Democrats’ lone candidate for Colo. governor
Re: “Democratic divide awaits Ritter,” Aug. 28 news story.
How in the world is a Catholic, anti-abortion Democratic candidate for governor any better than the Catholic, anti-abortion Republican governor we already have?
The reason many of us former Democrats left the party is that it veered too much to the center, trying to gain votes by copying the Republican Party. Now it proposes a candidate – Bill Ritter – who sounds like a carbon copy of Republican Gov. Bill Owens. With Ritter’s anti-abortion position, some hope that Ritter will win the backing of the Catholic Church and Focus on the Family.
– a Democratic divide awaits Ritter. If this is the only candidate the Democrats can round up, many of us will simply abstain from voting in protest. We want progressives, not regressives, representing the party. Let the religious right dictate their anti-women policies to Republicans, not Democrats.
“time for the Democratic Party to become Democrats again. If they do, our nation will rise up and put Democrats in office.”
Janet Brazill, Colorado Springs
…
I disagree with former state Sen. Polly Baca’s statement, “If Democrats want to win, Bill Ritter is the ideal candidate.” In truth, I can readily identify potential Republican candidates whose politics and goals are more in keeping with what makes one a Democrat than Ritter’s.
As a Democrat, I will not support a candidate whose only claim to membership within the party is his/her party registration. Baca seems to be looking at D’s in columns, rather than what it means to be a Democrat.
I await the announcement of a true Democratic candidate.
Lois Ann Kaness, Lakewood
Hurricanes and the effects of global warming
Re: “Deadly destruction; Dozens killed as Category 4 storm pounds Gulf Coast,” Aug. 30 news story.
How many more monster hurricanes will it take for our leaders to wake up to the fact that global warming could be responsible?
Each year brings more devastation, yet President Bush refused to sign the Kyoto accord that deals with the reality of human energy use as the root cause of climate change. The recently passed federal energy bill allows for even dirtier forms of energy production without seriously addressing the biggest cause of global warming: the passenger car.
With gas at more than $2.60 per gallon, untold loss of lives, and huge costs to business, I hope the public is ready to address the issue. A return to a 55-mph speed limit now would be a major step to save gasoline and reduce carbon emissions that seem to be fueling storms such as Katrina.
Elissa I. Gease, Lakewood
Will anything be done about gas prices?
There’s hot air in the wind! The citizenry is up in arms as gas prices reach record highs. Imagine the gall of developing countries like India and China challenging our inalienable right to consume 80 percent of the world’s resources. Seemingly ignorant of the laws of supply and demand, our legislators will waste time and money holding hearings on the matter. After taking the floor to voice how incensed they are about the price of gas, Congress may even produce another worthless “non-binding resolution.”
Congress failed to enact anything in the recent energy bill that might reduce consumption, and under pressure from automakers failed to raise fuel-efficiency standards. They did manage to carve out some tax breaks for energy companies. Time would be better spent looking at trading consumer gas taxes for some form of windfall-profits tax or making meaningful reform to Social Security. Either of these measures would have a positive effect on America’s fiscal health.
Mike Hobbs, Thornton
Safety and noise issues at Centennial Airport
Re: “Aviation accidents at Centennial Airport,” Aug. 28 Open Forum.
Letter-writer Martin J. Allen of Centennial writes that the Centennial Airport board is unwilling to do anything about airport noise. For the record, the airport, with participation from the community and many other stakeholders, has for several years now been involved in a noise study to address the very concerns Allen talks about. For anyone interested in the study, you may go to our website at www.centennialairport.com and click on “noise” for more information, or simply call our office at 303-790-0598 and we will be happy to talk about what we have done about noise so far.
Another letter-writer, Foster W. Cline of Sandpoint, Idaho, suggests that the airport gave out information regarding the cause of the Aug. 13 accident, blaming the pilot for the same. For the record, the airport does not speculate on causes of accidents. The responsibility for finding causes rests solely with the National Transportation Safety Board. I too lost a friend in that accident, with the passing of Brett Derosier, and thus have more than a professional interest in understanding what may have happened.
Robert Olislagers, Executive Director, Centennial Airport
GOP Sen. Ken Salazar?
Re: “Is it time to recruit an out-of-state guv?” Aug. 27 editorial.
The Post’s editorial about recruiting someone from out of state to run for governor made me gleeful. In describing William Weld as the perfect candidate, you compared him with Sen. Ken Salazar, “a moderate Republican.” Perhaps you really believe that Ken Salazar is a moderate Republican. He certainly votes like one of them.
Was your error deliberate? Does the editorial board have a sense of humor?
Sylvia Sullivan, Denver
Editor’s note: Yes, and yes.
Public education
I’m writing in response to letter-writer J.M. Schell’s skeptical and sarcastic look at public education (Aug. 21 Open Forum). Schell mentions that his/her kids have attended private schools with large class sizes, and that they’ve done fine. Sure. Many kids might do fine in large classes at a private school; those attending such schools most likely have parents who care about their education. This is not to say that parents whose children attend public schools don’t care; the majority do. But, before public education is bombarded yet again, I’d like to remind folks that public schools pretty much have to accept and educate anyone and everyone who walks through their doors – regardless.
Kristyn Econome, Denver
Politics and spending
Re: “‘Simplistic’ budget tack worth a look,” Aug. 29 David Harsanyi column.
David Harsanyi asks, “Why do Democratic legislators, complicated and cerebral as they are, always come up with the same answer: more taxes.” My question: Why do Republicans, especially at the federal level, feel entitled to spend money that the government does not have? Do any conservatives not see the sheer lunacy of preaching for lower taxes when our total federal deficit is approaching 13 digits? Why do the Republicans consider themselves to be the fiscal conservatives when it was a Democratic president who was the only one to balance the budget since Reagan started the deficit-spending acceleration?
Yes, a lot of questions – maybe someone more enlightened than I can answer them for me, and relieve the shame I feel when I consider my generation is saddling future ones with a crippling deficit they can probably never recover from.
Ken Gerlitz, Bailey
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