Hey, Disney: Ditch Florida and bring Mickey back to Kansas City where it all started

Welcome back to KC

Since Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his allies in the state’s Legislature are punishing the Walt Disney Company by changing its tax status, we in Kansas City would love to have Disney World come home to its roots, where Walt Disney started his first business: Laugh-O-Gram studio at 1127 E. 31st St.

I plan to call Mayor Quinton Lucas to see if we can make it happen.

- Jesse Newman, Overland Park

Help us, Trump

An open letter to Donald Trump:

It is incumbent upon you to speak with and meet your colleague, Russian President Vladimir Putin, to persuade him to end this murderous, disastrous war in Ukraine, which endangers all life.

This is a litmus test to see if you are worthy of a future chance for leadership. The world requires that you act.

- Henry M. Stoever, Co-chair, PeaceWorks Kansas City, Overland Park

Uninformed opinion

The author of an April 24 letter to the editor who compared the hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson to those of Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett admitted to not having watched much of Jackson’s confirmation. (19A)

I fault The Star for giving that person such a platform.

- Leon Moore, Chicago

A strange toon

I was confused and dismayed by Jeff Danziger’s editorial cartoon in Wednesday’s paper. (13A) To me, it seemed to portray Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as an insatiable tyrant, and its dark overtones made Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken seem like the Hulk and a weary Slavic supplicant.

- Katie Linder, Prairie Village

It’s all too real

My spirits were lifted reading “‘A place worth living:’ Kansas City’s One Percent for Art program explained,” describing the process for choosing the wonderful art for our new airport. (April 27, 8A) Seventy-five percent of the artists are women and people of color who are finally getting recognition and a platform for their work.

The art community is a vibrant part of Kansas City, anchored by world-renowned museums and the reputation of the Kansas City Art Institute under the direction of Nerman Family President Tony Jones.

Turning the computer page, I abruptly landed back to earth reading the words of Missouri state Rep. Chuck Basye’s response to a thoughtful email from an experienced teacher wondering if his bill preventing participation by transgender girls in sports is a solution looking for a problem. (12A, “Lawmaker to retired teacher: ‘I don’t care about your feelings’”) Basye replied: “I don’t care about your feelings, nor do I care about your resume.”

And then I read words from Kansas state Rep. Cheryl Helmer falsely stating, “raped, sodomized and beaten” in bathrooms by “transgenders who may or may not be real.” (9A, “KS lawmaker bemoans sharing restroom with transgender rep”)

This ignorance and appalling lack of respect is all too real as our representatives concentrate on promoting fear and divisiveness over social issues rather than promoting legislation to elevate the general welfare of their constituents.

- Cindy Kunz, Overland Park

Stop cancer

The fight against cancer doesn’t happen only within the walls of research labs. It also extends to the halls of our capitols. The pandemic has emphasized this fact, showing us in real time the important role public health policy plays in one’s ability to live a long, healthy life.

It’s especially the case for us Kansans. Research continues to show that, across all stages and cancer types, patients who live in states that have yet to increase eligibility for Medicaid are more likely to die from cancer than those who live in states that have acted on such lifesaving legislation.

Where you live shouldn’t determine whether you live.

As Medicaid Awareness Month ends, it’s my hope that lawmakers take the time to review the research and science behind increasing eligibility for Medicaid. Only by taking the time, remaining guided by evidence and working across party lines can we truly address cancer’s impact in the state — and at such a pivotal moment in the fight when you consider the pandemic’s long-lasting impacts.

It’s time our lawmakers work together to pass such a solution that addresses the lack of access to adequate care by expanding Medicaid.

- Dan Kass, Mission

This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 5:00 AM.