Email letters, July 23, 2012

By Staff
Monday, July 23, 2012

GOP uses three-pronged strategy against Democrats

The Supreme Court’s health care decision is one month behind us, and while the histrionic displays of emotion exhibited by Republicans have subsided, the radical right has launched its latest barrage of character assassination upon President Obama.

The whining and vilification is more of the same “over the edge” behavior we have come to expect from the Republicans for what they are . . . poor losers who presume to be entitled to govern.  These tactics are just another element of the GOP’s three-pronged strategy to defeat the Democrats at all levels of government in November.

The first prong – proclaimed by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R.-Ky.) within hours of the 2009 inauguration—was his intention to deny the president a second term through obstructionism. Second, spurred by Grover Norquist’s decree, Republicans adopted a “take no prisoners” attitude towards governance, willing – even anxious—to allow a government shutdown.  Third is a rogue’s gallery of GOP congressional leaders, and pundits from the right – all expert storytellers – not at all reluctant to resort to bold-faced lies about Obama.

All of the GOP’s obstacles have failed to discourage and tarnish the president.  On the other hand is Mitt Romney, a candidate conflicted by contradiction and inconsistency. 

Once again the GOP leaders are to blame, each pulling on different strings like so many puppeteers, pushing him into blind corners and dead ends.  What surely must have seemed like an uphill climb is quickly becoming insurmountable. 

Before June 30, Romney bore a resemblance to stale bread … these days he is simply just “toast.” 

JIM GERNHOFER
Grand Junction

Environmentalists seek lengthy litigation over Roan Plateau

A good drilling plan for the Roan Plateau is needed. Years of litigation are what the environmentalists are after because as long as it stays in litigation, it means no drilling on the Roan.

Environmental groups should pool the money that they will spend fighting this and purchase the leases from the oil and gas companies, hang no trespassing signs up and close the Roan Plateau off to anyone’s use but their own. I believe most of it is private anyway.

But if you have taken a look around at the lakes, streams, highways or any place you might go, you will see that people are the biggest problem to today’s environment. They throw their trash everywhere with total disregard to the environment, including national parks, national forests, rivers, lakes, and streams. So it goes without saying that people in general are the biggest threat to the environment today.

If they want to save the Roan Plateau, buy out the leases no matter what the cost.

CURT CLAUSSEN
Grand Junction

Sal Pace worthy to join Bennett and Udall in U.S. Congress

I can’t remember the last time I read in the news anything productive being done in the U.S. Congress. Partisanship and the resulting gridlock exist because the few who are willing to work together are silenced with threats from special interest (money) groups and/or party hardliners. We need representatives who will put their heads together as we deal with a stagnant economy and escalating education and health care costs threatening to undermine the middle class.

When it comes to voting for the U.S. Congressman in the Third District, Sal Pace will get my vote. During his tenure as Colorado House Minority Leader, Sal worked with both parties to protect our water, improve hunting and fishing habitats and eliminate the estate tax for farmers/ranchers. Sal emulates the bipartisan tone set by Colorado Senators Bennett and Udall, who have proudly represented all the people of our state by tirelessly working across the aisle. We need more representation with this mindset to move our country forward.

We all understand that change in Washington is necessary. Our elected officials must work diligently to make sound decisions that allow each and everyone of us to maximize our talents and have a quality of life that all people of the world aspire to.

The election of Sal Pace will add a voice in the U.S. Congress to those who have the courage to work together for the American people.

JUDY HEGGE
Grand Junction

Penry parroted thoughts of other conservatives

What a sorry spectacle. Sentinel columnist Josh Penry was once thought of as someone who could work with the other side of the political aisle.

In his column on Friday, July 20, Penry claimed that the president “dissed” entrepreneurs and claimed that they were not responsible for the success of their businesses. In fact, they are not, if you consider the text of the president’s speech in Roanoke, Va., and the context within which his remarks were made. Obama was making the point that there are many elements in making a successful business and the infrastructure within which a business operates makes all the difference.

We are a nation of laws that did not come about miraculously. The businessman operates to his enormous benefit within these laws for his own protection and economic benefit. If any of the local businessmen Penry cites believe that they could have been successful without our legal system, highways, transportation network, police and fire protection — and most of all, competent employees – he’s kidding himself.

We are all in this together and no man can possibly be an island unto himself. Nobody, virtually nobody, in our country and culture is able to unilaterally be a “success” without assistance from others and all of the development that has taken place over the last at least 300 years to make successful businesses possible in this country. It takes entrepreneurial talents, for sure, but there are countless countries on this planet where that won’t get you very far.

It is very depressing to see a man with promise take the easy way out of preparing a column by parroting what others in the chattering conservative class are promoting. Is Penry capable of independent thought and coming up with actual potentially feasible ideas to improve our country, or is his mission just to be a faux columnist?

JOHN BORGEN
Grand Junction

Penry’s latest column based on remarks taken out of context

Josh Penry’s latest offering – “Obama’s ‘you didn’t build it’ slip” (July 20) – exemplifies the profound and pervasive intellectual dishonesty that permeates Willard M. Romney’s campaign and local supporters.
First, there was no “you didn’t build it” slip.  Rather, only by taking President Obama’s actual words out of context were the Romney campaign and Penry able to manufacture bogus “talking points” – falsely claiming that the president had somehow “dissed” the indispensable – but not exclusive—role of entrepreneurs in creating jobs in our economy.

Second, both Obama and Romney made the same point during the same week: that a thriving free enterprise economy depends on the availability of “public goods” – e.g., highways, schools, water systems, police, fire and rescue personnel and courts, all of which are paid for by taxpayers and upon which “job creators” depend for their success.

Third, Penry’s vacuous “spin” is reminiscent of those (like pseudo-conservative Rick Wagner) who equated President Obama’s “stimulus” package to “socialism” – when his policy proposals actually mimicked those of Republican President Dwight Eisenhower by emphasizing job-creating investments in infrastructure (recalling Ike’s Interstate Highway System) and job-preserving investments in education (recalling Ike’s GI Bill).

Fourth, Penry’s reference to President Obama’s 2009 pre-stimulus assertion that “only government can break the vicious cycles that are crippling our economy” disingenuously ignores the facts that this Keynesian view was widely-shared by reputable conservative economists, and that Republican Presidents Reagan, Bush and “Shrub” had all employed increased federal spending (albeit on a smaller scale) to counter recessions.

Fifth, “the vicious cycle” that “crippled our economy” was the direct result of discredited Republican economic policies – which Romney promises to try again, while cynically attempting to persuade an under-informed electorate to expect different results.

However, that tax-dodger Romney stoops to fabricating false “issues” rather than confronting real ones “says it all.”

BILL HUGENBERG
Grand Junction

NRA should put money where its mouth is

The NRA knows guns, knows everything about them.  If everybody’s openly carrying a gun, that and that alone will take care of any problem.  So they believe. (We didn’t see that philosophy prove true in the Arizona massacre where virtually everyone openly carries.) 

But the NRA neither knows nor cares about human nature. Even though no legislation has ever attempted to abolish the Second Amendment, the NRA has bought and paid for Congress, because its paranoia is so great it can’t possibly be reasoned with.

So, since reason isn’t in the NRA vocabulary, let’s pass legislation that the NRA have absolute control of guns and gun ownership.  Let them stand on street corners passing out free ones.  Give such responsible people the responsibility. 

And then, every time someone, anyone, anywhere in the United States and Mexico, gets shot and/or killed, each victim and each victim’s family member get paid $1 million. 

No lawsuit. No lawyers.  Just the lovable arms of the NRA taking responsibility for their beliefs.

EILEEN O’TOOLE
Grand Junction
 
Voting public approve or reject unfunded spending mandates

I suggest that our citizens and politicians consider the following wording for a vote of our state assembly:

Unfunded spending mandates by the state or local governments may not be imposed unless first approved by a vote of the affected publics or their elected representatives. 

STEVE HAGERMAN
Grand Junction

Responsible, caring gun owners should be able to quickly return fire

The Aurora shooting is yet another enormous tragedy. My heart goes out to the families and friends of those lost. We should be distraught over such senseless waste and callous destruction, but, considering the frequency of the destruction, I feel desensitized.

The question is how could this have been stopped? Since we cannot go back and change the forming of the shooter’s mind and we can’t go back and provide this person a better example or a Christian education in respect for others, we need to ask ourselves, “What can each of us do right now to stop such madness from happening?” The immediate answer to this is to commit individually to treating each other with respect and prepare for those who choose not to.

If the vast majorities of people are respectful of each other and are armed, when those who decide to commit the ultimate act of hatred take action, they can be stopped quickly and their damage can be minimized. We have to recognize that our protection is in our own hands and we need to choose to take it seriously and prepare to stop a crazy quickly. Ignoring this and pretending like it won’t happen again will lead to more of the same.

Those who are committed to respecting the lives of others are the majority, and if we choose to quickly return fire in a situation such as this, the damage of such actions can be greatly reduced. I also believe those who would take action such as this will be less likely to do so if more people are routinely armed.

My heart goes out to the families affected by this, and I pray for them during this enormous, indescribable loss.

DAVID L COX
Palisade

Penry propping up a Romney lie

Why did you print the Josh Penry opinion piece on July 20? It was a repeat of the lie Romney is running in ads.

President Barack Obama did not make a gaffe; he was making the point that successful businessmen and others do not do everything themselves, but they are supported by my tax dollars and yours by schools educating workers, by providing highways for movement of materials and by paying for police to provide stable and safe environments so that you don’t get robbed. Obama’s statement was edited to sound like business people didn’t really build their businesses. It is a deliberate falsification of what Obama said.

Penry is promulgating a lie, just like the last time when Romney edited Obama, quoting John McCain to make it sound like it was Obama’s own statement. There was no apology when they were called out on the lie that time—no apology and no rescinding of the ad. They lied, got away with it and are still using that lie. Just as they are lying now.

Since Romney has so few qualms about lying to the American people, we would never know what he was really doing as president. I do not want men of such low character as my president or my state representative.

JANE MCAULEY
Grand Junction

Gruesome spectacle a result of yet another publicity seeker

Once again we must witness the gruesome spectacle of a twisted mind satisfying its morbid craving for public attention. 

In nearly every instance where the people in the media repeat over again the hideous, bloody performance of James Holmes’ grab for public attention, the media folks pretend to be at a loss to understand his motive for engaging in such horrendously inhumane action. 

But I’d have to doubt that there are actually few to none among them who do not realize that there are among us a frightening number of people who crave publicity to such a degree that they are willing to engage in nearly any activity, regardless of how brazen or depraved it be, to make it into the evening, morning and midday news. 

And what can be done about it, we might ask.  In the real world, not much.  What we may expect is that he will be studied and analyzed and, no doubt, finally judged mentally incompetent to be tried in court.  He will then probably be sent to some taxpayer furnished institution to be treated and, no doubt, finish his PhD studies. 

So how do we think the next publicity hungry person, somewhere down the road five or ten years, who hears his story, may react?  How many times have we been over this jump already?

RAY LASHLEY
Grand Junction

Reader picks a (dinosaur) bone over correct identification

Regarding the front-page story on July 9, “Tourists dig it, ” I doubt the 1.87-meter-long femur in the Mygatt-Moore quarry is that of a plateosaur. Plateosaurs lived in the Triassic, not in the Jurassic, and were pseudosauropods, as I recollect.

Without seeing the bone, it’s more likely that of an Apatosaurus (Brontosaurus). I miss the quarry, but my old legs are no longer up to it. My best to all in Grand Junction.

PETE MYGATT
Boise, Idaho

MDS, Botanical Gardens cooperation shows ‘good old common sense’

So tickled to read the article about the wonderful combination between the Botanical Gardens and the Mesa Developmental Services.  What a great combination. I’m thinking they need to have the fairgrounds, Two Rivers, the Avalon and any other unproductive bloodsucker the area has turned over to them.

What a wonderful way to give a really good purpose to people, akin to the dairy that was taken from the then GJ Regional Center so many years ago.  It not only gives pride in a job well done, it gives a reason for being which everyone needs even if they haven’t yet figured this out.  I think I will schedule a visit, so I can tell them how impressed with their work I am. Perhaps you should also do this and not just on the free days.

I heard that last winter they used barrels filled with water and placed on the south walls to absorb heat during the day so it could be released at night, we think we will use that in our greenhouse when we get it up.

I cannot express enough the joy it gave me to read this article—just plain good old common sense finally being used by a public entity. YES.

LOVELL SASSER
Mack

Romney’s money safely in overseas banks, sons safely out of foreign wars

Josh Penry’s column on Mitt Romney (on July 20 explains how Mitt will soon show his intelligence by choosing a really, really good running mate.

Gee, thanks, Josh. But what we really hope from Mitt is financial advice on the wise use of our money. “Ask not what you country can do for you,” but ask me how to put your money into Swiss banks or into the Bahamas, or squirrel it away in the Cayman Islands.

American banks? Not for my money. American banks are for suckers and chumps. Foreign banks are a lot more secretive. And, man, the money grows, but I’m not going to tell you about that part.

Ask me about our military, which is strictly volunteer. How many of my five strong sons volunteered to go in harm’s way? Why, none. Volunteering is for suckers and chumps, for those in the lower economic classes.  Ask not what your country can do for you … let someone else do it.

Ain’t America great? We can make choices. We can volunteer. Or not.

Yep, Josh is right, Mitt is a really smart guy. Ask not what your country can do for you. ...

DAVID L. MCWILLIAMS
Grand Junction

Aurora tragedy an important reminder to reconnect with family, neighbors

Aurora, another tragic situation of some nut job killing innocent civilians. Welcome, America, to the world of terrorism. Europeans, Middle Easterners, Africans, Russians, etc. have been exposed to this for decades.

Gun control is going to come up, and unfortunately it is not the guns that do these things, it is people! Perhaps a better idea is to get out of your comfort zone and start paying attention.

Americans that have never been to a war zone will start understanding what causes PTSD with soldiers and Marines. We have to pay attention to things around us, unusual behavior and things that don’t seem ” quite right.”

The innocence of our world has been ushered out with the violent actions of a few individuals. In this time it is more important to reach out to your neighbors and family and rekindle dialogue of care and concern for one another.

MIKE PARKER
Fruita

State bank would be smart monetary move for citizens

I’ve been studying the Federal Reserve for 30 years. It was just this year that I learned that getting a state bank is the way to abolish the citizens’ responsibility to the Federal Reserve. 

I learned this from two books and a close friend. With a state bank, all of our tax money would go to the state, and the state would have ample funds to loan our business so we would prosper.

The state bank would be backed by commodities and not gold.  The state bank would be paying out money to the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, foreign aid, the World Bank and the bank of international settlement.

ALAN R. STORY
Fruita