LETTERS: Friday

City has to make do with less

Atop the headline in Wednesday’s Gazette, there’s a quote from UCCS professor of political science Josh Dunn who says “The people of Colorado Springs don’t seem to believe the claims that the heavens will fall if the city isn’t allowed to raise these taxes” (“Springs voters slap down city government”).

I’m sure Dunn is probably a lot smarter than I am, but he doesn’t understand the Colorado Springs voter. We’re tired of being lied to, threatened, hearing about secret deals made under cover of darkness (USOC), and phony ethics investigations. Many have already been laid off, have had salary reductions, and tried in vain to find new jobs. Those on Social Security will not only not get a cost-of-living raise next year, but will have more taken out of their payment for Medicare B.

Seems to me it’s time for city employees to share in the cuts. Wouldn’t they rather keep their job for a little less pay than to lose it altogether?

It’s pretty obvious that the majority doesn’t trust our City Council and city manager, and until city officials learn to be honest and transparent in their dealings, and remember they work for us, we probably won’t vote to give them more money.

Jean Ritter

Colorado Springs

Safety cuts should be last

Now that the issues over taxes and fees have been settled by the voters, it’s time for the City Council to make some tough decisions. I would rather see the transit system eliminate the last bus route, the parks’ last blade of grass die, and the Pioneers Museum property be sold before any police officer or firefighter is laid-off or has a pay cut.

Nothing affects quality of life more than our safety. Without that, all the other amenities are worthless.

Dik Thurston

Colorado Springs

Hate crimes are different

Whitney Galbraith seems to have trouble discerning the difference between a crime and a hate crime (“Hate crime law divides us,” Letters, Nov. 2). It’s actually rather simple.

The difference between robbing a bank (because that’s where the money is) and assaulting someone because of his skin color, sexual orientation, religion or sex is the difference between a crime based on greed and one motivated by hate and prejudice.

A man is tied to a fence and left to die in Wyoming for no other reason than because he is gay. Another man is chained to a pickup and dragged to death in Texas solely because he is African-American.

That Galbraith apparently cannot see the difference between these examples and a thief who robs a liquor store or steals a woman’s purse in a parking lot is precisely why hate crime laws are necessary.

Holmes Brannon

Woodland Park

Will officials listen to voters?

The voters had their say but the elected officials aren’t listening. I opened my paper Wednesday morning and the mayor and some of the City Council members said the approval of Issue 300 “doesn’t affect the Stormwater Enterprise” (“Voters give Bruce victory, but battle over stormwater fee isn’t over”). The arrogance and utter stupidity of the elected officials in Colorado Springs amazes me.

The voters are fed up with elected officials that fail to represent them and if the City Council members foolishly think the Stormwater Enterprise is not affected by this ballot measure, they do so at their own peril.

Cities, counties and states around the country are in trouble and their first instinct is to raise taxes rather than honestly look at what they are funding and rein in spending. When asked to consider reducing employees wages they refused to even consider that as a possibility. Public employees have gold-plated benefit packages and they are paid more than the private sector but they are not inviolable.

The voters of this city and for that matter voters across the nation should vote all elected officials out of office. It is time to send a message to the professional politicians to actually represent their constituents rather than themselves.

Ken Schoentag

Colorado Springs

Mining part of state history

I am not sure how to express my outrage at the article in Sunday’s paper about ranchers not interested in asphalt firm (“Ranchers not interested in asphalt firm for neighbor”). Doesn’t anyone realize that mining is what Colorado was built on?

Does anyone think about how many jobs the plan would bring to El Paso County? It seems to me Lafarge is bending over backward to appease everyone involved. If they were a big manufacturing plant, the red carpet would be rolled out.

I am a fourth-generation Colorado native and my dad and grandparents were all farmers and miners. Face it; gravel pits, oil wells, mining, etc., are necessary. In my opinion a lot of what is wrong with this country (other than greed) is the environmentalists.

Lois Martinez

Colorado Springs

Traffic light to engineer by

This being the month of November, I am writing a letter of praise and thanksgiving.

There is a traffic light at the intersection of Mesa Road and Fillmore Street which is just perfectly controlled to regulate the flow of traffic in both directions. Whoever engineered this light should teach everyone else in that business.

The light operates somewhat in favor of the Fillmore traffic ,which makes sense since that traffic is somewhat heavier than the traffic on Mesa. Once traffic is cleared, the light immediately changes to accommodate the traffic in the other direction.

In my daily travel, I need to go through this intersection many times, and each time I say a prayer of thanksgiving because I suffer no needless and time-consuming wait. My prayer is that the engineer who is responsible for engineering this delightful traffic light gets a raise and a promotion. And wouldn’t it be great to have traffic throughout all of Colorado Springs be this efficient?

M. C. Smith

Colorado Springs

Pay attention to big things

David Noebel cited Byne and Parson’s “Human Sexual Orientation: The Biological Theories Reappraised,” to support the position that homosexuality is chosen as he defended Focus on the Family (“Science backs Dobson,” Letters, Nov. 3). It’s worth noting that study was published in 1993. He also cited Satinover’s “Homosexuality and the Politics of Truth,” which was published in 1996. How can a claim be valid if it relies on old sources from a field of study that has recently blossomed so?

Aside from scientific proofs, what are we to make of a seemingly endless obsession by some, including Dr. James Dobson, with the sexual behavior of other adults, regardless of origin? Nearly half of our country’s kids will rely on food stamps at some point. There is a lot of good to be done, good everyone can agree on.

Feed a family, get a life.

David Shults

Colorado Springs