Letters: Readers discuss home-grown Brookside, Village Shalom and Tim Tebow’s mother
Wasted energy
If there must be more Democratic debates, why not have each one about only one subject — such as poverty, health care, climate change or foreign policy?
Recent polls have shown that very few voters change their minds about presidential candidates — even after listening to debates.
So why have more debates? I think the only people listening now are ardent supporters of President Donald Trump.
- Mary Arney, Kansas City
Local strength
At the top of the Brookside Business Association website, a legend reads: “A century of local, a century of Brookside. A diamond in the city for 100 years, Brookside is celebrating a century of local entrepreneurship.”
Brookside has remained untouched by the big chains and strip malls. It still has the charm of local shops owned by people who live in the neighborhood. Children still ride their bikes to Brookside Toy & Science and the New Dime Store. Families stroll with their children and dogs and stop by Brookside Barkery for grooming or dog treats. People meet at local restaurants like Bella Napoli to catch up with one another and run by the local tailor, Rydell’s, for great work and customer service.
First Washington Realty, which owns Brookside Shops, apparently wants to get rid of these stores one by one. It is raising the rents so that places like the New Dime Store with its creaky floors can no longer afford to stay open. This is shameful.
I hope the community will speak up and come together to keep First Washington Realty from destroying 100 wonderful years.
- Julie McCann, Kansas City
Earned our trust
My parents were fortunate to spend the final years of their lives at Village Shalom. My sisters Martha, Carol, Ann, Kathy and I visited often, taking turns so that a family member was there six days a week, every week, for eight years.
We got to know Village Shalom very well, including many residents and their families, the nursing staff, activities staff, occupational and physical therapists, custodial staff, administrators and just about everybody else. The care was great, and the welfare of each resident was the top priority regardless of the source of reimbursement.
As mentioned in the Feb. 23 front-page story, “Overland Park nursing home aims to oust Parkinson’s patient,” Village Shalom is prevented by privacy laws from providing information about a resident. We truly sympathize with the resident in the story and with his family. And we believe there is more to the story.
Village Shalom is a caring organization, and president and CEO Matt Lewis is a caring person of real integrity. We feel certain that the situation described in the article is not about money.
Village Shalom is to be commended for safeguarding the welfare of all of its residents.
- Mary Jo Poehler, Kansas City
Support life
The author of a Thursday letter to the editor wrote that former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow is alive today because his mother refused to follow the advice of doctors and abort her pregnancy. (10A) I would argue Tebow is alive today because his mother was able to make the choice not to abort.
The pro-life side overlooks the fact that government control over women’s bodies can go both ways. The world, including the United States, has experience with forced sterilization and abortion — tragedies we do not want to repeat. Let’s not reopen that option.
There are so many ways to support life, from strengthening our health care to ending the refugee crisis, the death penalty and war. Supporting access to sex education and safe and effective contraception does more to end abortion than making laws to control women’s bodies.
Standing up for human life in any of these areas will also invite persecution and criticism, and men’s voices are definitely needed.
- Kay Hopkins, Leawood
Formidable barrier
It’s not the wall he promised to build, but he has built a wall.
It divides not two nations from each other, but one nation from itself. It stretches from sea to shining sea and is fast becoming impenetrable.
It divides truth from propaganda, reality from fantasy, right from wrong. It separates patriot from partisan, justice from oppression, integrity from corruption. It severs dining room tables and tears families apart.
And while we may argue as to which side of the wall we should be on, or even, indeed, which side of it we are on, there can be no disagreement as to who has built this wall.
And shouldn’t that tell us everything we need to know?
- Randall J. Kietzman, Kansas City
This story was originally published March 1, 2020 at 5:00 AM.