Bilingual ballots and the immigration issue
Re: “Don’t curb multilingual ballots,” May 10 editorial.
I am in total disagreement with your editorial stance regarding bilingual ballots. If someone cannot read the English language, how informed can they be regarding the issues? Are they going to get this information from Spanish-language radio stations and publications? This is an English-speaking country, regardless of your attempt to again cater to the illegal immigrant. Enough already. I have been speaking and reading English for more than 60 years, and it’s hard for me to stay informed on all the variants of any issue. Let’s not dumb down the electorate as we have everything else.
Vivian Taylor, Aurora
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The current edition of the journal Foreign Affairs contains an analysis of the ongoing sharp turn to the left in Latin America, written by Jorge Castañeda. He divides the left-wing leaders into two classes. The good guys, exemplified by Chile’s Socialist Party, have ambitious social programs but they support democracy, they encourage economic growth, and they are not overtly anti-American. The bad guys are exemplified by Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez. They subvert democratic processes to stay in power, they are virulently anti-American, they grab all of the big assets such as oil, and their hostility to business forces their national economies into serious decline. Castañeda places Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a front-runner for Mexico’s upcoming presidential election, in the bad-guy category.
Illegal immigration from Mexico is driven primarily by the condition of the Mexican economy. It will turn into a flood of staggering proportions if Obrador becomes president and the Mexican economy crashes. Our own economy is also in a risky position, due primarily to the reckless spending habits of our consumers and our government. This flood of unskilled immigrants could push it past the tipping point and into a serious recession.
Robert J. Richardson, Littleton
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The person I most admire in my family is an illegal immigrant who has lived in this country for about 14 years. Since then, he has been working two jobs, resting one day per week. On his paycheck he always sees the discount of the federal and state tax but he has never had a tax refund. He also pays taxes for Medicare, but he will never be able to get any benefit from it. Then there is the Social Security tax, which will go to someone else and my dad will never be able to use it.
My dad has never received a ticket or gotten into a fight; he doesn’t drink or smoke. He is a conservative who says that whenever he can vote here, he will vote Republican. He and my mom were kicked out of a church because of their “sin” of being “illegal aliens.” With his work here, my dad was able to pay me and my sister’s college tuition in Mexico. He has been the greatest example of love, responsibility, courage and loyalty to my mother. I am so proud of him. But for some of you, he is nothing but an illegal immigrant who doesn’t pay taxes, a lawbreaker, a criminal, a burden for this country. And for others (most of them at church), he is just a heathen.
Alejandro Escobar, Fort Collins
Expansion of Fort Carson Army training area
I am saddened and appalled that there has been so little objection from the public to the newest Bush administration environmental degradation of the month.
In this case, it’s the proposal for the huge expansion of Fort Carson to train soldiers on how to play with their ATVs, trucks and tanks. Now we have the proposal to take over most of the Comanche National Grassland to carve up the tender plant life with these military monsters.
The Comanche Grassland is one of two such areas in Colorado, and one of 20 nationally. These beautiful areas are our sole reminder of how the shortgrass prairie once appeared. Perhaps these areas are not as heavily visited as our forests, but they are a vital reminder of our past that Congress protected in 1960. For the citizens of Colorado, this is yet another scheme to deplete our natural resources.
Speak out, Colorado. Seemingly only Sen. Ken Salazar has made any objection thus far. Don’t let the Comanche National Grasslands become rutted and destroyed.
Edward Connors, Englewood
Jury award for CU aide harassed by prof
Re: “CU lab aide who sued for sex harassment wins $285,000,” May 5 news story.
A Denver federal court jury did what University of Colorado administrators, former president Betsy Hoffman, current president Hank Brown, the Board of Regents and their lawyers failed to do, and that is to compensate Dana Reuhlman for the unconscionable sexual harassment and abuse she suffered by former Professor Igor Gamow. The jury awarded her $285,000.
For more than five years, CU chose not to believe Reuhlman and refused to act on what they were being told by other female students. The regents finally fired Gamow in 2004 for “moral turpitude” but failed to acknowledge the true situation by continuing to drag the Reuhlman case through the courts. When allegations are made, the administration, former and current presidents, regents and lawyers disrespect their students, staff and employees by their defensive, hostile and antagonistic posturing.
It’s time for CU to polish up that old tarnished image, and a settlement and apology to Reuhlman would be a very good place to start.
Regina Cowles, Spokeswoman, National Organization for Women of Boulder
Support for Darfur
Re: “Darfur accord must succeed,” May 9 Ved Nanda column.
As the first step to preventing genocide is awareness, I am thankful for Professor Ved Nanda’s column in Tuesday’s Denver Post. Since the world community has sadly watched the unfolding of five major genocides since the German Holocaust of World War II, I’m gratified that the Denver community has some powerful voices and leadership to lead a call to action.
In addition to continuing to provide us with expert information through his thoughtful columns, it’s also of note that Nanda, along with the Rev. Lucia Guzman, executive director of the Denver’s Agency for Human Rights and Community Relations, and Roz Duman, founder and coordinator for the Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action, coordinated an excellent conference on Monday to address the challenges and need for action regarding genocide.
Once our community raises its awareness, I hope we then open our hearts compassionately to become an active part of the solution to prevent future genocides.
Jeanie Johnson, Denver
Palestinian fiscal aid
Now that the Hamas victory has interrupted his $1 billion per year in aid from Europe and the U.S., President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority has been spending much of his time lately trying to get the funds flowing again – from Europe and the U.S., of course.
Saudi oil revenues are likely to exceed $160 billion this year. That’s about $1 billion every two or three days. And that’s just Saudi Arabia. Considering their frequent expressions of concern for his people, could someone please forward the mailing address of the Arab League to Mr. Abbas?
Steve Cramer, Denver
Gas and stamp prices
I heard that the price of stamps may be going up again. I am not surprised, since gas prices are going up. What if we were to raise the price of stamps to 50 cents each so that all of the U.S. Postal Service vehicles could be converted to hybrids? How American would that be? I think it would make a nice statement to the world to show our commitment to the environment, to the government, and to all of the good people of the United States!
Marie Enright, Golden
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