In the news story “Queering the classroom” from April 23, we incorrectly referred to sj Miller as a transgender man. The correct term for sj is trans.
In our 2015 Best of Boulder issue, BW regrets that it made a mistake in the Pet Boarding category. The Divine Canine Pet Care Center at 2103 CO-42 in Louisville should have been listed in third place. In addition there was a tie for fifth place. The top five finishers should have appeared as follows: First Place: Cottonwood Kennels Second place: Camp Bow Wow Third Place: The Divine Canine Pet Care Center Fourth place: Bowhaus Dog Day Care and Boarding Fifth Place: Dog Spot/Happy Hounds Dog Care Center (Tie)
Let owners rent their homes
I am a longtime Boulder Resident.
Yes, to allowing owner and non-owner occupied short-term rentals in Boulder. It is ridiculous to ask tax-paying property owners how to rent out their private property. Having the flexibility to rent out your property helps offset living expenses. This helps the middle class Boulderites and will bring in money to fund the city’s open space, low-income housing or other needs.
Lynne Bickley/Boulder
Obama says ‘look at facts’ of secret TPP deal
In an interview with MSNBC, that was reiterated in The Wall Street Journal on April 24, regarding the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), President Obama chided that “critics on the Left don’t know what they are talking about” and urged them “to look at the facts.” Obama’s criticism sounds reasonable except for the fact that the TPP is being negotiated in secret with even members of Congress having very limited access to the plan.
President Obama wants fast track authority to slip this secret pact through Congress on an up or down vote with no amendments allowed. Trust me, Obama tells us, this is not NAFTA. Obama added that this agreement entails increased opportunities for wide sectors of the economy such as agriculture, financial services, and stronger legal protections for intellectual property. However, the facts of the matter are that the trade representative negotiating the deal for the U.S. is a former Citigroup executive, and that this trade deal, like all the other trade deals negotiated in secret, appears to be a back room deal for the 1 percent. Once again, Wall Street is obviously positioning itself to gain immensely, while wage earners and environmental protections are being delegated to the back seat.
Philip Gordon/Boulder
Who does Polis represent?
In voting on Fast Track for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Congressman Jared Polis has to make a decision about who he represents — his constituents concerned about labor rights, the environment and social justice. or multi-national corporations.
Fast Track usurps the power of the Congress thereby denying the American people their right to legislative representation. Once approved, Fast Track will not allow for changes in the content of the TPP.
The TPP is a secretive “trade” agreement. The text is available to members of Congress but the law forbids them from discussing its content with the public.
Congressman Polis’ staff has been saying that small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) would benefit from this corporate trade deal. In reality, the big beneficiaries are the large multinationals. According to Public Citizen Trade Watch SMEs comprise 99.7 percent of US firms. In Colorado only 4 percent of SMEs export any products, while 22 percent of the states’ large firms export.
In the first two years, exports under the 2011 U.S. Free Trade Agreement with Korea actually fell in the top 10 products, and the overall U.S. goods trade deficit with Korea rose 50 percent to $7.6 billion, 50,000 U.S. jobs were lost.
Colorado inequality has also soared since NAFTA was first passed in 1994. The richest 10 percent now receive nearly half of the income in the state, the highest inequality in 100 years. A study by The Center for Economic and Policy Research found that under TPP, 90 percent of US workers would lose more to inequality increases than gained in cheaper goods.
The TPP would empower foreign corporations to challenge in foreign tribunals Colorado public health and environmental policies that they claim undermine their future profits.
Congressman Polis says he is undecided about Fast Track authority, He needs to decide who he supports: his constituents or the big corporations.
Isabel Olivera-Morales/Boulder
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