Readers share thoughts on small businesses, medication risks and KCI

Back small business

My wife and I own Mission Fresh Fashion, a small shop in downtown Mission. On behalf of all small businesses, we encourage everyone to participate in Small Business Saturday today.

Small Business Saturday is a day to support the small businesses that drive our economy and breathe life into our community.

First, after Thanksgiving Day there was Black Friday, and then there was Cyber Monday. Now there is Small Business Saturday.

Pledge to shop small today. If millions of Americans shop small, the effect would be huge.

Ray Hanf

Mission

Medication risks

It’s that time of year again: cold and flu season.

Children get six to eight viral infections a year. Often you’re told your child will get better with time. Meanwhile, you are spending your nights awake with a fussy, miserable child.

Isn’t there something that can be done?

Many times, caregivers resort to over-the-counter cold medications, not realizing this could be doing more harm than good. Unfortunately, antitussives (cough syrup), expectorants (used to break up mucus) and nasal decongestants have no proven benefit.

They are often unintentionally overdosed and contain ingredients not studied in children. Possible side effects include irregular heartbeat, seizures and hallucinations.

Additionally, children get rid of these medications slower than adults, leading to a risk of toxicity. In fact, there were 20 reported child deaths in the U.S. from 2000 to 2007 caused by these ingredients.

The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend over-the-counter cold medication for any child younger than age 6, instead recommending supportive therapies such as bulb suctioning, humidified air and saline nose drops.

Although cold and flu season can be very frustrating, I encourage caregivers to stay away from over-the-counter medications that can carry serious risks to our children.

Kristin Dolan, M.D.

Roeland Park

Build new KCI

The current braying about the state of Kansas City International Airport is only the latest cause for celebrating the local status quo.

It seems that no matter how forward-thinking the idea, how beneficial the intent, progress is always limited by Kansas City’s unofficial motto: “No idea is good enough.”

The funny thing is that while we Kansas Citians live well at pennies on the dollar compared with other metropolitan areas, we seem terrified of spending money, yes, taxes, to make improvements that might bring the city clawing and scratching into the late 20th century.

We seem to enjoy our hayseed flyover mentality as we poke fun at St. Louis for being an “Eastern” city, and then we worry about whether we rate as being “world-class.”

The airport is the least of our concerns. Convenient or not, it’s only the latest symbol of Kansas City’s idea paralysis.

We harrumphed and sandbagged light rail and downtown stadiums.

We turned City Market into a sanitary virtual outlet mall and nearly razed Union Station, all the while gnashing our teeth that Missouri businesses would dare pick up and move to Kansas.

Isn’t it time for progress in Kansas City?

Build a new airport.

Bud Simpson

Kansas City

Self-serving Congress

Having had membership in both national political parties over the last 50 years, I am convinced that neither party has the capacity to intelligently address our national problems. Sadly, they suffer from politicizing any issue they presume to threaten their position.

Practical solutions fall to the wayside as they try to force the issues to fit their ideological parameters. Logic demonstrates this is impossible.

This endless conflict, with our representatives ignorant of its damage to our nation, leads me to believe the Congress of the United States is the single greatest danger our nation faces today.

James Tiller

Olathe

Car licensing woes

I recently spent 41/2 hours at the Kansas Department of Revenue vehicle-registration office at 82nd Street and State Avenue, waiting to register the car I recently purchased.

I hope whoever is responsible for making the decision to purchase the computer program they are using is sent packing.

Elaine Hines

Kansas City, Kan.

Wartime president

Our fearless leader, President Barack Hussein Obama, revealed his brilliant military strategy for losing more blood and treasure to wipe out the Islamic State threat he and the intelligence community helped create.

This milestone clearly established a red line where Obama can no longer blame his predecessor for the Iraq war, because now he owns it.

The baton has finally passed to Obama. The president can use this new threat to continue this endless war on terror and feed the military-industrial-security complex. He can also use it as leverage to destabilize Syria by going after President Bashar Assad.

The president’s scheme of trying to persuade Congress to support this ongoing debacle so he can spread the blame around is gutless, but I must admit, is also quite shrewd.

Now Obama and the Democrats can finally get the warmongering neocon Republicans to buy in to this latest New World Order destabilization plan, and, who knows, Fox News may soon be supporting Obama and possibly some of the Democrats.

Now that Obama officially owns it, he should feel good to be a real wartime president.

George W. Hoeltje

St. James, Mo.

Streetcar rathole

I recently sent Kansas City Council members a chart of what I understood was the Public Improvements Advisory Committee money committed by the different council districts to the Phase II streetcar project, asking them to verify my numbers. The total is close to $2 million.

The only person I heard back from was Dick Davis, and he thought my number was correct for his district.

This pretty much sums up the way most council members feel about the voters. They ignore citizen requests for information, failing to realize that it is our money and that they work for us.

We, the voters, need a champion in City Hall. The PIAC money promised to the Phase II streetcar should now be available for use in the districts it was taken from.

I would like to see council members redirect this money for district projects immediately. If they don’t, it is a clear sign they are saving it for the next streetcar push, Phase III.

Ask your council member what is planned for the money now that the streetcar has been derailed. Also be on the lookout for champions to elect to the office of mayor and City Council in the next election.

We also need media champions.

Dan Coffey

Citizens for

Responsible Government

Kansas City

Change now in U.S.

Whether it is Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton or Jeb Bush, there is a short list of items that will win the Oval Office for the serious candidate.

First, people in this country no longer feel safe.

Our southern borders are open to anyone who wants to invade illegally. Crimes are being committed by the illegal invaders, who are permitted to stay no matter what they have done in most cases.

How many other countries would allow their own citizens to be targets of illegals over and over again without deportation or extended jail sentences?

Most important, what is to keep terrorists from using the same route?

Second, the Ebola crisis is being treated like it is no big deal when in reality most U.S. citizens are scared and being misinformed on a daily basis. We need those in charge to be in charge and do what is right for the citizens of this country for a change.

How refreshing would that be?

Third, anyone who has any common sense can figure out that borrowing money from China in order to provide aid to most of the other countries around the world is devastating our way of life and must change now.

Lynn Pierce

Independence

This story was originally published November 28, 2014 at 3:32 PM with the headline "Readers share thoughts on small businesses, medication risks and KCI."