No opposition to DeGette
Every election, my late mother and her good friend Carole would totter down to the local church and vote. My mother voted for the Democrat, Carole voted for the Republican. Having cast their ballots and exercised their civic duty, they would totter back to our house and have a shot of bourbon and a cigarette. I always thought this was essence of a civilized democracy.
Thus, it was with shock and surprise when I received my absentee ballot and discovered that there is no Republican candidate in the 1st Congressional District. Surely, there are thousands – perhaps tens of thousands – of Republicans in this vast congressional district, and they deserve to have a voice in politics. Diana DeGette may be a worthy, even unbeatable candidate, but I would feel much better about it if she at least had a challenger. Shame on Colorado Republicans.
Mark Bostwick, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada
Mallard Fillmore on voting
Mallard Fillmore cartoonist Bruce Tinsley reminds us not to vote if we “haven’t taken the time to learn anything about the issues” (Oct. 23). This raises some interesting questions:
1. How can any vote-counting method – human, mechanical, or electronic – differentiate between “informed” and “uninformed” votes? The Voting Rights Act of 1964 did away with voter literacy tests, and thus eliminated the possibility of making this distinction before votes are cast, so …
2. Why would Tinsley be calling for voluntary disenfranchisement, now that mandatory disenfranchisement on account of ignorance is theoretically illegal?
3. In Florida in 2000, and in Ohio in 2004, thousands of citizens were prevented from voting, or their votes were uncounted or miscounted by faulty or deliberately altered machines. Were these citizens intending to vote in an “uninformed” manner? If so …
4. Could it be, therefore, that those elections were prevented from being stolen by “uninformed” voters, or were they actually stolen by elected and unelected officials trying to prevent the “wrong” outcome?
Personally, I would call upon all citizens over 18, including Tinsley, to vote on Nov. 7, as a matter of civic duty. I wouldn’t dream of letting mere ignorance stand in anyone’s way.
Edward Brussel, Denver
Aspen basic retail issues
Re: “Aspen losing basic retail; Top rents favor chic over cheap,” Oct. 22 news story.
I am sure many with the spirit of capitalism and Yankee ingenuity will agree with me: The Aspen “businesses that cater to locals or are considered the types of places that are key for a community” are not savvy about marketing, strategic planning or public relations because they fail to adapt to dynamic business trends and fail to adopt advanced business practices. Their inability to keep former Aspen locals as customers and create prosperity conditions for those who stay is proven by their whining and business failures.
Losing basic retail is not inherent to Aspen and other Colorado mountain communities. It has been happening everywhere for decades.
Emzy Veazy III, Aspen
Teacher certification
Re: “The next steps in education reform,” Oct. 24 guest commentary.
Congratulations to Michael J. Maloy for his insightful approach to dealing with the bureaucratic nightmare that many teachers encounter if they do not stay put in a single district for their entire career. Because my spouse was a career Marine officer, I’ve collected teaching certificates from several states, and that is about all I have to show for my efforts. No pensions. No tenure. Redundant certification processes. In reality, I am a much better teacher for having accepted the challenges of teaching in a variety of cultural, economic and geographical circumstances. Yet it is this very experience that not only goes unrewarded, it is not even given the same weight as a three-week online continuing education credit when it comes to relicensing requirements. I’ve always found it puzzling that the last bastion of inflexibility in education seems to be located at its very core.
Mark McVay, Denver
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