Why should Kansas City crews have to clean up after you? Throw your own garbage away | Opinion
It’s your trash
To the residents of Kansas City: I have been reading for more than a year complaints about how trashy our city is and questions about why the city doesn’t address this problem.
I live on a major thoroughfare near the Country Club Plaza, and I am here to inform you that the problem is you.
On any given day or night, I find plastic foam cups, coffee cups, takeout containers, soda cans, water bottles and more discarded on my street. I hardly think the city is responsible for picking up after you.
Let’s address this problem ourselves and try to be better. Put your trash in your car or pocket or backpack until you get home or to the office, then place it in the proper receptacle. It’s an easy solution.
I realize dumping occurs in some areas, but the trash? It’s yours.
- Jeannine Herrera, Kansas City
Shut out hate
I hope The Star’s editorial board is correct about the direction of younger voters, including millennials, who are moving to the right, according to New York Times political analyst Nate Cohn. (June 4, 16A, “Kansas and Missouri GOP lead US in LGBT attacks. Don’t despair”)
This current attack on the LGBT community is a continuation of virulent anti-immigrant sentiment, and it is hardly distinguishable from garden variety racism against “legal” people of color. It is on the shorter end of the wedge of bad government-sponsored behavior and recalls pastor Martin Niemoller who noted, too late of course: “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out …”
Actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger seems to have come closest to the crux of these issues when he recounted that his own father joined the Nazi party. It took many lives and years to defeat Adolf Hitler. There are still neo-Nazis and white supremacists among us. Still he thinks, speaking of bigots, that Donald Trump will not win the office of the presidency again.
But that’s not good enough. We must not allow hateful propaganda to demonize people. We can make shameless, hateful bigots socially unacceptable in the future, especially those in politics and religion.
The Star helps. Thank you, editorial board, for your kind words on the LGBT community. They will most likely influence and educate those with still open minds, regardless of age.
- Susan Blackman, Overland Park
Enough Pride
Why do we quietly celebrate the sacrifice of young men and women who died fighting for our freedom and country for about 12 hours a year but we need a entire month of “in-your-face” Pride celebrations for someone’s gender or sexual orientation? (June 6, 1A, “Still fighting for equality”)
It is becoming an insulting tribute, especially when the upcoming Pride month is being promoted on Memorial Day. We know already. Enough.
- Frank Green, Kansas City
No singling out
Teaching elective courses on the Bible in Missouri public schools is a way to try to override our Constitution, which guarantees separation of church and state. (May 24, 8A, “In Bible courses, whose version of religion rules?”)
Every student should have the opportunity to learn about the religions of the world without singling out Christianity.
Teach all or nothing.
- Judy Beyer, Lee’s Summit
Aging is a lot
We folks motoring along in our seventh or eighth decades of existence shouldn’t be too worried about artificial intelligence, social media or stuff like that. Why? We’ve never really mastered the TV remote, smartphones or newfangled TVs that support streaming services.
Life was easier when the only choices for TV channels or anything resembling social media or AI were Channels 4, 5 and 9, and entertainment was Fred Broski and his “Bowling for Dollars” show.
Good luck, future generations. You’ll need it.
- Paul G. Comerford, Blue Springs