Readers thank the Kansas City Chiefs for a great season

Mahomes magic

Patrick Mahomes: First, I am sorry you and your team lost to the Patriots.

Second, thank you for giving Chiefs fans something to cheer about again. What a season.

Last, and most important, thank you for being an extraordinary example to the youth around the country. You are poised, mature and humble. Your parents should be commended for raising such a fine young man.

As a mother myself, I guarantee your mom is incredibly proud of the man you have become.

Yes, you are an excellent athlete, and I have no doubt you will be in the Super Bowl during your career. I truly hope it is as a Kansas City Chief.

Barbie O’Toole

Prairie Village

Don’t blame Dee

I was devastated, like all members of Chiefs Kingdom, by the loss to the hated Patriots on Sunday night. However, blaming Dee Ford for this loss is totally unfair.

Yes, he was offsides, maybe costing us the game, but the fact is it should never have gotten to that point. The whole team, especially the entire defense, was involved in this loss. The offense was so bad in the first half that it also contributed to the loss.

So buck up fans. What a great time we will have next year.

Carol Kelly

Overland Park

Gave their all

To Clark Hunt and the Chiefs’ staff: Congratulations.

Thank you for an awesome season. I don’t remember a time I looked forward to watching our team like I did this year. I knew we always had a chance.

Thank you for your commitment to Kansas City and giving us a team we can be proud of. The players are good role models for our young people.

I can’t wait for next year.

Bruce McSpadden

Lee’s Summit

Giving back

One of the more useful, hands-on and enduring programs in the Kansas City area is under way again this month.

Each January, seniors at Rockhurst High School spend the month out of their classrooms, assigned to the community to work around the city at a wide array of nonprofit organizations: sheltered workshops, day care and senior living centers of all types, sizes and denominations.

It’s a rite of passage for these Rockhurst boys, who’ll soon matriculate to colleges and universities far and wide. But it’s also well known that these young men get more than they give through this novel and final required class in their Jesuit curriculum.

I’ve witnessed the program in several places over the years, and it’s quite a classroom.

So, thanks Rockhurst, for providing this program for your students and our city.

Richard F. Thomas Jr.

Kansas City

Ignoring voters

So many times, our Republican-dominated statehouse in Jefferson City has ignored the will of the electorate by insisting on the exact opposite of what voters approved. I am reminded about subjects such as right to work, puppy mills and more.

I think of the actions as a form of voter suppression: no fiddling with voter rolls or ballots — just do your best to get around the law.

Now the House has passed a rule allowing members to ignore the open-records requirement of the Clean Missouri constitutional amendment, while claiming to “protect constituents’ privacy.” Ha ha. (Jan. 19, 7A, “Lawmakers rush to undo ‘Clean Missouri’ open records reform. That’s unconstitutional”)

These lawmakers are protecting only their own privacy while conducting official business — and that is certainly not good for the rest of us.

Pam Workman

Independence

Out of sync

After the recent snowstorm that knocked out power in thousands of places and dumped 7 to 10 inches of snow almost everywhere, Kansas City International Airport reported 4 inches. That’s outrageous.

KCI is apparently a weather hole. If the metro gets 3 inches of rain, KCI gets three-quarters of an inch. If we have an ice storm, KCI gets a little sleet. If we get tornadoes, KCI reports cloudy skies.

The National Weather Service uses KCI as an official reporting station for Kansas City, so we are powerless and have little to say about it. But one thing is for sure: KCI doesn’t reflect the area’s weather. That much is certain.

Reggie Marselus

Lenexa

Hitting home?

I wonder if the president is also suffering from the partial federal government shutdown. Does he not have the availability for his family to travel? Can he keep food on the table? What about releasing what's left of the White House staff that hasn't been furloughed already and abiding by the strict rules of actually shutting down government services?

Jack L. Hatchitt