A sampling of recent editorials from Colorado newspapers:
NATIONAL:
The Daily Sentinel, Aug. 29, on FEMA:
While Hurricane Irene was wreaking havoc on much of the East Coast last weekend, Texas congressman and GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul was creating a storm of his own.
He suggested that FEMA—the Federal Emergency Management Agency—should be eliminated because it just gets in the way of local officials. Also, he told CNN, the agency has “one of the worst reputations of bureaucracy” in Washington.
But this isn’t the FEMA of 2005, which so badly bungled its response to Hurricane Katrina. And Paul’s complaint is decidedly off-target. Fortunately, it isn’t gaining much traction, even among fellow Republicans.
“FEMA has been very responsive,” New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Sunday, according to the Washington Times. “The cooperation between New Jersey and FEMA has been great.”
Democratic leaders in other states were equally laudatory of FEMA’s efforts in response to Irene. And House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, an outspoken advocate of severe budget cuts, said Monday Congress would find money to allow FEMA and states to deal with Irene’s damage.
Although there is a dispute over Cantor’s pledge to offset any such assistance with cuts in other federal programs, there is little controversy over another part of his statement: “This is a time when there is an appropriate government role.”
Cantor is right. There are times when the federal government has a big part to play in helping state and local entities prepare for and recover from natural disasters.
Ron Paul cited the 1900 hurricane that struck Galveston, Texas—in Paul’s congressional district—as an example of Americans responding to a natural disaster without federal government assistance. But he’s wrong on that count, as well.
The 1900 hurricane killed at least 6,000 people and most of Galveston’s local infrastructure was destroyed. But, among the first folks to come to the aid of the city were agents of the U.S. government—Army troops from Galveston and Houston who worked to restore order.
In addition, the War Department quickly dispatched food and tents to the city, and President McKinley ordered more troops and supplies.
More than a century ago, U.S. leaders and citizens recognized that this country has a shared responsibility to aid our communities beset by natural calamities, that some events are too large to be handled entirely by state and local governments and private organizations.
Last weekend, FEMA demonstrated that it has progressed significantly since the days of Hurricane Katrina. By all accounts, it was a well-prepared partner with state and local agencies in helping respond to Irene, not some overbearing federal agency throwing its weight around.
That’s why we will continue to fund FEMA, despite the rantings of Ron Paul.
Editorial:
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Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald, Aug. 26, on job creation:
Following the debt-ceiling deal, much of the talk in Washington has turned to job creation. But can the government create jobs? Its track record isn’t so hot on that front.
In fact, the federal government had a large hand in creating the conditions that led to the worst recession in decades and the loss of millions of jobs. And too many Americans took advantage of those conditions (or were taken advantage of) to fund lifestyles over their heads.
Jobs are being created, but not fast enough to reduce unemployment to a reasonable level. One reason is that the strength of the economy is largely driven by consumer spending. High unemployment means less spending. Job uncertainty means less spending. More Americans are paying down debt and saving more, which means less spending. Cutting back on spending means fewer products and services, which means many companies still aren’t adding workers, and some continue to shed jobs.
And all of this is exacerbated by a mordant housing market, which is still hampered by foreclosures and little new building.
There’s more to it than that, but it shows why the federal government isn’t going to be the savior of the economy. It could do more to help keep the economy from tanking again, but that would require more spending, something that’s unpalatable to too many in Congress, and likely higher taxes, which also faces an uphill battle.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we repeat that the administration and Congress need to come up with a long-term plan to address budget deficits, the national debt and, yes, the economy. And all options must be explored, but tax reform is the big one.
The supercommittee created by the debt-ceiling compromise has its work cut out for it, considering its hyperpartisan makeup. But it must address longstanding roadblocks to economic stability and debt reduction with long-term thinking and action. It took years of bad policies, mismanagement and political posturing to get us where we are today. It will take years to get out of it.
The supercommittee, the administration and Congress must put aside bitter partisanship and start working for the American people for a change.
Editorial:
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STATE:
The Denver Post, Aug. 29, on the USA Pro Cycling Challenge:
With apologies to Lance Armstrong, for the last week in Colorado it has been about the bikes.
As in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.
Longtime cycling fans who look back fondly on the Coors Classic and its predecessor, the Red Zinger Bicycle Classic, could only have dreamed that early reviews of professional stage racing’s return to the Centennial State would be so positive.
The racing was memorable.
The crowds that lined roads from Colorado Springs to Denver and in between were energetic and well-behaved. Pitkin County undersheriff Ron Ryan may have said it best last week, when he remarked: “This is like a music festival without the music. And it’s just a super, easygoing crowd.”
And while there were a few traffic tie-ups, local reports lead us to believe that there were never any serous flare-ups.
The only real criticism is of the television coverage. And it’s fair to say that it left room for improvement.
But we’ve come to celebrate, not eviscerate.
For seven days, Colorado has been on the international stage with a race that featured one of the most impressive fields in U.S. cycling history.
The race drew Tour de France winner Cadel Evans and second- and third-place finishers Andy and Frank Schleck.
And who knew there was trash-talking in cycling? After Stage 3 last Wednesday, Tejay Van Garderen offered this gem, in assessing Levi Leipheimer’s performance: “All due respect to Levi, he’s not the strongest descender. He sometimes loses his nerve a little bit. That’s one of my strong suits: I’ve got (guts), so I just went for it.”
But it was Leipheimer, not Van Garderen, who finished the week with the yellow race leader’s jersey.
And they may not have earned a spot on the podium, but the race produced plenty of other winners as well, notably organizers and spectators.
Colorado owes a thank-you to Armstrong, a part-time Aspen resident, former Gov. Bill Ritter and everyone else who dreamed up and then delivered this August bounty.
Then there were the incredible crowds that greeted riders at every stage of the race, which wrapped up Sunday in front of thousands of sun- soaked yet jubilant sports fans in Denver’s Civic Center.
After last Wednesday’s time trial in Vail, Christian Vande Velde said of the crowds, “The amount of enthusiasm is just unmatched.”
He wasn’t talking about the United States. He was talking about being unmatched anywhere in the world.
The outpouring impressed Pat McQuaid, president of the International Cycling Union, who told The Post’s John Henderson, “We are in an era where there’s no (Greg) LeMond and no Armstrong, and yet the crowds are bigger this week than any race, I would think, in the United States up to now.”
It was a remarkable week for a first-time event.
We look forward to seeing the true measure of the race’s economic impact, and for its return next summer (with hopefully a stage or two in some of the communities that have deep ties to the Coors Classic and Red Zinger).
Ride on.
Editorial:
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The Pueblo Chieftain, Aug. 30, on former Gov. Ritter’s new university job:
Another chapter from “It’s Only Money.”
Former Gov. Bill Ritter has taken a job at Colorado State University-Fort Collins that pays $300,000 a year. The money is not state funds, but rather money run through CSU from two wealthy, liberal foundations.
One of those foundations was created by wealthy Colorado Democratic supporter Pat Stryker, the other out of that Left Coast bastion of San Francisco. Oh, yes, and Mr. Ritter also is a Democrat, in case anybody forgot.
So, while this cushy university job promoting green energy is funded privately, Mr. Ritter is on track to receive a hefty PERA retirement in five years. He served as Denver district attorney for 11 years and as governor for 4 years, so if he stays in his current job for 5 more years, at 20 years he’ll qualify for a PERA retirement at age 60.
Since his final years of salary dictate his pension, he would be eligible for an annual retirement of $150,000. But his contributions to PERA will not cover that amount.
Besides the amount that the foundations will pay in PERA premiums while he’s at CSU, most of his pension would be money other PERA-eligible public employees have or are putting into the fund, or what taxpayers have put into PERA through direct payments (and those taxpayer-paid public salaries) as well as PERA investment income.
Mr. Ritter wouldn’t be alone in pulling down hefty PERA pensions. The fund says 29 retirees draw $150,000 to $199,999 a year, while 546 get between $100,000 and $149,999 annually.
The former governor said he didn’t know how long he might hold his CSU job, but added, “PERA will not dictate the number of years I serve here.”
Hmmm.
Editorial: