Goodbye, Gary Lezak. You were the Kansas City community’s best neighbor for many years

Farewell, friend

Gary Lezak is the Mr. Rogers of meteorology. He has served the greater Kansas City community for many years in many ways and will be missed.

Thank you, Gary.

- P. Christopher Jaros, Leawood

Credit’s due

Soon Kansas City will have an updated, efficient new airport. Kudos to those who have spearheaded the project, set to open in less than four months.

What are we to name this shining example of progress in our fair city? We should name it after a person who has dedicated her professional life to enhancing our city. Without whom there would be no Power & Light District, T-Mobile Center, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts or the countless downtown restaurants, shops and attractions. That person is former (and our only female) mayor, Kay Barnes.

I don’t believe any city elected leader has done more to revitalize our urban core than she has. Without Barnes, this might have happened, but certainly not at the pace we’ve experienced.

Many important landmarks in our city are named after strong contributors to our growth: the Christopher S. Bond Bridge, Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard, Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport and, soon, the park over Interstate 670 that should rightly be named for Sen. Roy Blunt, as Mayor Quinton Lucas has suggested.

Not one significant public development, however, has been named for the woman who has contributed most to our city’s recent revival. For these reasons and more, I think it would be fitting to name our new airport after Kay Barnes. She’s earned it.

- Tracy Gordon, Kansas City

Individual liberty

Gee, thanks so much, Sens. Josh Hawley, Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran, for your no votes on the Respect for Marriage Act in an attempt to open the door to repeal one of Americans’ most personal rights. (Nov. 30, 12A, “Senate poised to pass bill to protect same-sex, interracial marriages”)

So, it seems you’re determined to define marriage as only between a man and a woman. I’ll believe you care one whit about so-called “traditional” marriage when you introduce legislation to criminalize divorce.

Marriage should be between any two people who love each other.

- Edward Knight, Leawood

Stadium folly

As a resident of Leavenworth, I am not likely to pay for any of the expense of building a new Royals stadium in downtown Kansas City, except for possibly buying tickets to a game.

Nothing interesting or of long-lasting value has developed near the existing stadiums in the 30-plus years I have lived here. What makes anyone certain it would be different downtown? As for entertainment districts, Kansas City already has the Power & Light District. It is heavily subsidized by the city and has never paid its own way. Why compete with that?

How many people from outside Kansas City come to baseball games now? They just want to go home after the game. Parking and traffic downtown would be a gigantic issue.

I believe the existing stadiums are too large for the next 50 years. I think big in-person games will be increasingly replaced by digital broadcasts in smaller venues. Look at soccer. The Royals rarely fill their current stadium, except during the World Series or on Opening Day. It will become increasingly difficult to fill any large venue. Any new stadium needs to be much smaller.

This move is happening way too fast. Huge issues still demand discussion.

- Mike McDonald, Leavenworth

Built-in privilege

Dion Lefler’s Dec. 1 column “Constitutional convention offers false hope for change” correctly acknowledges that a convention to amend or rewrite the U.S. Constitution is very unlikely. (9A) The Constitution since its implementation has protected the privileged positions of wealth and race. Conservatism seeks to preserve that hierarchy and is moving aggressively under the Constitution to eliminate those pesky elections that threaten elitism.

Radical conservatives will not surrender their privileges and power without a fight. Having weaponized the Constitution, they will not willingly give it up.

- Michael Symanski, Overland Park

At the source

The Kansas City Council members should be applauded for their foresight in updating our building codes. (Nov 17, 7A, “Kansas City shows energy efficient homes help us all”) An overwhelming consensus of scientists tells us that climate change is real, humanity is the primary cause and we have to fix it. It’s just common sense to do everything possible to avert a disaster we know is coming.

Carbon emissions are still the No. 1 cause driving climate change. The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act — a bill proposed in the House as H.R. 2307 — should be considered as a solution in helping solve our environmental problems.

It would place a fee on carbon emissions as an overhead cost to account for environmental damage. It would create a solid economic base for clean energy sources and allow the marketplace to become a driving force for change. Besides drastically reducing carbon emissions, it would create many new jobs and open up technological innovation.

We would enjoy a healthier living environment, and we can even minimize the transition’s financial stress by returning the collected revenue to all Americans. The result would be that only corporations and people causing our climate problems would pay more.

- Avtar Khalsa, Kansas City