Letters: 10/27/16

Give me some arts tax
As a theater lover and mother of two, I’m very excited to be able to vote YES on Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) in this election. Renewing the one-penny-on-ten-dollar sales tax pays for so much! Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) funds support the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, the zoo, Nature and Science museum, and hundreds of arts and cultural organizations across the metro area. Thanks to SCFD, I’m able to take my children to more than 100 free days every year. That’s an incredible bargain — one of the things that makes the Denver area such a great place to live. I urge every voter to join me in voting Yes on 4B to renew support for the SCFD and culture for all!
Amanda Rhodes/via Facebook

Don’t be dumb
Television ads and robocalls have Mayor Wellington Webb asking voters to vote yes on Amendment 71.

I don’t understand why citizens would be against their own interests! A yes would also amend the constitution making it IMPOSSIBLE for citizens to address important issues. Two-thirds of the amendments to the Colorado Constitution are made by legislators; less than one-third initiated by Colorado citizens. Only 26 states even allow citizens to collect signatures to amend their constitutions.

Voting yes will make it almost impossible for citizens to practice democracy in action as most groups are not well-funded and will not be able to collect the necessary signatures from 35 senate districts. Only those with huge monetary backing will be able to pay signature gathers in the future and televise ads.

We cannot afford to lose our rights by voting yes on Amendment 71 nor giving away our power to corporations.

PLEASE VOTE NO!

“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” —Abraham Lincoln
Sandy Reavey/Denver

Vote Danish
I support Paul Danish for County Commissioner because of his sound judgement, common sense, and sharp wit — qualities which are sorely needed on the Board of County of Commissioners.

In the years I have lived in the City of Boulder, Paul has served on both the Boulder City Council and the Board of County Commissioners. I have had ample opportunity to observe his performance, and have always been impressed with his critical thinking and excellent communication skills. Paul truly appreciates citizen input, knows how to listen and cuts right through all of the bureaucratic BS. These traits are critical in today’s world of local Boulder politics where decisions are often based on doctrine, consultant studies and lengthy staff reports rather than citizen needs.

I’ll never forget an event which occurred in the early 1980s after Pearl Street was converted into a pedestrian mall and the Boulder City Council was tasked with developing rules and regulations to govern activities on the mall. Another city councilman, who was president of the old National State Bank on the corner of 13th and Pearl, wanted musicians to audition and obtain permits before performing on the mall. He argued for permits because he did not like the sound of a saxophone player who often played in front of his bank. To keep things from becoming overly bureaucratic and complex, Paul Danish said “Dick, can’t you do us all a favor and just slip the guy five bucks and ask him to play down the street?” After a quick round of laughter, they moved on to the next topic.
Please read Democrat U.S. Senator Mark Udall’s recognition of Paul Danish on the Senate floor: tinyurl.com/j8agbk7
Ben Binder/Boulder

Reelect Commissioners Jones and Gardner
There are many reasons to reelect commissioners Jones and Gardner. Both have served well for the last several years and thus know how the county works, what the needs are, and how to make things happen. Both have listened to the wishes of the public and have done a good job of sorting out conflicting points of views. This is not always easy but is a necessary part of the job as commissioner. Paving roads, GMOs and other issues often have valid differences of opinion and often there is a need to balance short-term and long-term benefits and costs. I may not always agree with them but I am always confident that they have considered all information and options.

Listening to the residents of Boulder County takes more than listening at town hall meetings and county open sessions. Many of the needs of the public are often raised and at least partially addressed by nonprofits. Seeing Deb and Elise at many events shows that they are getting important information about the needs of our residents.

Paul Danish switched to being a Republican from being a Democrat. Given what we hear on the media during this campaign season, that seems to be hard to defend. He is now part of the anti-immigrant, voter-suppression party that fails to suppress anti-Muslim and anti-women rhetoric. He supports hydraulic fracking, which most of us in the county want to see better controlled and for the industry to quit lying to us repeatedly. He viciously attacks his opponent for being against GMOs. Personally, I see them as the world’s biggest science project that might go either way. On his web site he violates his first principal repeatedly.
Bob Norris/Longmont

Please vote yes on 106 & 69
A very dear couple I love, both terminally ill, chose to end nutrition a few weeks ago so they might end suffering for themselves and family members. They want to die together. Ages 92 and 88, they have lived very full and meaningful lives, including Peace Corps work in their late 60s.

When I visited them last week, lying side by side in their bed surrounded by family, I was deeply moved by their love and tenderness toward one another, their courage, their beliefs and their generous presence. She died Tuesday and he’s expected to die today. It’s incredibly sad that his final hours are compounded with the suffering of grief in addition to pain and starvation.

My friends won’t be able to vote for Proposition 106, Access to Medical Aid-in-Dying Medication, nor Amendment 69, Statewide Health Care System; measures they supported. I certainly will. Both these ballot issues are moral imperatives that will make Colorado a better place to live and die. Health care is a basic human right for all without insurance companies greedily gouging us with continued premium increases. Amendment 69 does away with insurance companies, thus managing costs. Similarly, when someone has been diagnosed with a terminal illness (confirmed by two doctors), and met with a mental health professional, they should be legally allowed the basic dignity to end suffering by taking a prescribed pill when they decide it’s time. Oregon has had this law in effect for 19 years with ZERO abuses reported.

Please help alleviate suffering by voting yes on 106 and 69.
Shari Malloy/Longmont

Ultimate outsider
Millions of Americans have or are ready to die to protect our values. Countless millions, including myself, are more than happy to pay taxes which cover the cost of the infrastructure for civility and the protection of our basic human rights. Many others have acquired great wealth in America through innovation and investment without having to burden others with their bankruptcies. Most Americans believe in a woman’s right to choose without prosecution and that our climate is changing in a negative direction due to human activities. None of these attributes or ideals have ever been expressed or acknowledged by Donald Trump. In fact, he wears these shortcomings as badges to proclaim he is the ultimate outsider. I agree!
Tom Lopez / Longmont

Coloradans deserve the right to vote
The Denver Post reported State Republican Party Chairman Steve House said the party’s 24-member executive committee in August 2015 made the unanimous decision — where six members were absent — to skip the preference poll.

The people in the United States were shocked to hear the news. Veteran groups and soldiers were appalled. How could the Colorado Republican Party Executive Committee (18 people) make this decision for every Republican in the state?

Now comes the backlash. Every Republican who did not get to vote can join the Reagan Democrats and independents to say, “We are taking our country back.”

No to a few taking our vote away. Eighteen people cannot silence an entire party or movement. No to any more jobs lost through NAFTA and TPP. Colorado lost 11,345 manufacturing jobs (or 7.4 percent) during the NAFTA-WTO period (1994-2015), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. No to terrorism. ISIS or homegrown, we want change. No to drug traffickers and drugs coming into our communities from Mexico. Colorado news reported deaths from drug overdoses in Colorado are reaching a crisis level. Not only does the state’s death rate from overdose top the national average, but those numbers have increased across the state. No more dishonesty, no more negative ads; we’re not for sale nor is our country!

Vote for change. Vote Trump and turn our country to a new direction.
Mike Martino/via internet

Vote guide appreciation
Thank you for taking the time to put together the voter guide again. I use it every election and it provides a lot of value. I really appreciate it. Keep up the good work! Thanks.
David /via email

The Danish Question
The Paul Danish I like to remember is from the mid ’60s as the CU Student Body co-president with Paul Talmey holding spirited political debates in the Memorial Center courtyard with the Conservative-minded Samir Zakhem. Then there was the Paul Danish writing for the ironically Boulder-based Soldier of Fortune Magazine, which served to promote warfare as a morally acceptable blood sport. Then came a stint as a Democratic Boulder County Commissioner and the installation of the Danish Plan that, for all its urban planning positives, has contributed to the continuing elitist gentrification and cost of living here. Now, as near as can be determined, it appears he is writing for Jon Caldera’s Independence Institute and promoting Libertarian issues, including laissez-faire government, free-market capitalism, deregulation and the defense of gun rights. How this fits into today’s Boulder is a mystery to me.
Robert Porath/Boulder

Thank You BW
I thank you for your voting guide! I agreed with you 99 percent and it was so helpful for both myself and my husband. In Great Spirit,
Mari/Boulder

Full-page anti-hunting complaint
As a Colorado native and longtime Boulder County resident, I was rather dismayed at reading the full-page spread on page 4 [this was a paid advertisement], which I see as nothing more than an Anita Moss anti-hunting complaint which completely disregards the charter of the National Forest System. We all thank God for Teddy Roosevelt’s concept of everyman’s right in the clear definition, laws and boundaries that have been established, especially when we apply these laws as a whole versus our definitions and special interests, regardless of that interest. This area is within National Forest Service boundaries. The original provision was made to address public safety, and it did. Hunting’s safety record is public and can be reviewed by all.

Her’s is not a crusade for public safety as it is another means to change Colorado culture as it has been for a long time, and as we all see here in Boulder County, these changes are crappy! It is no surprise that she points out that JeffCo has encroached on 90 NFS acres already. The USFS and Colorado Parks and Wildlife looks at natural balance versus human interests in their policies and I thank the commissioners for actually acting in the citizens’ interests instead of pandering to the human infestation we’ve been experiencing.
Michael Ortiz/Lafayette

Your vote counts in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election
You have two choices to vote for in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump
1. Vote for Hillary Clinton
a. You must register to vote in you
place of residence
b. You must get and mark
your ballot
c. You must cast your ballot.
2. Vote for Donald Trump
You can vote for Donald Trumpin three ways:
a. Cast your ballot for Trump
(as above)
b. You can vote for a third
party candidate
c. You can shirk your duty as an
American citizen and Not vote
You choose.
D. Kirby/Lafayette