Rep. Tom Tancredo’s comments on Miami
Re: “Jeb Bush, Tancredo go mano a mano; They swap barbs after the Colorado congressman likens Miami to ‘a Third World country’,” Nov. 29 news story.
I just want to cry. I think the people of the 6th Congressional District re-elected Tom Tancredo because they actually believed this time he would serve the best interests of his constituents. I think the major newspapers, including The Denver Post, endorsed Tancredo because they believed that this time he would get the job done. Why do we keep re-electing the same lousy politicians and expecting different results?
Here we are just a month after the election, and the leopard shows no intention of changing his spots. Tancredo is already back in the national spotlight making outrageous comments that are an embarrassment to those he represents. I wish someone would explain to Tancredo that his district is in Colorado, not Florida, nor any state that borders Mexico.
I hope those who voted for Tancredo pay attention this time. He does not care about us. He cares about himself. We have important issues here at home, yet Tancredo is focused on getting national media attention any way he can to increase his name recognition.
Stashia Rivera, Aurora
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I applaud Congressman Tom Tancredo for continuing to speak out against government (most recently the city of Miami) turning a blind eye to the serious problem of illegal immigration. Tancredo’s straight talk and realistic approach to this problem is an example of the common-sense conservative leadership which the GOP has been sorely lacking for some time.
Anthony J. Fabian, Aurora
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I hope all of the people in the 6th Congressional District who voted for Tom Tancredo are proud of themselves. By casting a vote in his favor, they are all supporting his thoughtless and irresponsible remarks about Miami. Mr. Tancredo, while other constituents in your district may support your narrow-minded, divisive attitudes, I do not. You are not authorized to represent my district, state or country in this manner.
Leisha Moss, Centennial
Editor’s note: Rep. Tom Tancredo was embroiled in a fresh controversy last Thursday when violent protesters disrupted his speech at the Michigan State University law school.
Oil and gas drilling
Re: “Expanse of public land not drillable,” Nov. 29 business news story.
I’m overjoyed to see there is so much oil and natural gas under our public lands. What a relief to know there’s something of real value under all of those mountains, forests, enchanted deserts and miles of wavy grassland. It’s too bad the environmental wackos make such a fuss when our hard-working oilmen are working their tails off to get all of petroleum’s smoky residue into the air and our lungs, where it belongs.
Every day that another cache of fossil fuels is discovered is a day of mourning for the Earth and the creatures upon it, for it further puts off the motivation for energy independence from other nations and from our own homegrown sources of pollution and climate change.
The time is rapidly approachingwhen our efforts to effect a change in our energy-related habits will be too late to make a difference. We know what to do, and we have the technological ability to make many of these changes happen now.
Do we have the political will to do what must be done to save our common environment, or is mine just a voice in the wilderness?
R. Kiefer, Arvada
Ed Quillen and the “my” generation
Re: “We’re in the ‘MyDecade’,” Nov. 26 Ed Quillen column.
Ed Quillen hit the mark in declaring that we’re in the “MyDecade,” though it may be MyCentury. Whether it’s driving on the highways or buying the fast food (or other thing) that “I want,” it is too often “me first.” My dad, who would now be in his 90s, often stated that “‘me’ is the devil’s pronoun.”
The rampant individualism that characterizes our society has some benefit, e.g., in some worthy inventions, but we also pay a heavy price in our reluctance to put what is good for our society and for the world first.
Ron Vander Kooi, Arvada
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