LETTERS: Friday (vote for favorite letter)

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‘Drill, baby, drillers’

In the fall of 2008, we heard two “mavericks” brashly proclaim their “drill, baby, drill” mantra across the land. Thankfully, they were resoundingly defeated by a majority of the American voters and sent packing. Now we have a catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that threatens the wetland environment, many endangered species of animals and fish, as well as the fishing and tourist economies of several states. The “drill, baby, drillers” have suddenly run for cover.

Let’s connect the dots here:

• The recession of 2008-2009, due in large part to a lack of government oversight and regulation of the banking industry.

• A tragic mine accident in West Virginia at a mine with a poor safety record.

• Recalls of millions of vehicles because the auto industry apparently got a wink and a nod from regulators when safety problems first appeared.

Could these and other disastrous events be the logical consequence of eight years of an overly pro-business administration that recklessly dismantled many safety, environmental and consumer protections at the behest of industry lobbyists (many of whom had been hired for federal agency posts)?

I’ve noticed that the local libertarians and the tea party crowd are planning another of their “limited government” events. Limited government is probably a good thing, but let’s not confuse limited government with “no government” or a severely eviscerated government that lacks the power to provide reasonable and prudent regulatory oversight to protect its citizens and the environment.

Dave Seyfert

Colorado Springs

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Parental supervision needed

In response to the editorial “Cyber bullies do irreparable harm,” April 5.

Are parents no longer responsible for the safety of their children? Why is it that the strong emotions causing children to take their own lives have gone unnoticed?

It sounds to me like most of the blame is placed with the online sites and the children doing the bullying. While this may seem realistic, we also must realize that bullying is part of childhood, and online surfing is a privilege not a requirement.

It seems that parental supervision continues to fall flat when it comes to Web surfing. Most parents are aware of their child’s whereabouts, although often times they will not look into or censor their online activity. It’s obvious that unsupervised Web surfing has continuously proved to be harmful. In saying that, one must question the relationship between parent and child when the negative effects of cyberbullying go unnoticed.

While I understand that life is fast-paced and always changing, I wonder if the answer to the problem could be as simple as spending more time with your children. Could a few sit-down dinners a week save your child’s life? After all, it is a parent’s job to protect their child from everything possible, bullies and cyberbullies included.

Bridget Willette

Colorado Springs

Launch an ethics inquiry

I see that the secretary of state and the state Attorney General’s Office are continuing their witch hunt against Douglas Bruce. (“State prods Bruce to make appearance at deposition,” May 4)

Mr. secretary of state, has your office, ever in history, subpoenaed the landlord (for crying out loud) of a petitioner before? Does your office routinely screen the landlords of petitioners for your political enemies? Will you be demanding rent receipts and leases from any other petitioners’ landlords? Were no other petitioners staying for free, even with friends or relatives?

It’s clear that the secretary of state and the Attorney General’s Office are targeting Mr. Bruce because he is a successful anti-tax activist. Their persecution is a blatant abuse of authority. I hope to see an ethics investigation opened soon.

Mike Heiny

Colorado Springs

In need of an explanation

I’m confused. I hope someone can explain this to me. Why does the government need to know if Doug Bruce is responsible for amendments 60 and 61 and Proposition 101?

If everything was done right, why is our government after Doug Bruce? So if I vote for them, will they come after me?

Cindy Bader

Colorado Springs

How’s the project funded?

The East Library was closed for two weeks so staff could redo all the bar codes on all the library items. I assume the rest of the library system will follow suit. I was told that the new system will make checkout faster. Faster than the split second it now takes to scan bar codes?

So the question is where are we getting the money for this massive project. From the money saved on streetlights and trash removal?

Ann Donovan

Colorado Springs