RSSPrinted letters, July 27, 2012
What a sorry spectacle. Daily Sentinel columnist Josh Penry was once thought of as someone who could work with the other side of the political aisle. In his July 20 column, 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 believes he 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. 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 300 years, at least, 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
John Leane is a Democrat in ‘unaffiliated’ clothing
Will the real John Leane please stand up? Leane may be running as “Unaffiliated” for Mesa County commissioner, but I urge The Daily Sentinel and all its readers to remember that Leane was a Democrat.
After reading the political tea leaves, he knows that, for another shot at county commissioner, the chances are slim to none for a Democrat in this year’s political environment. To me, that “U” he’s putting after his name looks like an “E” (for expedient).
Leane served one-term as a Mesa County commissioner (from 1989-1993) but failed to win a second term because his ideas and policies were so out of touch with mainstream Mesa County citizens.
For example, one of his plans as commissioner was to eliminate the county fairgrounds. Did he ever once look around and see that this is an agricultural community?
Leane’s Democratic credentials run deep, and no one should forget that he was for many years the face of the Democrat Party in Mesa County. He is just a big “D” dressed up in “U” (ewe’s) clothing.
HARRY BENJAMIN
Grand Junction
Don’t condemn a suspect when you don’t have all facts
Many readers no doubt read or heard recent reports of a Grand Junction man, Brady Sipe, “physically forcing a nine-year-old to drink alcohol.“As his grandmother, I don’t believe Brady did this, and I urge readers to wait until all the information comes out before passing judgment on him.
Brady is a 26-year-old man who has had his share of problems.
When the police went to Brady’s home after this incident, he was sleeping and confused as to what they were saying. He became angry at the accusation against him and resisted the effort to restrain him.
His mother asked if she could talk with him to calm him down, but they refused to allow that. This led to a struggle in which Brady injured his head and had to be taken to the hospital for stitches.
This could have been avoided if the police officers would have allowed his mother to talk to him.
Now, some people apparently view Brady as a monster. Please, before anyone condemns Brady, I urge him or her to wait until the entire story is presented.
CHARLENE STRIDE
Grand Junction
Paper’s environmental forum was informative and well done
Thank you, Daily Sentinel, for sponsoring the event regarding environmental issues in western Colorado.
Not only was it informative, but also it was well done.
The panelists were exceptional, and I truly appreciate their investment in time to give such a comprehensive look at our environmental issues here in western Colorado.
RAY RICKARD
Grand Junction
COMMENTS
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.John Borgen was too polite.
Josh Penry’s latest offering – “Obama’s ‘you didn’t build it’ slip” (July 20, 2012) – 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 role of entrepreneurs in creating jobs in our free enterprise economy.
Second, both President Obama and Romney made the same point during the same week: that a thriving free enterprise economy depends on the availability of “public goods” – i.e., 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
543 Rim Drive
Grand Junction, CO 81507
Word Count = 300 257-1998
Kudos John ....Enough is enough for many who would like to say what should be said but will not say it! Doesn’t take a hammer to drive a tack!
Come on Harry….Really You are really worried about John Leane being a Democrat. Please tell me you are not another shallow GOP member who believes in Hell or High water voting for the GOP candidate no matter what? Say it ain’t so! You have Meis and Bradford to compare Leane to right now and it is STRIKE two! How about voting for the candidate who will do the RIGHT thing for a change!