Letters - Tuesday

CHANGING RULES
Allowing grocery stores to sell beer a blow to retailers

I own a liquor store here in Colorado Springs. If full-strength beer is sold in all grocery and convenience stores, my business will be harmed. Almost 50 percent of my store's revenue comes from selling beer. If I lose half of that to the chain stores, my family's livelihood and my employees will be harmed.

I invested in my small business under the current Colorado law. This seemed like the only industry where big business did not have their hands in. Once again, the grocery store chains and convenience stores want to kill small businesses.

This country was formed on the back of small business but these days you are not allowed to work for yourself because if you want to open virtually any business you have to be associated with a franchise or work for the big corporations. This is one of the few industries still where one can be self reliant but that is also now being threatened.

If small liquor stores lose sales of beer, there will be adverse trickle down effects to the economy. There will be vacant stores. My employees will lose their jobs.

Small businesses like mine keep profits and money in Colorado. Large chain stores send their corporate profits out of state. Small businesses like mine buy locally, for example, insurance, cash registers, security systems, etc. Large chain stores and corporations buy from national contracts, not locally.

I take the responsibility of not selling to minors very seriously. I don't allow minors to work in my store. My store may be closed by law enforcement if I sell to minors. If a grocery or convenience store sells to minors, their store won't be closed, they just wont be able to sell beer for awhile.

Dharmesh Jivan, Liquor City Colorado Springs

OBAMA-NATION
True conservatives will hold Democrats' feet to the fire

We have a new administration due to take charge on Jan. 20. For those of us of the conservative persuasion, it was a disappointing election season. A large number of people were disenchanted with the Republican ticket that was foisted on us by the mainstream media. Many of these people stayed at home. Because of this, we may deserve what we will have to endure for at least the next two years.

Numerous pundits have advocated sitting by and give the new administration and its congressional stooges a chance; that they may surprise us (oops, did I give myself away?). I am not cut from that cloth. I firmly believe that it is our responsibility to hold their collective feet to the fire. Barack Obama made a lot of very liberal and socialistic claims during the campaign but now that he has been elected he seems to be a bit of a mixed bag. He is keeping Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense, but his choice for Attorney General, Eric Holder, is an avowed gun grabber.

When you step back and examine where he came from you have to realize that his political roots are definitely not conservative but are they truly liberal? They may be best described as opportunistic.

I do not intend to give the Obama administration a "pass" for one instant. I urge all conservatives to adopt the same attitude.

Dan Lanotte, President, Colorado Springs Chapter Coalition for a Conservative Majority, Falcon

PAY RAISES
Congress has some nerve not blocking own pay hike

I was aghast as I read the article, "Pressure is on Congress to shoot down own pay raise," in the Dec. 31 Gazette. During times like this, that a pay raise should even be considered by our "leaders" is appalling.

Of course, this raise is an annual occurrence, regardless of the economy. It is an automatic increase, which the Congress does not even have to vote upon. If they decide not to have it, they can vote against it. But will that happen? Not on your life!

There have been hearings upon hearings about the high salaries of the CEOs of various corporations and how scandalous it is. Perhaps Congress should look at its own pay before criticizing others' salaries.

Of course, those hearings were all for show Are these people in whom we should put our trust?

All we have heard in the last year is change. Perhaps this is the issue where change should begin.

Erna Haring, Colorado Springs