Aid for Katrina victims, from abroad and at home
We all are pleasantly surprised by the donations and other forms of help and support by foreign nations. Large donations like the $500 million in money and oil from Kuwait and the much smaller donations from countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. We should be grateful for every ounce of help from abroad.
Do not say, as I have heard on the radio, that those countries with small donations should keep the money since they themselves can use it so much more and better. Accept these small donations gracefully and with heartfelt respect.
J.M. Geisterfer, Aurora
…
The time has come for those people who enjoy the most fortunate circumstances to aid the less fortunate. As we turn the corner of the offseason, the resort communities of these Rocky Mountains have an opportunity to fill the ethical and moral obligations of their human existence to help house the less fortunate fleeing the strife of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida.
With hotels, lodges and condominiums emptying soon for the shoulder season, the vacant rooms will allow the resort communities to help fill the needs of the thousands of homeless in the Gulf Coast region.
What better way to expose the values we hold so deeply than to pull together as a community and leave a lasting and endearing legacy for our children to follow by helping the less fortunate in their time of crisis.
I challenge all of you to organize your lodging, resort and chamber associations to work with your branches of the American Red Cross to help the less fortunate get back on their feet.
Steven Smith, Basalt
High gas prices: Gouging or supply/demand?
Re: “No gouging, just supply and demand,” Sept. 8 David Harsanyi column.
David Harsanyi never met a government institution that could do right or a corporation that could do wrong. He contends that the price of gas is just a consequence of supply and demand. Did he miss the California energy crisis of 2001? The crisis started with a deregulation of companies and increase in competition. Actually, corporate documents prove that there was a lot of price fixing.
Businesses and corporations are vital to America’s health, but everyone needs a little oversight and regulation. Looters are not confined to the streets of New Orleans.
Wanda J. Venters, Aurora
Taxes and Ref. C
Re: “Fuzzy math on Referendum C,” Sept. 8 editorial.
The Post and all the proponents of Referendum C would be well-advised to stop trying to convince the voting public that this measure will not increase taxes. Why not be honest about this? Every time this issue is addressed, it should be pointed out that while the referendum will not increase the tax “rate,” it will increase the tax “take.” Arguing that this is not a tax increase is thoroughly Clintonesque. (It depends on how you define that term.)
Clearly, if my total tax refund is reduced by Referendum C, then surely the net tax I will have paid will be greater. This can reasonably be called a tax increase, regardless of what happens to the tax rate.
Similarly, if I get a pay raise, my taxes will also increase. That is a tax increase, no matter how you slice it, even if all it does is reduce my normal refund.
Let’s stop the semantic games.
Gordon J. Johnson, Broomfield
Fewer arrests in Denver
Re: “Decline in arrests worries city,” Sept. 8 news story.
I had to laugh when I read that a decline in arrests worries the city of Denver. It’s too bad the article doesn’t touch on what I believe to be the true concern. If arrests are down, revenue in the big money machine is down. The courts, jails and lawyers aren’t getting as many “customers” and the city isn’t getting as much in fines, fees and reimbursements. Bail bondsmen aren’t getting as much business. Oh, my, what are we going to do? In the private sector, when revenues are down, companies cut expenses. Would it really be that bad if there were fewer bail bondsmen, cops and lawyers?
Patrick Comiskey, Parker
Federal estate tax
The full-page political advertisement opposing the death tax in the Sept. 6 Denver Post requires a response. The ad says a death tax kills family businesses, which can cost you your job. Baloney. If a business is really worth $20 million, it will easily find a way to survive. I don’t have much sympathy for offspring who have to sell a $20 million business – so they pay $5 million and keep $15 million. The American principle is that no one is entitled to be in the upper class. You should earn it for yourself, as many, many people have done. The difference between the rich and poor has gotten too large in this country.
Christof Stork, Denver
Ways to preserve a limited water supply
Re: “Continue wise use of water,” Sept. 9 guest commentary.
Many thanks to The Post and Denver Water Manager Chips Barry for his column about the wise use of water. My home is in Tucson, Ariz., and I spend several months each year in the Denver area. I’ve been unhappy to see some of the uses of water here.
A few suggestions as to how to use precious water thoughtfully:
How about rethinking the need for huge, green lawns just for appearances’ sake? There are so many ways to have an attractive yard without it.
Don’t wash sidewalks. A broom will do just fine to tidy up.
Our cars don’t need to be perfectly clean and shiny all the time.
Leave the water for the small farmers who are going out of business because the water they need is going to the cities.
This morning, as I was driving over the Interstate 25 overpass on Speer Boulevard, the sprinklers were running on the grass along the sides, and the whole main part of the bridge – all lanes – was completely wet. And I see the water from some of my neighbors’ yards running down the street.
I hope we will all become thoughtful users of water; there isn’t an unlimited supply.
Betty Jacobus, Arvada
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Updated Oct. 15, 2024 at 10:51 a.m. A letter with the title “Donald Trump’s bid to develop Union Station” was removed from this file at the request of the author.
