March 2007 | Main | May 2007
Gladys Foster
"The coming clash/Tax hikes for boomers will ignite conflict," t
Second, Social Security, as currently structured, can be expected to continue to be fully funded for several decades, as argued by the Congressional Budget Office and other authorities, and even then would need only minor adjustments to continue full funding.
Third, the health-care system in the United States is indeed broken but could be expanded to cover everyone at much less cost than now if a universal single-payer plan were adopted. Presidential aspirant Dennis Kucinich has introduced such a plan in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Animal testing awful
Insurance costs go still higher
Focus on issues, not fundraising
I am tired of candidates spending more time
Can they be so sure?
Howard W. Zoufaly Douglas Graen This letter has not been edited. John S. Rosenberg Steffan Tubbs of Denver Dave Petteys Sally Cumine of Denver writes: i> Mark D. Benner of Anton writes:
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Ominous precedent if Bush wins case
Of course, Bush will lose the case. But what if, by some incompetence or misguided ideological allegiance,
The crux of the argument is not that the president's free speech was interrupted by protest, but simply that the fear of someone potentially uttering a disagreement was enough to ban them from the publicly funded meeting.
What of future presidential debates? If a precedent is established that says the president's right to "control his message" trumps the rights of others to speak opposing views, what remains of democracy?
In repeatedly challenging our Constitution in courts of law, the disregard this administration shows for both the history and the future welfare of this
Bush should brush up on Constitution
Survey the troops
Survey the troops
W
Equal access, please
I am outraged! My tax dollars help sponsor the museum and we all pay the same fee to go to the exhibit.
I do not have a problem sharing the languages, both English and Spanish
Motives suspect
However, I am sick and tired of extreme conservatives trying to make us feel sorry for them when their motives are less than commendable. What reason can there be to discredit Gore? The only one I can think of is to protect big business at the cost of sacrificing future generations’ health and well-being.
We have a Sergeant who is accused, by a person of black heritage, to have assaulted her. The Sergeant has been found by a Review Board, consisting of not less than 8 people, to have used appropriate force, thus not guilty. Then we have a Chief of Police who has been accused of Attempting to Influence a Public Official (the entire Civil Service Commission) and violating an Employees Right of Due Process and after a review by a Law Firm, hired by the City of Aurora, found to be guilty. Now, we get to the tricky part. The Chief who has been found guilty is trying to have a larger say in promoting or not promoting those who have been found innocent. In short, we are rewarding the guilty and possibly condemning the innocent. Which POT is calling which KETTLE black?
Why are the Black Political Activists trying to promote this form of logic in the first place? When have we begun condoning the condemnation of people who have been exonerated and begun rewarding the people who have been found guilty? What type of Political Hoopla is this? Leave the Police Sergeant alone. He has been exonerated and has competed fairly for a promotion, let him have the promotion and move on people.
Try condemning the Chief and the City Officials who are still accused of illegal acts and have failed to be held accountable for their indiscretions. (Chief Oates, the Assistant City Manager, the Assistant City Attorney, the Fire Chief, the Assistant to the Fire Chief and City Councilwoman Molly Markert) You have a lot more people in the City’s upper echelon committing crimes you should be worried about than this one Sergeant who has already been exonerated.
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Road rage sentence
I’m sorry he got labeled “The Road Rager.” That must have hurt.
I wish he would’ve gotten the change of venue you wanted for him. People somewhere else would probably have understood that your son is really not so bad.
I’m sorry for the hate he suffered, and for the way science and engineering facts were used against him like that.
Juries should be composed of people like you, who understand the basic humanity of road-incident-participants, where others were driving wrong and needed to be taught a lesson.
It takes a big person to have empathy for families who lost their men. They deserve some empathy.
Isn’t it outrageous how people do mean things for their own selfish gratification, this time victimizing your son? I don’t know DA Chambers but if you don’t like her, neither do I. You had a rough time, so did your son. Why is there so much injustice in this world? A good mother stands by her son, no matter what he did. At least you can visit him and send him care packages.
Now I have to go. One of my kids killed a puppy with his teeth and got in trouble for it. I have to go defend him.
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Ethanol
It appears no one has factored in the amount of water that will be required to grow the additional corn or process the corn into ethanol. How can we deplete one natural resource to supplement another, without dire consequences? The State of Colorado, energy companies, and scientists seem to forget that about three years ago major lakes were almost dry and the Ogallala aquifer was being drained at an alarming rate. And now, Colorado municipalities want the courts to rule more favorably for access to the Platte River water supply for the cities, thereby taking away water from the farmers in the Platte River valley, where the corn is grown.
Has anyone taken the time and effort to factor in the water requirement for ethanol, especially in the Mid-west? Probably not, and here we go down the path of destruction or depletion of another natural resource because our scientists and politicians can’t seem to see the big picture or get the equation right. We’ll be driving around with ten percent ethanol filled tanks while we look for water, pay higher prices at the grocery store, and higher prices for gasoline enriched with ethanol. Sounds great we’re just grand when it comes to protecting the environment by leaving out key factors for an equation to solve a problem!
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Virginia Tech & Columbine documents
The assertion of this group of people that releasing the Columbine tapes and documents to the public would have prevented the Virginia shootings has no basis in fact. Apparently, the murderer in Virginia fueled his own hatred, by what had already been released to the public about the murderers in Littleton. The Columbine tapes, had they been released, would only have added fuel to his fire.
People already knew the murderer in Virginia was seriously troubled. They were trying to get him to accept help. I am not in a position to say what more they could or should have done.
The release of such tapes over the airwaves, which belong to the public, is harmful to that public because they glorify the murderer. This further harms the psyches of the victims’ families and the young people that have been wounded and traumatized. I daresay that if the Columbine tapes had been released without the consent of the ‘Columbine dads’ right after the shooting at Columbine High School, they would not be making this argument, but another one.
I believe it was obscene for NBC to release that tape in Virginia. It would be just as obscene to release the Columbine tapes, even now. Good for Sheriff Mink for standing on principle.
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Mike Littwin
Amazing that the “News” gives this guy so much space to spread his venom.
Thanks for your time.
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Union Station plan
You know something is amiss if the state’s leading rail and transit advocacy group (ColoRail) takes serious issue with the unfolding plan for Denver Union Station (DUS). That plan calls for the eviction from the site and/or very costly burial of the 3 connecting transit modes comprising the DUS transit hub, advertised as “convenient” in RTD’s successful FasTrack’s campaign.
This plan is anthing but convenient, nor is it a wise expenditure of funds, no matter what the source.
The driving forces at play are the city’s desire to saturate the site with tax-generating development, which will hide much of the historic station from view, and the city’s irrational obsession with extending 18th Street through the property. Is there a shortage of single-occupant, space- consuming, polluting, pedestrian-stalking vehicles downtown? We need the development to pay for burying the tracks, which we must do to accommodate the development. Get it?
While it is understandable, and desirable, to capitalize on the DUS transit hub, we must not lose sight of its (voter-approved tax increase) purpose: to offer a convenient and affordable alternative to our increasingly expensive and problematic “travel-by-auto” conumdrum. Ironically, we have far better transit connectivity at DUS right now than we will EVER have under the current proposal. Our city and region will not be served well with this plan, especially as we view into the future.
And with RTD’s well-publicized uncertainty about FasTracks finances, why is the most expensive transit infrastructure (burial) still on the table?
There are better ways for all parties to achieve their goals at DUS. All visionaries and critical thinkers who care about our transportation future should attend the Union Station Advisory Committee (USAC) meeting at RTD’s Administration Building, 1600 Blake Street, on Thursday, April 19, at 5:30pm.
We only have one shot at getting this right. Let’s not squander it!
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Iraq war & Harry Reid
Reid and the Democrats were serious about supporting the troops, they would also be supporting their mission. As it is, they support neither. The facts speak for themselves.
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Iraq war & Democrats
With the approval of over 70% of the American people and with approval of an overwhelming majority of congress, we the American people through its military removed the Iraqi government and military. As a consequence we owe Iraq a stable government and a viable military before we leave. I have stated in a previous letter that we should not be subjecting our troops to the civil war that is underway. We should pull our troops back to protect Iraq’s borders and let the Iraqis have the blood bath that they apparently want. Once they are tired of that and want a stable government, we can have our military step in and help where appropriate. If the Iraqi government that emerges after the blood bath does not want our help then, and only then, we can bring our troops home. If we do anything less we will shame ourselves and put future generations in sever danger as the world and the terrorist look on us with contempt, knowing that if they make any future battle bloody enough, we will give up.
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Victimization
Maybe the messages of “victimization” are too prominent in our day to day lives. Victimization is used to get votes for political gains; it is used as basis of major news stories; and it is used to explain away the fact that some people are lazy or have not received the tools of success from our educational system. Could it be that some of these tragedies would not have happened if the pundits, politicians and the media were not preaching “victim”? From the information that is out these guys were really not victims, somebody told them they were. How else would they have gotten these crazy ideas? Why aren’t we proud of our success in this country?
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Danny Dietz memorial
Violence begets violence. And that is true whether the violence in committed by “terrorists” or “war heroes". The law of the Universe is that we get what we concentrate on — and the statue of Danny certainly does not instill love and peace.
Fortunately, the tide is turning away from war and toward peace. While most of this revealed by the media is surface and centered on self interest, the real change runs deep. The movement toward love and peace is on an unstoppable trajectory which will render the war boys powerless.
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Alternative minimum tax
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Gun control
Example: Japan. Better comparison is two similar regions in the same country.
States and cities in the U.S. with stiff laws do have higher rates than places with “shall issue” laws and armed population. Washington, D.C. is a crime capital of the US, with Chicago not far behind. Schools with total bans on guns do have a higher rate of gun deaths than the surrounding country. Also, countries with easy access to guns have less violent crime. Examples: Switzerland, and for violence outside the conflict with the Palestinians, Israel. Equally convincing: when a region relaxes the laws, crime goes down; when it stiffens them, crime goes up (numerous examples). Finally, Dobbs is getting his proof: Great Britain and Australia recently virtually disarmed the population.
Crime shot up.
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Justice?
Mere rhetoric, I suppose, as there can not possibly be an acceptable, logical answer to this query.
There are two stories today regarding charges of Child AbuseResulting in Death. Why is it that they carry such dramatically different sentences? A Fort Carson soldier and Iraq War veteran, Johnathon Klinker, is facing these charges for dropping his infant daughter four inches while playing with her in their home. Her head hit too hard and she died of a hemmorage. This soldier accepts full responsibility for his actions, shows great remorse and faces 30 to 64 years in prison.
Meanwhile, Gil Smith, the moron who some time ago killed his 2-year old son by dragging him (while drunk) at 30 mph on an inner tube behind his boat with no supervision, gleefully waved to rescue workers as they searched for his lost son’s body while boating by, shows no remorse whatsoever and now has been arrested again for drunk driving, assaulting a deputy and causing a car accident
Why the dispcrepancy in these sentences for a similar crime? It just goes to show that justice truly is blind.
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Hope Online
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Iraq war & Democrats
If the Democrats succeed in there defeatist strategy and it leads to the Muslim extremist takeover of Iraq, the resources there will eventually find there way here and will be manifest in American deaths and destruction. They evidently have forgotten the tragic images of NYC, what happened on 911 and how potent and real the threat of radical Islam is.
President Bush, has changed the command and strategy in Iraq, and with this should be given the time and resources to rectify the situation there. If he and our troops aren’t we will not only be looking at another debacle similar in nature to the one caused by our untimely withdrawal from Viet Nam, but as the Vietnamese confined their later butchery to Southeast Asia, the U.S.
This is not the time or place for the Colorado Democrat Representative and (or) the rest of them to be playing political games at the expense of our national security. Unfortunately it appears the could care less.
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Virginia Tech massacre
These victims had every right to be exactly where they were; in school getting an education! Where else should they have been? The only people were in the wrong place at the wrong place were the killers themselves.
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Nacchio trial
The “Dragon” was good old “Joe” he of the $547 M net worth, he of the “haircut", he of the “White Horse", he of the “I will win, no matter what...” attitude.
Whoa folks, the jury won, Joe lost, the Government won, not during the case, but by setting up a last minute victory, how?
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Game, set, match, It was 100% over.
Lawyers, “Ya gotta love em", right? Did the government win the case, nope, they sold the case; is “Joe guilty", the jury said so, most believe so, but if I could give “Joe” a few wrods of advice on his appeal, “Get a new attorney Joe".
Stern may have wanted to be Colombo, but today techies win, old timers, well they sure don’t win, and perhaps, as Doug MacArthur said years ago, “old soldiers. . . .
Zoo sensationalism
Hartman provided no comparison at all.
Mr. Hartman, I’m not sure what your intention was, but I found it to be nothing more than negative filler for the front page.
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Post flubs coverage of civil rights initiative
Amusement, at Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education Executive Director David Longanecker’s hilarious and totally off-the-wall assertion that a measure barring discrimination against or preferential treatment of any individual or group “on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin” would somehow bar preferential treatment of athletes.
Concern, because the Post’s reporter either misunderstood or misquoted (or both) CCRI Executive Director Valer
Since informed debate is undermined by the sort of misinformation contained in this article, I hope the Post’s coverage of this important issue improves.
Many no doubt wrestled with decision
In his critique of the media’s handling of the Virginia Tech killer’s manifesto, “Airing, publishing killer’s photos, rants reckless” (On the Media, April 21),
I think
Thursday morning, after I returned from covering the killings from the scene for two days, our debate in the KOA newsroom began around 4:30 a.m. and continued throughout the show.
Certainly not everyone agreed to play those tapes, reveal the audio and show still photos. Others felt it was not the media’s role to play censor, to play the “parental” role.
Yet, in
This only adds fuel to the “we-hate- the-media-and-here’s-why” fire.
Will it take 60 deaths next time?
The killer did follow the publicized Hamas example to a T.
If the Columbine count was around 15 and the Virginia Tech count was around 30, does this mean that the next number in the series needs to be 60 in order to get on TV news?
Freedom of speech does have a dimension of responsibility, something the media has apparently cast aside
Unneeded news from Iowa
The Rocky can save
It doesn’t matter how the politicians are doing in the polls; it is not important how much money they have raised; and we collectively do not need this information until
Room enough for both
But, there is <
Adults with permits can legally carry concealed firearms in Utah schools and universities, where there have been no mass-killings. In Utah, those sufficiently trained to have conceal-carry permits can deter and heroically stop violent criminals. At CU, they are felons. CU’s prohibition of firearms for self-defense purposes leaves students, staff, and faculty defenseless against deranged school-shooters.
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Junk advertising
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Iraq war
Despite four years of presumably intensive training, the new Iraqi army is still seen to be riddled with rebel infiltrators. We know that Iraqi soldiers often flee when faced with hostile forces. The unity and initiative within their ranks are undermined by sectarian and political tensions.
Soldiers’ loyalty to their own government appears tentative at best.
Since the so-called surge has been in effect, U.S. casualty rates have doubled in Baghdad. It’s now evident that U.S. forces will somehow have to quell the insurgency absent any prospect of significant Iraqi help. Furthermore, the ostensible government of prime minister al-Maliki has proven itself to be unwilling or unable to pass a new Iraq oil law, without which U.S. interests will have been entirely defeated.
Until the Democratic majority in Congress is able to muster enough votes to cut-off funding, the terrible price paid by U.S. troops in Iraq’s cynical maelstrom will continue to escalate.
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Bush’s anti-terror hypocrisy
Friday April 20, a New Mexico court released wanted terrorist Luis Posada Carriles, the mastermind of the 1976 jet liner bombing that killed all 73 passengers on board. Posada Carriles was then in the employ of the CIA He was one of “our terrorists”.
He was captured and imprisoned in Venezuela, escaped, and found his way to Miami with “help” and was caught sneaking into the U.S. and arrested and held on immigration charges. He has been in a New Mexico jail since, despite efforts on behalf of Venezuela and Cuba to extradite him to stand trial for his crimes. Bush has refused to comply, and Friday Carriles was released on bail.
President Bush is effectively harboring a terrorist. He has violated his own word and laws. Again.
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Greenhouse gases
Citizens of Colorado who are concerned should be pressuring ( Yes, that
If this attitude offends some because it might lead to a lessening of their profits, the health of everyone - at least where the government is concerned - should trump their pocketbooks any day. The majority of America
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Abortion
Now after decades (approximately 48 million deaths by abortion in the US, again the great supreme court says that one way of killing innocent babies is barbaric and won’t allow this to be done anymore. Yet it allowed it for years. And in the last few years our legislative body here in our great state has tried to pass legislation to change the stature of limitations on child sexual abuse to mainly target the Catholic Archdiocese to get two deceased priests that they claim had abused children sexually decades ago. It was poor law and didn’t fly. But no problem as we now have a judge, Judge Robert Hyatt, who just allows the statures to be changed against the Archdiocese. After all it is only Catholics and we can change the statures of limitations on them.
If you can’t get what you want by the front door, why our courts are good at going through the back door-especially if it is people we really don’t care about. It makes one wonder if old Charlie Dicken’s Mr. Bumble was right when he said: “Sir, if the law says that, then the law is a ass!” And anyway who really trusts lawyers who through their glib tongues can twist things around to have juries believe just about anything. Too bad we don’t have the like of old Charlie here today. He would never run out of material with the law and the people that are involved with it.
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Smoky Hill High & parents
Thus far, I have ignored the school’s rude demands in the assumption that they reflect a more effective means of maximizing parental attendance.
However, after reading about Principal Brown’s decision to bar late-arriving parents, I now believe there may be a disturbing attitude problem at Smoky Hill. With a graduating class of more than 600, Principal Brown must have recognized that a number of parents would be late despite best intentions.
I do not know whether her tyrannical approach to parental relations stems from frustration, ego, or otherwise, but it needs to stop.
While I do not condone Ms. Walsh’s behavior, particularly her feeble attempt to use influence and exercise power, the school was also in the wrong here and I empathize with her frustration. I do not look forward to being bullied into attending future parent meetings, nor will I deserve to be treated like cattle when circumstances work against punctual attendance.
The Cherry Creek School District puts great emphasis at the elementary and middle school levels on anti-bullying. The district may need to develop such a program for the Smoky Hill administration.
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Cheney impeachment
At least the man will go down in history as having had the guts to register his rage at this deadly, deadly farce and the great injustices (many) he and Bush have bullied the American public and the world into for the last 5 plus years. I can’t stand bullies either.
Bravo my man, bravo.
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Electoral College & Democrats
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Climate change
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Animal fighting
This anti-crime legislation will provide felony-level penalties for interstate and foreign animal fighting activities, and outlaw commerce in cockfighting weapons. Animal fighting not only fosters unspeakable cruelty to animals, but also spawns other criminal activity, such as narcotics traffic, illegal gambling, public corruption, and violence toward people.
When animal fighters can earn tens of thousands of dollars wagering on a single fight, a slap on the wrist is considered just a cost of doing business.
Stronger penalties are needed to stop this organized network of criminal activity, and that’s why the National Sheriffs’ Association and 400 law enforcement agencies from across the country joined The Humane Society of the United States in backing this bill.
Thanks to Senator Allard for working to give animal fighting the knock-out punch.
Sincerely, Michael Markarian
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Virginia Tech massacre
We need REAL dialogue on how to protect Americans, not just the Brady’s fighting for every anti-gun/anti self defense law possible and the NRA opposing them. As long as there are ANY guns available in this country, be they single shot rifles or large capacity military style rifles, right or wrong we are accepting a risk.
Because our hunting and culture will not be totally banning guns anytime soon, there is only ONE possible defense; we must make sure citizens have the means to defend themselves against monsters.
Teachers deputised, trained, and armed with guns? As the father of two little girls it’s offensive to me. But less offensive than seeing some monster strolling around a school and murderering children unhindered by anyone capable of defending them (of course, SWAT shows up five minutes later, when it’s over) and then the political groups start their debate again. Because that WILL happen again at some point, be it with the semi auto guns used by this killer or a single shot hunting rifle.
Too many are dying not to put all the options on the table. We DO need sensible gun laws. But barring the possibility of a gun ban, we need to defend against the tiny percentage of truly insane among us. For the childrens sake, we have to consider every possilbity; not just what is politically expedient for one group or another.
Why don’t we? I guess some people just hate guns more than they love children.
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Danny Dietz memorial
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The U.S. & the U.N.
I believe that the new ambassadorship of Mr. Khalilzad, together with the recent accession of Ban Ki-moon to the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations, represents a wonderful opportunity to wipe the slate clean and begin to repair the unfortunate rift in the US-UN relationship. It is true that the UN needs the US, for without the cooperation of its most powerful member state, the UN efforts to resolve conflicts can be severely crippled. But it is equally true that the US needs the UN. In regions of conflict like Iran, Darfur, or North Korea, the cooperation of the UN frees up US resources and confers an irreplaceable mantle of legitimacy on our concerted efforts.
Recent polls have shown that regard for the United States across the globe has sunk to new lows. This is largely because of the unfortunate perception that the US has acted unilaterally and without “a decent respect to the opinions of mankind,” in the words of Thomas Jefferson.
This perception is likely to have catastrophic consequences for the huge collective challenges we face, such as the threat of global warming, nuclear proliferation, and above all the struggle against terrorism. Nothing could be of greater benefit to the United States in the long run than repairing the rift in the US-UN relationship.
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Virginia Tech & Rush Limbaugh
Also since , at the time Rush was railing against the government “a la Clinton” Rush should be held at least vicariously responsible for the carnage at Oklahoma City.
Ergo, the headlines should have read “162 DEAD, IT HADDA BE A CONSERVATIVE.”
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Commerce City