Why can’t you bet on sports in Missouri? This state senator stood in the way | Opinion
In the way
Remember this name: Denny Hoskins. He is the reason you can’t place a sports wager in Missouri. He is a state senator representing the Warrensburg area. He did not get his way this legislative session in Jefferson City, so he and a couple of his cronies filibustered the Missouri Senate and the amendment was never voted on. (May 14, 12A, “Missouri Republican infighting blocks priorities as session ends”)
Hoskins wants instead to legalize video lottery terminals in gas stations. It makes you wonder who is paying him to take such a stance.
I can’t vote him out, but the people of central Missouri can.
- Dan Meier, Village of Loch Lloyd
Farm works
How could Urbavore Urban Farm on Kansas City’s East Side be a problem? (May 19, 1A, “KC urban farm hit with violations, tangling with neighbors”) It seems to me the farm’s service should be subsidized and replicated in many cities.
But here’s the rub: Some of Brooke Salvaggio and Dan Heryer’s neighbors don’t like the traffic from customers picking up produce. So now their neighbors are trying to shut them down with the help of Kansas City officials.
Now, I understand that traffic and noise pollution are also problems. Think of priorities. Do we want to live on an overheated planet, full of garbage, short of water, with people getting sick unnecessarily? We can’t have everything, but I’m sure Dan and Brooke’s customers, as well as many other Kansas City residents, prioritize health, both their own and that of the planet.
The great 19th century author G.K. Chesterton wrote: “Because a thing has been defeated does not mean it is disproved. It is the lost causes which might have saved the world.” I, for one, do not want Dan and Brooke to be defeated.
We all need to pitch in for the sake of health — theirs, ours and the environment’s. Or we may end up with this from Bob Dylan: “It’s not dark yet, but it’s getting there.”
- Judith L. Zillner, Merriam
Go whole
As temperatures rise, parents might give kids juice and juice drinks to help beat the heat. Four ounces of juice is considered equivalent to one serving of fruit and can provide essential vitamins and minerals. However, pediatric doctors like me encourage eating whole pieces of fruit over drinking juice for several reasons:
Eating a whole piece of fruit takes longer to digest and provides the same vitamins and minerals to kids as juice.
Drinking a lot of juice can lead to diarrhea, belly pain and bloating.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has shown that drinking too much juice can cause weight gain and stunt growth.
High amounts of sugar in fruit juices can lead to cavities and other tooth problems, particularly if drunk from a bottle.
Water is the primary component of juice and doesn’t have electrolytes.
For kids under 1, fruit juice is not recommended. Limit daily intake to 6 ounces of juice for kids ages 1 to 7. For kids 7-plus, 8 ounces is the maximum recommended daily amount.
Kids often look to their parents to model good nutrition — so whenever possible, eat a whole orange instead of drinking the juice. It’s just as tasty.
- Phil Jurasinski, Kansas City
General welfare
The U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights, ratified in 1791, included a clause regarding the right to bear arms. At the time, we had just separated ourselves from England. I doubt the writers of the document imagined the horrors that have happened recently with legally purchased, high-powered modern guns wielded by mentally unstable individuals.
Isn’t it time for our government to step up to keep assault rifles and other combat weapons out of the hands of people who have recently targeted schools, stores and even churches with their demented agendas?
- Ruth Kauffman, Mission
