Letters: City, UK need to fix State Street blight

Fix State Street

It's good to see the University of Kentucky making efforts like the Gameday Zone to reduce uncontrolled partying in the neighborhoods surrounding the campus.

I think it’s fair to remind readers UK created this problem in 1998 when it passed its dry-campus policy without consulting the neighborhoods. The results were predictable: off-campus fraternity party houses, deteriorating and unsafe housing, trash, sexual assault, murder, arson and home invasions. After 20 years, I am truly disappointed we have still not resolved the problems on State Street.

We need new, visionary thinking from our city leaders and UK’s Department of Landscape Architecture to fix the blight on State Street — or should we just declare State and Crescent a public nuisance and bulldoze all of the rental housing?

Finally, with the current attention on pedestrian safety during football games, please install safe sidewalks on Elizabeth Street between Waller Avenue and Conn Terrace.

Different breed of Cats

I feel a change a’comin’. I felt it with Rich Brooks. I feel it with Mark Stoops. Our athletic director and coaches are creating a winning environment in which players feel that they are going to win and play like they’re expecting to win. And they are being given the resources to succeed.

I have friends and family who have season tickets and go to every game and stay to the end regardless how our team is doing. I am especially happy for those folks. I am so proud of this football team and the fans at the Mississippi State game. Our head coach has asked us to step up and support our Kentucky football team like that for every home game. It makes for an incredible environment and a fun time. More than any sport, I think a football game can be influenced by the fans. These are college kids playing a tough game for our enjoyment and they deserve our support regardless of the outcome. Let’s stay positive even when the going gets tough and support our team even when we’re not winning.

Back off of Mueller

I am tired of hearing that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has overstepped his original mandate into the investigation of Russian tampering in the 2016 election. The following is an example of how investigations are conducted.

The police are called to a home for a domestic-abuse situation. They enter the home and find a person dead on the floor from a bullet wound. No gun is found so suicide is ruled out and now they are investigating a homicide. While searching the house, they find drugs. They look into the dead person's cell phone, computer and bank records and find a large amount of money stashed away in bank accounts. Then they discover that the money was laundered through various illegal transactions and no taxes were paid on it.

The police were originally called for domestic abuse, but shouldn’t they investigate the other crimes?

Their time is up

In a little more than 200 years, old white men have run this country into the ground. They have raped and pillaged Social Security and Medicare and other state and federal programs that care for the weak and voiceless. They have enriched themselves, destroyed the middle class, cut taxes for the rich, damned public education and created an economic and moral divide that will take decades to bridge.

They have made religion a cult and used it to control the meek and uneducated, and as a calling card for election to office.

Old white men have kept women on their knees and in the kitchen for the majority of these 200 years. Only when they are voted out of office will this country become a world partner on this planet. Vote them out now.