to cut anyone any slack based on the false premise that “they don’t know” because that contention no longer has any validity whatsoever.

Jim Porter, Danville

Legislative priorities

I think we need to go back to having general assemblies every two years. The Kentucky legislature acted disgracefully this time around passing special interest legislation affecting the environment negatively and passing a number of cruel laws affecting a small percentage of a population - many of them juveniles - that can harm them. The governor vetoed these measures because he has a conscience. They were rammed through because they knew he would veto these proposals.

Honestly, if the voters had to decide this stuff, they would have done a better job if they had the opportunity to go vote on these measures directly.

Roy Holt, Highland Heights

Edited by Liz Carey

This story was originally published March 27, 2025 at 11:00 AM.