Letters: KC readers discuss George Floyd’s killer, ‘religious’ schools, college costs
Whose trial?
Setting aside the fact that the country is being subjected to a lengthy trial concerning a murder that we all watched, I was greatly disappointed in The Star’s decision to continue a Wednesday front-page story under the subheadline “Floyd trial” on Page 3A.
George Floyd is the name of the victim, not the person on trial for his extrajudicial killing. It would be the “Floyd trial” only if Floyd had been arrested, charged and gone to court, rather than being executed in the street.
- Richard Romero, Kansas City
Define ‘religious’
Recent stories The Star has published about investigations of boarding schools have mentioned that they are religious and Christian schools. But the coverage never explains what constitutes them as religious or Christian.
It would help to know what ordination credentials the people running these schools have, or to know if they have credentials or backing from religious organizations or denominations that allow them to list themselves as religious institutions.
Since some schools that affiliate with a denomination are reputable, it would be helpful to distinguish between those that are legitimate and are overseen by trustworthy leadership and those that just call themselves religious.
- Paul Budd, Sugar Creek
All-Star hypocrisy
Social conservatives have conjured up a new boogeyman: “cancel culture.” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is just the latest GOP politician to claim persecution from it as Major League Baseball pulled the All-Star Game from the state in response to its new restrictive voting laws.
Though he denounces this instance of corporate America bringing economic pressure to bear for causes it believes are important, he and his fellow Republicans had no such criticism when Hobby Lobby used its corporate muscle to take on the contraceptive requirement in President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, or when the NRA relocated its offices from New York because of “a toxic political environment.”
Only snowflakes resort to playing the victim in order to defend their political misjudgments.
- John McDonald, Ferguson, Missouri
Not so simple
A March 31 letter (10A) asked what would have happened if someone on the scene of the recent mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado, had a gun to save lives. It should be acknowledged that a well-trained, well-armed person was there. Unfortunately, Boulder police officer Eric Talley perished along with the other victims.
Often, solutions are not as simple as they seem.
- Patrick di Natale, Lenexa
Litter’s dangers
The Sunday letter decrying litter on our roads was timely and on point. (14A) There is a lot of trash on U.S. 69 and Interstate 35. The sources of much this trash are open-bed trucks, open-bed trailers, trash trucks (including junk removal companies’) and construction sites.
The failure to properly secure loads should carry stiff fines, and construction sites should also be fined for not picking up materials and trash. The trash is not only unsightly but the construction materials, tires, furniture and large bags of trash are very dangerous to other drivers.
- Rebecca Martin, Bucyrus, Kansas
Way to pay
Funding higher education can spread debt on families who sacrifice growing a business, buying a home or saving for retirement — and it often lands on their young adult’s shoulders. Students and families across the socioeconomic spectrum deserve a chance to participate in an increasingly competitive economy without excessive education debt as a necessary evil.
I propose students attend their colleges of choice and the federal government pay up front at rates negotiated by the Secretary of Education. In return, the college graduates should pay slightly higher federal income taxes on a schedule to reimburse the cost of the education they received.
This “pay it forward” model could equitably sustain the program without burdening taxpayers who do not directly benefit. This elective program would be funded only by those prospering from it.
At the very least, a generation of educated Americans would enter adulthood and the workforce without student debt and perhaps deliver us closer to the country we all deserve.
- Peter Gariepy, Richmond Heights, Missouri
This story was originally published April 8, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Letters: KC readers discuss George Floyd’s killer, ‘religious’ schools, college costs."