Letters to the Editor, September 21

Published September 21, 2006 at midnight

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Grown-ups know not to expect perfection

Syndicated columnists Cokie and Steven Roberts ("Bush has let us down," Aug. 31) not only misinterpreted why people voted for President Bush for a second term, they don't even have a clear grasp of presidential duties. It is not, as they assert, to "provide federal goods and services" - the Congress performs that duty. (The president does, of course, have veto power.)

The president is not chief chaplain - and what does this do to the Robertses' usual position of separation of church and state? - charged with "embodying and elevating the nation's spirit."

I voted for Bush for a second term because I felt his war in Iraq was justified considering - and despite the sacrifices entailed - what our previous 40 years of "stability" had yielded. I felt his judicial appointments would be more in line with my political philosophy and I felt that, as has been proven not just in the United States but elsewhere, that fewer taxes yield greater opportunity for all, especially my young adult children who might want to start a business.

I did not vote for him to "protect me from harm." Bush has largely done this when the term "harm" is related to squelching terrorist plots, but protecting me personally from harm is not his job, nor should it be, whether it be a hurricane, blizzard or tornado.

Unfortunately, an irresponsible press is the enabler of this preposterous notion that we must expect 100 percent safety (and comfort and health and prosperity!) at all times and that it is the president's job to ensure this. Real grown-ups know better.

Patrick R. Ritchen

Brighton

Bush's pluses, please

George W. Bush has been in office for almost six years. During that time Republicans controlled both the House and the Senate enabling him to implement his policies. I have two questions for those who voted for Bush.

First, what do you think are his major achievements during his six years in office? Second, do you think that the Republican incumbents who enabled Bush's achievements deserve another term?

I would hope that anyone able to answer these questions would use this newspaper as a forum for their answers. Many of us who did not vote for Bush would be absolutely fascinated by the answers, and I just can't wait.

Bob Kropfli

Golden

Fundamental changes will aid our elderly

I read with interest "Nursing home care costs must be curbed," the Aug. 30 letter from Marianne Towey in which she proposes "simple and practical" solutions to the problem of middle-class persons obtaining Medicaid to pay for their nursing home costs.

The problem is that Congress has created a Medicaid system that is unfair and inequitable to elderly Americans. In February of this year, Congress added to the problem by amending Medicaid laws to create an even more difficult and confusing long-term-care payment system that is not going to work.

The American people need to do two things:

First, they need to elect officials who do something fundamental about health care and not just tinker with it.

Second, they need to move long-term care into the Medicare system and take it entirely out of Medicaid. We cannot continue to treat our elderly citizens as though they are welfare cheats. Health care should be a right and not an award for someone who knows how to steer through the maze of increasingly confusing laws. Towey offers only "Band-Aid" solutions to a system that needs fundamental change.

R. Eric Solem

Englewood

Minimum wage hike will likely hurt many

As a member of the "working poor" I would urge everyone to vote no on Amendment 42, the effort to raise the minimum wage. My family was living on minimum wage when the last increase was passed. Immediately my husband's work hours were cut and soon thereafter he lost his job and had great difficulty finding another one. Additionally, the cost of items we purchased went up to reflect the higher cost of workers.

Raising the minimum wage didn't help us then and it will hurt us now. Raising the minimum wage doesn't solve the root problems of families in poverty. It also radically devalues the wages of those, like us, who are slowly scraping their way up the wage ladder. Those who have gained raises and make just slightly more than minimum wage will, essentially, receive pay cuts if Amendment 42 is passed.

There are things that can help the working poor. They take real effort and small financial investments. Things like increasing financial aid programs, assisted housing and GED programs can help give workers the skills to earn better wages. That's real help, not a feel-good proposal designed to make politicians look good. Please vote against Amendment 42 and let's work for real solutions to poverty.

Judith Martinez

Lakewood

Dishonest voter guide; dishonest Romanoff

My thanks to the News for highlighting the false information regarding Amendment 44 in this year's voter guide ("Ambushing the pot initiative/Blue book language will mislead voters," Sept. 15).

I was counting on the Blue Book to get the straight facts on this year's ballot issues before heading to the polls. But apparently facts are of little or no importance to the Legislative Council and House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, who oversaw the drafting of the booklet and apparently went out of their way to mislead voters on the initiative pertaining to marijuana.

I could not care less if voters approve Amendment 44. But I agree with the News that this manipulation of the Blue Book could have a lasting and detrimental effect on voter's trust in the system for years to come.

As a result, I must now seek an honest opinion about the initiatives somewhere other than the state's voter guide this year. But on the bright side, this was a wake-up call that my district is in need of an honest representative to replace Romanoff. Like the voter guide, I can no longer take him at his word.

Bridget Girard

Denver

Return Blue Books

I encourage all Colorado voters to return their voter guides - or Blue Books - as they receive them. The Legislative Council and House Speaker Andrew Romanoff are misleading voters - oops, I mean lying to the voters - about Amendment 44 ("Ambushing the pot initiative/Blue book language will mislead voters," Rocky Mountain News, Sept. 15).

When voters receive the guides, they should write on them or include a note about the intentionally misleading language in the arguments against Amendment 44 and send them back to The Legislative Council, Room 029, State Capitol Building, Denver, CO, 80203. Request that the council and Romanoff fix the language or call for a recall of the misleading voters guide.

Kenny Griffin

Leadville

Preschool tax will be a boon to poor children

The News editorial urging Denver voters to vote no on an increase in sales tax to subsidize preschool is weak in its reasoning ("Vote 'no' on preschool tax," Sept. 5).

The editorial cannot decide if research does or does not support preschool. Let's be clear: Recent research shows that one year of high-quality prekindergarten can give as much as a seven-month advantage in vocabulary, which is a good predictor of how well the student will perform in primary school. This will, in turn, benefit poor children the most, helping to shrink the achievement gap.

The editorial also raises issues with the quality-control provision in the proposal. It worries that preschools might find the paperwork "burdensome." This is a small price to pay for accountability.

As for the city overstepping its authority under the city charter, let's change the charter! The editorial tries but fails to characterize the proposal as an attempt to take control of preschool from parents and hand it off to the state. This is a long-term investment that the people of Denver must and will approve.

Mark Sass

Denver

Denver voting devices have performed well

My thanks to the News for mentioning the city and county of Denver in its editorial of Sept. 18, "No need to panic over voting machines."

Denver has been using direct recording equipment, or DREs, for more than a decade, but not touch-screen DREs. While both our old Advantage machines and our new Edge machines are DREs, actual touch-screen voting debuted in Denver during the Aug. 8, 2006, primary election, and the machines performed well.

As mentioned in the editorial when discussing the fallibility of humans, there were some human-machine interface issues during our first ever vote center election, an issue common to new vote centers across the nation.

As long as elections are administered and run by humans, the potential for error will always exist, regardless of whether or not machines are used.

The Denver Election Commission is moving full speed ahead toward November and our second vote center election. Because of the length of the ballot we encourage voters to vote absentee or early. Absentee ballots can be requested to be mailed until Oct. 31, or they can be applied for in person until 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 3.

The absentee ballot request form can be downloaded at www.denvergov.org/elections.

John Gaydeski

Executive director,

Denver Election Commission

Contrast in the 4th

I recently began seeing TV ads for the 4th Congressional District campaign. What a contrast! While challenger state Rep. Angie Paccione presents ideas, concepts and issues, U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave directly (and inaccurately) attacks with the GOP smoke screen of illegal immigration.

Certainly Musgrave has a record to tout in her two terms, and should not have to take the low road. Come on, Rep. Musgrave, tell us what you have done, are doing and will continue to do to represent the interests of Colorado. We all know the GOP line - what do you think . . . and why should you be re-elected?

Mark Walker

Aurora

In sheep's clothing

After reading Paul Campos' column of Sept. 12, "Bush is our failure-in-chief," I have to wonder: Is there no politically conservative professor on the "diverse" University of Colorado campus the News can hire to write propaganda-filled columns to discredit the left while posing as a moderate? Campos, a wolf in sheep's clothing, certainly pulled the wool over my eyes.

Percy Conarroe

Longmont

Whither bin Laden?

Thank you, Rocky Mountain News, for your many reports on the fifth anniversary of the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Why hasn't the Bush administration captured and/or killed the mastermind of these notorious tragedies? Got Osama?

Frank Ohrtman

Denver

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