Letters: KC readers discuss a Jeff City power play, public service and the tomahawk chop
A dirty plan
In November 2018, Missouri voters passed Amendment 1, the Clean Missouri act, to revamp the state’s election processes. In nearly two years, one would think some progress would have been made to enact it.
However, the GOP-led Missouri legislature not only has done nothing on Amendment 1 — it has produced Amendment 3, which will be on the November ballot, to dupe us into voting against our own interests.
Make no mistake, Amendment 3 discards the reforms we voted for. One provision includes counting only adults when redistricting (“one person, one vote”) — something no other state does. It also removes the Sunshine Law rules in Clean Missouri that require all legislative records and proceedings to be subject to the state open meetings and records law.
The distasteful provisions of Amendment 3 are too numerous to include here, but suffice it to say the proposal is meant to preserve power for the status quo. The ballot language already has been struck down in court as “misleading, unfair and insufficient,” because presenting the truth would enable voters to see through it.
Don’t be fooled in November. Vote no on this shameless proposal from unscrupulous politicians in Jefferson City.
- James Lovell, Ballwin, Missouri
Help them serve
As talks between the White House and Congress stall, Americans are still grappling with the crippling impact of the pandemic. To truly move our country forward, we need to bring Americans together to help communities respond to and recover from COVID-19.
A bipartisan group of 18 U.S. senators, including Roy Blunt and Dick Durbin, has a plan to do just that through the CORPS Act, which would expand and strengthen AmeriCorps to provide critically needed services and give Americans purpose-driven work, a living stipend and help to pay for college.
Since the outbreak, AmeriCorps members in Kansas City have expanded food pantry capacity, tutored students and helped patients receive health care by assisting the Medical Reserve Corps.
But we need more boots on the ground. Congress should include the funding and provisions from the CORPS Act in the coronavirus aid and economic stimulus package. It’s a bipartisan solution to an urgent problem.
- Kevin McManus, Kansas City Mayor Pro Tem, Kansas City
Unmasked officer
My husband and I were pulled over on eastbound Interstate 70 just west of Topeka on Aug. 10. The officer did not identify himself, but he was with the Kansas Highway Patrol. I was appalled that he was not wearing a mask. I am at high risk for COVID-19.
The officer put his face right by my window to talk to me. I had to put up a pizza box to shield myself from him. I would assume that as first responders, law enforcement officers would consider wearing a mask to protect others important. The officer in question went back to his car to check my husband’s identification. I thought he would be wearing a mask when he came back. He was not.
It saddens me that law enforcement officers in my state are not wearing masks. I hope this young officer and the Kansas Highway Patrol change their ways. I am disappointed in my law enforcement, which I usually hold in high regard and am thankful for.
By the way, I do not believe we were doing anything wrong, nor did we receive a ticket.
- Lauren Conderman, Leawood
Ax the chop
So, Chiefs fans, the whole “Washington football team” thing — yeesh. Maybe our team being named after a white male “chief” of a pretend Boy Scout “tribe” isn’t such a good look in 2020?
If we want to keep the Chiefs name (otherwise, Monarchs? Wolves? Chefs?), this former Lee’s Summit resident asks whether we could at least change the tomahawk chop.
My proposal keeps some tradition and attempts to adapt it to be more respectful: If you watched the 2019-2020 season and playoffs, maybe you remember Travis Kelce saying, “Let’s go!” nonstop. Can we make that our new, more considerate Chiefs chant?
Can you imagine getting that visceral feel of 70,000-plus fans chanting, “Let’s go” over and over, stretched over many beats? To go with it, the chop could change into one pointing finger, as if signaling a first down (always relevant when chanting in a third-down situation).
I don’t mean to be tone deaf. Maybe this suggestion would make things worse. It’s important to get feedback from diverse perspectives, so please help us all learn. How can we both display respect and refrain from promoting stereotypes?
Instead of the chop, “Let’s go!” Could Chiefs Kingdom accept such a change?
- Ryan Whitaker, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
This story was originally published August 23, 2020 at 5:00 AM.