Curb streetcar plan

A recent article about a streetcar proposal in Kansas City included a picture of a beautiful bus with Union Station and the covered walkway to Crown Center in the background. Therein is an intelligent argument to not spend $100 million on a streetcar line.

At minimal cost, use the beautiful Kansas City Area Transportation Authority buses on, say, 15-minute intervals, connecting Crown Center to the River Market.

This possible bus plan is a sensible one requiring no election, no added taxes and no pipe dream. If this bus plan were adopted, community leaders could concentrate resources on the city’s problems such as sewers, water systems and schools.

And for goodness’ sake, forget about a new airport. We have the best airport in the nation — that is the best for travelers.

Wayne Wagner

Independence

Streetcars of yesteryear

I read with interest the letters about the good old days of Kansas City streetcars and the service they provided. As a former streetcar operator in Kansas City (as was my father and grandfather), I recall when General Motors began manufacturing buses, and the days of the streetcar came to an end.

Ironically, GM soon stopped making buses.

There were streetcar lines about every four or five blocks. I have schedules from the Troost Avenue line showing service every five minutes at midnight, and owl service started every hour until 4 a.m. Then the day service began.

Harold H. Ambrosius

Kansas City

Disrespect for KU band

What were Sunday’s Chiefs fans thinking? Booing the KU marching band?

It was humiliating to sit there and watch the University of Kansas band rudely booed and jeered by the very audience it had traveled 60 miles to entertain.

If the Jayhawks cross the Chiefs off their list of future appearances, who could blame them? It’s a new low for Chiefs fans.

Booing the marching band? How pathetic.

Drew Dimmel

Overland Park

Welcome to DNC

In response to Stan Glazer’s letter published Sept. 11, there should have been a large sign at the entrance of the DNC in Charlotte, N.C., stating: “You are now entering the Democratic National Convention. God not welcomed, but Marxists and socialists are.”

Randy Kundinger

Olathe

Romney’s tax returns

Ann Romney told reporters that her husband’s money had been placed in a blind trust. Apparently, she doesn’t know that a blind trust is not the same as the tax havens offered by the Cayman Islands and Switzerland.

There can’t be any possible excuse for Mitt Romney being unwilling to release at least the last five years of his income tax returns because he is running for the highest office in the country. His stand only reinforces one’s belief that where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

Don W. Pepoon

Paola, Kan.

Tax cuts for wealthy

I never voted for President George W. Bush or Sen. John McCain when McCain ran for president in 2008 because they did not want to tax wealthier people equitably.

It’s not that the idea sounds so bad at first thought. But if the rich people continue to get the big tax breaks, what proof or evidence is there that this money will actually go into businesses or investments in new products and not into savings, overseas bank accounts or gold to stash away for a coming downturn in the economy or an economic disaster?

Until I see figures or exact evidence, I don’t think I will ever take such ideas of tax cuts for the rich seriously.

Robert R. Harsh

Topeka

Church, Finn must heal

Bishop Robert Finn is anything but the evil, insensitive man portrayed in the media (9-7, A1, “KC bishop guilty in Ratigan case”).

In my opinion, he is extremely naive and innocent in the ways of the world, and that is why/how he was such an easy prey/target.

What Bishop Finn did not do, perhaps could not do, was to face “the evil one,” disguised as pornography, stare it down, shut it down and report it immediately.

Perhaps the greater good to come of all this is that it provides a wakeup call for clergy and lay people alike: The playground du jour of the devil is the church, any church; his tool is pornography, and he will devour anybody at his disposal.

He just about took down a good man.

What Bishop Finn must do now, post-trial, is to ask forgiveness of all involved. That almighty “F” word carries so much power and is said so infrequently by pastors and parishioners alike.

“Will you forgive me?” Until that happens, there will be no healing peace in his heart or in the hearts of those he hurt, no healing within his diocese or in the community.

Mary Pat Miller

Overland Park

New political party

With new political parties popping up nearly every major election year, I propose the un-party — overqualified to be a Democrat and too poor to be a Republican.

William Pitchford

Kansas City

Valuing voting in U.S.

Representatives from True the Vote will be out in force on Election Day, watching voting take place at polling places. In 2010, many of these poll watchers were in mainly minority voting districts, and their numbers will increase this year.

It reminds me of the intimidation tactics used in the South. Not only that, Republicans are implementing laws around the country making it more difficult for Americans to vote even though voting fraud is rare.

It seems as if the only way for the Republicans to win is to ensure the least amount of people (especially minorities) vote.

Aren’t Republicans supposed to be the party of values?

I guess valuing the participation in democracy by all citizens is not part of those values.

Kelly Leonard

Tonganoxie

Change TV newscasts

On television, there is more news floating at the bottom of the screen than the newscasters are giving us.

If the stations would spend less time telling us what news they are going to tell us about, they would have more time to tell us more news.

In addition, without a computer, there is no way to check out their websites to get more on the story. I would appreciate less chitchat and more news.

Marcella Fite

Kansas City

Joyful, shared moments

It is too bad that joyful and happy times quickly disappear with the Alzheimer’s disease patient. I joined many Alzheimer’s patients recently in a beautiful time of singing during a morning hour.

We sang many of the old, familiar tunes, and all of them enjoyed singing and clapping their hands and many kept the beat of the rhythm by beating their knees. It was a happy time for all.

In the afternoon on the same day, Alzheimer’s patients gathered around tables and enjoyed togetherness, a refreshing cold drink, cookies and two egg rolls with the background of lovely professional music.

Special efforts by trained caregivers can touch beautifully the lives of patients and make a wonderful difference in life.

Doug Sutherland

Raymore

Catholic recovery

Here is some history on the more than 2,000 year old Catholic Church.

She has always been persecuted somewhere in the world, just as she is now in China, some places in the Middle East and Africa, and this year in the United States.

The interesting fact about the persecutions is that they never last forever, and when they end, the church emerges better, stronger and with greater numbers than before.

In the first two centuries of the church, Romans fed Christians to lions and tigers in the coliseums. It was the Romans’ national sport.

After that ended in the third century, the Catholic faith spread to the entire European continent.

President Barack Obama and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius should think about this as they continue to persecute the church.

James B. Pretz, M.D.

Kansas City, Kan.

Fighting hunger in KC

Since it was founded in 1979, Harvesters has acquired 500 million pounds of food and provided 385 million meals to hungry people in our community.

During the fiscal year 2012, Harvesters distributed a record 41.3 million pounds of food to individuals and families in need. Also in 2012, our BackSnack program provided weekend food to 16,680 children each week, with 19,503 nutritional and educational sessions for adults and children.

It has been my privilege to be a founding member and a 33-year member of Harvesters. Thanks be to God for the ongoing support of so many people.

To help support Harvesters, go to www.harvesters.org and see all the ways you can take action to fight hunger.

Father Pat Tobin

Kansas City