Readers share thoughts on KC parks, presidential candidates, Republicans
Improving parks
While I was petitioning in Brookside last Saturday for a citywide light-rail system, a woman yelled at me in an unfriendly tone, “Go home, Clay!” Later that day, a different woman said in a bit warmer tone, “Welcome home, Clay.”
On that positive note I decided it was time for a break and headed off to Roanoke Park (my old neighborhood) to meet my sister, 31-year-old daughter, 10-year-old daughter and 4-year-old granddaughter.
And what a treat awaited us. The Parks and Recreation Department had installed innovative playground equipment, including a captivating zip line. When we arrived, kids, adults and grandparents were all interacting and enjoying themselves.
Congratulations to Kansas City’s park board on an outstanding achievement.
Penn Valley Park could draw crowds, too, if the park board would transform it into a 150-acre, open, contiguous green space free of traffic and roads (perimeter parking). A 1-mile tunnel under Penn Valley Drive (then a berm over it) would hide 28,000 cars and trucks that barrel through the park each day, upsetting its tranquility and recreational potential.
If Kansas City wants to maximize its ongoing effort to attract new residents to live downtown, in the Crossroads and in midtown, it needs to provide a magnificent central park for them to recreate in.
Clay Chastain
Bedford, Va.
Walking dead
Never before have we experienced so many in the group of the “walking dead.” They are searching for brains in a leader who is going to take their party to a win for president.
Two candidates have broken out of the pack and so far are the top selections. However, if you analyze them, their solutions would take us back 50 years in voting rights, immigration, health care and rights for gay people and women.
So here we are in the last year of a presidency that has advanced our country in health care and our economy to a more secure footing from a total failure. Please give credit where credit is due.
What we do need are brains, but the “walking dead” are selecting from the wrong candidates.
Don Jackson
Prairie Village
GOP cliff jump
Seriously, what has happened to the Republican Party? Just how much further toward stupid can it go?
I read where Missouri state Rep. Rick Brattin has brought a bill that would remove sales taxes on gun purchases. Never mind having no sales tax on food. Why not bring a bill to make guns free to everyone, including children?
I’m thinking we should take the Mexican wall and instead run it north and south. We’ll put the red on one side and the blue on the other. Then we’ll wait five years and see which side is thriving.
My guess is the red side will have killed most of each other and will be ruled by survivors of the Koch family. Senators in Kansas will have pushed to impeach Supreme Court justices because they ruled that schools are underfunded.
So much for checks and balances. Let’s just make Gov. Sammy “Trickle-down” Brownback king, and he can force his misguided agenda on Kansas without roadblocks.
Well, all you straight-ticket “R” voters keep voting these knuckleheads into office.
Don’t think for yourselves; just follow the lemmings off the cliff.
Tom Wolff
Overland Park
Legendary Royals
The ceremonial first pitch was to be thrown out for the second Kansas City Royals game by a 97-year-old World War II Japanese prison camp survivor. Mike Moustakas was to catch the ball (4-6, B4, “Meeting ex-POW thrills Moose”).
He starts waving his hands for the 39,000 fans to rise and cheer for this man, who stands and sits, twice. Moustakas walks to the veteran, bends down and takes the ball from his hands, saying something to the man. Moustakas claps and shows his support for the hero on the field.
For me, it showed why Kansas City has the best athletes in the world. They don’t come here for the ocean or mountains, for the big-city lights and glamour, but to play for a town that will love them for being good. We will adore, support and cherish them for being amazing athletes with hearts of gold.
The event at the stadium showed that Moustakas is going to be a Kansas City legend. His respect and adoration of that very old hero made my heart and eyes swell.
Moustakas isn’t the only one on this team who will become a legend. But, in my mind, and hopefully for 39,000 others, he sure did.
Michelle Morse
Mission
This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Readers share thoughts on KC parks, presidential candidates, Republicans."