Readers react to guns, payday loans and Starbucks

Asking about guns

Amazingly, most people never ask whether neighbors have guns locked and unloaded in the house when their children play there.

One two-part question could save a child’s life: “Do you have guns in the house, and how are they stored?”

Parents ask about measles, etc., but not guns. Yet, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, gun shootings ranked second to car accidents as a cause of child and teen deaths in 2013. And the danger is growing.

Hospital admissions are increasing every year as a result of this negligence.

Parents ask the wrong question when they say, “Are guns stored safely?” Answers are simply (and mistakenly), “Yes.”

You need to be specific and ask whether there are any guns in the home and how they are stored.

You can make it easier to ask when you phrase the statement: “I always ask this of people before a child goes to visit or play because accidents happen.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics knows these facts.

Asking saves kids.

Harold Koch

Leawood

Immoral business

I applaud The Star’s Nov. 8 editorial, “Tainted study reveals interference by payday loan industry,” regarding the payday loan industry’s research.

Mayor Sly James, The Star, faith leaders and Communities Creating Opportunity among others have shown leadership in opposing predatory loan practices in the Kansas City area.

Unfortunately, local television stations have not been as civic-minded. We have been deluged with TV ads from a national title loan company, encouraging borrowing money for Christmas.

The happy people on the ads don’t reveal that a $2,000 title loan for toys will cost $5,000 to $7,000, depending on the loan’s terms.

Families trying to make their children happy for Christmas lose their cars when they can’t pay off the loan, or they get another loan to pay off the first loan.

Financial institutions in the Kansas City area provide low-interest loans for people with poor credit. There are social-service agencies that provide gifts for children at Christmas.

No family should be lured into taking a predatory loan at a triple-digit interest rate.

Predatory loan greed is an anathema to the Christmas spirit.

We appeal to media outlets to not accept payday and title loan company advertising. Accepting such advertising makes media companies complicit in this immoral business practice.

Garland Land

Blue Springs

Silence fails all

Starbucks is under attack for a plain red cup for the holidays.

One Facebook rant says, “I think in the age of political correctness we become so open-minded our brains have literally fallen out of our head.”

His point is that Starbucks should say Merry Christmas on its coffee cups.

The American Civil Liberties Union stops manger scenes from being erected. Others want Jesus on everything.

Both extremes do nothing to maintain the “United” States of America. Both lead to the “Divided” States of America, where every little group wants to have total control over the actions of all.

The logical outcome of politically correct conversation is absolute silence.

The exchange of ideas is needed for all us to grow and learn.

Richard Blaisdell

Kansas City

Bullying at MU

University of Missouri system President Tim Wolfe, Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin and the MU Board of Curators clearly succumbed to bullying (11-11, A1, “Shakeup at MU’s top”).

A more decisive, less intimidated, university president would have immediately expelled the student who was starving himself and had him physically removed from campus property.

Also, how does a person with the ridiculous title “vice chancellor for inclusion, diversity and equity” ever manage to keep a straight face. It’s such nonsense.

Peter Connors

Lee’s Summit

Empty debates

The recent presidential candidate debates have truly been a race to the bottom to see which host/sponsor can do it worst.

Viewers may be entertained, but they are being deprived of information they need to make decisions on which candidate could best lead the nation.

Linda Smith

Donna Hoch

Parkville

This story was originally published November 13, 2015 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Readers react to guns, payday loans and Starbucks."