Posted on Fri, May. 09, 2008

Literacy for a better life

Not only is Alferd Williams of St. Joseph discovering a wide-open world by learning to read at the age of 70 (5/3, A-1, “He just wanted to learn — now he’s an unlikely hero”), so have almost 4,000 other adults who have been students at Literacy Kansas City since 1985.

Last week we welcomed 34 potential adult students through our doors as they took the first step by admitting they need to learn this basic skill.

Now the task is for us to find 34 new volunteers to be tutors in our one-to-one program that requires a great commitment of time and energy but also offers tremendous rewards to both student and teacher.

Learning to read is not easy. Just ask Mr. Williams. But it makes living so much easier. It offers an opportunity for independence by passing a written driver’s test. It allows for one’s voice to be heard in the election booth. It results in a more valuable employee. And it helps one find the green beans in the grocery aisle.

If you want to be a volunteer tutor, or know someone who needs to improve their reading or math skills, call Literacy Kansas City at 816-333-9332.

Cliff Schiappa

Interim executive director

Literacy Kansas City

Kansas City

Coal vs. wind power

Bill Hill of Leawood (5/6, Letters) wrote “Do you think on a hot summer day with no wind, hence no air conditioning, she might change her mind?” regarding Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ opposition to coal-fired power plants in western Kansas.

I realize Leawood borders Missouri, so perhaps Mr. Hill has not seen much of Kansas. The name Kansas means “people of the south wind.” If Mr. Hill would venture farther into the state, he would soon learn that the name is quite apt. Most of the state rarely experiences a windless day.

I grew up in south-central Kansas, mostly Wichita, where one doesn’t really notice the wind until it’s blowing more than 30 miles an hour.

I doubt Gov. Sebelius or the rest of us would suffer on a hot summer day if we were relying on wind-generated power. We would also breathe easier with cleaner air.

Teresa Phillips

Overland Park

I have been watching the debate on the new coal-fired plants in southwest Kansas with interest. Let me see if I have this straight:

No nuclear power.

No expansion of projects to drill for the oil reserves we have.

No new refineries.

No natural gas electrical plants.

Now no coal-fired plants.

OK, which of you anti-everything zealots are willing to turn off all your lights, computers, televisions and cars so I can keep using mine?

Oscar Miller

Easton, Kan.

By rights, it’s Hillary

Should the Democratic nominee have been determined by the same system as used by the Electoral College, Hillary Clinton would have by now accumulated 295 electoral votes, while Barack Obama has garnered only 223, with 26 undecided votes remaining.

It takes 270 votes to elect a president. It seems to me that Sen. Clinton has earned the right to present her case to the national convention.

As an aside, I will be voting for John McCain.

Kenneth A. McGee

Overland Park

Wright’s posh new digs

It’s been widely reported in the last several weeks that Barack Obama’s former pastor, friend and spiritual adviser of 20 years, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, will soon move into his $1.6 million, 10,000-square-foot home in suburban Chicago.

Where else, but Wright’s “ ’damn America” would he be treated with such over-the-top opulence? Clearly one of the advantages of living in such a posh, secluded enclave is that he won’t have to worry about being purposely exposed to the AIDS virus that was invented by white folks to eradicate people of color (his words, not mine).

Yes, Rev. Wright will be soon coming home to roost in some pretty nice digs. From where I sit, America has treated this America-hater pretty darn nice.

Gary Pederson

Kansas City

Cruelty of horse racing

The Kentucky Derby upsets me deeply. I fully agree with PETA (5/5, Sports, “Horse’s death upsets PETA”). I just think it’s so sad how they could all go whipping and racing young horses just for money.

I think racing a horse too hard would fall under animal cruelty. Racehorses don’t know whether they’re in danger. It’s up to the owners to make sure they are OK. How many racehorses are put down due to injury? Their bodies are not mature enough to handle all the strain during a race.

Trainers are pushing young horses too hard. Horses aren’t physically mature until they are 4 or 5, and race training begins around 18 months of age or sooner.

Horse racing is a brutal sport and needs to be stopped. Many sweet horses could have gone to loving families instead of being forced to race and face deadly injuries.

Willow Onken

Lee’s Summit

Kent State and Vietnam

Kent State University was glorified in The Star as the symbol and apogee of anti-Vietnam War sacrifice and protest (5/4, Sports, “Football coaches carry memories of Kent State”). Students buried the Constitution, shouting, “No, no, we won’t go” and lost their lives while threatening outnumbered young American soldiers trying to maintain law and order.

I remember Kent State well every time I visit the cemetery and place a flower on the grave of my son who died in the Vietnam they reviled to maintain their right to cheer his death.

Ben Nicks

Shawnee

McCain: A true statesman

If you are like me and proud to be an American and cherish the freedoms that so many have fought, still are fighting, and have died for, please vote for John McCain in the upcoming election.

McCain, a pilot and decorated war veteran, has fought for freedom and survived after being shot down and held as a POW in the Vietnam War.

The United States needs a statesman as a leader, not a politician, and John McCain has the character and integrity to pull America through troubling times.

A vote for Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton would ensure a troublesome future for an already-struggling United States.

The decision should be as clear as the record of the man deserving the position: John McCain.

Austin J. Hunt

Kansas City

Ethanol energy

Steve Everly’s article “Does Ethanol Measure Up?” (4/27, A-1) neglected to account for the fact that everyone would be paying 45 cents more per gallon of gasoline today if we did not use ethanol-blended fuel, according to the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition.

I have used E-85 the last four years in my Ford Taurus, and I have always been aware of ethanol’s energy content. I use ethanol not because of environmental issues but because of our foreign dependence on oil, better crop prices for farmers and job-creation for American workers in new alternative fuel-manufacturing industry.

Ethanol is a step we have to take for now. It’s a homeland security issue. Oil companies, car companies and politicians killed the electric car in California. I am all for the hydrogen fuel cell car, but how’s that coming along, Mr. Bush?

So if you condemn ethanol, be prepared to offer the alternative solution or zip it.

Jim Fulbright

Platte City

Regarding the difference in the energy content between gasoline and ethanol fuel blends: Beyond these two fuels we have diesel and propane as current vehicle fuel sources. In the near future, hydrogen and plug-in electric vehicles will become more common.

Instead of our elected officials mandating the use of biofuels, we would be better served if they mandated the sale of fuel as measured by the Btu content. A price per 100,000 Btus would make it easier for the consumer to make an informed choice.

When we fill our tanks, we are not just buying gallons of fuel. We are buying energy, and energy is measured in Btus, not gallons. Let’s provide a level playing field for competing fuel sources.

Douglas MacFarlane

Kansas City

Credit-card concerns

On May 5, I received a statement from a local department store saying that payment is due May 17. That’s 12 days from May 5.

Allowing three days for delivery of my payment, that leaves nine days for me to mail the payment.

Not too many years ago, a person was allowed 30 days to make a timely payment. Supposing I was out of town for a short vacation. How could I ever make a payment on time?

Is it possible that this creditor is trying to generate late-payment fees?

I notice other credit cards allow a period of up to 21 days for the recipient to respond.

Just how many days, from day of receipt to date of mailing, does a recipient have to get the payment off in the mail in time to avoid a late-payment fee?

John Woody

Gladstone

Air-conditioning overkill

With these recent days of warm weather, local businesses seem ready to kick their air conditioning into high gear. I just sat through my first frigid lunch wishing I’d brought a jacket even though the weather outside was comfortably warm.

I’m not sure which I look forward less: the oppressive KC summertime heat or the frigid temperatures in most shops and restaurants in response to it.

Do business owners think patrons enjoy carrying jackets with them on hot days so we can be comfortable indoors? Do they think we’ll be impressed by all the money and energy they waste keeping their establishments uncomfortably cool?

Can anybody explain why we feel obligated to keep indoor spaces cooler in the summer than in the winter when we’re already dressed for the cold?

Devin Martin

Kansas City

Immigration reform

The Border Patrol has found some 4,200 dead bodies in the U.S. desert since 1995 as migrants seek entry to support their families, according to the relief group “No More Deaths” of Tucson, Ariz.

NAFTA cancels tariffs on U.S. goods, allowing cheaper U.S. produce to flood Mexican markets, driving Mexican farmers off their land and to the U.S. to seek income for their families.

On April 28, 40 protesters, mostly Catholic Workers, gave witness at the Kansas City Federal Building. I was one of six arrested for “blocking entrances and walkways.”

We demand immigration reform. We reject the criminalization of humanitarian aid to immigrants. We object to raids, deportation and family separation. Europe has a guest worker program. Why don’t we?

To paraphrase President Ronald Reagan’s challenge to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, we say, “Mr. Bush, tear down that border wall.”

How we treat immigrants strikes to the core of our values and souls.

Henry M. Stoever

Overland Park

How green is KC?

So much about our “carbon footprint.” I have changed my lightbulbs. I drive an old, fuel-efficient car. I’ve considered getting a rain barrel.

What about Kansas City’s beautiful new buildings? The Bloch Building at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Sprint Center, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts? In what ways are these structures “green?” Or are they?

And how about our beloved Plaza Christmas lights?

Todi Hughes

Kansas City

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