KCI restroom design, foreign beef, official mail from Yoder

Who counts?

Nice headline: “Kobach, Colyer loyalists battle over which ballots will count in close race.” (Aug. 14, 1A)

I thought all ballots were to be counted, not just the ones blessed by political hacks.

Maybe Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and Gov. Jeff Colyer should take a seventh-grade civics class.

Oops — that may not be possible thanks to former Gov. Sam Brownback’s budget cuts to education.

David Barber

Kansas City

Both are winners

What is the problem with the GOP primary for Kansas governor being so close? There are two honorable men seeking the office, and they have good, strong backing from so many Kansans. Either way the final count goes, the best man will win.

Antoinette Jamerson

Trimble, Mo.

Design cues

This past week, I had a five-hour layover at the Minneapolis airport. I used its lovely renovated restrooms, which are a wonder.

Every stall in the women’s room is handicap-accessible, so disabled people are less likely to have to wait for one. Each stall has an extra-wide door and plenty of room that makes it easy to bring in luggage. Each stall has a niche for your roller bag, a shelf and a hook to hang your bag. I always hate hanging my bag on the door.

The lovely décor and ceramic tile artwork brighten the room. Finally, there is floor space. If a mother comes in with several children, there is a place for them to stand, not crowded around the door of the stall, impeding the movements of others. I hope chairs will be added for nursing mothers.

I encourage Kansas City’s airport design team to travel to Minneapolis to view these lovely restrooms, and then provide similar accommodations for people traveling through Kansas City.

My first rule of judgment for anywhere I go is the quality of the restrooms. We need the best here.

Ellen Portnoy

Overland Park

Truth in labeling

Don’t believe that “Product of U.S.A.” label on beef at your grocery store. The item might contain meat from foreign-raised cows.

That’s because the U.S. Department of Agriculture allows meat from foreign-raised cows that pass through U.S.-based meat-inspection plants or are blended with American-raised beef to be labeled “Product of U.S.A.”

Processors have huge profit motives in committing label fraud because Americans overwhelmingly prefer and pay more for U.S.-raised beef. It’s a great business model: Buy low-priced foreign beef, label it as American-raised and sell it to unsuspecting consumers at premium prices.

Meanwhile, American ranchers and farmers lose millions in reduced prices for their cattle as they get the lower prices paid by processors for foreign beef.

It’s ironic that our government is embroiled in trade fights all over the world while failing to stop unfair trade practices committed against Americans by corporations within our borders.

If you agree with fairness for American producers and consumers, go to regulations.gov and search dockets for “origin labeling.” Then voice your opposition. Indicate that you are against this violation of the Federal Meat Inspection Act prohibition on “false” or “misleading” labels.

Please act soon, because comments are due no later than midnight Aug. 17.

Felix Revello

Larned, Kan.

Surely consistent

I guess it is safe to assume that Corry Bliss’ motivation for threatening to air his super PAC’s “strip club ads” is to discredit Paul Davis in Kansas’ 2nd congressional district race to be decided this November. (Aug. 11, 4A, “Republicans threaten Davis with ads about years-old strip club incident”)

Obviously, Bliss, the executive director of the Congressional Leadership Fund, hopes undecided voters will deem this visit to the strip club as immoral and will determine that Davis is not fit to serve his country.

So I guess that means that when Donald Trump was running for president, Bliss was equally outraged by the derogatory statements and actions made by our current president and encouraged voters to look elsewhere.

Elizabeth Carney

Grain Valley

Taxpayers’ dime

Last Thursday, two days after the primary election, what should I find in my mailbox but a 15-by-12-inch, full-color, two-sided mailer from Rep. Kevin Yoder? It says, in fine print, “This mailing was prepared, published and mailed at taxpayer expense.”

So he’s trying to pass it off as some kind of update for his constituents, but the truth is so obvious: It’s a campaign ad.

Yoder is shameless. What do you think that cost us?

Are you going to take this abuse without comment? Of course, you’re not.

Yoder’s contact info at his Washington, D.C., and Overland Park offices is public. Use it and tell him what you think.

Pam Richardson

Stilwell