To the editor:

Sen. Sam Brownback proposes an Office of Repealer in Kansas government to get rid of archaic or inconvenient state rules and regulations. (Journal-World, June 15). When asked what regulations should be repealed, Brownback’s spokesperson could give no examples. The senator has made a gesture but there is nothing there, no substance.

This kind of gesture by the good senator is very frequent. On May 19, he read a resolution to Native Americans apologizing for hundreds of years of devastating government action against them, a laudable but essentially meaningless gesture. It was all show and no substance.

That same day Brownback voted with Wall Street bankers to deny consideration of a bill to rein in the bankers’ greed and protect Kansas consumers (Senate roll call vote 158). That was substance! He then voted against the bill when it was finally considered (roll call vote 162) and he led the effort by auto dealers to deny consumer protections to car buyers. More substance.

Kansans know flimflam when they see it and they have been seeing it over and over from Brownback. He’s great with the shallow gestures that require no heavy lifting — show — but sides with Wall Street bankers and predatory used car dealers — substance — when Kansans would be helped.

It will be interesting to see if Kansans want a flimflam man for governor.