Are pot supporters just a bunch of stoners?
Re: “Marijuana initiative is all smoke,” Dec. 5 David Harsanyi column.
After reading David Harsanyi’s column, I felt compelled to clarify a few things. Harsanyi’s negative characterization of marijuana policy reformers is inaccurate. The recent vote by 54 percent of Denver citizens to abolish city penalties for the adult possession of marijuana clearly shows that marijuana reform has become a mainstream issue. Harsanyi’s tired stereotyping of reformers and professional reform organizations, such as Sensible Colorado, as desiring increased drug use is preposterous and ignores the fact that reformers come from all political persuasions and social factions.
Enter Eric Footer, a 40-year-old businessman who was busted for a small amount of marijuana after the passage of Initiative 100. Footer made the reasonable assumption that, after the passage of this law, the police would abide by the will of the voters and leave him in peace.
However, the Denver police, district attorney and now overzealous members of the press have attacked Footer, and he plans to fight back. His trial will not only expose the massive waste of resources the state devotes to prosecuting marijuana users, it will make public the battle of the voters’ will versus an overzealous and disconnected government. As long as the press continues to dismiss drug policy reformers as stoned dreamers, it will continue to implicitly sanction the failed Drug War.
Brian Vicente, Executive Director, Sensible Colorado, Denver
Use of tax subsidies to improve cities
Re: “Sunshine and subsidies; Shedding light on funding,” Nov. 27 Perspective article.
Chris Nevitt questions whether tax-funded subsidies “spur growth, create jobs, strengthen local economies and generally benefit our communities.” In a word, yes!
Tax-increment financing, authorized by the state legislature for use by urban renewal authorities (URAs), is used for the sole purpose of providing partial, last- resort funding to redevelop blighted properties deemed a priority by a city council. When a project cannot generate enough private financing in order to undertake a redevelopment, this tool fills the gap. Without URAs, projects such as Stapleton, Lowry, University Hills, the Pepsi Center, the Denver Dry building, Six Flags Elitch Gardens, the Denver Pavilions, Highland’s Garden Village and many other well-known redevelopments would not have been possible.
Nevitt contends Colorado’s citizens “remain in the dark about the specific economic and community goals their subsidies are meant to achieve.” This is completely untrue. All urban renewal authorities are required by state statute to hold regular public meetings, at which time many details of individual redevelopments are discussed. Furthermore, all projects are undertaken subject to an urban renewal plan which is presented to the community, discussed at open URA board meetings, reviewed by a city’s planning board and ultimately approved by the city council.
The redevelopment of blighted areas is essential for the health of our economy and communities – as these efforts indeed result in jobs, housing and economic benefits for our citizenry.
Don Elliman, Chair, Board of Commissioners, Denver Urban Renewal Authority
Support for abortion
Re: “Abortion and politics,” Dec. 5 Open Forum.
Letter-writer John Kane urges pro-life and pro-choice people to find common ground on the issue of legal abortion. There can be no such thing as common ground on this issue. One either supports legal abortion or doesn’t. Any clear- thinking person on either side of the debate knows this. A person can be against abortion and still be pro-choice. “Pro-life” people are against legal abortion. That is why they are often referred to as “anti- choice,” a more accurate term than “pro-life” since many pro-life people support killing people in other situations, such as war or capital punishment. How is it possible to compromise between two such opposites?
As a Democrat who supports legal abortion as well as civil liberties that are more clearly guaranteed in the U.S. and Colorado constitutions, I have many more good reasons to refuse to support Bill Ritter for governor, due to his poor performance as district attorney in Denver. If Colorado Democratic Party leaders really favored meaningful democracy, they would stop trying so desperately to appeal to the right wing.
John Cleveland, Centennial
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