Letters: KC readers discuss Hawley’s stock proposal, Chiefs’ chances, voting rights

He got it right

I am no fan of Sen. Josh Hawley, but I salute The Star Editorial Board for its respectful piece about his creditable work concerning Congress and the stock market. (Jan. 14, 8A, “Josh Hawley has it right on Congress and stocks”) Thank you.

- Jerry Tracy, Kansas City

Nope, that’s wrong

Last week, Sen. Josh Hawley said he would offer a bill prohibiting members of Congress from holding, selling or purchasing shares of stock in individual companies. He thinks U.S. senators and representatives should not vote on policies that directly impact their net worth.

Wait a minute: Ownership of American enterprises via the stock market is one of the fundamental ways of increasing wealth and securing future prosperity for individuals and families. Everyone can do it, with whatever resources they can allocate. Helping families help themselves is the American way. Would you run for public office if it meant compromising your nest egg? Let’s be real.

I’m no fan of the junior senator insurrection supporter. This bill is yet another example of his populist demagoguery. Let’s elect better legislators instead of making it a job no intelligent person wants.

- Barbara Loots, Kansas City

Good signs

Among the NFL’s best of the best again this season are our Kansas City Chiefs.

Too far down even to see the top teams are what could be called the Terrible Three in the AFC. Sinking to the depths of defeat this season have been Jacksonville, Houston and the New York Jets, with a combined record of 11-40.

Who they have lost to is a long list, but the few and far between victories could be described as wins over a who’s who in the AFC. Houston cut the Tennessee Titans down to size, as did the Jets flying high over the Cincinnati Bengals. As for Buffalo the Bills, they were run over by the usually low-speed Jacksonville Jaguars. All three of the Chiefs’ remaining competitors in the AFC playoffs have bad losses.

Kansas City did not have the luxury of playing the Terrible Three. Something else our Chiefs did not have were bad losses to playoff non-contending teams. While Buffalo had a near-perfect wild-card performance versus the Raiders, consistency of play favors our Chiefs to send the Bills home to roam, extinct for postseason play.

- Mike George, Springfield

Stop the spread

How ironic that a Sunday letter to the editor supporting Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt began by remarking that we are in calendar year three of COVID-19. (19A) Do you ever wonder if our numbers would be better if more people had worn masks and gotten vaccinated?

Masks, vaccines and lockdowns are to keep us from spreading COVID-19. How many years will this continue if people don’t protect themselves and others by the simple acts of wearing masks, socially distancing and getting vaccinated?

I see it exactly the opposite of the author of this letter. In my opinion, it is Schmitt who is abusing his power. He has no medical background and no business sticking his nose into matters of public health. Masks and vaccines don’t hurt us — they help us. We need our health care workers to be healthy. We see people at their sickest, many immunocompromised. We need to be well so we don’t infect them with other diseases. This is why the flu vaccine has been mandated for years in hospitals.

We all need to do our part to make sure we don’t move into calendar year four of COVID-19.

- Laura Hughes Zahner, Kansas City

Secure rights

If democracy is to flourish and provide stability, it is essential to protect voting rights and the ability of every citizen to vote. That is why it’s critical to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the For the People Act.

As a historian, I emphasize the expansion of the franchise in our nation as part of the process of making the goals and promises of the Declaration of Independence become reality.

The actions of state legislatures to restrict the access to voting based on specious assertions necessitates legislation at the federal level. Voter fraud is rare. The GOP is perpetrating a trumped-up and clearly false narrative that creates distrust for our fundamental democratic institutions.

Is the Republican Party so obsessed with power that it will no longer support democracy and the Constitution?

The “tyranny of the minority” in the Senate must not impede debate and voting. In the 1960s, Sen. Everett Dirksen, Republican minority leader, supported civil rights legislation because he knew it was morally right and in keeping with the promise of America for all its citizens. Kansas Sens. Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall, find courage. Do what is right.

- Vicki Arndt Helgesen, Overland Park