Don’t buy COGA’s spin
[Re: “Fracking report inaccurate,” Letters, Oct. 10.] Oh, Mr. Flanders! I can’t figure out whether you’re ringing your hands in distress and bewilderment or in delight at being able, yet again, to take pot shots at the environment. Yes, I wrote environment. I did not mean “environmentalists.”
I know a thing or two about the oil and gas industry. Once upon a time I had an insider’s look at it. So before you drip away in self-praise at your community-assistance motives, let me point out that your industry has a 40-plus-year history of spending millions upon millions upon millions of dollars to repair a badly bruised and battered public image. (Remember the 1970s?)
While those who are benefiting from the “assistance” that your megabillion-dollar companies have contributed towards relief, auditors will find those write-offs buried in your accounting under a derivative of public relations.
You know that your alleged compassion and generosity goes well beyond helping your fellow man and his environment. If there were such genuine caring, your industry wouldn’t be creating the environmental chaos that you inflict each and every day.
Methane released into the air that is damaging to human health as ozone and to the climate even more than carbon dioxide. Chemicals thrust into the ground and brought back up that are causing serious illness to children and adults alike. Total disregard of communities’ rights to self-determination. Perhaps we should do an amputation of your industry’s collective middle finger. Would that it were just that easy.
Your partner-in-crime Tisha Schuller looked to be agonizing when interviewed during television reporting on oil spills, tanks tipped and overturned, berms that allegedly contain contamination washed into farmland and waterways in the aftermath of the flooding. While Ms. Schuller was telling the viewing audience “Don’t worry, be happy,” the cut-aways were showing such images. Now really, Mr. Flanders, do you expect us to believe her — and you?
So as a reaction to your public relations disaster from the flood, you pulled out your Rapid Response Team to come up with an approach to remedy the bruises from falling on your faces. Those dastardly ordinary citizens — moms, dads, grandpas, grandmas, doctors, nurses, neighbors, friends — all those people who dare to point out the obvious and according to you and your mouthpieces are using a disaster to drive home a reality that you don’t want in public consciousness. Your industry causes damage — to people’s health and safety, to the environment, to the climate, to the air we breathe and water we drink and use to grow our food. And you will continue to cause that damage until you are stopped. We plan to do just that. And we will do it with truth, justice and the truly American way — not with lie on top of lie on top of lie, not by calling in chits with elected officials, not with lawsuits where the only intent is to deprive people and communities of their rights and well-being. You are on the wrong side of history, Mr. Flanders of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, the wrong side.
Kaye Fissinger/Longmont
Vote no on AA
The Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division’s criminal acts of disclosing private medical information, waste and fraud should disqualify them from getting a dime of pot taxes, let alone running the sick “seed-to-sale” surveillance of a legal business.
I’m OK with paying just the 15 percent excise tax, which was part of the Amendment 64 text I voted for. But most people voted simply to “treat marijuana like alcohol,” so it should be taxed and regulated the same, and by the same people, who are doing a fine job with alcohol.
Why should the state give up to a 30-1 tax preference to getting drunk instead of high, when alcohol kills hundreds of thousands a year, and pot kills nobody? To keep the black market alive, and the private prisons profiting? What about the murder that comes with the black market, the luring in of children, etc.?
These are greedy people drunk with power (and alcohol, natch). If Boulder’s posturepedic politicians pile on, pot could be taxed 50 times as much as alcohol. Vote no on AA!
Evan Ravitz/via Internet
Protect Lafayette
The current Lafayette City Council has become such a fear-based group of aimless mumblers that I am waiting eagerly for the day that we can swear in new members who actually have a vision focused on residents and businesses besides Xcel and frackers. Council’s resolutions that unanimously register their disapproval of Questions 300 and 301 and their support for Question 2A do not reflect any concern for the future health, safety and wellbeing for the community they are supposed to represent. Instead, what they have resorted to is the nice, comfy feeling that status quo provides and, additionally in the case of 2A, what Xcel told them to do.
As part of a one-year license agreement with Xcel, City Council was required to pass resolution 2013-50 supporting the 20-year franchise renewal. Council felt that, just for good measure, the inclusion of a threat to the safety and property of residents would really seal the deal.
The threat to the safety and property of residents carries over into City Council’s disapproval of Question 301. They claim that approval of the 3 percent Utility Occupation Tax “would effectively require a diversion of general revenues from existing, traditional city amenities and services, such as police and fire protection, library and recreation services.”
But why does City Council feel it is necessary, justifiable and even appropriate to threaten cutbacks on police, fire, library and recreation services? Sales tax revenues are on the upswing for Lafayette and renewable energy and energy efficiency are investments that pay for themselves over time (see Lafenergy.org/econ.php), as well as reduce carbon dioxide pollution.
I urge the voters of Lafayette to not succumb to the “blood and glass in the streets” threats of this City Council. I urge them to vote yes on Question 301 and to vote no on Question 2A.
Mike Page/Lafayette
