Letters - Tuesday

EAR! EAR!

Using corn for fuel doesn’t make sense

In the past few weeks there have been three articles in The Gazette that have my blood boiling. On Saturday was the piece, “Filmmakers avoid corn for month.” This is about a film, “King Corn,” a documentary showing how corn-based products pervade our lives.

There was also The Gazette’s Jan. 9 Our View, “Welfare corn,” talking about how much it costs to make the corn into fuel and deliver it to the distributors. The cost is so much more than the fuel can save us. The fact is that the worst idea our government has ever come up with is to make fuel for our motor vehicles out of a food product. This is insane. If you don’t believe it, just go on to the article in the Business section of Sunday’s Gazette, “The flip side.”

This tells the story from the perspective of the restaurants who are suffering — some on the verge of going out of business — because of the rise in the price of corn and corn products. Milk prices climbed nearly 20 percent. Cows eat corn. Egg prices climbed more than 30 percent. Chickens eat corn. One restaurant is spending $425 more a week for corn oil.

Everything made from, or with corn in it is going up. Why? Because the farmers are pulling their corn off the market for food and selling it to refineries to make fuel. Tell me this makes sense. And the best part is, our government is subsidizing the farmers to do this.

Then, to top it off, Keith Hay, in his Jan. 20 letter, “Ethanol key to nation’s energy independence,” has the nerve to tell us why this is good for us. All you have to do is read below his name where it says “Environment Colorado” to understand where he is coming from. It is they who are keeping us from drilling for our own oil, and building refineries to produce the fuel we need.

Sally Pearcy

Colorado Springs

We can’t grow our way out of energy shortage

The Gazette’s editorial “Welfare corn” was much closer to reality than Keith Hay’s opinion.

Ethanol is one of the greatest mistakes pushed on the nation. The production of ethanol requires nearly an equal amount of oil to produce. The oil used during the production of ethanol has already added to global warming. Ethanol consumed by automobiles results in 10 percent fewer miles per gallon compared to standard gasoline. Ethanol will also add to global warming. Using Hay’s best numbers of a 50 percent cut in global warming pollution with use of ethanol and adding the oil already spent in the production of ethanol will in fact result in more global warming pollution than standard gasoline. This is a net increase in carbon emission.

The real “key to the nation’s energy independence” will be conservation and a much more efficient automobile engine.

Joseph Schultes

Professional Environmental Engineer

Colorado Springs

FACING THE STORM

Bruce will remain standing when the dust clears

Since his House appointment Rep. Doug Bruce has made it clear that he will not kow-tow to the good-ole-boy politicos in the Colorado House. Bravo, Rep. Bruce. How much more silly can the House and Speaker Andrew Romanoff look by censuring Bruce for such a ridiculously minor issue of pushing an obnoxious photographer? Javier Manzano was repeatedly and politely asked to cease his actions. I think Bruce exercised great restraint.

Romanoff may think he has won this political media battle, but, in the coming months and years, when Bruce is through with Romanoff and his clowns, they will have lost the war.

Bruce has been sent to do the people’s business. He is not there to sing songs, smoke cigars, and do deals behind closed doors. He is there to uphold the Constitution of the United States, and the Colorado constitution. He is there to put responsibility for individual lives back into the hands of the citizens. He is there to reduce the footprint of big government. He is there to control unnecessary taxes and political spending. He is there to call attention to those politicos who wastefully spend our tax dollars to pad their coffers, to get votes, and to ensure their next re-election.

The citizens of Colorado are not the ones who have put our state in its current fiscal mess. That blame rests solely on the shoulders of the status-quo politicos such as Romanoff and his cronies.

Please, Rep. Bruce, keep up the good fight. You cannot imagine how many Coloradans are thankful for your hard work. We mere citizens occasionally see one of the people’s representatives who mirrors the patriots who started this great nation over 200 years ago.

Tony Staley

Colorado Springs

Romanoff set stage for photographer’s gaffe

It is the Rocky Mountain News that should apologize for allowing a photographer in the House who obviously doesn’t understand about protocol, decorum and individual rights. His actions were disruptive during a solemn moment; invasive of Douglas Bruce’s space and prayer moment, and disrespectful during the Pledge of Allegiance. Discretion is the rule if a photographer desires a photo during that time — freedom of the press is not freedom to ignore and disrespect another’s rights.

It is Andrew Romanoff who should also apologize to the public and to Bruce. It is he who created all these disruptions simply because he does not respect Bruce and the man’s desire to fulfill his county term and be afforded the opportunity to run for four terms instead of three.

Joanne Runstadler

Colorado Springs

TACKLING THE PROBLEM

Health Department crucial to food safety

The news story, “Inspections scarce; complaints double,” in the Jan. 18 Gazette was a general call to define what we are willing to pay the El Paso County Department of Health and Environment to provide versus the trade-off in risk to our health. Here is a clear example of a sensible mandate that is not currently being funded at a level that keeps pace with an increasing population base.

Since few Americans grow their own food, the entire food system puts us at risk as a community. We can quantify complaints, compare existing mandates, consider the community food delivery system, and decide on the appropriate number of inspectors. This straightforward exercise will determine where tax dollars go and what they do.

We rely on the county Department of Health and Environment to be responsive to problems such as pandemic outbreaks, to provide health education and to track the occurrence of communicable diseases. We have established these tasks based on the lessons learned through history and the deaths that result when they are ignored. This is not a scare tactic, but rather a reality.

In evaluating the current state of the health care infrastructure of Colorado Springs and El Paso County, the Western Strategies Center has outlined some courses of action that address this challenge as well as others. The formal presentation of this study to the community will be at noon on Wednesday in the Carnegie Room of the Penrose Library.

Jay Fawcett

President & CEO

Western Strategies Center

Colorado Springs

JUMPING THE GUN

Editorial passed judgment before evidence all in

As a retired prosecutor, I have no sympathy for people such as Jerome Lamberth. I do however feel The Gazette’s Jan. 19 Our View, “Self Defense 101,” that dismissed his claim of self-defense was, at best, premature and, at worst, irresponsible. Not only did it judge the case before all the evidence has been presented but, depending on who sees the editorial, ran the risk of causing a mistrial.

Cover the trial by all means, but keep your editorial opinion to yourself until the trial has concluded.

Don (Skip) Ketels Jr.

Colorado Springs