Effects of immigration on education in Colorado
Re: “Latinos’ growth in Denver is kid-driven; 4-and-younger set leading the way,” Aug. 10 news story.
I sincerely hope that someone is comparing fourth-grade CSAP scores of the following three groups of students who begin preschool speaking a language other than English:
1. Spanish-speaking children who by law must be taught in Spanish;
2. Spanish-speaking children who are immersed in English because less than 50 percent of the class speaks Spanish; and
3. Children who are immersed in English because they speak languages other than Spanish but in numbers too small to require instruction in that language.
Instead of having people “advocate” for English immersion or for Spanish- to-English transitioning, couldn’t the test scores be used to show once and for all which method works best? And if there is no clear winner, couldn’t we just use the simplest, least expensive method?
Also, if “What really matters is the educational background that they come to school with,” shouldn’t there be a push as big as the 1950s polio vaccine campaign to make sure that every family with babies and toddlers not only understands how to prepare their little ones for a lifetime of academic achievement, but feels intense, never-ending pressure from every possible angle to do just that?
If the story of a person’s academic life has largely been written by the time they are 4, why is this not being treated by society as the crisis that it is?
Kerry Hyde, Denver
. . .
Re: “Stop providing education to illegal immigrants,” Aug. 9 letter to the editor.
I wonder if letter-writer John Sidor chose where he would be born, and to whom. It does not give us extra “status” to be born here or there, because we did nothing to earn being born here or there. Would we rather pay out millions to deport the 12 million so-called “illegals” or simply help those who are not criminals and are hard- working? Do you ask to see “papers” or IDs when you enjoy food in an ethnic restaurant? Do you ask at the grocery store who picked the vegetables and fruits, a back- achy job for at least some “illegals”? Do you check the status of the person who cleaned your hotel room? Usually we just enjoy the fruits (no pun intended) of others’ labor, and some seem anxious to find someone to look down on.
Marie Maple, Durango
What’s so strong about the American economy?
Re: “Bush seeks to reassure Americans,” Aug. 10 business news story.
When President Bush makes comments like, “The fundamentals of our economy are strong,” you wonder whether he is living in an alternative universe. Millions of Americans are without health insurance, most families have to have both parents working to afford the mortgage, thousands of individuals are becoming homeless each month, and hundreds of thousands of American jobs are being moved overseas. Perhaps if he spent less time on his ranch, riding his bicycle, or fishing in Maine, he would understand that in the real world there are an incredible number of very serious problems with our economy. Is that too much to ask? Probably.
David Briggs, Thornton
Drilling the Roan Plateau without damaging it
Re: “Ritter buys time on Roan but drilling ban is wrong,” Aug. 9 editorial.
We agree with The Denver Post that Colorado should capture energy development revenues to offset the industry’s negative impacts. We also agree that the Roan Plateau shouldn’t be developed without a plan that avoids undue damage to this unique landscape.
That’s why we propose banning drilling on public lands atop the 9,000-foot plateau but allowing companies to drill from the base and from other, private lands on top. This will allow the Roan’s gas to be tapped without needlessly sacrificing the hunting, fishing and recreational opportunities that contribute so much to the local economy and way of life.
A total ban doesn’t make sense. But massive development doesn’t either, and a close reading of the Bureau of Land Management’s proposal for the Roan shows it would allow more than 3,600 wells on top. If this happens, the Roan Plateau will be unrecognizable.
Energy lobbyists and some politicians say putting the top of the Roan off-limits will somehow raise natural gas prices, discourage drillers and cost Colorado “billions” in lost revenues.
That’s just wrong. Garfield County has seen record drilling levels. Industry can’t keep up with the blizzard of approvals. More than 70 percent of federal lands leased for oil and gas development in Colorado are currently producing nothing. And the directional drilling we propose for tapping the Roan is now the norm in the valley. We can afford to wait while the industry improves drilling technology to tap the Roan without trashing the top. The gas will still be there when they figure out how.
Colorado natural gas prices have been kept artificially low because there’s not enough pipeline capacity to get it to distant markets. When new pipelines to the Midwest are completed, Coloradans’ heating bills will go up, no matter how many rigs rumble up the Roan’s heights.
The great irony is that clean energy is the cheaper route for consumers. Drilling in the Roan Plateau won’t save consumers money – it’ll just pad the wallets of the oil and gas companies. Coloradans would be much better off if government forced industry to develop responsibly, while investing now in a future based on clean energy and energy efficiency. The energy bill we helped develop does both.
Not every place that can be drilled should be drilled. The top of the Roan Plateau is one of those places we can’t afford to sacrifice.
U.S. Rep. John Salazar, Manassa
U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, Eldorado Springs
In the name of accuracy
Re: “Courthouse to flip the switch to solar,” Aug. 12 news brief.
Your article states the Boulder County Courthouse’s “solar power system will produce about 14,500 kilowatt hours of power.” Kilowatt-hours is not a unit of power but of energy. It is highly unlikely the panels supply 14,500 kilowatts of power, but they could reasonably supply 14,500 kilowatt-hours of energy over a period of time – such as a year.
Perhaps this is nitpicking, but if newspapers are so error-prone in such readily verifiable topics, what would lead a reader to assume they are any more accurate with other topics?
Donald E. McDonald, Parker
. . .
Re: “Fruita man killed in head-on crash near Gateway,” Aug. 10 news story.
Your article states that the “Grand Prix was headed northbound … .” As one interested in English and language arts and dismayed at the ongoing degradation of our language, especially by those who should know better (e.g. journalists, teachers, public speakers), I ask you, please remember to simply say “was headed north” or “was northbound.” Using both is redundant, as “bound” means “headed.” We hear this error constantly in TV reporting, as well. Aaaaargh!
At least this gives a grammar nut something about which to write.
Maria Minick, Edwards
. . .
Re: “Down time,” Aug. 12 news photo.
The caption for your photo of the clock tower at the British Parliament building in London is somewhat inaccurate: “Big Ben” is the name of the bell within the clock tower, and not the clock tower itself.
Dan Charney, Denver
Degrees of sexual offense
Re: “Priest’s nude jog prompts meeting,” Aug. 9 news story.
I find it incomprehensible that a person, naked in public, if convicted of a misdemeanor, might have to register as a sex offender. Where are our priorities? Shouldn’t a person labeled as a sex offender have committed an offense greater than a misdemeanor? And shouldn’t that person have done something of a sexual nature involving another person?
Offenses such as this have harmed no one, and this man should not be permanently marked.
Dale Brinker, Parker
To send a letter
E-mail: openforum@denverpost.com
Mail: The Open Forum, The Denver Post, 101 W. Colfax Ave., Suite 600, Denver, 80202
Fax: 303-954-1502
Guidelines: The Post welcomes letters up to 200 words on topics of general interest. Letters must include full name, home address and day and evening phone numbers. Letters may be edited for length, grammar and accuracy.
To reach us by phone: 303-954-1331
