What are we paying for?
Re: “Poor medical care led to deaths,” June 21 news story
When I volunteered as an (English as a Second Languate) teacher in a for-profit detention center, I met a man who lost the use of his legs from a bad fall. He was provided with a wheelchair but not appropriate treatment that would have enabled him to walk out when he was ultimately released — innocent. (Kate) Morrissey’s article tells the sad truth — our tax dollars are going to the companies that run these detention centers and ruin lives. They charge the U.S. government $165 per person per day to “care for” people in their charge, while saving pennies for profit by withholding proper medical care from detainees.
I do not consent to my tax dollars lining the pockets of private prison companies while people suffer. We must stand up to the egregious abuse of human rights done in our name and with our money. Call and write your elected officials and let them know that they will be replaced if they cannot reform this system.
Laura Dravenstott, Centennial
Give it to us straight
As a loyal Denver Post reader for decades, I finally had to write and say stop with the puns in story headlines. These groaners should be saved for Father’s Day Dad Jokes, not actual news. A few samples from (the June 21) paper alone: “Trump pick a Dunn deal, “Time to Brighton things up a bit,” “Things Looking Cup.” Please stop.
Tom Van Ness, Denver
Search of police chief too narrow
Although I do not reside in the City and County of Denver, I was involved in hiring municipal department heads including police chiefs for 36 years in my career of city management. I believe Denver would have been better served with a wider selection of qualified candidates if the Hancock Administration would have opened the recruitment process to both internal and external candidates. Over the years, Denver PD has lagged behind the more progressive management practices found in Denver suburbs law enforcement agencies. In many of the suburban municipalities, you will find that management opened up recruitment and hired external candidates to be police chief. While I am confident that the five internal finalists are qualified candidates, it does not hurt to compare external candidates to the top internal candidates before making a final decision. Perhaps next time around, Denver will be open to a broader approach.
Bill Christopher, Westminster
Global warming growing
Re: “Looking for signs? They’re all around you,” June 19 news story
Thank you for sharing (the article) by Seth Borenstein.
For over 10,000 years nature kept CO2 in balance at 280 ppm. When Bill McKibben wrote “The End of Nature” in 1989, CO2 had already passed the safe upper limit of 350 ppm. It is now at 411. It means we are breathing man-made air. The end of nature.
We monitor our children daily for anything that looks suspicious from spots and rashes to labored breathing, but we ignore the vital signs of their life support system. My 33-year-old son has never experienced a month of below average global temperatures or breathed air with a safe level of CO2.
Please continue to report on the accelerating changes to our natural world. No one is coming to ensure our children have a livable climate. We need an informed public to demand urgent action.
Harry Gregory, Denver
