Letters - Thursday

D-49 town hall meetings

As a relatively new member and taxpayer of the Falcon School District 49 community, I have studied and reviewed the childish infighting and controversies that have wasted more than a half million dollars we paid for the education of our children.

This money would have easily outfitted 31 additional classrooms with networked, Wi-Fi laptop computers in the past three years, for the actual betterment of student achievement.

Gag orders, threats of firing their own faculty and staff because of "telling" and the secrecy in the use of public funds are not the marks of a free and equal society, that is "of the people, by the people, and for the people."

It's obviously time for us concerned taxpayers to step up to the plate and not only sign the recall petitions, but also be sure to vote in an off-year, non-presidential, non-senatorial election.

To help resolve the above, I would like to have three town hall meetings where the D-49 community may express concerns and enlist some concerned citizens to run for the three to five upcoming positions for the District 49 board of education. The meetings are scheduled at the Stetson Hills Police Station (behind Costco) on July 11, 18 and 25, from 10 a.m. to noon.

The topics are:

• Review of other well-managed school districts of about the $80 million to $85 million management range.

• Comparison with School D-49.

• Areas of improvement for D-49.

• Establishment of an ongoing Citizens Concerns Committee as a community effort that may eventually be a part of the actual Falcon School District, to replace the district's childish and costly infighting.

Robert's Rules of Order apply. Written comments are accepted. Verbal comments are limited to one minute.

The district is basically "biting the hands that feed them" to the detriment of our children's education.

Joseph L. DeBenedittis, Falcon

Water parks with donations

It seems to me that Colorado Springs Utilities could do the residents and park users who are also their customers a lot of good, by providing the ability to make donations for city park watering in their utility bills, of say $5 or $10 per month. While it might involve some accounting and billing system tweaks, it might be just the thing to let residents make a dent in the budget for watering parks voluntarily.

Rick Van Wieren, Colorado Springs

Climate story off the mark

The Gazette was remiss in publishing the Associated Press article "Focus: Climate legislation," in Sunday's paper. As a scientist with 50 years of interest in the subject, I have to object to the politically correct, scientifically dubious style of whatever source the AP relied upon for this piece of propaganda.

As most informed people should agree, the case for global warming is far from settled.

The source of the warming, even assuming that it exists, may be mainly the sun rather than a fluctuation of carbon dioxide levels. Furthermore, the benefits of climate change, for example a more temperate Canada, are never mentioned.

Last week's brutal jamming through Congress of this inopportune legislation was predictable. Fortunately, the more geographically balanced Senate will probably shelve this cap-and-trade monster, at least for a while.

The principal problem with cap-and-trade is, who will referee the program? My guess is that it won't be anyone from Colorado or even from the United States. The whole thing smacks of international control, probably out of Europe.

A secondary but related objection is its hostility to coal technology, with which states such as Colorado have a resource advantage. I find it astonishing that our representatives, with the exception of Rep. John Salazar, failed to notice this aspect.

Gerald E. Anderson, Ph.D., Colorado Springs

Public option needed for health

It is imperative that Congress' health insurance reform include a public health insurance plan option. Too many of us make career and job decisions based on whether or not we can get health insurance. This is sapping our nation's creativity and innovation because individuals who want to establish a small business or sell a unique idea or invent a solution to a pressing problem cannot do it if they cannot afford health insurance and if they are responsible enough to avoid going without insurance.

We need a health insurance plan that is open to all. If there is broad participation, the cost should be comparable or less than present private plans. It should have the ability to negotiate costs (just like most private plans do now), and it should be completely transparent so that policy holders and the public know how all the premiums are being spent.

We are facing a crisis that will determine the competitiveness of our country, not to mention its health. If every other developed country can figure out a way to insure all its citizens, the United States ought to be able to also.

Lynn R. Frederick, Colorado Springs