Sen. Allard’s term pledge
I commend Sen. Wayne Allard for adhering to his two-term pledge. If we had term limits for Congress, like those for the president and governors, the abuse of power and our tax dollars might be considerably eased.
Abraham Leib’s and Mary Casper’s letters to the editor of Jan. 18 indicate to me a real ignorance of what I believe to be the real problem with Congress: too many long-of-tooth senators and representatives who work fewer than 100 days a year, supposedly for the American voters’ interests, and what do they do the remainder of their year? They spend the other 265 days raising money and running their re- election campaigns, using their “seniority” to cater to special interests.
The voting public hasn’t been willing to impose term limits on Congress by voting such incumbents out of office, and you can bet the majority of them won’t place such term limits on themselves, since it would spoil their special-interest abuse of our tax dollars and the get-rich-at-the-taxpayers’-expense policy they now employ.
Stephen R. Wyman, Frisco
State Historical Fund
Re: “New buildings for courts and museum,” Jan. 14 editorial.
We agree with The Post’s support for new buildings for the Colorado History Museum and the state judicial center. The opportunity should be fervently pursued.
We also agree that the state gaming tax, which brings $49 million annually to the state’s General Fund, may be an excellent source of funding for the proposed $112 million new museum complex. In addition, we agree with the Colorado Historical Society that the $22.5 million of the gaming tax revenue designated for the State Historical Fund annually is not a source of funding for this endeavor.
The 1990 constitutional amendment authorizing gaming in Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek states that the State Historical Fund portion of gaming tax revenues “shall be used for the historic preservation and restoration of historical sites and municipalities throughout the state.” Since this funding became available, more than 3,000 projects in all 64 counties have received funding through a competitive grants process.
The program, which has distributed a total of $176 million to local projects, has been an incredible tool for economic development, community revitalization and the preservation of the state’s diverse cultural history. A 2005 study reports that these funds leveraged an additional $505.8 million in matching expenditures.
Since 2003, a large portion of these monies has been redirected by the legislature to fund the operations of the Colorado Historical Society, previously funded through the state’s General Fund. In addition, significant funds have been directed to the preservation of the state Capitol. The dollars that remain for local projects across Colorado will be completely exhausted if the State Historical Fund were to be used to fund a new museum.
Colorado needs a new history museum that citizens and visitors can point to with pride. However, the actual structures and sites that are the historic legacy and future of our state should not be placed in jeopardy to make this a reality.
MaryJo Downey, President, Colorado Preservation, Inc.
Mark Rodman, Executive Director, Colorado Preservation, Inc., Denver
Yaks, sheep, horses
While attending the National Western Stock Show, it dawned on me that Denver is a natural for holding political conventions of any party or persuasion. For decades, Denver has had the facilities for such crowds, facilities that are well-practiced in the logistics of removal of excrement from cows, yaks, sheep, horses and, of course, bulls.
When will Denver ever get a mayor, or Colorado a governor, who will make the most of this valuable resource?
Martin Barnett, Boulder
Union bill in the legislature
Re: “Labor unions look to Dems,” Jan. 19 business news story.
Kudos to AFL-CIO president Steve Adams, union chief Jim Taylor and state Reps. Michael Garcia and Mike Cerbo for their efforts in advancing the rights of labor. I am glad to see House Bill 1072 and hope it is successfully passed. It’s a real morale booster to see efforts to beat back income inequality and to create an equitable America, in sharp contrast to the march backwards to serfdom under the Republicans.
Morgan Bays, Westminster
Effects of diet on cancer
Re: “2nd consecutive drop in cancer deaths may mark trend,” Jan. 18 news story.
Our nation’s cancer authorities are celebrating the American Cancer Society’s report that the total number of cancer deaths declined by 3,014 (a whopping 0.5 percent) from 2003 to 2004. Biomedical researchers are certain to request more funding in their quest for the magic cancer pill.
Yet cancer, like heart disease and other chronic illnesses, is a largely self-inflicted condition. Two years ago, the same organization estimated that 62 percent of all cancer deaths could be prevented by regular screenings, exercise, and quitting tobacco and meat products.
Smoking is associated chiefly with increased risk of lung cancer. But scores of scientific studies have linked meat consumption with cancers of the stomach, liver, kidneys, pancreas, gallbladder, colon, rectum, esophagus, lungs, breast, uterus, cervix, ovaries, prostate and testicles.
The mother of all such studies, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), involves 521,483 individuals in 10 different European countries with widely varying diets. Since 1992, EPIC has published nearly 80 scientific papers on the relationship between diet and cancer.
Diverting a small fraction of the millions currently spent on the magic cancer pill toward nutrition education and healthful plant-based meals in schools would work magic in vanquishing this dreaded disease.
Richard Goodman, Denver
In defense of KIPP schools
Re: “Company’s closure of Cole charter school,” Jan. 16 Open Forum.
Letter-writer Steve Laudeman incorrectly stated that “primary goal” of KIPP schools is “to turn a profit,” and implied that KIPP’s public charter school model was not working for kids in Denver.
Like all KIPP schools, KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy, a public charter school in Denver, is a locally run non-profit. The KIPP Foundation, which trains educators like me to run KIPP schools, is also non-profit.
KIPP is making a difference in the lives of the 323 kids enrolled at KIPP Sunshine Peak. Last year, our students outperformed DPS middle schools in math and writing in all grades.
At the end of this year, KIPP will complete the two-year transition of Cole College Prep. All kids who completed the eighth grade at Cole College Prep, this year and last, will receive services from KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy in our alumni support program, called “KIPP To College.”
While KIPP will not be opening a new school at Cole in 2007, we remain committed to helping all of our current students and alumni climb the mountain to college.
Richard Barrett, Founder and Director, KIPP Sunshine Peak Academy, Denver
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