Thank you to these 2 Kansas City police officers. This is how you protect and serve
Protected, served
There was a domestic disturbance in my neighborhood in the early hours of Sunday morning. Two Kansas City police officers responded and encountered a volatile situation with yelling, screaming and obscene language.
The officers were professional, tactful and calm. They defused the situation and resolved it without incident. I would like to say thank you to these two officers for a job well done.
- George Fowler, Kansas City
Not working for us
Thank you for speaking up about Missouri’s and Kansas’ U.S. senators who turned their backs on the PACT Act last week. (July 31, 19A, “Blunt, Hawley, Marshall betray sick veterans over tax, climate bill”) Sens. Roy Blunt, Josh Hawley and Roger Marshall are all embarrassments, but I’m thankful Blunt will be gone soon. Kansas has to deal with Marshall, and Missouri will have to put up with insurrectionist Hawley, who keeps reminding us that his fellow man and America are not his priorities.
- Marty Mayer, Lee’s Summit
Wealth hoarded
The deal Kansas made with Panasonic is a prime example of corporate socialism. If $1 billion were offered to help people in need, we would be subjected to constant attacks by the right wing calling it socialism and redistribution of wealth.
Corporations and the top 1% siphon untold sums from government and working people’s tax dollars while constantly complaining about the taxes the don’t really pay. It’s time to end the corporate socialism and let capitalism work the way it’s supposed to.
- Michael Hull, Lee’s Summit
Support farmers
Large swaths of America are suffering drought. After a brutally hot, dry 2021 — extending what is now the record for the worst “megadrought” in 1,200 years — drought is hurting our region again. Crops are expected to be significantly smaller than last year because of drought. Herds are being sold off for lack of ranchers’ ability to grow their own hay.
The Inflation Reduction Act (much cheaper and more targeted than the Build Back Better Act) asks taxpayers to invest in our agricultural and economic future with a tiny increase in their tax rate to help avoid trillion-dollar losses forecast by analysts Moody and Deloitte that are coming if we do nothing to decrease greenhouse gases.
Working together to reduce the greenhouse effect would cool our climate, preserve our groundwater and save our agricultural base. Struggling farmers and ranchers would benefit from tax credits for investors in clean energy plants built adjacent to Midwestern crop and ranch land. Western Kansas, nicknamed “the Saudi Arabia of wind,” can bring a great economic boom to our region, producing low-cost, clean energy to share with neighbors.
This is our last chance to save traditional farming and ranching. Ask your representatives to vote for the Inflation Reduction Act.
- Arvella R. Spease, Overland Park
Keep them small
The author of the July 26 guest commentary, “Prairie Village just for who can afford it now?” (7A) attended a City Council meeting in Prairie Village where discussions about possible property zoning codes were on the agenda. I was also at that meeting, and my recollections are much different from that described in the column. He described a crowd that was disruptive and expressed a general objection to onerous zoning codes. I remember a calm, receptive and productive audience.
This writer seems to have a special dislike for white, retirement-age residents of Prairie Village who are simply concerned about what might happen to a city they have lived in for many years and wish to protect.
The bottom line, simply put, is whether property zoning should be changed to allow more multiple-family housing units. The federal Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule of 2015 attempts to destroy traditional family neighborhoods by interspersing multifamily housing in traditional single-family neighborhoods like Prairie Village’s.
The gist of the City Council meeting debating the issue was a resounding no from current residents. Speakers gave positive and reasonable reasons Prairie Village and the council should resist changing the zoning codes. Let us hope they were actually listening.
- Lee Larson, Prairie Village
This story was originally published August 3, 2022 at 5:00 AM.