No mas: Stop with the bullying and crass language, Mr. President | Opinion
Bully’s words
I am so tired of being embarrassed, on a daily basis, by the president of our country. Talking about “s***hole” countries, calling women “ugly” and “piggy” (Nov. 25, 7A, “Taylor Greene shouldn’t let Trump bully her out of Congress”), overriding Congress with tariffs, conducting an undeclared war against Venezuela and killing people without judicial process, kidnapping minorities off the street just because they look different or talk with an accent — they’re all parts of his relentless fire hose of offense and chaos.
However, as the sister of a Down syndrome brother, I will not be silent when he ignorantly calls someone “retarded,” as he recently did Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The president clearly relishes his role as a middle-school bully. His illegal behaviors need to be addressed by Congress and the courts, but a regular citizen like me can call for common civility.
Enough. No mas. Be quiet, you bully.
- Mary Kay Johnson, Kansas City
Fight waste
If you aren’t aware, food waste is one of the top sources of methane emission in the United States. As much of 40% of our food is wasted and ends up in landfills, where it decomposes and releases methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas that traps 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide, and thousands of landfills and waste disposal sites across the country emit methane from food waste.
We cannot and should not tolerate this waste when solutions are available. State-level policies can make it easy for cities, schools, businesses and individual homes to reduce their food waste. For example, Missouri could encourage restaurants and grocery stores to donate surplus food by offering a credit on state taxes. We could also offer grants to establish compost collection programs or standardize “best by” labels so consumers wouldn’t throw away food that is still safe to consume.
Reducing food waste is not only possible — it’s also easy to achieve if we offer the right incentives and create beneficial policies.
- Laura N. Gowans, Kansas City
Expendable?
We know the locations, origins, cargo and destinations of the presumed drug boats we blow up. NBC News reports that most drug cartel boats in the Caribbean actually move cocaine from South America to Europe, while almost all fentanyl seized on its way into America is intercepted at the southwest border with Mexico.
More than 80 people on boats have been killed, yet none are cartel kingpins — they are low-level workers, if they are moving drugs at all. We are destroying vessels and effectively executing their occupants without due process. Evidence shows most drug boat crew members are young — often 15 to 24 — drawn in because they can earn more smuggling than in the limited South American job market. To cartels and U.S. political and military leaders, they appear expendable.
If we can track and shoot video of these boats, and already know their cargo and destinations, why can’t we intervene without killing desperate young people who hold no real power in cartel operations? If the goal is to disrupt the drug trade, we should target the bosses, not the impoverished laborers.
Americans can see that this “bomb the boats” strategy is a cruel political spectacle, not a serious or just solution.
- Russell Rudy, Ozawkie, Kansas
Easy access
So much is done to accommodate people with disabilities: handrails, taller seats in restrooms, larger stalls for those in wheelchairs. Why then are the toilet-paper rolls so danged hard to access? They are usually below the handrails, with the opening aimed at the floor. People need to assess how much paper they will need, gather it before they seat themselves and hope they have guessed enough.
Tell me: What would it take to mount these dispensers above the handrail?
- Clarin Blessing, Overland Park
Kelly’s care
Thank you to Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly for articulating the need for compassionate leadership in nutrition programs. (Nov. 30, 19A, “What’s to come of Kansas when leaders take food off tables?”) We all have a moral obligation not to stand by silently while state and national officials vilify people in poverty instead of helping. Members of Congress need to get back to the business of reducing, not increasing, poverty with a responsible budget. How can they do it?
First, protect Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. The poorly named One Big Beautiful Bill Act made devastating cuts to Medicaid and SNAP that are just starting to take effect. If these continue, millions will struggle to afford food and health care.
Second, protect vital housing programs. No one should lose housing assistance when rents and other basics keep rising. The final budget must fully fund Housing Choice Vouchers so people can stay housed.
Finally, Congress must reassert its constitutional power of the purse. Sens. Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran have the power to use their leadership for the good of Kansans and all Americans. If the Trump administration continues to impound or rescind funds, congressional budgets are meaningless. Any final 2026 agreement must include safeguards so that funds are spent as Congress directs.
- Cynthia Changyit Levin, St. Louis