Easy voting, the Hannibal Bridge and COVID-19 at school

Smooth voting

Hats off to the Kansas City Election Board. My polling place at Central United Methodist Church was impressive, with every detail of safety and convenience considered and backed up with helpful, pleasant poll workers. Thank you.

- Steven C. Lesan, Kansas City

We must change

To those who prefer to preserve monuments to archaic values with a claim to remember, if not celebrate, a professed devotion to history: Being Neanderthal in northern Europe before the arrival of homo sapiens as a result of the human diaspora out of Africa was not out of place in that time either.

However — and I know some will argue that evolution did not occur or is downright wrong and immoral — time marches on, and so do we. That’s how we achieved bipedalism as well as the ability to speak language and to reason and — get this — to grow and progress, as in our own journey from infancy to adulthood.

I’m not going to burn all the pictures of my childhood, but I’m also not going to cling to antiquated habits and relics of my youth, particularly when they impede my ability to develop and, in fact, to exist and survive.

Evolution, whether biological or intellectual, is not some lark we are engaging in for kicks. It’s our ticket to survival.

Of course, there’s always the other path, if you prefer. That would be extinction.

- Catherine M. Dobson, Lexington, Missouri

Ugly landmark

The unpainted, rusty Hannibal Bridge, which crosses the Missouri River just east of the Buck O’Neil Bridge, is very unattractive. Why is the BNSF Railway allowed to keep it in this state of disrepair? It does not represent Kansas City as a well-kept, up-to-date city.

I can hardly believe it has been in that condition for so many years.

- Irene Perez, Kansas City

Royal bright side

Does anyone really give a hoot about baseball this year? I am struggling to watch a game while looking at paper cutouts where real people used to sit. Let’s just go ahead and have the Yankees and Dodgers play the World Series and get it over with.

It’s early, but it looks like the Royals can’t hit their way out of a paper bag. My wife tells me to stop being so negative and try looking at the bright side of things. OK — how about they can’t lose 100 games this year because they are playing only a 60-game schedule?

- Greg Schoen, Overland Park

Taking advantage

Is anybody else tired of businesses using the pandemic as an excuse to reduce customer service? Many have chosen to view this situation as an opportunity while others cut hours, jobs and offerings.

We won’t be in this situation forever, and, yes, I’ll remember the places that reduced their service and will take my business to the places that stepped up now.

- Burt Walker, Raymore

Simply said

President Donald Trump: He is who he is.

- Lawrence Gunja, Leawood

Makes sense?

I marvel at the many strange actions President Donald Trump has taken while in office, and I am appalled. I wonder, just how can a person like this be our president?

Then the thought occurred to me: What if this is actually the type of president we deserve?

- Richard C. Lumpkin, Prairie Village

Test them

I am a retired teacher. I have no doubt about the importance of children being in school to learn.

I have read about the plans schools are designing to try to keep students and adults safe. All are doing the best they can to ensure safe schools. However, nothing changes the fact that hundreds of adults and children will be in enclosed spaces seven hours a day, five days a week.

I am concerned about the lack of testing for the coronavirus. Apparently, checking temperatures and monitoring symptoms are the primary ways to screen for illness. That ignores the inevitable group of asymptomatic carriers, who are estimated to make up at least 35 percent of those infected. Children can and will present with no symptoms and will spread the virus.

A significant improvement to any reopening plan would be to require a recent negative test for COVID-19 before a child or adult can attend school in person.

- Melissa Keller, Overland Park