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Helen Alfaro of Littleton writes:

I must take issue with Deb Acord for the haughty attitude conveyed in her article, So long, flatlanders in flip-flops. Ms. Acord’s words seem to personify the Colorado conceit that has become so prevalent among this state’s residents.
Her referral to the “flip-flop” people almost hints at characterizing a lower life-form of people who hail from the states she names (KS, IL, OK, TX). Places where she says “flip-flops make more sense.” Have you, Ms. Acord, even been to those states? You speak of flip-flops as though they are indigenous only to the Midwest. Been to a Colorado high school lately? Kids are wearing them even in 40-degree weather. And who, exactly, is the collective “we” you refer to in your elitist claim, “We call them the flip-flop people"?
Where do you get off criticizing not only what they wear, but also their methods of travel, dining, or participation in tourist activities? Of course they have sunburned shoulders. The Colorado sun is among the most damaging anywhere in the U.S. Do “we” think our visitors are somehow inferior just because their skin has been assaulted by the closer proximity to those damaging effects? It almost sounds like you’re implying that these folks are just too stupid to apply sunscreen.
Of course they spent more money than they planned. Colorado is ridiculously overpriced. How sad that those who travel here are subject to the arrogant scorn of inhabitants like you.
Are they inferior because they’re not “doing Colorado right” with their sunburns and fanny packs, like you are with your biking books? Just who are your “Trails and Tips” for anyway, only the privileged Cannondale-owning millionaire with a pair of toe-clips?
I’d trade a hot summer night with my good friends in the Midwest for any “chilled air” evening sipping an overpriced microbrew at some high-brow restaurant in the mountain town you call home.
And I have news for you about those sunsets you call breathtaking....mountains just get in the way. Colorado sunsets pale (literally) in comparison to Midwest sunsets. Until you have seen that gigantic crimson orb dancing at twilight in the atmospheric waves spanning a prairie horizon, you have never witnessed a breathtaking sunset.
The next time you bite into your multi-grain bread, or sip your snobby microbrew, think about a Kansas farmer in his well-worn Justin work boots, harvesting a wheat or barley field. No flip-flops in his closet.

This letter has not been edited.

READER COMMENTS

Helen, every time I bite into a piece of bread, I think of how farmers are pimping and exploiting taxpayers, with their federal farm subsidies. I just about hurl when I think that the Salazar brothers voted in congress, for their own $484K federal farm subsidy, which thye use to pay the wages of the criminal illegal Mexicans, that work on their family's farms. The Salazars aren't to be confused with US Sen. McCain. McCain to the frustration of most disabled combat vets, won't vote for vets VA disability pay raises, because he stands to gain financially from his vote. McCain (NAM POW) also didn't "cut and run" from NAM either.

"Ms. Acord’s words seem to personify the Colorado conceit that has become so prevalent among this state’s residents. "

Let's see,
we used to be a Red state now we are a "Purple/Blue" state

See any correlation there?

I like the comparrison of the sunsets and how Helen says that the sunsets are better on the low lands. My response is then why in the hell are you in Colorado? If the low lands are so much better in your opinion, from living conditions to affordability, then why are you here?

If you do not like Colorado then dont come here.

Sunsets are nice ... however my personal tastes run in favor of the stunning alpenglow in the pre dawn.

Helen, all I can say is an "amen" and an "ditto" to everything you said. My mouth was ajar the entire time I was reading Ms. Acord's article, for I honestly just couldn't believe what I was reading.

Take all her mean and crusty jabs aside and let's just talk about the economic impact tourism has on our state. Tourism generates billions of dollars into our state's economy spent by millions of those "flatlanders" every year. And the trickle down affect this has in our state is huge...every type of business feels the success...or failure of this "clean" industry. The state of Colorado and the Colorado Tourism Organization just this year got millions of dollars to promote our state to people in, well, you can just guess which states. These state tourism funds are something our state has not had since 1993, and one of the state's favorite areas to promote is...you guessed it...Denver and the ski/mountain destinations.

All business aside though, this was just a mean-spirited article, no matter how anyone tries to justify it, and I truly believe there is an apology needed in here somewhere. Period, end of story.

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