Letters to the Editor for Jan. 28: Saving Tournament of Champions and American democracy
New plan needed for local participation in Tournament of Champions
How cold was it? Weather outside was cold enough to make everyone join in on a singing of the hit song Shivers because everyone had them. On the outside that's how it was but on the inside of Great Southern Arena basketball action for the Tournament of Champions was RED HOT. Some of the very best teams in the country as witnessed by their national ranking put on a basketball show with a marquee in the limelight.
Area representatives as is customarily the case had difficulty winning: 0-4 was their record before playing one another for 7th place. To its credit a very talented Central Bulldog team with state ranking bounced back from an opening game loss to be within a single shot of winning its second round game. A Glendale team that was more of a sentimental anniversary selection for the tournament in remembrance of a championship team headed by Coach Mike Keltner had a tougher time.
In comparison to long-distance visiting teams there is a reason for a disparity in success in the tournament. Considerable talent is present in this area but the pool of talent in larger metropolitan areas like Houston and Memphis and New York and Southern California is deeper, with populations present that have many more than a handful of city schools to choose from. Where there may be a one or two Division I prospects on a team locally those schools in some instances may have a starting lineup being recruited by the top level of recognizable coaching names.
A change in the format for the tournament is needed. A city All Star team along with an area group of All Stars should be selected to form our two entries. That would balance the competitive court while stirring even more fan interest.
Mike George, Springfield
Front seat flaw needs to be addressed for child safety
CBS news just did a story on the long-term problem with passenger-vehicle front seats collapsing backward in rear-end collisions. In the U.S. an estimated 50 children a year are dying when the front driver and/or passenger is violently thrown backwards into them. The problem has no federal mandate in effect for recalls or after-market fixes.
A possible remedy: installing high-stress bolts in the vehicle side-section framework just behind the front seat (only applicable in four-door models) and attaching a tensioned commercial-grade cargo net. A study needs to be done. It might work. Costs to the consumer are unknown at this time.
This after-market solution could help until the front seat(s) can be redesigned for strength and installed on any new or recalled vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) should investigate this or other intermediate solutions to this long-standing problem and make recommendations for consumers to protect their children while in transit.
Kevin Corbin, Springfield
America is not a democracy and MAGA Republicans are here to save it
The hypocrisy is rich. The Democrats say that the Republican party, mostly those who voted for Donald Trump twice (you know, the ones that President Biden calls “evil MAGA Republicans”), are in the process of destroying American democracy. But there is no democracy to destroy. The American people have installed a representative republic, not a democracy. In a representative republic, the people are represented by elected officials. In a democracy, each person casts their own vote on the subject of concern to the community. The most votes win. They have agreed in advance to concede to the rule of the majority. The minority has no say-so after the vote. So, a tyranny of the majority can sometimes occur, and very often does.
In a representative republic, the differences between factions are sorted out in the process of electing a representative. The representative is supposed to be a wise and fair person who takes the needs of the minority, as well as the majority, into consideration when it becomes necessary for the representatives to cast their votes. The representative must be a citizen of the community and live in that community. There is less of a tendency for a tyranny of the majority to come into existence. The problem with a representative republic is that the representatives can become corrupted by both power and money. Their vote can even be purchased by a minority faction that has been funded by outsiders, often those with different objectives than the minority or majority interests of a constituency of voters. In some cases, a tyranny of the minority emerges.
The American founding documents were well thought out and included separate branches of government with checks and balances between these branches. But the founders did not place limits on repetitive terms in office. And that has caused the government to grow and extend its reach well beyond the limited scope of government desired by the founders. The increased reach has resulted in more bureaucrats and a larger portion of the government being run by un-elected officials. These un-elected officials introduce even more opportunity for political and financial corruption.
Today the nation is being run by an army of un-elected officials who have become untouchable. The people have been divided into easily-controllable factions with the exception of one faction, the combined MAGA and America First constituencies. They represent the true American heartland and they intend to save the nation from the progressive movement. They are not the enemy of democracy. Far from it. They seek to return the United States of America to WE THE PEOPLE. You know, what the Preamble to the Constitution said the role of government was supposed to be in our lives, something like “to secure the blessings of Liberty” as I recall.
Martin Capages Jr., Springfield
Missouri Republicans miss the mark on death penalty
You just can not make this stuff up! The latest effort by state Republicans to pass legislation that eliminates the death penalty as a punishment is unbelievable. Especially considering the direct effect on the murderer of Hailey Owens. It is pitiful that these legislators can not discern the difference between the abortion of a baby and the death penalty dealt to a murderer and rapist of a 10-year-old child. Shame on the legislators who propose this terrible action and the fact that these are Republicans is even more astonishing. These must be the same folks who came up with the idea of switching Missouri to a caucus rather than a historical primary method.
Art Farris, Springfield
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Letters to the Editor for Jan. 28: MAGA Republicans and democracy