Mass transit needs

I was lucky enough to be a TWA brat in the 1970s and 1980s and still fly to visit out-of-town children. With that said, leave Kansas City International Airport as it is.

It’s the most passenger-friendly airport in the world. I’ve been in a hundred of them. Hands down, KCI is the best.

Instead, public dollars should be spent on public transportation. And I’m not talking about Kansas City’s 15-block trolley blunder.

If you want to play with big boys, act like you know how. Why build hotels when you can’t leave them without $50 cab rides?

Mass transit needs to regularly go to airports, stadiums and other tourist-needy spots. Live north of the river and you’re really without public transportation.

One bus a day goes to the county seat. I like the cowtown image. But we’re not on horses anymore.

Shannon Kincade

North Kansas City

Efficiency in KC

We need to discuss fiscal responsibility in this city, or rather, the lack thereof.

Kansas City has a budget of about $1.3 billion. Even with a budget so high, the city can’t reasonably maintain basic infrastructure. At least once a week, I drive down the street and see a broken water main.

And how long does it take to get it fixed? How long does it take even to get a response crew on the scene?

When Wornall Road was torn up between 79th and 85th streets, with the stated purpose of putting in new sewers, how long did it take to complete? I can’t tell you how many times I drove past that stretch of road in the middle of the day and saw literally no work being done.

This city needs to change its spending habits and focus on making city services more efficient. The work shouldn’t include union contracts that limit the amount of work that the workers are paid to do.

Stephen Hart

Kansas City

Voter ID solution

I am happy that Kansas has the new voter identification law. However, I think that when a person goes to vote and does not have a picture ID, then using the same equipment the driver’s license bureau has, a picture could be taken and a voter ID issued for those with the proper paperwork, allowing those individuals to vote while they are still there.

Ron Phillips

Kansas City, Kan.

NRA lock on GOP

Does the National Rifle Association completely own every GOP lawmaker?

Charles Barnes

Kansas City

Progressive court ruling

The Kansas Supreme Court just made a very 21st century ruling in the case of Frazier v. Goudschaal, two lesbian ex-partners suing over custody of their two children (2-23, A1, “Lesbian mother’s rights upheld”). So, look out Kansas.

That ruling will give Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s 19th century legislature a new reason to conjure up ways to influence the Kansas judiciary.

Steve Johnston

Leawood

U.S. held at gunpoint

For all those folks out there who think we need more guns to protect our children and the rest of society, you live in a world with a very narrow definition of our right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” as defined in the Declaration of Independence.

Your desire for turning this nation into an armed camp is totally wrongheaded.

Additionally, do you folks really want your children to grow up in a police state? I certainly do not.

And are you 100 percent certain that the teacher, principal or janitor in that school can and will kill another person? That is one huge assumption.

I don’t think I can assume that a 23-year-old teacher could kill another 20-something person.

It is time to grow up as a society, put our toys away and become responsible citizens to avoid our stepping off into the dark chasm of a police state where each and every one of our rights will be taken away.

Perhaps we should modify with some sensibilities the Second Amendment so that we are teaching our children what makes our country great.

Rich Gomez

Kansas City

Sickness of racism

People who think the problems of people of color are the fault of their own behavior should read the Feb. 23 news story, “Lawsuit highlights ‘open secret’ of racism.” The story details how a nurse was the recipient of the venom of “a white man with a swastika tattoo (who) insisted that black nurses not be allowed to touch his newborn.”

It astonishes me that many of us seem oblivious to the fact that we European-Americans constantly benefit from the advantages of “white privilege” while our fellow citizens of color live daily with the effects of both overt and subtle racism, which, sadly — to quote my pastor — is still alive and sick.

Sherry Templeton

Kansas City

KC flunks snow removal

Thank you, Arturo Arquieta, owner of Mr. Green Landscaping and Lawn Service. Because city officials don’t take care of the streets in Kansas City, I hired Arturo to clean our cul-de-sac of 111th Terrace and Jefferson Street so the people can get in and out.

Just because it’s a small street doesn’t mean that the people who live on it should be ignored year after year. The city needs to look across the state line to see how street maintenance should be done.

People shouldn’t have to dig out an ambulance trying to go to a house in Waldo to get a patient to the hospital (2-28, A4, “ ‘Truly those neighbors helped save his life’ ”).

Those wonderful people who helped deserve much more than thanks. They need a city to do what it is responsible for, and that is to serve the people who live here.

I moved back to Kansas City from Overland Park, and I have been more than frustrated with the ways things are done here. The people of Kansas City are good people and deserve better.

Sylvie Radvinsky

Kansas City

More than semantics

The immigration debate is emotional, and there are different opinions on what the correct policy should be. I acknowledge this diversity.

After all, one of our freedoms in this country is to think and speak independently without fear of persecution.

As an advocate of people, I have a request for my fellow community members: Why not use the term “undocumented immigrant” rather than “illegal alien”?

Regardless of their political leanings, most people prefer to use non-offensive language. The term illegal alien is inflammatory.

You may have heard the phrase, “No human being is illegal.” Well, it’s true.

Undocumented immigrants have entered the country without proper documentation or inspection. They have broken a law.

So has the vast majority of our prison population, but we do not hear those people being called “illegals.” Calling undocumented immigrants illegal implies their very existence as people is unlawful.

The term illegal alien strips people of their humanity.

We must have the immigration debate. It has been on our political agenda since our inception as a country.

As informed and educated Americans, let’s use the proper language to engage in this important and historic dialogue.

Katelyn Girod

Mission Hills

Kobach’s good work

To Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach: Keep up the excellent work on immigration laws. You help ensure that Latinos and other minorities don’t vote for Republicans.

Bob Burns

Leavenworth

Fiscal sense lacking

There are obviously few of our so-called leaders in Washington, D.C., who have the sense God gave the north end of a southbound mule. This has been demonstrated by their inability to control spending, the fiscal cliff fiasco, debt-ceiling problems and the expiration of the law that keeps the government funded.

And then I read that our president wants to “cure” the immigration issue, which is partially caused by his refusal to enforce existing laws. Yes, this issue needs to be addressed, but not at the expense of the issues mentioned above.

All this does is take away focus on more important issues. This exposes his lack of leadership skills, as does his comment to House Speaker John Boehner that they don’t have a spending problem.

Really?

They have many more pressing issues to address and ways to do that. They should be looking at wasteful spending programs and their own programs such as Congress’ health-care plans and the fact that they have their own, which we pay for.

Double standard anyone?

Paul Moore

Riverside

Gratitude for kindness

I just wanted to say thank you to the three people who stopped to help dig and push my car out of a snowdrift at Ninth Street and Washington Avenue. It was so kind of you to give up a chunk of time to help a total stranger who was stuck.

Also, thank you to the two gentlemen who came over and offered to help when I was having car trouble a week or so ago at the QuikTrip on North Burlington. I don’t know any of your names, but you can be sure your kindness will come back around.

Anna Licata

Kansas City