Why the suprise at the Royals’ Benintendi trade? It’s just what they’ve always done

This is a pattern

So once again, the Royals have gotten rid of their best player, like they have done for decades. The list includes Carlos Beltran, Bret Saberhagen, David Cone, Eric Hosmer and many more. Worse, they got not one proven player in return for All-Star Andrew Benintendi. (July 29, 1B, “Royals trade Benintendi to NY for 3 minor-league pitchers”)

The Yankees are the richest and most talent-laden team in baseball. It’s bad management to settle for such a one-sided deal from a team that could afford a fair deal.

Here’s a plan: If you want to make the playoffs, keep your best players.

- Frank Lingo, Lawrence

Pelosi’s folly

I’d hate to think our government would let such a noncontributor as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi go to Taiwan when the slightest hiccup could realistically propel our country into simultaneous conflicts with Russia, China, Iran and a faltering economy. (July 28, 5A, “US military plans for Pelosi’s possible trip to Taiwan”)

What better time for any of those adversaries to punch the U.S. in the nose than with our current leadership vacuum? And for what or whom? Pelosi’s ego? May the good lord save the U.S. and Ukraine from unnecessary evil. How much has she already cost us with her bitterness and lack of productivity while pursuing political rivals?

- Tommy Fagan, Overland Park

Pit bull reality

Independence is one of the few cities in the metropolitan area that still bans most pit bull-type dogs. This is embarrassing to me.

Other local city governments have looked to the science, economics and ethics. Breed-specific legislation hurts innocent dogs that need nothing more than loving and stable homes. These laws hurt people who want to rescue these poor dogs from the trauma of animal shelters.

Let us put the political games aside. Let us look for the simplest way to end this ban. We do not need to go the route of a citizen petition. What we need is strong and courageous leadership in city government.

Time is wasting. Dogs, and people, are suffering needlessly. Let us end this cruelty now.

- Brian Morse, Independence

The research shows

People in Kansas City convened last weekend for a panel discussion about racism — something too many deny is still a factor in our country. (July 25, 1A, “Community members gather for forum to discuss racism”) Boatloads of peer-reviewed research shows racial bias is pervasive throughout America. The majority of white doctors, lawyers, judges, teachers, bankers, real estate brokers and police officers do not treat people without bias. Examples:

Black patients (same age, gender and disease severity, in the same geographic area, with the same access to cardiac facilities) are 60% less likely to be referred for angioplasty or bypass surgery than white people.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers found that applicants with “white-sounding” names were 50% more likely to be called back for job interviews than applicants with “Black-sounding” names, even when qualifications were the same.

In Harvard’s reliable Implicit Association Test, administrated to hundreds of thousands of people in recent years, almost 90% of white people tested exhibit negative bias toward Black people.

In studies of preschoolers, negative bias appears early on, even in families who profess no such bias.

These and many other examples are found in the book “Colorblind: The Rise of Post-Racial Politics and the Retreat from Racial Equity” by Tim Wise.

- Clark Achelpohl, Kansas City

He’s disqualified

It is concerning to have Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden make false accusations about fraud in the 2020 presidential election with no proof. (July 20, 12A, “Big Lie about election fraud harms democracy”) His claim to have more than 200 tips about supposed misdoing, but no proof to show, is disturbing to say the least.

Hayden’s meeting with a group of white supremacists is a disgrace to the office he holds and an insult to every Johnson County resident. (July 21, 8A, “Sheriffs group has documented ties to white supremacists”) Since Hayden doesn’t know the difference between reality and the white supremacist conspiracies that he has been willing to listen to, his position of authority puts our county at risk of legal action.

The serious lack of good judgment he has displayed means that oversight is a necessity. He is also wasting our tax dollars. Any police or sheriff’s officers who disgrace the community they serve should be held accountable for their actions.

Hayden no longer has the credibility to hold any office or job of any responsibility. I would question all investigations he has conducted or will oversee in the future because he has shown he lacks good judgment. No law enforcement ageny should have any tolerance for racism.

Hayden must resign or be removed from office.

- Rose Grimes, Overland Park

Let it burn?

Fire is good, the right kind of fire to heat and cook. Early man learned that. Fire is bad, can burn out of control and hurt or kill. Early man learned that as well.

Throughout our history, the good and bad has been handed down to us from our ancestors. We should have been taught these commonsense tenets from childhood and should pass them along to our children.

Some may be aware of what is good and bad but will violate given precedent to achieve a devious or self-serving end. Giving power to an autocratic MAGA Republican, a QAnon conspirator or a white supremacist, some will agree, is counterproductive and sheer stupidity.

Trusting the likes of Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Marjorie Taylor Greene or Steve Bannon is tantamount to giving a match to an arsonist. In this day and age, we, as a supposedly learned and caring civil society, have much to learn about responsible fire control.

- Christopher Hanch, Kansas City