A sampling of recent editorials from Colorado newspapers:
NATIONAL:
The Denver Post, April 3, on President Obama’s decision to lift U.S. ban on offshore drilling:
We support President Barack Obama’s decision to lift the 20-year moratorium on oil exploration and development on Atlantic coastal waterseven if we remain somewhat skeptical about the political motivations and timing.
The Interior Department now will be able to take the initial steps necessary to explore around 167 million acres from Virginia to Florida by conducting seismic surveys to “determine the quantity and location of potential oil and gas resources to support energy planning,” according to the White House.
Then, it will begin thorough environmental reviews and public meetings before leases are offered.
Though leases can begin to be offered for 50 miles off the coast of Virginia starting in 2012, according to the Interior Department’s leasing plans, it will probably be a number of years before any noteworthy exploration is open for business.
In fact, it is more likely that drilling wouldn’t start until 2017 or afterwards. Full-scale production that can begin to establish energy independence, then, is far off.
Even with this kind of restricted drilling, the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that American consumers will see only minimal impacts on gasoline prices.
We’re less pleased by the less publicized plans by the Interior Department to cancel leases in Alaska’s Bristol Bay and reverse the decision to allow exploration in a few areas of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas.
The president might remember that in 2008, during the presidential campaign and with gas around $4 a gallon, it was a Democratic-controlled Congress that voted 236 to 189 to lift the moratorium on drilling, not only on the East Coast, but off the West Coast and Alaska, as well.
Just as that vote might have been a politically motivated attempt to garner support, the timing of this announcement was more likely a way to woo moderate Republicans into supporting comprehensive energy and climate change reform already in the works by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., John Kerry, D-Mass., and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and supported by the president.
The legislation will be introduced this month.
While we strongly support efforts to diversify America’s energy supplies to include more nuclear, renewable and cleaner alternatives, we understand that to achieve these goals it is imperative that we reduce reliance on foreign sources of energy to preserve our economic strength.
In the end, opening offshore water to exploration is the right course of action especially given the new techniques that allow for it to be done in environmentally friendly ways to help the nation move towards energy independence.
Editorial:
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The (Colorado Springs) Gazette, April 4, on effects of cyberbullies on youths:
Their photos show faces so young, so full of promise, just on the brink of life. Megan, Phoebe, Ryan. It is hard to imagine that they no longer live. And even more frightening to know that they chose to end their lives because of what is now a growing phenomenon, cyberbullying.
On March 21, another young woman, Alexis Skye Pilkington, just 17, ended her life. A former member of the West Islip High School soccer team in West Islip, N.Y., and purportedly a popular teen, she was also the victim of hateful and vicious messages on Facebook and a social-networking site, Formspring.me. Teens can anonymously ask each other questions there and receive public answers. Even after her death, the disturbing conduct has continued.
Phoebe Prince’s Irish accent and pretty smile made the 15-year-old different from the other students at South Hadley High School in Massachusetts. In this extreme example, Phoebe was constantly bullied in and out of school and through Facebook. Threatening messages were sent to her phone. All of this, supposedly, because she dated had a football player.
In January, Phoebe hung herself in stairwell at her home. Several of her fellow students are facing charges including statutory rape, criminal harassment and stalking. They are no longer at the school.
In 2008, Lori Drew was tried for her online impersonation of a teenager that evolved into a hostile dialogue on MySpace with 13-year-old Megan Meier, who later committed suicide. Although Drew was convicted of only a misdemeanor, the case also demonstrates the power this relatively new media has.
Ryan Patrick Halligan, of Essex Junction, Vt., was slightly developmentally challenged. He coped with that for most of his life, until middle school. Ryan took his life in 2003 after years of both physical bullying, cyberbullying and a cruel rejection from a young woman who pretended to like him online, only to laughingly reject him in person. Statistics from i-SAFE America Inc., an Internet safety organization, indicate that 42 percent of kids report having been bullied or having to endure something hurtful being said about them online. The Internet is a powerful tool and like anything else can be twisted to the user’s desires, good or bad.
Yes, bullying has always been a part of childhood. We all remember the whispered comments in the crowded hallways, the notes passed in secret during class or the inexplicable cruelties that seemed to be a part of childhood. Those tactics have been augmented by the popularity of Web sites, instant messaging, texting and capturing video. Combine that with the fragility of adolescence and you have a dangerous formula for tragedy.
Adults fall victim to this phenomenon, too, but the young are the most vulnerable because their social status is often mostly defined by others. For many reasons, our youths are not as resilient as they should be. The old saying “words can’t hurt me” really isn’t true when the “words” can be viewed by thousands, even millions in record time. There’s also no limit to how virulent the information can become. That’s the crux of the matter. What used to be considered a rite of passage has evolved. Cyberbullying is an easy and powerful pastime that magnifies the harm harassment can cause. It literally takes seconds to sabotage a young person’s self-image. For example, anyone with a basic knowledge of PhotoShop can capture a photo from a Web page, alter it and post it online without any repercussions.
It is our responsibility as adults to instill a sense of self in our children, one that allows them to be exposed to these “bullies” but to have strong egos that can’t be undermined by lies or embellishments of the truth. We shouldn’t be silent observers of these situations and hope they will “work through things.” They have to be taught to love themselves and to have empathy for others. They need to understand that suicide is not a solution and life is intended to go on way beyond adolescence.
The bullies need our help, too. Bullies grow up, and many “grow out of it,” but many don’t. The issues that lead them to either participate in or sanction such cruelty usually result in adults that are abusive or worse.
Editorial:
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STATE:
The Coloradoan, April 4, on need for state lawmakers and educators to reform the teacher tenure system:
Colorado policymakers, teachers unions and Gov. Ritter should quit dragging their feet when it comes to reforming regulations on teacher tenure, regardless of the state’s status in the federal Race to the Top grant. Last week, Colorado learned it was not among the top states chosen for the federal grant, which is a $4.35 billion incentive program designed to prompt reforms in K-12 education.
While Colorado was not among those selected in the first round of grants, it remains eligible for another round, but a serious sticking point remains the state’s recalcitrance when it comes to matching teacher tenure with performance.
President Barack Obama defied his own strong union support in making tenure reform a key incentive in the grant program. In awarding a Race to the Top grant in Delaware last week, he specifically mentioned that state’s 100 percent support among its teachers unions for tenure reform.
Altering state policy on K-12 education in order to qualify for federal grants is not an ideal approach because it shifts decision-making control away from states and even local districts.
Still, Race to the Top has pushed Colorado lawmakers in the right direction when it comes to considering the topic of basing teacher and principal tenure on effective performance rather than time served. Certainly, protections must be built in when it comes to ensuring teachers have the freedom to teach without intervention, but tenure should not be a protective shield for those who don’t do their jobs well.
Colorado lawmakers had drafted legislation to address teacher tenure, but Ritter chose instead to create yet another task force to study the topic. Education is becoming more competitive; a global workforce and intellectual community are demanding more from students. Progress will be hindered if teachers are not evaluated based on fair and transparent performance criteria. Colorado should get on board when it comes to teacher tenure, whether for Race to the Top or simply the race to the future.
Editorial:
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Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald, March 31, on need to combine resources to refurbish the state Capitol’s dome:
Colorado’s Capitol dome stands out for its gilding. It also stands at the top of the list of the state’s “most endangered places,” as determined by Colorado Preservation Inc.
That’s because the century-old dome is showing a century of wear. Its cast-iron structure is deteriorating, to the point where a 10-pound chunk fell from the dome three years ago. The cost of repairing the dome is estimated to be at least $15 million.
The longer the wait, the worse the deterioration, and the more costly it will be to repair. So repairs need to begin soon. A crumbling Capitol dome is not good for a state’s image.
The question is how to pay for it. Several ideas are floating around under the dome: a statewide fundraiser, a corporate sponsorship and the use of Colorado State Historical Fund money.
Among those, the historical fund money appears to be the most reasonable solution, as this money is raised through gambling revenues and is dedicated specifically to historical preservation. Repair of the dome would be a state project, but unlike a highway, it has historical significance.
Already, about $30 million from this fund has been used to make repairs at the Capitol, one of the arguments against tapping the fund again. Further, opponents note that money spent on the dome would force other historical preservation projects to be put on hold.
But this project is as significant and visible as any in the state.
Colorado Historical Society President Ed Nichols might have the best solution. As reported in a Denver paper, Nichols posed the possibility of a fundraiser coupled with the use of historical funds.
Money given out of the good will of Colorado’s people and entirely voluntarily could ease the burden this project would place on the state’s historical fund.
The Capitol dome is not the biggest problem legislators have had to tackle lately, but it represents those troubles harsh economic reality and a strained infrastructure. Let’s hope they find a way to save the dome.
Editorial:
