If the Chiefs slow-walk negotiations with Chris Jones, they’re letting Mahomes down | Opinion

KC needs him

Why are the Chiefs slow-walking negotiations with Chris Jones? (July 25, 1B, “Chiefs have Jones options, but you might not like them”)

If they let him leave to sign with another team, why? The Chiefs let Tyreek Hill leave, and he was probably the best wide receiver in the NFL. Now they are risking the loss of one of the best defensive linemen in the league.

Maybe if Jones does not play for the Chiefs this season, someone in the team’s leadership should also be walking down the road. They must provide some support for our quarterback.

- Dick Saale, Kansas City

Right can work

From a document by a conservative political organization come these quotes:

• The free market alone does not guarantee that individual and public interest will in fact align. Market fundamentalism’s basic error is to misunderstand this point.
• When workers organize, they are able to support each other and assert their voice and dignity within the workplace. They also develop the power to counterbalance capital, creating the balance of power and mutual dependence that capitalism requires.

Not what you would expect from a conservative organization? But this one says that mainstream conservativism has drifted toward libertarianism, much to the detriment of the country.

The new organization goes by the name American Compass. Its executive director is Oren Cass, a former aide to Mitt Romney during his run for the Republican nomination for president. The document, titled “Rebuilding American Capitalism: A Handbook for Conservative Policymakers,” is the source of the quotes.

Lest someone argue these do not sound like conservatives, note that the organization supports abortion restrictions, opposes gun laws and makes excuses for Donald Trump’s behavior. But that does not mean there is no space for bipartisan cooperation on foundational discussions to improve capitalist economy.

- Keith Zeff, Clayton, Missouri

Voices silenced

I voted yes on ballot measures to expand Medicaid and raise the gas tax in Missouri. The former passed and the latter failed.

The General Assembly ignored both voter sentiments, because we don’t count in the decision process. Apparently, politicians think we are too dumb to know the difference between woke and policy.

- Jim Turner, Independence

Some trade-off

There is something truly ironic about using more coal to produce electric vehicle batteries when the goal of these batteries is to reduce CO2 emission.

- Gordon Risk, Kansas City