Overland Park difficulties, horses for meat and KU football

Out of the picture

WalletHub’s choice of Overland Park as the best city in the nation for disabled people in its “2021’s Best & Worst Cities for People with Disabilities” report is just confusing and bizarre. (Sept. 30, 6A, “Overland Park named top city for people with disabilities”)

You can’t even get to a grocery store with public transportation in Overland Park. How could a mentally disabled person, who for example might work only four to eight hours per week at a low-wage job and couldn’t possibly afford a car, be able to live in Overland Park?

I can only guess that WalletHub considered physically disabled people who can hold gainful employment and purchase cars. Why did it ignore mentally disabled people who can’t do those things? It is reprehensible that the Kansas City community would shun these people.

- Kyle Turner, Kansas City

In the way

If the only purpose of government is to make policy and solve problems, why is it that so many of our elected officials take such pride in doing nothing and actually impeding progress?

- Richard Clyde Lumpkin, Prairie Village

Save the horses

Horses are vital companions and working animals in the United States, and they deserve our gratitude and protection. The Save America’s Forgotten Equines or SAFE Act currently in Congress would ban horse slaughter in the U.S. and stop the export of American horses for slaughter.

Tens of thousands of American horses — racing horses, show ponies and gentle companion animals — are shipped each year over our borders in terrible conditions to be ineffectually stunned and slaughtered. Not only is their treatment and transportation cruel, but they suffer grisly deaths at the hands of poorly trained employees and equipment intended to stun them that is not suited to their anatomy.

While slaughter for meat is undoubtedly a terrible end for these animals, this industry also poses serious health risks to consumers. Horses are given in their lifetimes many medications and drugs that are toxic to humans, and the USDA has no system of tracking which horse has had what substances.

I urge Missouri U.S. Sens. Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley and U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver to support the SAFE Act to end this cruel industry and help protect horses and consumers.

- Robert White, Lone Jack

Out of date

In my daily travels around town, I am astounded by the number of expired temporary license tags I see on cars. Tags expired by a few months are common. But sometimes I’ll see one that has been expired for more than a year. Do the police not see these tags?

There are things I know and things I don’t know about the owners and drivers of these cars. I don’t know if they have insurance. They might, but nobody has checked. One thing I do know about these folks: They have not paid the sales tax on their cars. I paid tax on mine. Isn’t it fair that we all do?

- Ken Mohler, Kansas City

Not on top

So, how bad has the University of Kansas football team been lately? Well, let me tell you. Since Mark Mangino was ousted 12 years ago, the Jayhawks have won 21 games against 108 losses, not counting this season. That’s an average of a 2-10 record over that span, with only six conference wins.

So six coaches later, the Jayhawks are still the doormat and whipping child of the Big 12. They have been out-recruited, out-coached, out-muscled and run over like a freight train.

So welcome, coach Lance Leipold to Lawrence, Kansas, where football is just an afterthought.

- Greg Schoen, Overland Park

Mind made up

In light of a recent tweet by the University of Kansas’ student body president, followed by the university’s unwillingness to admonish such hate speech, (Sept. 9, 8A, “KU student leader’s tweet looks like hate”) I would like to thank her and the university for helping my family decide where my child will attend college. My daughter (and my money) will not be going to the University of Kansas.

- James R. Humphrey, Leawood