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I am a lifelong Republican who believes that government should be accountable, efficient and lean. But I also believe each of us, in our individual lives and for the greater good of the many, has a responsibility to make careful investments in our state that will enable it to grow in healthy ways for the future of our children and grandchildren. These investments should include both private giving and carefully spent public funds. I urge people to vote “yes” on Referendums C and D.

Katherine Loo, Colorado Springs

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Re:”Larimer GOP puts party over people,” Sept. 21 Jim Spencer column.

Bravo to Larimer County Republicans for joining the overwhelming majority of Colorado county GOP committees in publicly opposing TABOR-busting Referendum C. Republicans who support this ill-conceived gutting of TABOR are abandoning a bedrock tenet of GOP core beliefs – limited government supported by minimal taxation. It’s time for them to wake up and realize, if they truly believe in the fundamentals for which their party stands, that supporting Referendum C puts them squarely on the wrong side of this issue.

Anthony J. Fabian, Aurora

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Opponents of Referendums C and D are pursuing a course of ideological sloganeering with little basis in reality. They are perpetually trying to distort the truth, claiming Referendum C is contrary to TABOR even though section 7(d) of TABOR allows for refund retention ballot measures such as those that have been successfully used more than 900 times by local governments and school districts around the state.

Additionally, the Colorado Club for Growth and even some state legislators claim Referendum C will cost families $3,200 over the next five years. This number is a blatant misrepresentation of the facts that fails to take into account 18 special refund mechanisms as well as a six-tiered income breakdown within the sales tax refund. To qualify for a refund of this amount, a family would have to own a 26,000-pound commercial vehicle and have a private health plan with a household income of no more than $34,450 qualifying them for the federal earned-income tax credit. However, this family must have significant capital holdings creating eligibility for the capital gains tax credit as well as own more than $30,000 in unappreciated personal property at their business. Finally, they must have recently installed significant pollution-control equipment, be operating a foster care home for at least 180 days or be a rural medical service provider, and that’s just half of the specialized refunds that have been created by the legislature.

In actuality, the true refund is around $288 a year for a family qualifying for four of TABOR’s most common refund mechanisms, and the average individual will only receive $25 next year under the main sales-tax refund, which for most of us isn’t even one tank of gas. Voters need to educate themselves, realize the substantial community investment that C and D represents and not be swept up by the ungrounded sensationalistic generalizations being spread by opponents. Vote “yes” on Referendums C and D.

Chris Duve, Colorado Springs

The war in Iraq

Re: “All out to win in Iraq,” Sept. 18 John Andrews’ column, Perspective.

What do we gain by wars and hatred? More wars and more hatred. What does The Denver Post hope to accomplish by giving “former legislator” John Andrews a featured place in the paper to espouse his far-out views? I can’t imagine. I’m speechless.

Barbara Moe, Denver

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Whether he knows it or not, John Andrews is the pre-eminent political satirist of our time. I faithfully tune in for his hilarious send-up of the strident, hyper-reactionary point of view that actually believes that we can root out every terrorist in the world and its underlying ideology by sheer military might and good intentions.

In his latest piece, which had me laughing until it hurt, Andrews makes brilliant mockery of the ludicrous notion that our war in Iraq – oops! I mean “World War IV” – is not only legitimate and justified but warrants a $200 billion cash infusion and an excursion into Syria!

The unfortunate outcome, I fear, is that many readers will not pick up on the obvious parody and will allow themselves to take seriously the work of a brilliant satirical mind that is certainly on par with the immortal Jonathan Swift.

Yale J. Kaul, Wheat Ridge

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John Andrews omitted one crucial step in his piece. He should have added a No. 16: Get approval from Beijing for the financing.

Richard G. Strauch, Boulder

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I would not have been surprised to read a diatribe like John Andrews’ column in the Post’s Open Forum or hear it on Comedy Central, but it was surprising that The Denver Post would approve a “column” filled with such bizarre and hateful ideas.

Would you also print a serious column from a “former legislator” who wrote that fundamentalists are “Christianofascists” who are inciting bloodshed for God and advocates closing all churches?

Or who recommends breaking all relations with Israel and declaring war on Venezuela?

Or demands that all young people be drafted into the Buddhist faith? Or that we summon the leaders of all “Christian” nations to the woodshed in Washington?

Or that we appoint Kofi Annan president of the United States and move Washington to Paris?

I’m sure there are many who would advocate these ideas and far more idiocy, but do we have to give them precious space in our daily newspapers? Can’t we confine them to talk radio, the tabloids, and the fair and balanced Fox News?

Carole Bayer, Boulder

Having schoolchildren utter the words “under God” in Pledge of Allegiance

Re: “‘Under God’ falls under free speech,” Sept. 20 David Harsanyi column.

David Harsanyi feels the recent ruling dealing with the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance should be considered a free speech issue.

However, it seems clear that schoolchildren whose classes are made to recite the Pledge don’t have the capacity yet to be conscientious objectors. Furthermore, it’s blatantly clear that the 1954 law that added the words “under God” to the pre-existing Pledge had a single purpose, as President Eisenhower himself noted: “From this day forward, the millions of our schoolchildren will daily proclaim … the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty.”

If challenged on purely legal grounds, the 1954 law and the subsequent reciting of the Pledge fails all four major tests that courts use to determine if a piece of legislation violates either the establishment or religion or free speech clauses of the First Amendment.

The courts may well side with U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ claim that the words “under God” serve as a function of “national identity and patriotism,” but this argument would violate the very standards the courts have established. Harsanyi and others don’t see the harm in this violation because they may not understand the subtle coercion that schoolchildren can feel when asked to participate in a value system foreign to their religious culture.

My guess is that opponents of altering the Pledge would change their tune if their children were asked to pledge allegiance to Brahma, Vishnu or Allah.

Dan Clanton, Englewood

Hurricane Katrina

After seeing all of the donations posted during “Monday Night Football,” I just have one question: With all of the tax breaks the Republican Party want to bestow upon the richest of the rich, why can’t the Bush family, the Clinton family, the Cheney family and all of the multimillionaire legislators in the Senate and House contribute at least $100,000 to the Katrina fund?

It seems to me that all of that tax money going to the rich might be used to help those suffering in the Gulf Coast rather than stuffing the pockets of the big-wigs in D.C. At least the millionaires in the sports and entertainment world are stepping up.

Tom Nelson, Pueblo

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Mother Nature sent her daughters, Katrina and Rita, to tell us what happens when global warming causes water temperatures to rise.

Valerie McCullough, Loveland

Home values may rise

Re: “T-REX neighbors face home-value detour,” Sept. 18 Page 1 story.

Sunday’s story concerning property values for homes along the T-REX construction zone painted only part of the picture. While it may be true that property values for the homes immediately adjacent to the T-REX construction zone have not appreciated as rapidly as in other parts of the metro area, that is also likely to be true for homes adjacent to any multiyear, major construction zone.

The difference is that once the T-REX construction is completed late next year, those homes with easy access to the new light rail stations will begin to see property values increase solely because of their proximity to light rail. Throughout the country, property values have increased significantly once a light rail station opens in the neighborhood. I think we will soon see that same phenomenon with T-REX.

Cal Marsella, Denver

The writer is general manager for the Regional Transportation District

Arkansas River art

Re: “Locals say river is art in itself,” Sept. 18 Rocky Mountain Ranger column, Page 1.

Rick Tosches writes that artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude “want desperately to stretch gigantic, billowing panels of loosely woven, aluminum-coated translucent cloth across the Arkansas River.”

The only thing “desperate” is The Post’s consistently negative coverage. The generous humanity in any Christo work delights the world, but not the elk and wolf enthusiasts.

Take a broader view and reckon how honored we are that these artists would come here, again, doing their darndest to make everyone happy.

Traffic is just what the Arkansas River Valley needs if that’s what it takes to get a grip on the fact that there is not only one point of view!

Jeff Pavek, Denver

TO THE POINT: Short takes from readers

Those who rationalize tax cuts for the super-rich, such as estate tax repeal, like to say, “A rising tide lifts all boats.” However, Hurricane Katrina reminds us that the boat-less often drown.

J.A. Loyall, Colorado Springs

I cannot fathom how President Bush plans to finance rebuilding the Gulf Coast and the war in Iraq, all the while pushing for more tax cuts. Conservative pundits lament that liberals tax and spend; I see the White House’s approach as borrow and spend. Is that a necessarily better approach?

Mark Kness, Boulder

Why do so many people blame George W. Bush for a dysfunctional government these days? The blame should rest with those voters who re-elected him on Nov. 2, 2004. After all, they had four years to appraise what the man was up to.

Ted Kramer, Fort Collins

How many of the folks now condemning conservative think tanks for their out-of-state funding log onto George Soros’ moveon.org to get their opinions and talking points?

Steve Baur, Westminster

OK, all you people in your gigantic SUVs and monster trucks, remember when you laughed at my little Honda? Well, how do you like me now?

Gene Sabatka, Arvada

“Tancredo wants U.S. to sell off land for Katrina aid,” reads the headline. I suggest he start with Washington, D.C.

Michael J. Bladford, Littleton

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