Sen. Allard s decision to not seek re-election
Re: “Allard won’t try for 3rd,” Jan. 16 news story.
Sen. Wayne Allard has announced that he will not seek re- election in 2008 because he is intent on keeping his promise to serve only two terms.
It’s unfortunate that Allard could not find this same integrity when it came to keeping his sworn oath “to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States … without reservation or purpose of evasion.” Allard obviously had reservations about keeping that promise, since he spent a good part of the last 10 years leading a charge to rewrite the Constitution to include a discriminatory and contradictory amendment that would deny equality to American citizens who happen to be gay.
We could have lived with you going back on your word about your ambitions, Sen. Allard. I, for one, however, will never forgive you for willfully dishonoring the spirit and intent of the Constitution to achieve your goals.
Thomas Mannion, Denver
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As a recent arrival in this area, I am somewhat surprised to note the universal approval that has greeted Sen. Wayne Allard’s decision not to run for re-election. He promised that he would serve only two terms and, of course, it’s important that he’s keeping his word.
However, power in the U.S. Senate comes from seniority. If Coloradans keep fielding new senators with very little clout, they will ensure that this state will continue to have a negative financial relationship with the federal government. The next time a candidate for the Senate promises to serve only two terms, that should not be a reason to vote for him. It should be a reason to vote against him.
Abraham Leib, Greenwood Village
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An unintended consequence of term limits is that once “lame duck” status has been achieved, there are no political consequences for an elected leader who opposes the will of his consitituents. President Bush can autocratically escalate his war and Sen. Wayne Allard can support him, despite the fact that the majority of citizens oppose this course of action. In theory, impeachment is the remedy, but in practice, there is little political will – it seems that those who will stand for re-election fear the political consequences of such a step. Is it possible to regain our democracy?
Mary Casper, Bailey
The Constitution and the role of government
Re: “Ritter using our wallets to think big,” Jan. 15 David Harsanyi column.
David Harsanyi tells us that the Constitution prohibits the government from depriving us of “life, liberty, property, or due process of law.”
If the Constitution actually read as Mr. Harsanyi suggests, then all forms of taxation would be illegal, along with any kind of punishment when laws are broken, because virtually any punishment greater that a strong lecture would also deprive that person of life, liberty or property. What the Constitution really says is that the government is prohibited from depriving any person of “life, liberty, or property without due process of law,” giving our government the power it needs in order to function, and placing important limits on that power.
Government services are important to our general welfare, as we all saw during the recent snowstorm, and the government needs revenue in order to work. It is a good system as long as we all take our responsibilities seriously and make the effort to live up to them.
Is Mr. Harsanyi really opposed to a future that includes a healthier population, a top-notch education system, and cleaner energy, or is he, like too many others, simply opposed to helping pay for it?
Charles E. Quinton, Fort Collins
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David Harsanyi’s complaint that liberals and politicians take your money and waste it has lost its salience with the public. The public wants the government to provide basic services and provide for the general welfare of society. I think politicians would be better served if they focused on the preamble to the Constitution, which states, in part, “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, … provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” The inherent conflict is between the common good and the blessings of liberty.
Let’s heed Harsanyi’s advice and move away from tired platitudes that liberals and politicians are hungry for “your” money and into what’s best for the common good.
Mark Sass, Denver
Qwest and the debate over net neutrality
Re: “Equality on Web debated at parley,” Jan. 12 business news story.
The usual talking points quoted by Qwest chief executive Dick Notebaert in The Post’s article are very tired. Notebaert states no problem currently exists regarding net neutrality. That’s because the FCC currently enforces it. He’s referring to efforts by some in Congress to stop a bill that would have removed net neutrality as we have it today. Trying to distort reality by calling legislation that would formally enact net-neutrality protection as unnecessary regulation is just dishonest.
Notebaert furthermore calls for free-market principles while also wanting a return on investment for network upgrades. Indeed, the free-market solution would simply be to raise prices, not try to force legislation through to gut net neutrality by way of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, who called the Internet “a series of tubes.”
It’s also interesting that telecom legislation in 1995 gave large tax breaks to companies – including Qwest – to bring fiber-optic Internet access to our homes. I’m still waiting and wonder where those tax dollars went.
John Erhardt, Denver
5 years of Guantanamo
Last Thursday marked the fifth anniversary of detainees being held, many without charge or trial, at Guantanamo Bay. Not only has our own government determined that more than half of the men detained at Guantamano have never committed a single act of hostility against the U.S, but most detainees were not even captured on any battlefield – they were handed over to U.S. authorities for a cash reward.
Once a world leader in human rights, this nation has had its reputation disgraced by five years of Guantanamo’s lawlessness. It is time to halt this assault on our nation’s values and integrity by closing Guantanamo.
Ryan Hanschen, Colorado Area Coordinator, Amnesty International, Denver
Stem-cell research
Re: “Bush out of touch on stem-cell bill,” Jan. 15 Jim Spencer column.
According to Jim Spencer, anyone who is pro-morality is either stupid or a radical. In his column, he attacks anyone who thinks differently than he does by using derogatory terms like “anti-science stooge,” “Luddite,” “inflexible and stubborn,” and “extremists.” Then he implies that the “vast majority” of Americans want to pay (through their taxes) for scientific research that “might” have some benefit.
First, those who desire to financially contribute to such research should do so on their own, not through forced taxation. Second, notice the use of the word “might.” So far, no medical benefit at all has been obtained from embryonic stem cells. Third, even if the majority of people do believe that something is true, that neither makes it true nor right.
L. Bell, Greenwood Village
Award for Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony
How dare they give an award [USA Basketball male athlete of the year] to a person who takes a cheap shot at a player? We should be judging athletes on the content of their character in addition to their athletic prowess. If we don’t, we will see many more ridiculous fights because bad character is not punished. Carmelo Anthony is not the only one who does not deserve any award. Please raise the standards of all our athletes so our kids have real heroes to look up to. Clean, thoughtful athletes are very hard to find these days.
Susan Albertson, Longmont
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