Status of immigration initiative on Nov. ballot
Re: “Strategy could cost GOP votes,” June 18 news story.
I am puzzled as to why there is such an uproar over the rejection of an ill-conceived and mean-spirited immigration ballot initiative by the Colorado Supreme Court. I thought the whole point of having a Supreme Court was that once it made a decision, it was final – the law of the land. I guess not, if certain politicians don’t like the decision. Now we can look forward to Act 2 of Bill Owens’ special session political theater at $15,000 per day – those precious tax dollars he so often moans and groans about – so he and his cronies can pander to their base, grandstand in an election year, and generally waste everyone’s time. Gov. Bill, surely you can find some better way to spend your time than practicing lame- duck partisan politics on the taxpayer’s dime.
Michael Campbell, Longmont
. . .
Readers of The Post’s Sunday front-page story regarding state services for illegal immigrants would have absolutely no idea that my consideration of calling a special legislative session is driven by a controversial decision of the state’s Supreme Court.
To omit that key fact from the article and leave the mistaken impression that my concern in this matter is entirely political is, to say the least, disingenuous.
In fact, if I do call a special session, I don’t believe the debate should be focused on the merits or demerits of the proposition itself. Instead, the simple and straightforward question is: Should the voters in Colorado be allowed to express their views on this issue? That point certainly deserved a sentence or two in an 850-word story.
The article also implied that the ballot initiative at hand – asking whether state services should be provided to illegal immigrants – has Republicans on one side and Democrats on the other. Painting this subject with such a broad brush is certainly misleading, especially since one of the leading supporters is former Colorado Democratic Gov. Dick Lamm.
The Post writes I am following a “risky strategy” that could result in lost votes for the Republican Party. To try and substantiate that view, The Post didn’t cite political strategists from Colorado but rather from Arizona who based their opinions on a two-year-old vote in that state and the 1994 vote in California.
Well, Colorado isn’t Arizona or California and, more relevantly, the issue itself evolves and becomes more complex day by day. Just look at the number of immigration-related bills passed by this year’s Colorado General Assembly. However, I believe that the question of using state tax dollars to fund services for illegal immigrants is one that transcends the legislature and should be resolved at the ballot box.
Unfortunately, that may not happen this November unless the court reverses its decision – a decision that The Post editorially calls “strained” (“Court’s ballot ruling needs a second look,” June 14 editorial). I concur with The Post’s editorial position that the court should reconsider its decision, thus “restoring the proposed initiative to the ballot where voters can weigh the issue.”
And that’s the point that was missing from the story. Whether or not you support or oppose this initiative, you deserve the right to vote on it.
Gov. Bill Owens
Elected officials giving themselves pay raises
Why is it that our elected politicians are allowed to give themselves pay raises? Their pay raises ought to be determined by the same standards that everyone else in society is judged by: merit. If this were to happen, all of them would either be working for free or a merit increase might force them to perform.
Truthfully, it ought to be put to public vote.
Rick Jekelis, Centennial
Fight for Democratic nomination in 7th CD
Re: “7th District Dems find common ground, differences,” June 16 news story.
The Post’s article missed some of the other points at the Denver Forum candidate discussion at the Oxford Hotel last Thursday.
Fred Brown and T.R. Reid asked the three candidates – Peggy Lamm, Ed Perlmutter and Herb Rubenstein – nine questions on seven topics. Consistently, Rubenstein gave answers that were solutions to problems, usually in an innovative way. Rubenstein does not need to defend any legislative baggage or political loyalties or special interests; he can go right to solving the problem. Rubenstein stresses figuring out what is wrong and fixing it. Iraq: “Get international cooperation in Iraq and bring our troops home.” Taxes: “Rescind tax cuts for the ultra-rich.” Health care: “Get health care for all by 2010.” Energy: “Increase funding for renewable energy and technologies.”
Joel Leventhal, Lakewood
. . .
Re: “7th CD gag: Who’s on first?” June 17 editorial.
Your editorial unfairly criticizes the Democratic candidates for the 7th Congressional District. The Post hypocritically chooses to focus on the horse race aspect of the campaign, while virtually ignoring what the candidates have been saying about important issues.
For example, in March, Peggy Lamm was discussing the need to extend the Medicare Part D deadline. Did The Post cover it? Or even mention it? No. While Lamm and Ed Perlmutter were speaking out against the proposed nuclear waste dump in Adams County, did The Post cover it? No.
While the candidates were discussing their records on the environment around Earth Day, The Post was nowhere to be seen.
As a result, The Post should stop whining about the “who’s on first” competition and actually do the job that people pay them to do: report the news.
Jan Johnson, Strasburg
Limo driver’s charges
Re: “Limo driver charged in prom-night injury,” June 18 news brief.
As someone who had to wash Molly Bloom’s blood off my hands to keep from staining the police report I filed, I am appalled at the slap on the wrist that the DA has proposed for Stanley Sample.
[Sample was charged with careless driving resulting in serious bodily injury. If convicted, he faces up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine.]They say that no more serious charges can be filed. The DA should find out a little more about the injuries that Molly sustained, and then think about the life sentence that she is saddled with. Certainly they can do better than a charge of careless driving.
Jack Pincus, Denver
U.S. presence in Iraq
The Iraq war has now been going on longer than the Korean War, with no end in sight. What is wrong with setting a deadline, six months from now, telling the Iraqis we will withdraw at that time? This is tough love. It’s their country, not ours. We’ve been training their security forces for months now. How long does that take?
Our continued presence, as Rep. John Murtha so forcefully points out, is not helping. We are the target over there, the invader, the occupier.
It’s time little brother learns to tie his own shoes, feed himself, dress himself and so forth. Iraq can’t lean on us forever. It has a government in place. The purple fingers have been waved. It’s time for them to run their own country.
B. Koch, Aurora
NSA spying program
Now that every committee in Congress has refused to investigate the National Security Agency spying program and the executive branch’s unprecedented grab for power, only Sen. Patrick Leahy has the courage to stand up for civil liberties and the balance of power. The nation’s founders would be appalled at Congress’ refusal to stand up for the people. I will always respect Leahy for his fortitude and sarcasm when he said, in summary, that maybe we should step aside and let Dick Cheney make all the laws. In the face of the administration’s obvious attempts to transfer wealth from the middle class to the very wealthy through the use of the war machine (i.e., Halliburton), tax cuts and outrageous spending, their attempts to silence the press by prosecuting and subpoenaing journalists, and their attempts to silence protesters by calling anyone who disagrees with them unpatriotic or the enemy, it is unbelievable that so few people are willing to stand up for right over might.
Laurie L. Cole, Denver
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