Letters: Readers discuss coronavirus blame, a bad cartoon and police residency rules
So blameless
Last Friday, when asked whether there had been missteps that some health experts say have aggravated the coronavirus crisis, President Donald Trump stated, “I don’t take responsibility at all,” insisting problems that led to slow test-kit distribution were the fault of previous administrations.
He said: “We were given a set of circumstances, and we were given rules, regulations and specifications from a different time,” because the system was in place before he arrived.
But he can take responsibility for the previously rapidly growing economy that also had been in place before he arrived?
Unbelievable. The president doesn’t have ultimate responsibility? Maybe just a little bit? Can you imagine the riots with tar and pitchforks that would have occurred if Hillary Clinton had said that in office? Or anyone else?
What happened to, “The buck stops here”? Oh yes, that was a Democrat.
- Ken Hunt, Kansas City
Get it together
The classic Abbott and Costello “Who’s on First?” routine seems appropriate when discussing the interaction between government and pharmaceutical companies.
We don’t have enough test kits. Why? We’re not seeing news reports explaining what resources are being devoted to finding medicines that attack the virus. We don’t hear about labs across the nation coordinating with one another to speedily develop a vaccine. Why?
Government, you’ve declared a national disaster. Get off your rear, get organized and get something done. Media, why aren’t you all over this?
Quarantine all you want, but the only thing that’s going to restore our former way of life is a cure. I suppose we could wait until the coronavirus mutates, be totally unprepared for that and watch the lethality rates jump to much higher percentages.
It’s time to wake up. This is a war. The enemy is clearly defined. Are we trying to win the war or minimize the casualties while hoping our enemy doesn’t want more?
For those who have the power to do something, it’s time to drop the Abbott and Costello routine and actually do something.
- David Vanderwell, Olathe
What we need
Mr. President, it’s St. Patrick’s Day, and I hear your voice as I turn on the TV. You brag about your unprecedented response to the virus and state that you took it seriously from the very beginning. Yet I watched you laugh at your Feb. 28 rally in South Carolina, stating that worry about the coronavirus was the latest hoax from the Democrats. That was a mere 18 days ago.
As Americans, we are frightened of what lies ahead, hunkering down in our homes, distancing ourselves from family and friends. Meanwhile, you promise that the economy will rebound better than ever and that we will “win” this.
This is not a game or a contest. This is real, and it is affecting each of us in a very big way.
At a time like this, we need a leader who shows compassion — for those who have lost loved ones or those who are suffering with this devastating disease. We need a leader who will own up to his failings and promise to do better in the months ahead.
Mr. President, until the lying stops, I refuse to watch your briefings. They are detrimental to my well-being and mental health.
- Linda Yates, Parkville
Mail them in
Imagine if the coronavirus pandemic occurred this fall. How would you like to be standing in a long line of possibly infected folks waiting to vote for who will be president the next four years?
If ever there were a clarion call for unrestricted voting by mail, this is surely it.
- Mike Cunningham, Kansas City
Not laughing
To the editor who chose to publish the Monday political cartoon by Jack Ohman (7A) featuring a depiction of the White House with a sign that read “Trump Mart”: You disgust me.
- Catherine Dobson, Lexington, Missouri
District lines
In a Saturday letter to the editor, a 19-year police veteran and lifelong Kansas City resident said that officers don’t want to live within Kansas City’s boundaries because of its public schools. (7A) I have lived in two homes with Kansas City addresses. One was in North Kansas City Schools and the other in the Park Hill School District.
There are areas with school choices outside Kansas City Public Schools that still have a Kansas City address.
- Jerry England, Kansas City
This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 5:00 AM.