Human services workers and faulty system
Re: “Expedite work on state benefits system,” June 7 editorial.
As president of a union, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to get to know so many public employees who give so much for all of us who live in Colorado.
Human services workers across the state are living proof that those called to public service for the greater good are not myths. Their sheer spirit and determination are driven by a sense of purpose, and one only need to see them at work with a computer system that balks to know they are special. The Colorado Benefits Management System (CBMS) was intended to streamline operations for these workers but instead hampered their ability to serve the public.
Human services clients – single moms, kids, the elderly, families out of work, victims of domestic violence, the disabled and the mentally ill – depend on their social workers for survival.
A couple of social workers recently offered some profound insight into how CBMS has impacted them: “I come to work every day and have to make decisions about which of my clients will get to eat that day. When I sit down to dinner with my own family, it is very hard not to think of my clients,” said one. “I don’t know what to say to my clients anymore. They are losing faith in us.”
Louis Gerstner, chief executive of IBM, once said, “Computers are magnificent tools for the realization of our dreams, but a machine can’t replace the human spark of spirit, compassion, love and understanding.” Our elected officials need to honor our public employees who are working to make the system work while dealing with clients whose patience is all but gone. Those responsible should, at least, issue a heartfelt apology for the mess that is CBMS.
Jo Romero, president, Colorado Federation of Public Employees, Denver
Destruction of the Berthoud Pass ski lodge
Re: “Berthoud Pass ski lodge torn down,” June 13 Business story.
The federal government has struck again, stealing another vital piece of Colorado history. First the Park Service forced out Hidden Valley, near Estes Park; then it was the Pikes Peak ski area. Now, it’s the forced destruction of the Berthoud Pass lodge.
This time, they destroyed a very special piece of Colorado history. Berthoud was Colorado’s first lift-served ski area. It had Colorado’s first rope tow and T-bar and the world’s first double chair. It was the country’s highest-based area and had the state’s first organized ski school and ski patrol.
More recently, Berthoud Pass was the first area in Colorado to allow snowboards and hosted the state’s first snowboard championships.
Berthoud was unique because it also had a very active summer business with thousands of tourists, hikers and, later, mountain bikers.
The lodge provided much-needed emergency services, phones and restrooms, as well as food service and a store. Stalled cars and buses and stranded travelers by the thousands were helped over the years.
When the current permit-holder decided to leave, the Forest Service decided to close the area permanently. The approach of the Forest Service is analogous to that of a landlord whose tenant has moved, and instead of seeking a new tenant, burns down the property.
Having attended most of the meetings on the topic of removing the lodge, I was disappointed again and again by the Forest Service and its unwillingness to allow for any action to save the lodge.
Many people recognized that the lodge was a unique period piece and represented the architecture of the times in which it was built. The Forest Service answered that the lodge was not aesthetically pleasing. Doesn’t a building like the lodge have historic value beyond supposed lack of beauty? Is the row of portable toilets the Forest Service put up “aesthetically pleasing?”
In the end, the Forest Service got what it wanted – the destruction of another gem, another bit of Colorado history. So who is next: Loveland, A-Basin, Powderhorn, Sunlight?
It seems to me that the Forest Service doesn’t want any ski areas that cater to the everyday person, those who appreciated an affordable alternative and those who wanted an intimate experience instead of a mega-resort.
Shame on you, Arapaho National Forest officials!
Ike Garst, Littleton
The writer is a former Berthod Pass ski area owner/operator.
Bookshop closed near University of Denver
Re: “Changes near DU a mixed blessing,” June 5 news story.
The article referring to a replacement of a “dusty bookstore” in the University of Denver area invites comment. I had always thought that a good used bookstore went hand-in-glove with any dynamic college community. Where else can students find the classics of art and literature at an affordable price?
Books Unlimited was hailed as the “best (used) bookstore” in Denver by The Denver Post in June 1998. The store has a reputation for providing quality used books in good condition at a reasonable price. It left because of the area’s unfriendly business policies and set up shop at 2420 S. Colorado Blvd.
What a great loss to any would-be vibrant college community! The used-book business is a fragile one with a narrow profit margin and needs some encouragement to remain economically viable. Yet, your staff writer seems to hold fad restaurants in higher esteem than a store providing access to a repository of culture and knowledge. Restaurants frequently come and go (in fact, one recently failed next door), but a good used bookstore is hard, if not impossible, to replace.
Maybe the city planners and the DU administration (as the largest stakeholder in the area) should ask what direction the area should take in its economic development, then guide and foster that direction.
John H. Clough, Littleton
Bin Laden lives
Re: “Bin Laden alive, well, Pakistan TV reports,” June 15 news story.
If Osama bin Laden is alive and well, what are we doing in the Middle East? We sent an expeditionary force to Afghanistan to topple the Taliban and kill or capture the Sept. 11 terrorists’ leader, who we are told is still directing the fight against us. Then we sent our forces to attack Iraq.
We mounted Operation Anaconda – too few men, no artillery, no bombing before the attack, and we took the low ground. Could we have made it more difficult for our heroic Special Forces and SEALS? The result? Our targets fled across the mountains. Now we are spending a fortune and people’s lives in Iraq, while bin Laden laughs at us.
We went to war with the army we had, heroes all, but we sent them without the means to succeed. Our service people deserve more.
Robert Gunnett, Morrison
Burning the flag
Re: “Liberty and the grand old flag,” June 14 editorial.
As a Vietnam veteran and one who fought honorably for this nation, I wish to commend the recent Denver Post editorial that supports our citizens’ First Amendment right to free expression and opposes congressional efforts to amend the Constitution to ban flag burning.
Like Colin Powell, while I personally abhor the thought of anyone burning the American flag, the symbol under which I fought for this nation, I believe the principles embodied in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are far more important.
Bill Holen, Littleton
