Letters: Readers discuss Political cooperation, hydroxychloroquine and Roger Marshall
For the books
I have a file of original Kansas City Star editions covering famous events, including the 1985 and 2015 World Series and the 2020 Super Bowl. These are treasured keepsakes.
To this I am adding Thursday’s edition, with the headline on Page 4A, “Trump hails ‘fantastic’ job by Kansas governor.” It describes the Republican president praising the Democratic Kansas governor for her leadership and her gratitude for his administration’s help for her state during a crisis.
- John Miller, Fairway
Let it blow
The sound of trains is as much a part of Parkville as the Missouri River or Park University. The trains and their whistles define Parkville’s identity. They are tied to the history, character and charm of this community. They also draw visitors from both sides of the river and beyond. People want to experience the trains, hearing their whistles as they rumble by.
The mayor and city aldermen are trying to silence the whistles in downtown Parkville as part of a long-range development plan. They are investigating wayside horns, which are basically muffled horn noise coming from speakers at crossings that are tripped as the trains approach, to replace the whistles sounded by the trains themselves.
The installation of wayside horns is less costly than establishing a quiet zone in a community. Lenexa and Merriam have transitioned to the horns at some crossings. But preserving the train whistles costs nothing and provides the most safety to pedestrians and vehicles.
We are not a one-size-fits-all metropolitan area. Parkville should hold onto its uniqueness and be proud of the whistles that make it special.
- Elaine Kellerman, Parkville
What it’s about
I am a stubborn person. It’s almost impossible to change my mind. And although I’ve aged into a high-risk group, I feel as invincible as I did in my 20s.
When I recently told my daughter I was unafraid to make the eight-hour flight to see her and my grandson, she simply said that it is not about me and my safety — it is about the possibility that I could unknowingly pick up the virus and transport it to her family and her community, and likewise bring it back to Kansas City.
Mind changed. I canceled my trip.
Having learned that lesson, and for the same reason, I would no more walk into a store or restaurant these days without a mask than I would walk in barefoot or sneeze on the buffet table. Again, it’s not about me — it’s about the safety of the workers trying to keep their businesses going.
To the occasional person on TV proclaiming that he’ll never wear one, I would just say wearing a mask does not make you unmanly. It does not make you a snowflake or a serf bowing to a tyrannical government. It makes you courteous.
- Larry Stice, Kansas City
Why freak out?
In March, my prescription for hydroxychloroquine came due. I have been taking this for more than four years for my rheumatoid arthritis. When I went to pick it up the next day, the pharmacist gave me only one-third of my prescription because the drug is in high demand, with a limited supply.
That very day, The Kansas City Star published a front-page story saying doctors across the nation were prescribing hydroxychloroquine to themselves and their families as a precaution against COVID-19. (March 28, “Run on their medication leaves area lupus patients ‘freaking out’”)
I heard no outrage about this, nor anyone saying doctors should lose their licenses because of it.
However, now that our president is taking it, the news media are losing their minds. I don’t understand why it was OK for doctors and their families to take the drug as a preventive measure, but not the president. Is there a double standard here?
- Donna Perney, Grandview
Bad medicine
U.S. Senate candidate Roger “Doc” Marshall abuses his status as a medical doctor when he wrongly trumpets the benefits of, and prescribes, hydroxychloroquine for preventing COVID-19.
He is reckless with people’s health. He flirts with malpractice. He places himself above evidence-based medicine. He places himself above the recommendations of every credible medical organization.
I do not trust a physician who prescribes potentially dangerous medications for unapproved and unwarranted uses. As a doctor, I do not refer patients to such a physician. I do not value the opinions of such a physician.
A person who misbehaves like that as a physician should not be given the opportunity to misbehave as a senator. Roger Marshall lacks the judgment, leadership skills and integrity we need for our state.
- Ace Allen, Overland Park