Email letters, Aug. 30, 2012

By Staff
Thursday, August 30, 2012

Ann Romney’s mention of illnesses worthy of mention by Associated Press

Since many rely on media such as the Associated Press for valid information, I find it interesting that the AP can omit significant amounts of information and add other biased thoughts that go unchallenged.

Here are the words of Ann Romney: “I read somewhere that Mitt and I have a ‘storybook marriage.’ Well, let me tell you something: In the storybooks I read, there were never long, long, rainy winter afternoons in a house with five boys screaming at once. And those storybooks never seemed to have chapters called MS or breast cancer. A storybook marriage? No, not at all. What Mitt Romney and I have is a real marriage.”

How convenient to omit problems incurred in dealing with illnesses. The AP coverage conveniently skipped the sentence, “And those storybooks never seemed to have chapters called MS or breast cancer.”

The AP coverage goes on to state “in an appearance meant to cast her multimillionaire-businessman-turned politician in a softer, more likable light.”

Along with most people outside Democratic circles, I find nothing at all unlikeable about Romney because of his wealth.

When the AP references President Obama, do we ever see a descriptive phrase such as politician-turned-millionaire?

FRED ZIMMAT
Grand Junction

Oil, gas exploration would cripple livelihoods, quality of life for Crystal River Valley residents

I want to express my support for Michael Bennet’s proposal to withdraw all unleased land out of the Thompson Divide area.

I am a long-time resident of the Crystal River Valley. My husband and I raise our children here, run beef cattle, manage a small cabin resort and see ourselves rooted here.

The Thompson divide area, in particular the Thompson Creek and Coal Basin watersheds, are critical to our well-being. We rely on clean water and a healthy ecosystem for our cattle, our health, our recreation and the tourism industry,

Oil and gas leases in that area will compromise the ecosystem with roads that cause erosion, trees extracted and not to mention the damage done by gas exploration and dangers of fracking. We feel that these leases hold the future of our valley.

What happens in Thompson Divide impacts us directly. To withdraw the leases insures us a better chance for a healthy and prosperous future for ourselves and our children.

MOLLY JACOBER
Redstone

Feds leave bureaucratic footprints in simple sidewalk project

With the Republican Convention in full swing, the timing couldn’t be better for Palisade’s “school sidewalk fiasco” to come to light. It’s a perfect example of intolerable waste and red tape that our “wizards in Washington” have created for even the most mundane construction projects.

A grant of $66,000 (apparently a fair price) was to fund a simple job to build a couple of blocks of much-needed sidewalk, ensuring the safety of students walking to Taylor Elementary School.

By comparison it’s a miniscule expenditure compared to the multitude of “alleged” projects under Obama’s stimulus program, and by contrast, this job is shovel ready. At least it was until the federal government got involved. Specifically, the ready-to-go start-up would be delayed for at least a year, and the cost of “conforming to federal requirements” would triple!

Why? Because in keeping with federal government regulatory overkill in everything in which it becomes involved, this simple “do-it-yourself” type job of pouring a 4-inch concrete sidewalk requires the town of Palisade to hire a “3/4 time staff” member to “manage the grant itself” and a licensed structural engineer to act as “site supervisor” for the entire duration of the project.

To anyone even vaguely familiar with construction, forming up and pouring a sidewalk is one of the simplest jobs normally performed by unskilled workers.

According to the Sentinel’s Aug. 30 article, the town does face some other options to avoid the absolutely ridiculous FHWA requirements that according to a CDOT spokesperson have been in effect since 2005. Wouldn’t it be interesting to know how many of our dollars have been wasted on similar projects over the past seven years?

Yes, the timing is perfect, considering the upcoming election. It is time for us to get a new administration in the White House and to get elected representatives at all levels of government that will use common sense and good judgment to correct the audacity of government over regulation.

Let freedom ring, and let justice prevail!

RICHARD DORAN
Parachute

Obama supports foreign production of oil, but tamps down industry on U.S. soil

How anyone can fail to see the devastating policies coming out of the present administration is beyond comprehension. Obama’s sending of millions of U.S. tax dollars to Brazil’s oil company (of which his financier Soros owns part) to ramp up its oil production, a billion to Columbia to produce more oil, millions to another friend and financier’s solar firm and even to Mexico’s oil companies defies common sense. He is determined to kill our oil and coal production and now is trying to kill fracking.

This spending of our money is easily and well documented. Why kill our energy capabilities yet advance foreign oil production unless it is to level the world socially at our expense?  World socialism?  Why do the liberal media never report these facts unless they, too, favor us becoming a socialist nation and see our downfall like Greece’s?

R.M. SHERMAN
Grand Junction

A rich party vs. a poor one?

Let me see if I understand this correctly: Only Republicans are rich and all Democrats are poor.

CURT CLAUSSEN
Grand Junction

Community urged to attend meeting on Brady Trucking zoning vote

At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 5 in the Grand Junction city hall council chambers, the issue of how this community wants to utilize the banks of the Colorado River vs. Brady Trucking comes up again for a zoning vote. All community group members and citizens should plan to be there.

Zoning decisions will be based on private/public property access, future business, future utilization of river property, public park/recreational use and the right of the river and riparian habitat to exist. These are tall orders to assess. The community has offered several approaches to this dilemma, and Brady Trucking has rebuffed all.

Let me draw a picture of the area without Brady. I’ll start with Los Colonias Park, a long-planned public park development and high-priority, logical extension to the development of the river bike/walk path, the upgraded Riverside Parkway and the improving transition of our southern city area.

An outdoor amphitheater will be built, flanking the property. I see our schools, orchestra and community groups utilizing the amphitheater for concerts, lectures and even thespian work such as Shakespeare. I see musicians spontaneously jamming where kids can listen and skip rocks.

I can smell the diesel fumes and hear the roar of the diesel engines of Brady Trucking oil-service fluid trucks and watch the birds take flight in fear. The music stops.

The Los Colonias Park plan will help with the rapid erosion of the riverbanks by encouraging indigenous plant and wildlife species to reclaim habitat, thus supporting our water quality and promoting public health. Brady Trucking cannot do that.

The Chamber of Commerce supports Brady because it is a business and forgets its responsibility to the many businesses enhanced by having a Los Colonias Park to draw tourism and recreation onto public lands, the largest sustained economic sector in Mesa County.

BENITA PHILLIPS
Palisade

Romney classiest guy to run for nation’s top job since FDR

Mitt Romney is perhaps the most sophisticated, classy guy to run for President since Franklin Roosevelt. He just doesn’t have the pipes or magnetism to seal his conviction.

Basically, the Republican Party is the party of NOW. These are people used to having their own way in the world, and they have successfully used some of the disenfranchised poor who see true inequities.

Mitt was wise to choose Paul Ryan whose ideology is fixed and unrealistic. If, however, he can convince this chimp that the world doesn’t work his way, perhaps he can convince others of his ilk, Tea Partiers. Notice they’re not true Republicans.

Otherwise, I’ll vote for “Brac” (as one Republican pollster who called said when referring to Obama).

FRED STEWART
Grand Junction

Denver, Wichita much better locales for Koch’s proposed private trophy town

I’m amazed, out of all of the places to build his private trophy town, William Koch found the wild pristine, sacred wilderness area of Country Road 12, just below Erickson Springs.

My grandmother, who was related to the original Bear Ranch family, just up the road, would say, “That place needs a trophy town like a pig needs a saddle.” Koch should display these words of western wisdom prominently at the entrance of the main building.  Because of its exceptional beauty, the billionaires have found western Colorado and are on a roll, buying up large chunks of land and in some cases changing existing county, state and federal regulations.

I’m very proud to be the descendant of a Crested Butte pioneer mining family. I have watched the Roaring Fork and Vail valleys change from some of the most beautiful pristine land in North America into the overdeveloped valleys they are today. What’s the shelf life for Kebler pass, perhaps 15-20 years?  Many native Coloradans have exceptionally strong feelings that this pristine, unaltered land provides a spiritual connection to their being and existence. Development and construction destroy this connection and its spirituality.

My father’s family was very strong members of the United Mine Workers Union. My mother’s side goes back to Leadville and the Ludlow massacre. My father gave me the greatest gift of all, which was the means to travel to many foreign countries and the education to write a letter such as this. I belong to the American Federation of Teachers. I am absolutely convinced the UMWU and other American unions created the American middle class which is rapidly disappearing. The Koch brothers are reported to be notoriously anti-union. I hope William Koch is treating his miners and workers well. I sincerely hope he doesn’t fire them for cheaper labor, possibly from another country, or sell out to an entity that does.

Construction of this private town has definitely created employment, provided tax revenue and created local payola. Several decades ago Leadville voted out gambling. The town survived the hard times and loss of jobs and, in most people’s opinion, is much better off because of this decision.

Constructing a private town for a few chosen individuals is a very selfish act. Why not move this private “museum” to a very large city such as Denver or Wichita and open it to the public?  This would give a very large number of deserving middle-class Americans the joy and education of seeing these western treasures.

This benevolent relocation would give the average citizen the opportunity to see the only known photo of Billy the Kid, Custer’s rifle and flag, Annie Oakley’s picture and lots of other original western and Native American artifacts. Sharing this exceptional collection would display much more goodwill, class and civility than hoarding it for a privileged chosen few. Koch would be much more liked, respected and admired if he were to follow the Getty museum example in LA. He appears to have the capital for such a move.

Who will be among the chosen few invited to view this private collection?  A good bet would be:  Texas oilmen, his billionaire brothers, very far right wing politicians, Wall Street tycoons and Middle Eastern potentates. These individuals should be overwhelmed with Koch’s display of wealth.

In conclusion, a lot of people I have spoken with do not want Koch’s private trophy town built in this area. He should promptly display the decency to move it to Denver or a friendly city. He could also take it to Texas, where it would be much more welcome, or keep it in Palm Beach, Fla., with the rest of his empire.

JOE KRIZMANICH
Glenwood Springs