Amendment 41: Banning gifts from lobbyists
Re: “Amendment 41 promises lockbox on VIP freebies,” Aug. 28 Jim Spencer column.
My thanks to Jim Spencer for his excellent column on Amendment 41. While it’s hard for most of us to do anything to curtail the corporate abuse (Enron, Tyco, etc.) that seems to be running rampant, we can all actually do something to rein in this area of abuse by lobbyists and our elected officials. The reasons politicians often give for the junkets they take and the gifts they accept are usually weak at best, while the access the lobbyists gain is significant.
Some may say that the dollars we are talking about are not large enough to warrant any real concern. I say when an elected official accepts even a small gift, they not only give the lobbyist access to them, but they also put themselves in a position where they would likely feel obligated to repay the favor.
Frankly, I often have difficulty finding a good reason to go to the polls on Election Day. To me, it seems we are asked to vote for people we have often never heard of until they start putting up their posters as Election Day draws near or to vote for someone based on their negative advertisements rather than their ability, vision and plans. Amendment 41 gives all of us a reason to take the time to visit the polls this Election Day.
James T. Malec, Littleton
Lost and found: A story of coming together
My son is 7 and my daughter is 10. After school, both of them do their homework and go to play with their friends. Since we live in a large apartment complex on the south side of town, we make them stay close, at least close enough they can hear us call. In a large complex like Stone Creek Village, there are so many people that safety is a concern for parents.
One recent night at 8 p.m., my daughter was right outside like she was told to be, but my son was nowhere to be seen, so my daughter and I went to look for him. We walked the entire complex calling and looking.
Upon returning home, I expected to see him, but instead found my wife waiting outside the apartment. She was very concerned and the three of us set out again. Friends of the children who were still out joined in the search.
After we had walked the entire complex, calling at the top of our lungs, we made the rounds to their friends’ apartments. With each stop, we were joined by other parents and children in the search. By this time, my wife and daughter were in tears and my wife asked me to call 911.
Soon, people from other apartments whom we did not even know but had heard us calling joined the search, flashlights in hand.
My wife went back to the apartment to check one more time, in case he had returned to wait for the police, and I kept looking with all the others.
Soon, my cellphone rang, and it was my wife calling to tell me he was home and safe. One of the searchers had spotted him through open curtains in the apartment of a new friend he had met at school, and they were playing video games.
As I was returning to my apartment, I couldn’t help thinking how our little community – even people we didn’t know – pulled together and gave of themselves in a time of need. Their concern was genuine.
Even in a large city like Denver, with all its problems, the people showed the real heart of our community. The good far outweighs the bad, and to all of them, I give a heartfelt thank you.
Don Cutler, Denver
Denver pre-school tax
As a former teacher, I value children and preschool, just like letter-writer Peter Peterson (Aug. 20) does. His letter mentioned only one of the reasons I oppose the mayor’s preschool tuition subsidy proposal, however. Most importantly, it raises the Denver sales tax rate. Citizens and businesses already struggle with soaring gasoline and utility costs. Higher taxes hurt them.
Mr. Peterson feared denying preschool to the poor. Denver Public Schools, the state and the federal government have programs to provide early childhood education to at-risk children. Non-profit preschool providers often offer tuition assistance.
Why expand the city’s role? Denver has other responsibilities with funding gaps – streets, safety, parks, libraries, museums. More ballot proposals will appear soon.
Some citizens object to using taxpayer money for private and parochial education. Others question giving oversight of $12 million annually to an unproven group of political appointees.
Although Mr. Peterson praised this program’s coverage of illegal immigrants, 87 percent of my constituents in a recent survey wanted to curtail non-emergency services for those here illegally, not expand them.
Also, the poor will subsidize the rich. Every Denver resident with a 4-year-old is eligible, no income limit. The minimum-wage worker will subsidize tuition for a millionaire’s child. Is that what voters want?
Jeanne Faatz, City Councilwoman, Denver
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