Letters: Readers discuss wonderful KCK theater, pit bull bites and EPA protections
Nicely done
Saturday afternoon, we went to Kansas City Kansas Community College to see the Kansas Academy of Theatrical Arts production of “Guys and Dolls.” The cast consisted of Kansas City, Kansas, high school students. The costumes, sets and songs were terrific. What a wonderful show.
Call it sad, call it funny, but it’s better than even money we enjoyed this production of “Guys and Dolls.”
- Robert Anver, Kansas City, Kansas
Pit bull bites
Kansas City has a pit bull dog bite problem. The Star was one-sided in favor of those who oppose breed-specific legislation in the Jan. 24 front-page story, “Prairie Village City Council might repeal ban on pit bulls.” Be fair and start reporting from victim advocates who think pit bulls are unpredictable and dangerous in our neighborhoods.
My organization obtained records of the dog bites to humans reported to Kansas City’s Animal Health and Public Safety Division in 2019. “Pit bull terriers and mixes” were responsible for 154 of 336. That means pit bull-type dogs were responsible for 46% of dog bites, which is way out of proportion.
Pit bull types are 7% of the dog population, so they should be responsible for 7% of the dog bites. Anyone who understands statistics knows this is proof these animals are too dangerous in our neighborhoods.
- Julie Wall, National advocate, NationalPitBullVictimAwareness.org, Rochester, Minnesota
Real power center
As you watch the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, be aware that he might not be the most powerful man in America. Mitch McConnell might make that claim.
Consider what McConnell has done as Senate majority leader:
▪ He single-handedly stopped the legitimate nomination of a Supreme Court justice, something he said made him very proud.
▪ He told Fox News that when legislation passes the House, it won’t come to a vote in the Senate if he doesn’t like it. The Democratic House has sent the Senate more than 400 pieces of legislation, many of them bipartisan. Only a handful has reached the Senate floor.
▪ He worked, as he said, in “total coordination” with the White House to rig the rules for the impeachment trial. Not coincidentally, McConnell publicly guaranteed that Trump would not be removed from office.
How did McConnell become the most powerful man in America? A partial answer: He received 806,795 votes in Kentucky in 2014, which is 0.3% of the estimated 250 million registered voters in the nation. Something is very wrong with our system.
- Jim Patrico, Plattsburg, Missouri
Big tax shock
Tuesday’s front-page story, “Kansas property taxes prompt calls for help,” really hit home.
We bought our home in Leawood in August 2019. We loved the beautiful, older neighborhood and its lovely trees, the rebirth of so many older homes that are being updated, and the many restaurants and shopping opportunities close by. But just five months later, we received notice that our taxes are increasing by 71%. We are contesting but must absorb this increase into our fixed-income budget if we want to stay.
We are in our 70s and hoped this would be our last move. If taxes continue to increase at this alarming rate, we won’t be able to stay.
My suggestion to others moving into this area: Beware.
- Linda Smith, Leawood
Polluted thinking
Monday’s commentary by Andrew Wheeler, President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency administrator, contains misleading information. (7A, “Trump water rules end decades of confusion, federal overreach”)
Wheeler has spent his life working for fossil fuel companies and climate change deniers. His perspective is slanted in favor of polluters. Wheeler is more intent on frustrating the mission of the agency he heads than furthering legitimate environmental protection goals.
There have been no “decades of confusion” in the application of the Clean Water Act. If you want to discharge waste to surface water or groundwater, you have to obtain a permit. If the discharge would kill fish or would be poisonous to lab rats, you don’t get a permit until you pre-treat it to eliminate those problems.
There has been no “federal overreach.” Obama-era policy clarified what had been done for decades. Most permits are issued and overseen at the state level. The few that aren’t are managed by regional EPA personnel.
The weakened clean water rule will benefit developers, fracking companies and those wanting to open confined animal feeding operations for swine and poultry.
All discharges flow downhill to someone else’s property. Weakening clean water protection is a bad idea.
- Fred Hopkins, Prairie Village