Letters: Readers discuss no sympathy for Royals fans, Sen. Barbara Bollier and scammers
Not sorry
I do not feel one nanogram of sympathy for Royals fans and the pain they are experiencing in 2018. I find it quite hilarious.
I believe the baseball gods are giving the Royals and their fans the karma they richly deserve for the unmitigated hubris of recent years: Yordano Ventura headhunting Brett Lawrie and Manny Machado and igniting brawls by staring down Mike Trout and Adam Eaton. Taunting Cardinals fans about 1985 during the bad years, then ramping up the scorn in 2014 and 2015. A complete lack of objectivity by Rex Hudler and Steve Physioc on broadcasts, including endless references to the estimated 800,000 people who came to their World Series celebration, then calling Royals fans the greatest in MLB, forgetting Kauffman Stadium was two-thirds empty for many games a few years prior.
I lost any respect for the Royals when owner David Glass disgraced Ewing Kauffman’s legacy with his gross mismanagement. That became outright contempt when the Royals reacted to success with arrogance.
I will be the last person to feel sorry for them now that they’ve relapsed into pitifulness.
David Steinle
Russell, Kan.
In name only
Political parties are brands, and Kansas state Sen. Barbara Bollier is off message, like on every issue imaginable. (July 20, 12A, “Republicans’ problem with Bollier’s independent thoughts”)
End the ruse, senator. You’re a Democrat through and through.
Jim Eschrich
Lenexa
Civic duty
Two recent events showcased the importance of voting. Last fall, a seat in the Virginia House of Delegates was decided by a drawing because the election was tied after 23,000 votes were counted. More recently we learned that fewer than 12 percent of registered voters in the Kansas City area voted in the local April 3 elections.
What did we learn? Every vote is important, but most votes are never cast.
One reason people may not vote is they don’t know what’s on their ballots. If this is keeping you from voting, go to www.vote411.org to get your personalized ballot. Even though there are 165 races in our area, the site filters out all but the ones you will decide. Furthermore, more than 100 candidates have shared information on vote411.org regarding how they plan to serve you.
By failing to vote, hundreds of thousands of people in our community let others decide how they will be governed.
The League of Women Voters of Kansas City, Jackson, Clay and Platte Counties believes voting is a fundamental citizen right and encourages all registered voters to get informed and vote — either absentee or in person — in the Aug. 7 primary.
Pat Goodwin
Secretary, League of
Women Voters of Kansas
City, Jackson, Clay and
Platte Counties
Kansas City
Rattled
I never thought I would agree with the current president when he said, “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters.”
Last week, it happened — not in New York City with a gun, but in Helsinki with a knife when he stabbed our country and all we stand for in the back. This was shown all over the world.
We have no way of knowing whether this was a mortal blow until our midterm elections, but based on interviews with his voters, my confidence level is extremely low.
Where are the patriots who said, “Give me liberty or give me death?” Where are our representatives who swore to uphold and defend our Constitution, not the president?
The only thing I can say is, “God, please bless America.”
Carol Hestand
Grandview
Taking advantage
My faith in humanity has been bruised. About a year ago, a woman pulled her vehicle alongside me as I was unloading my groceries at the grocery store. She told me a story about how she left her home in St. Louis, with her kids, because of an abusive relationship. She came here for a fresh start. She was short $17 to check into a hotel.
I told her about our resources in Kansas City, including Rose Brooks Center. She replied that she had been there and to the food banks but had exhausted those leads.
I took pity on her, handed her $20 and told her I would pray for her.
Today, I was at a gas station. A car pulled up on the other side of the pump, and a beautiful woman told me the same tale. I recognized the story, the woman and a scam. I left with tears in my eyes.
Were my tears for her or for me realizing I had been duped?
Should you encounter this woman, please tell her you’ll pray for her, then move on and continue to help the people who truly need it, just like the great people of this metropolitan area always do.
Cathy Heili Sittenauer
Mission