Letters: KC readers discuss teens’ mental health, an unfair GOP knock and voting rights

Kansas City Star
·3 min read

Human foibles

I have a solution for the mental health crisis facing teens: Let’s allow them to make mistakes. If I could end the letter there, I would, and the answer is that simple.

In today’s world, with everything captured on camera and society so quick to judge, our children aren’t allowed to have a tiny misstep — just one, and they are forever canceled.

I am grateful that when I attended school, making mistakes was an expected part of the childhood curriculum.

- Blish Mize Connor, Mission Hills

A low blow

I saw Wednesday’s editorial cartoon by Jack Ohman calling Colin Powell the “last sensible Republican.” (14A) Wow. I don’t think The Star’s leftist wokeism has ever so flagrantly hit me as stupidly crude.

- David Porter, Kansas City

Hyperpartisan rights?

In the Army-McCarthy Hearings of 1954, lawyer Joseph Welch asked Sen. Joseph McCarthy, “Have you no sense of decency, sir?” I ask the same of the Republicans in their party-line vote to not even allow discussion of the Freedom to Vote Act. (Oct. 21, 2A, “Senate GOP again blocks Democrats’ election bill”)

Republican leadership dismissed the act as “hyperpartisanship.” Really? Protecting the right to vote? State laws that restrict voting are the actual blatant display of hyperpartisanship — the desire to maintain power at the cost of representative democracy and the drift toward authoritarianism by the GOP.

We already suffer from distrust in democratic institutions because Republicans refuse to challenge the big lies about so-called “voter fraud” and “stolen elections.” We already suffer from a tyranny of the minority because of how the Senate is composed and the use of the filibuster. Senate Republicans act as obstructors of legislation rather than as partners in enacting legislation to improve the lives of Americans.

As a historian, I fear what the GOP challenges to ideals of democracy, opportunity, equity and justice mean for our republic. President Abraham Lincoln noted that America was an experiment whose values and institutions must be protected and reaffirmed.

- Vicki Arndt Helgesen, Overland Park

Move it up

Major League Baseball has a regular season that is without question like that famous race in Boston: a marathon. “We’ve Only Just Begun” was a hit for the Carpenters, but it’s hardly a hit with baseball fans when playoff competition takes until October to begin.

Early October has ideal playing conditions that might have led Hall of Famer Ernie Banks to say, “What a beautiful day for baseball. Let’s play the World Series.” After all, baseball’s championship series is traditionally known as the Fall Classic.

Instead, MLB is singing a different tune. “Take Me Out to the World Series” when it could be shivering cold with snow flurries is unnatural. Frosty The Snowman wouldn’t mind, but no amount of antifreeze is going to keep fans comfortable or allow players to perform up to their full capabilities.

Those conditions are suitable for football season that is, by the way, half over by the time the World Series starts — but they’re hardly suitable for America’s great pasttime.

World Series play at the end of October and into November is past its time. Bring back the Fall Classic.

- Mike George, Springfield

Creative teaching

I applaud Lincoln College Preparatory Academy teacher Taylor Snider and others of his team for taking a different view of education, as he described in his Thursday guest commentary, “Great things from Lincoln Prep students will dazzle Kansas City.”( 9A)

As a former music teacher and educator of the gifted, I have held a similar view. Clear back in the 1960s, I was exposed to a unique view of modern education. From then until retirement, I endorsed that creative endeavor. English class need not be “just” English. Math need not be “just” math. A teacher need not be “just” a teacher.

I always encouraged my students to seek out learning at every opportunity, no matter the subject. I wanted them to have a thirst for learning. Thus, your final exam is a quest for learning, not a regurgitation of facts.

- Brian Angevine, Lawrence

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Netflix 'Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver': Zack Snyder on 'outrageous' critical response to films

    Zack Snyder has legion of supporters, but just as many harsh critics for Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver on Netflix.

  • Butler Hall Capital urges Vanda to engage in sales discussions

    On April 17, Vanda rejected a takeover proposal from Future Pak and adopted a shareholder rights plan to reduce the likelihood of a hostile takeover. Vanda had said Future Pak, a privately held contract manufacturer and packager of pharmaceutical products, had made an offer of $7.25 to $7.75 per share in cash, which significantly undervalued the company and was not in the shareholders' best interest.

  • Extremist Israeli settlers hit by EU and US sanctions

    Far-right group Lehava and several individuals accused of violence targeted in dual announcements

  • September Fed cut will help ease mortgage rates: Economist

    Thirty-year mortgage rates have hit above 7% with some experts believing it could hit 8% pretty soon. With US housing pricing and demand remaining high while supply remains low, it seems hopeless for many potential homebuyers. Mortgage Bankers Association Chief Economist Mike Fratantoni joins Wealth! to give insight into the housing market and why home buyers should have a little hope on the horizon as he believes mortgage rates will gradually decline. Fratantoni explains that he feels confident the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this year, which will trickle down into the rest of the economy: "Mortgage rates, which I'll call it 7.25 [percent], in the most recent data, we think will be down to about 6.5 [percent] by the end of the year. It really is going to be reflecting a gradual slowdown in the strength of the economy and we expect the unemployment rate is going to rise not very much. We know they are calling for a recession but we do think there is going to be enough of a slowdown that the Fed should feel comfortable cutting rates by September of this year." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Wealth! This post was written by Nicholas Jacobino

  • Potential jurors express anxiety about deciding Trump hush money case as jury selection nears close

    NEW YORK (AP) — Potential jurors expressed anxiety Friday about deciding Donald Trump’s hush money case, with one woman breaking down in tears, as lawyers worked to round out the panel that will hear the first-ever trial of a former U.S. president. After a jury of 12 New Yorkers was seated Thursday, lawyers turned their attention to picking alternates who can vow to impartially judge the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Two more alternates were chosen Friday, with four others still n

  • Canadian influencer Sarah DeMelo says 'cancer really does change your life' as she marks 1 year since diagnosis

    A year after her cancer diagnosis, Sarah DeMelo has a "whole new outlook" on life, she says.

  • Irish premier ‘eager to be in a position to apologise’ over Stardust tragedy

    Simon Harris said he hopes to meet with the families on Saturday.

  • BNSF Railway says it didn't know about asbestos that's killed hundreds in Montana town

    HELENA, Mont. (AP) — BNSF Railway attorneys are expected to argue before jurors Friday that the railroad should not be held liable for the lung cancer deaths of two former residents of an asbestos-contaminated Montana town, one of the deadliest sites in the federal Superfund pollution program. Attorneys for the company say the corporate predecessors of the railroad, owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate, didn't know the vermiculite they hauled over decades from a nearby mine

  • Mother defends asking birthday party guests to bring money for yard work instead of gifts for her daughter

    ‘Never host a party and ask for money!!’

  • Report suggests little progress in first year of Alberta's emissions reduction plan

    EDMONTON — A survey from a clean energy think-tank says Alberta has done little to implement its plan to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The Pembina Institute has examined the measures included in the province's plan released one year ago. It says it found no evidence the government has begun the sort of public consultations required to move Alberta's economy towards the goal of net zero emissions. Despite the plan's promise to keep reducing Alberta's methane emissions, the institute points

  • IMF urges Bank of Japan to tread cautiously in raising interest rates

    The Bank of Japan (BOJ) must tread cautiously in raising interest rates, as some indicators of inflation expectations remain short of its 2% target, the International Monetary Fund's Japan mission chief Nada Choueiri said on Friday. Choueiri told Reuters that a weak yen had a net-positive impact on Japan's economic growth, and signaled the IMF's preference for the country to allow exchange rates to move flexibly.

  • A first for state water board: Probation for Tulare Lake subbasin, will require pump flow meters

    Water board member said the move was needed because “we don’t have a choice.”

  • 7 best things to do in Colorado this weekend: April 19-21, 2024

    Every weekend, Denver7 compiles a list of some fun events you might enjoy. Here are our picks for the 7 best things to do in the Denver metro area and beyond this weekend

  • Voices: I’m a comedian – here’s how I detoxified my masculinity (and you can too)

    COMMENT: Just because you lift weights and take care of your body doesn’t automatically make you a toxic male, writes comedian Robin Morgan. Just look at Joe Wicks and Bukayo Saka...

  • Short sellers recoup losses as rally in US stocks loses steam

    Short sellers have been raking it in over the last 30 days as receding bets of an early interest rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve triggered a selloff in the equity market. Traders have made a mark-to-market profit of more than $25 billion up to Thursday from covering their short positions, said Ihor Dusaniwsky, managing director of predictive analytics at S3 Partners, more than erasing their $14.8 billion in losses so far this year. The current weakness in the market allows them to cover a portion of those heavy losses.

  • Biden administration restricts oil and gas leasing in 13 million acres of Alaska's petroleum reserve

    JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Biden administration said Friday it will restrict new oil and gas leasing on 13 million acres (5.3 million hectares) of a federal petroleum reserve in Alaska to help protect wildlife such as caribou and polar bears as the Arctic continues to warm. The decision — part of a yearslong fight over whether and how to develop the vast oil resources in the state — finalizes protections first proposed last year as the Democratic administration prepared to approve the contentious

  • US House pushes ahead with $95bn foreign aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan

    Coalition of lawmakers helped legislation clear procedural hurdle to reach final votes, following opposition from rightwing Republicans

  • Emma Raducanu vs Iga Swiatek LIVE: Updates and scores from Tennis Grand Prix quarter-finals in Stuttgart

    The 21-year-old Brit has returned to form but now faces the world No1 in the last eight of the Porsche Grand Prix

  • Apple pulls WhatsApp and Threads from App Store on Beijing's orders

    HONG KONG (AP) — Apple said it had removed Meta’s WhatsApp messaging app and its Threads social media app from the App Store in China to comply with orders from Chinese authorities. The apps were removed from the store on Friday after Chinese officials cited unspecified national security concerns. Their removal comes amid elevated tensions between the U.S. and China over trade, technology and national security. The U.S. has threatened to ban TikTok over national security concerns. But while TikT

  • Premiers want return to co-operation with federal government with new budget

    OTTAWA — Canada's premiers are warning the federal government not to overreach into their jurisdictions when it comes to delivering the programs laid out in Ottawa's latest budget. In a letter responding to the Liberals' budget, the premiers say they worry new federal programs are eventually going to be downloaded onto provinces and territories. They also say the housing crisis cannot be solved by the federal government working with municipalities alone. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he wou