Readers sound off on ‘religious freedom,’ GOP, Earth Day, EPA, customer service
‘Religious freedom’
Why in God’s name are a few narrow-minded and bigoted state legislators attempting to deny equal rights and opportunities to all Missouri citizens and residents (April 14, A7, “Issue divides 2 loyal GOP factions”)? Not only are these closed-minded individuals pursuing their own selfish and self-serving interests, but they are attempting to undermine the economic health and potential new development of the entire state.
In our federal and state constitutions, and in God’s name, all people are created equal. Their rights as human beings must be protected.
Remember the names of those legislators who seek to harm the state and their fellow man by attempting to strangle the rights of all. Remember those names when you vote in the next election.
Jim Murray
Kansas City
GOP nomination
On TV programs across the dial, the pundits have anointed billionaire Donald Trump the Republican presidential nominee. A recurring question is, What if Trump goes to the convention short of the magic 1,237 delegates needed?
It has been suggested that if Trump falls short, we should just give him the nomination in a strategic move to head off an insurrection. The fear is that if his supporters are disappointed they will refuse to vote — or worse, riot.
I have a flash for these geniuses of political strategy. There is a frequently ignored concept that applies in this situation. It’s called majority rules.
Quite simply, the candidate who wins a majority of delegates will be the nominee. Anything less or any shenanigans that don’t adhere to this rule would advance a nominee who has no legitimacy.
Any candidate who can reach a majority — Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz or Ohio Gov. John Kasich — would represent the undeniable will of the party.
Any voter who can’t accept this needs to grow up, and any candidate who would subvert this process by holding the party hostage with threats of riots and boycotts doesn’t deserve to win.
Fermon Brown
Kansas City
Earth Day work
On the eve of the 46th anniversary of Earth Day, one has to pose the question: What has changed since the first Earth Day?
Climate change is being used as a politically motivated soundbite. Yet the effects are undeniable and felt around the world.
Water supplies in some cities are polluted because of industrial waste. It’s so bad that it is impossible to predict the long-term effects on residents in those places.
It has been predicted that access to clean water will be the impetus for future wars. In some areas of the world, that has already begun.
Our air is being polluted by excessive fossil fuel use in countries that are motivated more by economic results than human suffering. Our rain forests are being depleted at an alarming rate because of population growth, mismanagement and greed for rare plant and wood products.
Replanting those cleared areas is falling woefully short. Our oceans are becoming dumping grounds of waste. Our roads are littered with refuse and trash.
Yet no one seems to have the political will to put a stop to it.
For Earth Day, let us recommit ourselves to do better.
Helmuth Haug
Kearney
Earth Day, EPA
As we celebrate Earth Day on Friday, we also celebrate improving the environment in Kansas City. The theme for Earth Day is food recovery, and I would like to report on efforts by our Kansas City Chiefs.
The Environmental Protection Agency is proud to recognize the Chiefs for initiating a variety of green measures, including reducing food waste at Arrowhead Stadium and the University of Kansas Hospital Training Complex.
Since joining the EPA Food Recovery Challenge in 2012, the Chiefs and their vendors have diverted about 619 tons of food from concession stands into composting and have donated more than 24 tons of food to those in need.
Those efforts improve the environment in our community while also serving those in need. And that’s a win for us all.
EPA volunteers have joined the Chiefs and local vendors for communitywide recycling drives for Kansas City area residents. Those events support citizens wanting to recycle unwanted items, like old computers, lumber, cable boxes, clothes and more.
The Chiefs’ environmental initiatives are just one example of many throughout the country.
Earth Day is a great opportunity for people to renew their environmental commitment.
Mark Hague
Administrator
EPA Region 7
Overland Park
Customer service
I spent 43 minutes on my cellphone talking to a satellite TV company. It started charging me for a sports package I didn’t order.
How many seniors has it done this to? The company’s TV commercials talk about customer service. I wonder where that is?
It sure has gotten lost.
Julie Watterson
Independence
Reckless drivers
Something has to be done. The traffic in and around Kansas City is too often traveling at speeds of 45 mph. Many drivers are texting or phoning.
Some drivers are going 85 mph. It must be that the penalties for reckless driving are not severe enough to curtail this behavior.
The end might be nearer than we think if we are victims of one of these reckless drivers.
Don Culling
Lee’s Summit
This story was originally published April 20, 2016 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Readers sound off on ‘religious freedom,’ GOP, Earth Day, EPA, customer service."