Farewell, Ed Chasteen. Kansas City will never forget your tireless fight against hate

Led the fight

The Kansas City community lost a role model last week. Dr. Ed Chasteen passed away on Oct. 12 at age 86. Ed was a longtime sociology professor at William Jewell College and a regular presence in the Kansas City civil rights community. He founded Hatebusters, an organization dedicated to responding to acts of hate through faith and solidarity. He held annual Human Family Reunions, welcoming everyone regardless of color, class, creed or country. He also had multiple sclerosis but remained undeterred, riding his bicycle nearly everywhere he went.

I met Ed in 1986 as a freshman. He impressed me so much in his Intro to Sociology class, I worked for him for three years. When I started, he’d spent the previous summer riding his bike from Florida to Washington state with only two pennies in his pocket, determined to rely on the goodness of strangers to feed and house him. Many people thought it unwise, but he was right, and his Two Penny Odyssey was a success. That was Ed.

With positive role models seemingly hard to come by, Ed Chasteen’s compassion, perseverance and decency still inspire me every day. God bless you, Ed. You will be missed.

- Jos Linn, Kansas City

Such garbage

I recently drove Interstates 435 and 35 to Interstate 70 in Kansas, and I could not believe the amount of trash that has accumulated along the highways. It included garbage bags and even some furniture.

This is an embarrassment to our city.

- Bruce Koenig, Olathe

Marijuana danger

On Oct. 12, The Star ran a well-written commentary about the potential hazards of legalizing marijuana for recreational use. (14A, “Youths could pay a price for marijuana use”) The author, Leana S. Wen, is a professor at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health.

I agree that too many people were convicted of federal crimes for possession in the past and need to be pardoned. However, the big push seems to be that marijuana is a harmless drug and will bring in lots of money to the states.

Of course, it will not be available to those under 21. Does this work for alcohol? Never has, and we have many negative issues related to that mind-altering drug. (Yes, I do have an occasional drink.) Alcohol is so entrenched in our culture that it is a rite of passage, and getting drunk is a cause for bragging.

I have dealt with the illegal drug issue in my family. It is a terrible disease to overcome. This commentary was the first time I have heard about “marijuana use disorder.”

For many years, tobacco was said to be relaxing. Ads showed doctors recommending certain brands. My doctor said: “We are going down a slippery slope.”

Follow the money. Read the Oct. 12 column.

- Linda Lockwood, Kansas City

Boost Clay County

Earlier this year, the Clay County Commission voted 2-1 to place a 10% reduction of the commercial surtax on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Proposition A benefits only commercial property owners, not homeowners in Clay County.

Businesses and families have discovered that Clay County is a great place to grow and thrive because of our great schools and quality public services. Proposition A threatens to defund $1.7 million annually from Clay County school districts, cities, roads, libraries, health centers and public agencies that maintain infrastructure and provide public safety services.

Proposition A would cut about $750,000 in funding to my children’s school district and more than $84,000 to the police, fire, parks and library that serve and protect my family in North Kansas City.

The architects of Proposition A argue that growth would compensate for this reduction. You cannot grow out of a revenue reduction — you can only cut your way out.

I believe strong school systems and quality public services are essential to Clay County’s continuing growth, and I hope you will join me in voting no on Proposition A.

- Mayor Bryant DeLong, North Kansas City

Promoting culture

Happy 50th anniversary, Humanities Kansas. Since 1972, HK has been leading a movement of ideas to strengthen our communities and our democracy.

As board members for HK, we’re proud to be part of this legacy. Over the past 50 years, HK has supported 1,145 events in Johnson County and provided nearly $1.2 million in grants and resources to local organizations in Olathe, Overland Park, De Soto and more. Fourteen community members have served on HK’s board of directors.

For 50 years, HK has worked to preserve and share the stories of Kansans. Here in Johnson County, we’ve conducted oral histories with local veterans, created a film to explore LGBTQ experiences in Kansas and hosted the bilingual Latin American Film Festival.

There are many more examples we could share, but they all have something in common: They connect us to the stories of this place we call home and help us understand who we are as Kansans and what we’ve valued over time and across generations. Plus, the humanities are popular and good for our civic health.

We invite you to join HK’s movement of ideas at humanitieskansas.org

- Jim Lane, Olathe, Sheilah Philip, Overland Park

Serving whom?

Our politicians like to call themselves “public servants” when they are merely seeking public attention and access to great wealth. In 1516, Thomas More published the book “Utopia,” which proposed that anyone actively seeking public office should be automatically disqualified from ever holding one.

- Donald Hoffmann, Kansas City

College costs

Everyone seems to agree the government should do something about the student debt problem. Yet few real solutions have been offered.

Sure, some want to allow student loans to be dischargeable in bankruptcy court, and others want to make federal student loans interest-free.

But these reforms would help only those who have student debt. They wouldn’t prevent tuition from rising or students from taking on more debt. How about making students or their parents pay for part of their college expenses up front? That would incentivize them to be more price sensitive.

Right now, there are virtually no restrictions on how much debt students can take on. The availability of easy credit encourages students to downplay or even ignore tuition costs. Requiring students to have skin in the game would help reduce overall loan balances, putting less financial pressure on them when they graduate.

It would probably also discourage some students from applying to college in the first place. As unfortunate as that might be, it would lower the demand for college, leading to price decreases, benefiting those students who decide to attend.

It’s no silver bullet, but it would be a step in the right direction.

- Tyler Curtis, Rolla, Missouri