Jackson Mahomes didn’t just make ‘bad decisions.’ He needs to check his entitlement | Opinion

Mahomes name

Jackson Mahomes has not only made “bad decisions,” as described in an Oct. 29 letter to the editor. (14A) He is charged with aggravated sexual battery. This criminal offense is not a bad decision. It is a felony. Everyone, no matter who they are or whom they are related to, should be held accountable for their crimes in the justice system and the court of public opinion.

It seems obvious by his recent and past behavior that Jackson Mahomes has a false sense of entitlement because he is related to Patrick Mahomes.

We should never diminish this type of behavior as just a “bad decision.” Like this letter writer, I commend our quarterback for standing by his family. If Jackson would follow his brother’s example instead of using his relationship as a rite of passage, maybe he would be more respectful of his unearned status and others.

- Deborah Crane, Greenwood

They’re afraid

I hope young people are paying attention to these recent political happenings and election results. You are the future of how democracy will stand strong, regardless of interference from insurrectionists, crooks, wealthy donors and those in power who would strip away your rights and those of future generations.

That means you. You have the power by your vote — and if it weren’t so important, a certain political party wouldn’t be trying so hard to take that right from so many — to keep democracy and the Constitution working for you and all Americans.

Last week, a former Republican senator, Rick Santorum, said: “You put very sexy things like abortion and marijuana on the ballot, and a lot of young people come out and vote.” Sexy? He also said that “pure democracies are not the way to run a country.” Really? This is the same former leader who has repeatedly attacked the idea of going to college, claiming that students are “indoctrinated” there. How many of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrectionists were college students?

Please, young people: Use your power and continue to keep democracy alive. They fear your vote.

- Karen Marie Zentz, Raymore

Future, present

Should we spend trillions on the remote possibility of a few humans someday living on the moon or Mars, or should we devote those resources to improving the lives of millions here on Earth who are starving and suffering? Today, several nations are spending and plan to continue spending great amounts on the space-living option. They are also spending on aid and housing for those suffering now, but that amount is woefully insufficient because these people’s needs are not being met.

I wonder: Do we have appropriate priorities for our spending? I don’t question the potential benefits of research on space exploration, but could not those dollars be reduced to lessen the suffering of our fellow Earth travelers? I am certain that space exploration will eventually benefit us, but the current needs of millions are enormous and immediate.

- Charles Stiles, Overland Park

Take action

Mike Johnson, the new speaker of the House of Representatives, is an evangelical Christian who said, referring to the recent Lewiston, Maine, mass shooting massacre: “America’s problem is not guns.” He also said, “Prayer is appropriate at a time like this, that the evil can end and the senseless violence can stop.”

We’ve heard these very words from Republicans since the first of the more than 600 mass shootings this year according to the Gun Violence Archive, and all those hundreds in prior years.

They place all the burden on our creator to solve the problem. Well, despite all the years of praying, the killings continue.

Apparently, they’re not aware that the creator provided us with free will and the ability to solve our own problems — something that I believe he hopes we would have done by now.

It’s time for all of us to take responsibility for our own actions instead of continuing to plead for him to bail us out.

As a start, immediately support banning weapons of war.

Come on, Congress. Show some courage and saves lives.

- William R. Park Sr., Shawnee

This story was originally published November 15, 2023 at 5:02 AM.