Letters to the Editor, December 5

Published December 5, 2006 at midnight

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Amendment 27 at root of election 'mudfest'

Kudos to the Rocky Mountain News for its Nov. 18 report exposing the millions of dollars spent in Colorado this past campaign season on the lowest form of free speech: mudslinging. Although both sides stepped into the pigsty, the News' analysis made clear that Democrats outspent Republicans almost 2-to-1 in funding negative advertising through the controversial "527" committees that have come to dominate our state's elections.

It was surprising, however, that the News would devote almost 2,000 words to the subject without any mention of the development four years ago that revved up the 527s in the first place, setting the stage for the mudfest that now assaults voters each election. I'm talking about the disastrous attempt at campaign-finance reform called Amendment 27.

What was pitched to voters in 2002 as an effort to clean up politics by wringing out the money has backfired, diverting those dollars into proxy organizations over which political parties and candidates have no control. Although independent committees have been around Colorado politics for a while, it was Amendment 27's absurdly low limits on contributions to candidates that prompted political operatives to throw in the towel on candidate fundraising in favor of fattening the coffers of unaccountable 527s.

Under the circumstances, it's simply a better investment. A candidate has to be judicious with his message on the campaign trail, especially when it comes to throwing bombs at the other side. An independent group has no such reservations. And unlike parties and candidates, independent groups like 527s are constitutionally beyond the reach of most campaign regulations. Sadly, that means elections are only likely to get muddier.

Sen. Andy McElhany

R-Colorado Springs

Denver must ramp up snow removal efforts

Growing up in Albany, N.Y., a place with seven months of winter and five months of darn poor sledding, as they say, we saw a good deal of snow. The urban legend was that the superintendent of schools owned a horse, and if the snow accumulation didn't reach as high as the horse's belly, schools would open as planned. While this was a bit of an exaggeration, it was true that if the accumulation was less than 10 inches or so, and if it started falling before midnight, the roads would be clear in time for the morning commute.

One would think that Colorado would be similarly prepared. But one recent morning I had the white-knuckle experience of skidding my way to work down Colorado Boulevard. This four-lane thoroughfare was coated with several inches of slush, snow and ice.

What's worse: In the 30 minutes that the two-mile commute took, I didn't see one snowplow. Colorado Boulevard is a busy road; I generally see four or five accidents there each week - in good weather. When covered in snow, it's a nightmare. Needless to say, it was a harrowing ride.

Maybe it's my out-of-state perspective, but it seems to me that Denver's "wait till it melts" philosophy of snow removal just doesn't work. The city needs to look out for the safety of its citizens by keeping the roadways clear and safe for all drivers. Whether this means a reallocation of resources, or simply improving the quality of the service that we have now, I don't know. But something needs to be done.

David Moore Robinson

Denver

Shooting victim needs a surgeon's kindness

After seeing the Oprah Winfrey show on Nov. 27 regarding her charitable "pay it forward" plan, I too was astounded to hear about Denver native Martha Clark.

Clark's boyfriend shot her in the face with a shotgun nearly a year ago. Penny Parker also wrote about this in her Nov. 29 On the Town column.

Since the show aired, donations have been pouring in to help Clark afford the surgery needed to reconstruct her face. Bravo to everyone who has contributed!

What struck me was the fact that since this horrible incident occurred, apparently not one doctor has offered to perform the surgery, either for free or for a small fee. I read all the time about doctors who will travel all over the world (Doctors Without Borders) to perform various surgeries such as cleft palate repair, dental repairs, etc., on Third World patients, yet none have stepped in to help Martha Clark? It's been nearly a year that she's had to live with this horrible disfigurement. Whatever happened to "charity begins at home"?

Beth McCane

Aurora

Muslims on flight planned this 'insult'

The recent flap over the "peaceful Muslims" who were removed from a flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix highlights what is wrong with Islam ("Booted clerics claim bias," Nov. 22). The men involved are claiming discrimination. Let's look at their actions. They took seats they were not assigned to, seats by exits and in first class.

One passenger asked for a seatbelt extension (these make excellent improvised restraints) even though he was not overweight. They talked openly and favorably about al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden. And they have the gall to complain?

To my mind, this was clearly a deliberate, planned event to draw attention to them and feign an insult to their "religion of peace."

I have read the Quran cover to cover. I have read the hadith. Islam is not a religion of peace. It is a religion of conquest, violence and submission of all unbelievers.

America must take off its politically correct, rose-colored glasses and see Islam for what it truly is.

Todd Knurr

Aurora

Ritter takes low road

I'm saddened to see that, with the election of Gov.-elect Bill Ritter, it is going to be politics as usual. I refer, of course, to his people changing the meaning of Amendment 41 to suit the funding of their inauguration plans ("Inauguration party dodges 41/Backers claim it doesn't mean what it says," Nov. 27).

Crazy me, I thought that the new governor would take the high road and work with the spirit as well as the letter of the new amendment. I naively thought that Ritter would take the opportunity to lead by example, making a big deal out of living within the peoples' wishes, and having inaugural parties that included common people. (Maybe a $10 entry fee?)

Alas, it will be politics as usual. And the inauguration parties will violate the spirit, and probably the letter of the amendment.

Art Pansing

Denver

Helping credit firms

Predatory pricing - the ongoing selling of items below cost - has historically been used to drive competitors out of business, create monopolies, control a market, and eventually raise prices, all to the detriment of consumers (" 'Predatory pricing' an outdated concept," Nov. 13). This at least provides some understandable rationale for predatory pricing laws. I fail to see any rationale for the state law that disallows cash discounts.

This amounts to a sizable subsidy and support for credit card use and credit card companies. How anti-competitive is that?

Dick Dougherty

Leadville

A reasonable request

So Jennifer Peacock is upset that state officials want to see her birth certificate before issuing her a driver's license ("Colorado ID a bumpy ride," Nov. 24). Boo hoo!

It's necessary to provide a birth certificate before enrolling in little league sports. I see no burden in asking for one before issuing a driver's license. It is a reasonable request and a welcomed effort by the state to protect the integrity of the system.

I applaud the Department of Revenue for their efforts to protect me and all citizens of this state and urge them to remain firm in the face of this baseless criticism.

Mark Hubbard

Lakewood

Not in the Constitution

On the Nov. 22 Larry King show, King admitted that he did not know that the term "separation of church and state" is not in the Constitution.

This is a frightening demonstration that if a lie is told often enough, people will start to believe it.

Lawrence Bell

Greenwood Village

Let's get citizen input on redevelopment

Meetings with consultants and developers about development plans on the state-owned Lowry Bombing Range is not quite the same as involving the public in the decision-making process, as the recent Rocky Mountain News editorial implies ("Big plans from the land board," Nov. 25). Neither does holding two days of presentations during work hours beginning on Election Day, with a 10-day comment period ending on the day after Thanksgiving, and posting the presentations online two days before the end of the comment period.

The problem is that the State Land Board has no formal process to capture public input on decisions regarding the 3 million acres of land it oversees.

The solution? Create a process that properly involves all interested stakeholders and gives them a meaningful voice, and do it now before making additional decisions about developing the 26,000-acre former bombing range. What is the rush to make decisions on this land right now, especially at a time when developers in the Denver area are scaling back projects that have been planned for years?

If one looks at the residential and retail development plans for Lowry in a vacuum, they might look appealing, but step back to a regional view and they become a concern.

Many issues still need to be addressed to ensure the land board makes an informed decision that benefits Colorado and preserves the quality of life in the Denver metro region. Let's not be afraid to give Coloradans a voice in this important decision.

Gregg Cassarini

Smart Growth campaign manager, Colorado Environmental Coalition

Denver

Defender of Israel omits crucial aspects

In a recent Speakout column, Neil Dobro asserts that Palestinian militants attack Israel because they wish to kill "Jewish families solely because they are proud Jews living in the Jewish homeland" ("Palestinian terror in beggars' clothing," Nov. 27). Such an absurd claim completely ignores reality.

As Dobro explains that Palestinian "bad decisions" are responsible for civilian deaths caused by Israel Defense Forces artillery, he conveniently leaves out the brutal history of Israeli military violence against Palestinian civilians. Dobro doesn't use the word "occupation" even once and implies that Israel is simply trying to exist peacefully. He ignores the fact that the Jewish homeland was created through expulsion of the majority of non-Jewish inhabitants of that land.

He ignores the fact that Jewish settlements have been spreading across the West Bank like wildfire, causing destruction of Palestinian farmland and demolition of their homes.

He ignores U.N. reports showing that 24,500 Gazans were made homeless due to Israeli house demolitions within four years. And he ignores that, while Israel ceased its colonization of Gaza by withdrawing settlers, it continues to occupy the territory through military control of Gaza's borders, airspace, sea coast, energy, and international transportation.

Dobro wants us to listen to the rest of the story, yet he omits the most crucial parts of the narrative.

Michal Kucera

Indian Hills

Too bad Democratic leaders eschew draft

I am disappointed that the Democratic leadership has rejected consideration of the reinstitution on the military draft as proposed by Rep. Charles Rangel. Had young people across the economic spectrum been facing conscription, there is no way our involvement in Iraq would have reached the tar baby stage we are now seeing. "There is nothing like the prospect of a hanging to sharpen the mind" or cure apathy and a lack of involvement.

If the Democratic Party is to truly become a "party of the people" in opposition to one of the corporation (and I would argue that the Pentagon, with its subsidiary military industries, qualifies as being a megacorporation), it will have to do much more than increase the minimum wage to reverse the concentration of wealth, privilege and power begun under Ronald Reagan.

Thus far, our responses to 9/11 - the Patriot Act, the invasion of Iraq, the torture enactment act, as well as the Bush tax cuts, No Child Left Behind, and the Medicare prescription drug plan - have all negatively affected America both at home and abroad. It is hoped the incoming Democratic majority can begin to generate a more positive direction in government.

Robert Porath

Boulder

Like the old one, any new draft will be unfair

Rep. Charles Rangel has proposed a reinstatement of the draft that has some merit but, just as in the past, it won't be fair. Does anyone think the children of politicos will go? Will the Bush twins get drafted? Will the children of the rich have to go? It will cost them just as much, if not more, to get their kids out of military service as it did during the Vietnam War.

I do have two possible solutions. One, send us old Vietnam vets back. I would never want another to have to go through what we did. This way they won't have to pay us our Social Security and Medicare. Problem solved!

Second, elect a woman as our president. A woman would never be as quick to send our kids off to an unwarranted, Big Money-supported meat grinder. For those of you who never served, believe me, please - no movie can ever tell the real truth. You wannabes driving your Hummers to the mall aren't impressing anybody.

Don Clark

Westminster

News gets it backward

The Nov. 17 News headline, "Condo owners lose right to smoke in own home," should have read "Condo owners gain right to breathe in own home."

Similarly, the story should have highlighted the property rights and freedom of the 75 percent of the condo owners who did not want to be subjected to the injurious health risks caused by the one condo owner who wanted to smoke.

Steve Clodfelter

Denver

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