Kansas City Chiefs, you’re one of the best teams in the NFL. Get fired up and play like it

About the mindset

A suggestion for the Kansas City Chiefs: Please get some confidence in your abilities. Wrap your head around how great you are.

You are the best team in your division and beyond. You have the best quarterback in the league. You have Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, Isiah Pacheco and more and more. You have the loudest stadium and the best fans. But you obviously aren’t lighting a fire under yourselves.

You should invite a group of the loudest, most rabid fans you can find to the locker room to fire you up. You are so much better than you are playing. If I were your teacher, I would make each of you write on the chalkboard: “We are winners! We’ve got this!” 100 times or until it’s stuck in your brains. Think win!

OK, so I’m not a coach or psychologist, but these cardiac games are hard on the heart.

- Janet Mays, Kansas City

Applied history

I recently finished listening to the “Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra” podcast and watching Ken Burns’ “The U.S. and the Holocaust” documentary. Both were very well produced pieces about shocking and nearly-forgotten American history.

I suggest first, that every lawmaker in America watch and listen to both programs (especially officials who cannot spell “martial law”), and second, that the Constitution be read before the start of the 118th Congress with a constitutional scholar present to interpret it, in case some lawmakers are confused about how democracy works.

And remember, Marshall Dillon has little to do with martial law. I learned that in eighth-grade civics class in 1963. I hope the constitutional scholar can straighten that out, too.

- Mark Weddle, Lee’s Summit

Set them straight

As an orthodontist, I get to see firsthand how going from crooked teeth to a beautiful smile can make people more confident and outgoing. That’s what I want for every patient and why I believe seeing a certified orthodontist is still your best choice.

Online teeth-aligner companies seem like a good deal. But by skimping on professional orthodontic expertise, they may be setting up patients for disappointment. In recent years, our office has seen an influx of those who went it alone and didn’t get the results they wanted. Reversing those efforts can mean added expense.

When you see a certified orthodontist for teeth alignment, you’re getting the best possible care. Orthodontics requires some of the most extensive training of any dental specialization, and while a general dentist might see 10 orthodontic patients per month, our office sees dozens per week. That deep experience translates into better results.

Advancements in techniques and materials have drastically lowered the cost of professional orthodontic care. So don’t gamble on the only smile you’ve got to save a few bucks. Teeth alignment is one job that’s best left to the professionals.

- Kenneth Edwards, Westrock Orthodontics , Kansas City

Balancing act

I worked my way through college as an employee of one of the country’s largest railroads. Even in those days, there were lots of dangers. (Dec. 14, 1A, “No lights. No gates. No safety”) As long as we have railroads, there will be many safety hazards in operating them.

Almost all industries are under pressure to improve products and services, and they are often sued. If they are not the subject of lawsuits, they are pressed to deliver their employees salaries and benefits that are not compatible with making profits. If these companies raise prices, the public complains.

If the railroads were being built today, some of the safety issues The Star pointed out would conceivably not be repeated. If these companies were not for profit, some competitive issues might disappear. However, looking at all the constraints this and other industries are working under, railroads are doing well. And governments at all levels must continue to improve safety and mitigate environmental threats.

American businesses often need government help to remain profitable. This is not new — we bailed out the automotive industry. Government helps to resolve problems so that profits can be made and jobs saved. We look for a very delicate balance between the need for industries and the harm they might cause.

- Michael H. Jones, Leavenworth