Our dilemma
Re: June 4 news articles on health care, immigration and water.
I couldn’t help but wince at how interrelated some of last Sunday’s front-page articles were. It seems we are short of prospects when it comes to doctors of pediatrics, among other specialties (“U.S. stuck in waiting room”).
And, how do we expect to take care of our own when illegals (“Border holds peril for kids”) are crossing our borders practically unabated?
Also, we are currently 4 inches behind for the year in precipitation, and our usual “wet” season is behind us. (“Slowing the flow”). Will we ever arise out of our coma and realize what an overpopulated and disorganized dilemma we’ve created?
Doug Duncan, Aurora
Crops, not lawns
Re: “Hopes run dry in N. Colo.,” June 4 news story.
This article and the others underscore the need for continued water conversation on the part of Colorado residents and also the impact continuing drought is having on Colorado farmers. Thousands of acres of cornfields will not produce any crops this year due to the lack of water for irrigation. Yet, conversely, thousands of new homes are being constructed in planned communities along the Front Range that include artificial lakes, green space and lawns, all of which require the use of precious water.
It appears that Denver Water is on the right track, but more needs to be done. When it comes to choosing whether to irrigate an acre of crops versus an acre of grass, it should be a no brainer.
Anthony Tome, Boulder
Rail the better option
The metro area is now debating what to do about C-470. The current proposed solution is a bad one: toll lanes for drivers who want to avoid congestion.
From personal experience on the 91 Freeway between Riverside and Orange County in Southern California, I know that drivers don’t use such lanes. Drivers simply won’t use toll roads when they can drive for free on good alternate routes.
Coloradans don’t use toll roads, but they do use light rail, as the packed trains on RTD’s existing transit system demonstrate. So why not build a light- rail line along C-470 from the Denver Tech Center to Golden? Such a rail line could also connect to another up E-470 to DIA and the northern suburbs.
I know such rail lines aren’t in RTD’s FasTracks plans, but they could easily be added. Polls indicate that drivers are willing to pay extra taxes to expand C-470, so why not a T-Rex-style project for extra lanes, a light-rail line and park-n-Rides on C-470 and a light-rail line on E-470?
Rail lines that the public would actually use would make a lot more sense than toll lanes nobody would actually drive on.
Daniel G. Jennings, Denver
Civic Center hearing
Denver’s Civic Center Park is one of America’s finest civic landscapes, a rich legacy of local, statewide and national significance. It is now part of a designated Denver Historic Landmark District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Denver’s citizens are the owners of the park and they have appreciated, treasured and nurtured the place for nearly a century.
It is important that the public’s voice be heard when the city contemplates any changes to this important place. The architect for the Denver Art Museum’s new wing, David Libeskind, has developed some new “design concepts” for Civic Center. The first opportunity for the public to hear about these concepts is June 15, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., at the Denver Convention Center. Citizens who care about Denver’s Civic Center should pay attention to the planning that is going on and get involved now.
A schedule of additional opportunities for public participation will be available at www.denvergov.org/parksandrecreation.
Carolyn and Don Etter, Denver
Amendment 38
Re: “Colorado’s crowded ballot,” May 28 Perspective article.
The article by Fred Brown seriously misrepresented Amendment 38, the Petition Rights Amendment.
The amendment would not make it easier to get measures on the ballot. The number of signatures required will actually increase after this November’s election, due to an expected 10 percent growth in voter numbers.
Petition critics should collect 100 signatures before commenting on the “ease” of getting 100,000-some signatures to meet the current state petition requirement.
And, Amendment 38 is blamed for “making it harder to change voter-approved laws.” But 38 would reduce constitutional clutter. People would no longer need to put their reforms into the state’s constitution. The amendment even lets legislators offer an incentive (fewer signatures) for petitions that change only statutes.
Readers should learn more about how our petition rights are being methodically and routinely eroded. Visit www.PRA2006.com. Then vote for Amendment 38, the Petition Rights Amendment.
Douglas Campbell, Organizer, Petition Rights Amendment, Golden
Conserving water
Re: “Slowing the flow,” June 4 news story.
Denver Water is right in seeking to reduce water use through “a conservation ethic that isn’t rule-driven or dictated by drought.”
Water is a finite resource with infinite potential demand – a defining conservation issue of this century. We may squeeze a little more supply from the earth and sky, but there is only so much water there. The real answer is to reduce demand.
Denver’s conservation incentives are promising ideas for working on a grander scale. How much water could we save if people had real incentives to irrigate sparingly, convert to native landscaping and seal leaks?
Conservation begins at the source. Most water we use flows from national forests.
Healthy forests absorb and store more water for longer periods and offer the most reliable supplies of clean water to towns and farms – and to national forest streams, where fishing added 10,000 jobs and $500 million in retail sales to Colorado’s economy last year.
National forests were created 100 years ago to care for the headwaters. We commend Denver Water for looking to the future – and hope to work with all as progress is made.
Let’s form a conservation community to conserve our forests and waters from source to tap. We’ll make the most of what nature has given us and leave a strong legacy for our children.
Rick D. Cables, Regional forester, U.S. Forest Service, Golden
Tancredo’s the ticket
Re: “Key GOP enclave sending message in backing Tancredo,” June 7 news story.
It’s no surprise that Congressman Tom Tancredo won the Michigan GOP straw poll for president. Recently, I returned from Scottsdale and Las Vegas and was pleased to see so many “Tancredo for President” bumper stickers.
With many Americans wanting our borders closed and putting their thumbs down on the president’s amnesty bill, Tancredo is what America needs.
Jan Herron, Evergreen
Gay marriage and the church
Re: “Theological analysis of gay unions overdue,” June 4 Perspective article.
How refreshing is the column by J. Philip Wogaman about gay and lesbians. It is a much-needed, moderate, Christian position on this important subject, and on the proposed ballot issue that would preclude such marriages in Colorado.
For much too long, right-wing fundamentalist Christians led by Focus on the Family, Sen. Wayne Allard, Will Perkins and others have tried to dominate this issue and create groundless fears among their followers about gays and lesbians by using highly selected Biblical passages and gross misrepresentations about what it is to be a gay man or a lesbian.
Wogman skillfully sets this abysmal record straight. Thank you, sir.
Jerry L. Colness, Aurora
…
J. Philip Wogaman, intermin president of the lliff School of Theology, wrote a column promoting gay marriage. In defense of his opinion, he says fundamentalist Christians argue against gay marriage “from a few biblical texts.” How about the biblical text Matthew 19:5, where Jesus says, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” Nowhere in the Bible is gay marriage suggested or encouraged. A thinking person might put a touch more confidence in the words of Jesus Christ than in Wogaman’s opinion.
Charles Newton, Highlands Ranch
…
There has been “so little actual theological analysis of the proposal to ban gay and lesbian marriage,” says J. Philip Wogaman. It has been taking place all over the world, and the majority of the church (especially the church in the developing world) rejects it as an obvious twisting of scripture. The basic reason is both biblical and theological. God’s marriage design is between a man and a woman for life. That is the pattern declared at the beginning of the Old Testament in Genesis. It is the pattern declared at the end of the Old Testament in Malachi. It is the pattern affirmed by Jesus and Paul in the New Testament. It is the pattern affirmed by the church through history.
This is not just a matter of grace, but grace and truth. Wogaman seems to forget the truth part.
Don Sweeting, Pastor, Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church, Littleton
…
Thanks for the interesting article by J. Philip Wogaman of the Iliff School of Theology. Yes, a theological analysis of gay unions is overdue. After repeated readings of Wogaman’s article, however, I’m still waiting for one.
I always thought the Bible held incredible wisdom and truth, and that obedience was an integral part of following Christ. As a matter of fact, application of biblical teachings in people’s lives really seems to work. But hey, I don’t have a Ph.D. like Wogaman probably does, and I’m certainly not the president of a theology school. So I must be mistaken.
Dan Griffiths, Littleton
TO THE POINT
Seeking to amend the Constitution for flag burning, defining marriage and a national language reflects our incapacity for dealing with social issues sanely and honestly. The absolute certitude of amendments becomes a superficial security blanket of futility.
Mark Franceschini, Denver
The Rockies have pitchers named “Kim,” Whose chances of winning are slim. Bring on some new guys! Who’ll hit more than flies! Or the rest of the season looks grim.
Hermi LaPoint, Fort Collins
Perhaps Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke might benefit from the experience of longtime Fed chief Alan Greenspan, who (eventually) seemed to understand the importantance of making careful choices about what he said. When the global market hangs on your every word, ought you not think before you speak?
Michael Bowe, Lakewood
Each day more of our children are dying in Iraq, and how do our president and senior senator from Colorado occupy their time? Their debate on gay marriage is not only trivial but an insult to those who have given their lives. Disgraceful!
Donald McKinley, Denver
A so-called “Theological analysis of gay unions” without consulting what the Bible has to say is absurd.
David Prentice, Denver
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