Mandate to make schools fund classrooms
Re: “Owens backs classroom spending plan,” Feb. 21 news story.
It was reported recently that our governor signed a petition to place an item on the ballot mandating 65 percent of school revenues to be spent on classroom instruction. Even if that is a good idea, what is the governor doing telling school districts how they must budget? It seems to me that the governor, being a conservative Republican, would recognize that the people are the final authority in that sort of matter. If they don’t like the way their district budgets, change boards. Therefore, this radical idea, brought here from out of state, should be at odds with his philosophy.
But is this a valid concept? Who says the number should be 65 percent? Why is the number the same for every district? Maybe some districts should spend 70 or 75 percent in classrooms. Can Leadville, Grand Junction and Cherry Creek be identical? Why should a school district have one more hoop, actually a straitjacket, to jump through?
Robert Gunnett, Morrison
Arab control of six major U.S. shipping ports
I have voted Republican for many years, but my patience is about out with the Republican Party. Turning over our ports to any country other than ours is ludicrous enough, but to an Arab country that has been linked with our enemies? British, Arab, or whatever “favored” nation you put forth, I would rather have American-run ports that are secure.
What message is our leadership sending to the world and their own constituents? Can no American companies do this job? If that is the case, perhaps our leaders ought to make other changes to ensure that we can operate our own country without help from foreign companies. Senators, wake up and do the right thing.
Kevin Woelfel, Lafayette
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Two of the hijackers responsible for Sept. 11 were from the United Arab Emirates. The UAE was the financial and operational base for others. The UAE was one of three nations to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. They do not recognize Israel’s right to exist. President Bush wants a UAE state-owned business to control six major U.S. ports. He calls them “a country that’s an ally on the war on terror.” This is not a partisan issue; it is one of vital interest to our security; ask Bill Frist and Dennis Hastert.
Chris McKay, Centennial
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As both the Republicans and Democrats take action to block the sale of six major East Coast shipping ports, U.S. citizens should brace for a usurpation of our democratic process. If the sale is blocked, expect the United Arab Emirates to file a free-trade violation case with the World Trade Organization on behalf of Dubai World Ports.
Representatives of our government have signed on to various WTO international trade agreements over the years. Previous rulings handed down by the WTO show that these agreements take precedent over democratically drafted national law. Neither public health concerns nor environmental protection laws stand a chance against the rulings of the WTO, whose ruling process is carried out behind closed doors by an unelected panel. The case of the shipping port sales could highlight the fact that national security concerns are also sacrificed in the name of free- trade compliance.
Steffan Freeman, Fort Collins
Quality-of-life decisions not so simple
Re: “Abortion, adoption and political litmus tests,” Feb. 21 Open Forum.
Stephen Krausz challenges letter- writer Lisa Patti’s decision to terminate an unwanted third pregnancy with the question, “Could I have used that argument to ‘terminate’ my father-in-law who had Alzheimer’s and impacted our family for several years?” The answer to that question is not so facile as to be reducible to a resounding “no.” Most of us while competent would be horrified to think that, if we were to fall victim to Alzheimer’s, our families could be held hostage to years of caretaking us, while we consume our children’s lives, emotionally, spiritually and financially, because science can keep us alive indefinitely. It is time for individual families to have discussions about “keeping Grandma alive” under those circumstances. The answer is not clear-cut.
Terry Tomsick, Denver
The Post’s Spanish-language online version
Re: “Denver Post in Spanish,” Feb. 21 Open Forum.
I applaud The Denver Post’s decision to publish a Spanish-language edition, unlike letter-writer Abe Simon, who thinks this “perpetuates these people to be second-class citizens.” I’ve studied Spanish for many years and although I can hold my own in most conversations, I have a very hard time understanding Spanish-language newspapers.
Today’s immigrants are under intense economic pressure to work long hours, usually at low-paying jobs. With work and family obligations, taking time to study English may not be an option, and if it is, it still may take several years to understand the vocabulary and grammar in The Post. We all benefit when immigrants understand and involve themselves in community issues. Why not make it easy for them to do so by giving them news in their first language?
Denise Peine, Golden
Federal land sales
Re: “Congress – Rethink land sales,” Feb. 19 editorial.
The Post’s editorial claims that public land sales under President Bush’s 2007 budget proposal would turn the Bureau of Land Management into “little more than a real estate office.” This is a gross misrepresentation of the facts.
The BLM has had land-sale authority since 1976, when Congress passed the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. Under that law, the Bureau – through a transparent, public land-use planning process – identifies parcels of public land as suitable for potential sale. Typically, the lands identified as saleable are scattered, isolated tracts that are difficult or uneconomic to manage. In other cases, the identified lands could, if sold, serve important public objectives, such as community expansion and economic development. Certain small parcels near metropolitan areas fall into this category, as illustrated by a June 2005 transaction in which the BLM sold 282 acres in Laughlin, Nev., for $33 million. The amount of acreage involved in this sale, it should be noted, is a fraction of the 261 million acres under BLM management.
In his budget proposal, the president is calling on Congress to pass legislation that would amend an existing land-sale law passed by Congress in 2000; the key feature of this requested legislation is that it would direct 70 percent of the BLM’s public land sale proceeds to the general Treasury. That’s a sensible proposal, which not only recognizes the appropriateness of land sales based on the land-use planning process, but also advances the cause of deficit reduction on behalf of all federal taxpayers.
Kathleen Clarke, Director, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Washington, D.C.
President’s conversions
I’ve finally figured out President Bush’s modus operandi. He has to sin before he can repent. For example, he was a drunk before he repented and became religious. Now he has decided that renewable energy is the way to go, but he had spent years as a Texas oil man prior to his “conversion.”
My primary concern now is how long it takes him to see the light. If the above are good gauges, then I doubt that he’ll have time before his term ends to repent for too many more of his sins, like tax cuts for the richest among us and the war in Iraq.
Lois Court, Denver
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