Letters: Readers discuss pointless wars, the working poor and KC’s ‘rat house’
War’s long reach
My wife and I visited Washington, D.C., and went to see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I served in the Marine Corps from 1961 through 1967, though I did not see combat.
At that time, a six-year commitment was required, and I elected to serve three years on active duty and three years in the Marine Corps Reserve.
We had friends who were killed in Vietnam, and we wanted to remember and honor them while we were in the nation’s capital.
As my wife and I approached the memorial, tears welled up in my eyes. We were deeply moved by the number who had died serving their country. My heart ached for their families and their losses. Many continue to grieve even to this day, as I do.
Even though I wasn’t in combat, my heart was with them on the battlefield. It still is.
Tears still come to my eyes as I reflect on the Vietnam War. America has been engaged in armed conflict for 220 years of our 240-year history. I wonder how much longer we will be fighting.
- Gene Groner, Independence
Mess at KCI
My wife and I picked up our son and daughter-in-law last Thursday at Kansas City International Airport, and we were surprised at the mess we found ourselves in as we approached Terminal B.
Mountains of debris and mud everywhere. So many twists that made us unsure where we were, or where the terminal was. Dozens of construction signs mixed with temporary direction signs created more confusion than assistance.
Most confusing was finding the cellphone lot. The entrance is far from where it used to be, and we thought we were leaving the airport when we finally found it.
Good luck if you have to head for the airport. Take extra water in case you get lost.
- Dick Horn, Overland Park
The poor give
My friend Angie Brickson and I were out on Thanksgiving Day picking up last-minute items at Walmart. While chatting with our cashier, we asked whether she at least received holiday pay. The answer was no. We proceeded to McDonald’s to pick up a quick drink and asked the same question, and received the same response.
When working as hospital nurses, we were always paid time-and-a-half on holidays. At least that took a little bit of the sting out of having to miss holiday time with our families.
It reminded us of a sentiment expressed by Barbara Ehrenreich in her book “Nickel and Dimed.” She writes: “When someone works for less pay than she can live on — when, for example, she goes hungry so that you can eat more cheaply and conveniently — then she has made a great sacrifice for you, she has made you a gift of some part of her abilities, her health, and her life. The ‘working poor,’ as they are approvingly termed, are in fact the major philanthropists of our society.”
That wildly profitable companies such as Walmart and McDonald’s fail to compensate their employees with holiday pay is inexcusable. It is their shame, and ours for not knowing.
- Tish Ferazzi, Prairie Village
Ratted out
The Sunday Star included a front-page article, five pictures and more than 200 column inches about the woman with the so-called “rat house.” (“Neighbors fight for years against woman’s ‘rat house’”)
Did we really need to know this much about this isolated issue? (I concede it is a problem for the homeowner’s neighbors.) But was there nothing more important going on locally, nationally or worldwide that would have had more widespread interest and personal impact than this?
It seems to me your subscribers deserve better.
- Charles M. Stiles, Overland Park
Dig deeper
The harrowing “rat house” situation begs the question: How is it possible for this problem to drag on for decades, tie up years of court time and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars with no end in sight?
Did former Kansas City mayors and council members think the status quo was the best way to go, or were they unaware? Are the current politicians at City Hall going to let this continue?
When were the existing rules and regulations restricting city inspections put in place? When was the last time they were updated or even reviewed?
Surely there are reasonable, moderate positions to allow for private property rights without permitting vermin infestation and urine-soaked homes. Or are there interest groups who prefer that the current dysfunction continue to hold well-intentioned property owners and neighbors hostage?
Whatever the cause, it is time for city-inspection permissions and property codes to be updated to protect people who live in Kansas City.
- Ross Freese, Kansas City