Meth-lab disclosure rule
Re: “Meth-lab disclosure targets home sellers,” Feb. 2 news story.
I was really shocked to read the article announcing a new rule that all home sellers in Colorado now need to prove that their home has been cleaned up and contains no residue of meth production. Excuse me, but has it now been established that a majority of homes in Colorado were once meth labs? Is the problem so pervasive that, like lead paint, it can now be assumed that every home in Colorado has at one time produced a gram or two of meth?
Or, as I strongly suspect, did the “expert” mentioned in the article (who just happens to own a clean-up company) lobby hard for this rule to a buddy of his on the Colorado Real Estate Commission? I have no knowledge that that is the case, but I do smell a rat that stinks to high heaven.
I purchased my home three years ago from an elderly woman who lived here for more than 40 years, and I sincerely doubt that she was “cookin’.” The only people who stand to benefit from this are the fear-mongers in the media and the crime-scene clean-up business owners who clearly have friends in the right place.
Mary Schumacher, Denver
Highway funding ideas
Re: “Group probes avenues for road funds,” Feb. 4 news story.
Finally, we hear a voice emanating from the wilderness of opinion on highway funding. RTD general manager Cal Marsella’s suggestion about a vehicle-miles-traveled user fee is the first good idea on highway funding in years.
In contrast, most of the proposals on highway funding are fielded by the interests who want to make driving cheaper so that they can sell more asphalt, cars, trucks and oil products.
Mark Itkonen, Littleton
Suit targets Xcel plant
Re: “Suit targets Xcel Pueblo plan,” Feb. 1 business news story.
Sometimes it all comes down to just one person. One person who will not be silenced. One person who has the integrity and musters the determination to speak the truth when others have despaired. In the controversy over the construction of a new coal plant in Pueblo, Dan Friedlander is that person. Although he speaks as a lone voice, Dan represents untold numbers of us who think that building another conventional coal plant is a massive step in the wrong direction.
Unlike Mr. Friedlander, many of us have despaired – stymied by the bureaucratic processes that led to the Public Utilities Commission’s decision, especially in light of the scientific consensus about global warming and our direct experience with climate change in Colorado.
By seeking judicial review of the PUC’s actions, Dan Friedlander has kept alive the possibility that the courts will require the PUC to revisit its decision, and perhaps to condition its approval of this coal plant upon meeting strict requirements for carbon capture and storage. On behalf of the rest of us, thank you, Mr. Friedlander.
Susan L. Perkins, Greenwood Village
Not making the grade
It grates on my nerves when newspaper professionals lose their grasp of proper use of the American language. It seems to me that one of the most basic requirements in that business is an above-average command of the language, and The Denver Post owes it to its readers to demonstrate correct use of our written communication.
On the front of Tuesday’s paper, the graphic shows a motor “grater.” While it may well be likely that using a machine like that will grate the road surface, in fact it is a road “grader.” It grades the road. I realize that with spellcheck, similar sounding words can creep in to improper use. I expect the editors to know the difference between grater and grader, between ant and aunt, between gender and sex, between ask and axe, and between hole and whole.
Robert D. Tonsing, Morrison
Bush’s budget proposal
President Bush, the self-styled Decider, has decided to expand his ruthless Iraq war policy (which includes “collateral damage” to non-combatant elders and children) to the most vulnerable at home through proposed cuts in Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
He has decided that death is acceptable for foreign young and old alike and for those same groups in this country who are dependent on medical-aid programs for their very lives. Apparently his regime has only one policy – casual annihilation – for old folks, the indigent and low-income children wherever they live.
This “commander in chief,” who dodged combat himself, is true to the wealthy war profiteers he serves. By waging war against the less-privileged, he merely confirms that America continues to sacrifice compassion to further the ends of imperialism.
Carol Berry, Lakewood
Cost of spring road repair
If the citizens and officials of Colorado are agitated and concerned about the cost of snow removal, then just wait until they see the cost of road repair. Based on the damage sustained so far, replacing pavement and filling potholes should offer gainful employment for a considerable amount of time at a tremendous price. And, of course, we are not yet finished with winter.
John Snyder, Centennial
Colorado Voices
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Let your Voice be heard.
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