Musgrave’s military record and candidacy
Residents of Colorado expect our representatives to take leadership on issues such as military quality of life. We owe it to our troops to provide the best quality of life during and after active duty. Let’s take a look at Rep. Marilyn Musgrave’s record on these military issues.
In May 2005, Musgrave voted against an amendment to an appropriations bill that would have added $53 million to health care and benefits for veterans for combat trauma care, prosthetic research, Veterans Affairs staffing increases and $23 million for assistance to 4,100 surviving spouses with children. The amendment failed.
Musgrave voted against a motion to expand TRICARE (the military’s managed health care program) access to thousands of non-active troops in the Guard and Reserve.
Musgrave voted to pass the Deficit Reduction Act, which cut funding for veterans’ health care by $13.5 billion over the next five years. This same budget includes billions in tax cuts favoring millionaires, with a net result of $50 billion in new debt.
These votes are reflective of someone who has betrayed the trust of our troops and their families. Her voting record consistently shows that she is not to be trusted with one of our nation’s greatest assets.
Randy Eubanks, Windsor
. . .
In light of the present turmoil in the world, I believe it is wise of us to choose leaders with integrity, common sense, strong moral values and a clear grasp of the duty to make decisions that reflect the original intent of our founders.
For these reasons, I intend to vote for re-election of Marilyn Musgrave to the U.S. Congress, and I hope and pray that many other voters will vote for her.
Jacqueline Krogmeier, Holyoke
Petition Rights Amendment debate
Re: “PRA debate deserved,” July 26 Al Knight column.
My friend Al Knight is getting older (and so am I). But his recent Denver Post column on the Petition Rights Amendment shows Al taking some shortcuts in berating opponents of the initiative, which will be on the November ballot.
A lot of what Al states is editorial opinion, which is fine, but he may have been reading an old Douglas Bruce article on emergency clauses. Al states, “Ever since 1932, when Colorado effectively challenged a statute imposing a tax on margarine, the Colorado General Assembly has routinely been adding an emergency clause to every piece of legislation” (emphasis added).
I went to the Session Laws of 2005 and 2006 and reviewed the first 100 published laws of each session. Thirty-five of the 100 in 2005 allowed votes to initiate a vote against passage of the same bills. In 2006, 31 of the first 100 allowed the same initiative vote against the bills.
Some years it is less than 35 percent, some years could be more. But it is not “every piece of legislation” and it is not “routinely added.”
Jerry Kopel, Denver
The writer is a retired Colorado legislator.
Fighting global warming
Re: “Warming warning targets parks,” July 26 news story.
The ecological problems from global warming facing the national parks out West are the nation’s problems that we, as a country, need to deal with. My first visit to a national park was out West. I now have been to many parks, in Colorado, California and other places. The parks not only harbor natural resources and are tourist destinations, they are spiritual places for all Americans. They connect us to the natural beauty of this great country, and they help us to experience and understand our environment. We must act now to reduce global warming pollution and avert further, permanent damage from global warming to our parks and other cherished places.
Congressman Henry Waxman of California has introduced a bill in Congress, the Safe Climate Act, that would make reductions in global warming emissions. Our parks are too cherished to let them deteriorate. We should ask our representatives to protect our national parks and support efforts to reduce global warming pollution.
Ivan Chan, Philadelphia
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