Unity08 political party
Re: “’08 vote to have a third ticket,” May 31 news story.
The organizers of the new third party, Unity08, are to be applauded for their efforts to correct the badly ailing two-party political system. Unfortunately, they are doomed to failure through adopting the same oft-tried and oft- failed approach of trying to elect a president. Several very prominent individuals have tried this in recent years and have only succeeded in handing the election to their second choice. Ralph Nader probably elected George W. Bush while Ross Perot probably gave us Bill Clinton.
The approach with a much greater chance of positive outcomes is to elect third-party congressmen. Even Perot’s excellent 19 percent showing was useless in a presidential election due to the Electoral College, but a much smaller party representation in Congress can drastically alter both the tone and legislative outcomes. Imagine the impact had Perot’s Reform Party elected 19 percent of Congress in 1992.
A multiparty system is our only practical means of restoring good government in Washington. Let Unity08 concentrate on Congress rather than wasting its efforts on the false glamour of a presidential campaign. And it doesn’t have to wait until ’08 to work on Congress.
John C. Flemming, Littleton
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Re: “Unity08 should stick to Kumbaya,” June 1 David Harsanyi column.
First, I applaud the Democratic and GOP founders of Unity08 for establishing their national office in Denver, not Washington. Second, columnist David Harsanyi may have thrown away his vote in the past, but 2008 truly is looking like the year of the third party. Third, given that 60 million viewers participated in the recent “American Idol” vote, I wonder about Unity08’s reliance on the Internet. What if Taylor Hicks and Paris Hilton win the popular Web vote?
Denny Freidenrich, Founder, USA Party in 2008, Laguna Beach, Calif.
Driving on toll roads
Re: “Truth be tolled; A fork in C-470 may sway how state adds lanes,” May 28 Page 1 story.
Your article stated that Colorado’s toll roads, such as E-470, aren’t meeting projections. This should be no surprise. As a resident of Wyoming who occasionally drives to DIA, I have driven one of these roads – E-470 – exactly once. I was stopped several times, and dunned for a truly absurd amount of money, within the extremely short distance from I-25 to DIA. The delays to stop for tolls and rustle up change more than obviated any minor benefit I might have gotten from taking that route rather than another. And had I equipped myself with an “electronic leash,” as some Denver area residents have done, I would have eliminated the delays but not the outrageous tolls. What’s more, I would have had to give the road’s corporate masters the use of a substantial chunk of my cash, interest-free. I – like other residents of the region, I’m sure – vowed never to do it again.
By selling its soul to greedy corporations intent upon making a buck, government is abdicating one of its proper functions: maintaining and developing public infrastructure. Public roads should be built and maintained at public expense for public use. In the future, you’ll see me driving to DIA on the interstate highways for which I already pay with my federal taxes – not financing a get-rich-quick scheme that responsible government would never have allowed in the first place.
Brett Glass, Laramie, Wyo.
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