Readers weigh in on traffic signals, mental illness and grilling meat
Traffic signal
I read with dismay about the city’s plans to remove stoplights with audible signals at 49th and Main streets (8-2, A5, “The battle at 49th & Main: Should stoplights be removed?”). Replacing stoplights with stop signs would put blind citizens in jeopardy.
The Americans with Disabilities Act accommodations suggested (flashing signal, reduced lane sizes and tactile strips) are far less safe for visually impaired people.
Most metropolitan cities strive to install audible signals to make their city pedestrian-friendly for all citizens. Instead, Kansas City wants to take away an established signal.
How unfortunate that city officials are not considering the needs of citizens who struggle to be independent and safe.
This intersection is on a bus line that blind individuals use. In 2011, a blind pedestrian was struck and killed at 31st and Main streets, where there was no audible signal. It was scheduled to be installed a week later.
If Councilwoman Jolie Justus doesn’t see the injustice in removing the stoplights, I’m sure all visually impaired people do.
Justus is blind to the needs of the visually impaired.
Lyn Petro
Leawood
Another sacrifice
Donald Trump has moved from insulting Gold Star families to denigrating the Purple Heart (8-3, A2, “Trump faults some fellow Republicans”).
Joking that he “always wanted” a Purple Heart when given one by a supporter, he seemed to have missed the irony that he first would have needed to serve his country. This he chose not to do.
David Wristen
Leawood
Mental illness
The Star’s Aug. 3 editorial, “Cuts harm funding for mental health services,” proves how educational and influential the newspaper is. Thank you.
I suggest all of us who are interested can do something. For example, give a mentally ill person your phone number so he or she will have at least one human to call in case of emergency.
Joe Robertson’s July 31 front-page article, “Two lives at the crossroads,” said nine of 10 people arrested haven’t any emergency number to call. Most of these people need a legal guardian, but that’s takes time.
It does take a village.
Michael Audley
Overland Park
Voters matter
Herald the moderate resurgence in Kansas. There is much to digest and to interpret as we move toward the general election. But today, just hooray!
Still, I am astonished that intelligent commentators have not discussed one particularly potent piece of this election season, which is that constituents do not appreciate being ignored.
For argument’s sake, assume that the moderate umbrella covered a wide array of ideologies. None in that spectrum appreciated being dismissed or disregarded.
Rob Bruchman and Jeff Melcher didn’t lose just because an education advocacy group set upon them. They ignored constituents and campaigned without engagement.
Governing classes always risk losing when they dismiss their constituencies — even if generally sleepy ones.
So, let the conversations roll on whether the newly engaged will stay engaged.
But I do believe voters will look afresh at their representatives to be engaged for and with them. The financial problems facing the Legislature are deep and long term, courtesy of the Kansas tea party, and, of course, the governor remains.
Threading the needle is going to take skilled hands and good listening.
Leslie D. Mark
Mission Hills
Meat-free grilling
A well-warranted worry, according to the Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Hotline, is food poisoning by E. coli and salmonella bugs hiding in hot dogs and hamburgers at millions of backyard barbecues.
The hotline’s advice is to grill them longer and hotter. Of course, it avoids mentioning that the high-temperature grilling that kills the bugs also happens to form cancer-causing compounds.
Fortunately, some forward-thinking U.S. food manufacturers have solved these issues by creating an amazing assortment of healthy and delicious veggie burgers and soy dogs. No nasty pathogens or cancer-causing compounds in these tasty plant-based foods.
They don’t even carry cholesterol, saturated fats, antibiotics or pesticides. And, they are conveniently waiting for us at almost any supermarket.
Any day is a great opportunity to declare our independence from the meat industry and to share wholesome veggie burgers and soy dogs with our family and friends.
Brittany Fletcher
Kansas City
This story was originally published August 6, 2016 at 3:02 PM with the headline "Readers weigh in on traffic signals, mental illness and grilling meat."