Letters: Readers discuss KC infrastructure, Mueller’s investigation and marijuana

Bang, rattle

Kansas City is pothole city. Bridges and roads need repair.

This is not the time for streetcar expansion. Is this too logical for our leaders?

Ann McGraw

Kansas City

The real issue

I confess amazement and some amusement over the brouhaha in Washington, D.C., between parties seeking political advantage over “loyalty pledges” and questions of whose team one is on. Seeking political advantage has been part of American politics since before we won the Revolution.

I do not see anyone addressing the heart of the issue: how to strengthen our system of voting and prevent malicious actors from interfering.

When will we hear from Congress about the depth of Russia’s (and other actors’) penetration of the voting process? It is widely reported that almost all of our intelligence agencies agree there was a series of Russian attempts. Where and how? Most importantly, what steps are we taking to prevent ongoing and future ever-more-sophisticated attempts at undermining the voting process?

Robert Mueller, who I am certain is a good man, has been investigating potential collusion for almost a year now. Can we the people have an in-progress review or update?

I am waiting to hear about efforts, not to fix blame, but to fix the problem.

Kevin Benson

Lansing

Gateway drug

Some people call condemnations of marijuana ridiculous. Having volunteered for years at three correctional facilities, I have learned this: Every individual with whom I volunteered who had been incarcerated on serious drug charges had started with marijuana.

Obviously, not everyone who uses marijuana goes on to harder drugs. But show me someone addicted to harder drugs who didn’t start with marijuana. Consider the studies that support this conclusion. And are the lost lives and potentials — not to mention the costs for incarceration — really of such little consequence?

Then try studying the number of fatal accidents that have been caused by drivers under the influence of marijuana in states where it is legal, such as one from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released last summer.

Innocent, sober people have been killed by others under the influence of marijuana. And what about all the studies connecting marijuana, alcohol and tobacco, leading to connections with dangerous harder drugs?

Proponents ask voters to join them in voting for legalization of marijuana in Missouri next November. But I am asking everyone to please consider carefully and study thoroughly, for the sake of everyone’s safety and health.

After all, we are all in this together.

Cathy Svacina

Kansas City

Best wishes

Alex Smith, we will surely miss you. You’re such a good man on and off the football field. Kansas City was lucky to have you here for a while as quarterback of the Chiefs.

I will be wishing you the very best wherever your future takes you.

Lorraine Bennetts

Kansas City

Check this box

Well, I just got my personal property tax form from Jackson County in the mail today. If you want to see just how outdated Missouri tax laws are, look at the bottom of your form asking for the market value of any “horses/mules/asses” that you own.

The only asses I know about in our state are the politicians owned by the rich lobbyists. It may be problematic for lobbyists to figure out the worth of the asses they own, because most of them are pretty much worthless and therefore non-taxable.

As the old quip goes, we have the best government money can buy.

Thomas Dodson

Kansas City

Pare them down

As Feb. 8 approaches, and with it another potential government shutdown, we may wish to ponder the operating methods of the legislative branch of the government.

As important as funding the government is, why would any sane person complicate the process by adding unrelated issues to divert that debate from the merits of that single issue? Why debate immigration when funding the government has its own problems that need serious consideration? Why include a funding proposal for a border wall when that proposal should stand on its own merits?

By approaching these multiple issues in a single package, Congress has pretty much created a surefire formula for failure.

I can’t imagine any corporate or civil governing body considering three such diverse and divisive issues in one vote. Perhaps our lawmakers would do a better job if they just tried to do one thing at a time.

Jim Stanker

Merriam

This story was originally published February 3, 2018 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Letters: Readers discuss KC infrastructure, Mueller’s investigation and marijuana."