Letters: Readers discuss honoring Kay Barnes, Constitutional originalism and Sly’s pre-K tax

On a pedestal

I think former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes deserves more than a ballroom named after her. How about a bronze statue in the Power & Light District? It’s a common and fitting form of lasting tribute in many other cities — why not here?

While we’re considering bronze statues, let’s finish the original Union Station plan. There’s a stone podium between the main entrances in the front of the building. It’s an ideal spot for a larger-than-life-size statue of “Give ’Em Hell” Harry Truman.

If you don’t think Truman deserves this honor, there’s always the most famous son of Florida, Mo.: Samuel Langhorne Clemens, whose pen name was Mark Twain.

If you don’t like those two, you should move to Kansas.

Michael Pandzik

Shawnee

Roll it back

Roe v. Wade may be the topic of the day, but there are other issues some conservatives want relitigated:

▪ Property owners should be able to deny potential rental tenants based on race.

▪ Employers should be able deny jobs to applicants based on race.

▪ School districts should be able to enroll only students of a certain skin color.

▪ Employers should be able to pay women less.

▪ States and counties should be able to establish their own voter-registration requirements.

These are some of the things we thought we left behind decades ago. If you think this is backward, you’re right. But consider, the Constitution did not end slavery. The Constitution did not give the vote to women. And many of our freedoms are left at the employer’s doorstep when we enter work every day.

So when you listen to conservative arguments for Supreme Court candidates who will follow the Constitution’s “original intent,” you should consider where all this is headed.

John Chapman

Gladstone

Vote realistically

With primary season about a month away, Democrats in Kansas’ 3rd District should consider who can beat Rep. Kevin Yoder in the fall when they go to the polls.

Brent Welder is not someone who can win a general election. Although he is progressive and endorsed by the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders, we have to remember that this district still leans Republican.

Independents and moderate Republicans will decide the race, and they aren’t going to vote for a Sanders-aligned Democrat. Republicans will use his endorsement, as well as Welder’s attempts to fundraise off last month’s police deaths in Kansas City, Kan., as ammo.

I implore Democrats in the district to vote for Tom Niermann in the August primary. He has lived in the district for decades, and his campaign that is focused on education and school safety will play well in a district that many families move to because of the schools.

A similar situation is playing out in the race for governor, where Josh Svaty is the only Democratic candidate who can win the general election.

Kansas Democrats, this is likely the best political environment of our lifetimes. Let’s not blow it by nominating candidates who can’t win in November.

Bryn Kruse

Prairie Village

Stop, thief

Mayor Sly James apparently can’t stand leaving office without one more tax increase. (July 4, 4A, “Mayor James launches campaign for sales tax hike to fund pre-K”)

My pockets have been picked empty by this man.

Jerry England

Kansas City

Out of control

How do you think President Donald Trump did Thursday night at his rally in Montana? (July 6, 14A, “Trump narrows list for Supreme Court pick to 3”)

A few of the rantings:

“I have broken more Elton John records. He seems to have a lot of records. And I, by the way, I don’t have a musical instrument. I don’t have a guitar or an organ. No organ. Elton has an organ. … This is the only musical — the mouth. And hopefully the brain attached to the mouth, right? The brain. More important than the mouth is the brain. The brain is much more important.

“But let’s say I’m debating Pocahontas (his slur for Sen. Elizabeth Warren). I promise you I’ll do this: I will take, you know those little kits they sell on television — learn your heritage. We will take that little kit — but we have to do it gently. Because we’re in the #MeToo generation, we have to do it gently. And we will very gently take that kit and slowly toss it, hoping it doesn’t injure her arm.” (That’s a threat to do harm, in my opinion.)

Are Sens. Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts really still backing this mad man? Will they ever honor their oath of office?

Inge Hafkemeyer

Mission

This story was originally published July 7, 2018 at 8:33 PM.