Please, less partisanship while helping homeowners
Re: “Dems’ plan nears finish,” Nov. 20 news story, and “Lawmakers wrap up session,” Nov. 21 news story
I lean left but didn’t buy The Post’s tepid endorsement of Proposition HH. I knew it would have had unintended consequences and there would have been follow-up legislation or ballot measures to “fix” the mess. Observing the legislature’s slap-dash, let’s get-outta-here-before-Thanksgiving approach, I see the same thing.
Before summer the unintended consequences of the current blob of bills will begin to become apparent. Predictably, at that point, Republicans will say, “I told you so,” but their fervent devotion to TABOR wore thin 25 years ago. Yet Democrats are in charge and they should have been better than this.
Barry Noreen, Denver
Re: “Senate GOP slows rush,” Nov. 18 news story
Again, we see the Democrats in the Colorado legislature trouncing over their GOP colleagues. And then, isn’t it amazing how the Democrats cry and wail when they do not have a supermajority? And the GOP uses the Democrat tactics against them. We, the voters, need to get rid of all incumbents. We deserve legislators who will work together for the benefit of all Coloradans.
Richard D. VanOrsdale, Broomfield
Once again, the left-leaning Denver Post focused only on the Democrat proposals for property tax relief. They failed to mention the Republican proposals, which would have resulted in a far more generous reduction in property taxes. The GOP plan would reduce the assessment rate from 6.75% to 6.5% with an $80,000 exemption. Simple. Straightforward. The default Democrat bill again arrogantly presumes the party knows more than the voters by confusing the issue with more back-alley funding mechanisms.
Linda Pryor, Berthoud
Coloradans should embrace recycling
Whenever I read a report about the abysmal rate of recycling in Colorado, I am in disbelief. How could a state with so many residents who enjoy the outdoors be so terrible at taking care of our environment? It is not hard to recycle! But one thing always missing in these stories is an explanation for why Coloradans do not recycle!
If you are fortunate enough to afford many of the recycling options, it is a no-brainer. We recycle through our trash service for a minimal monthly fee. The City of Westminster offers monthly leaf or branch recycling at no cost. We purchased a home composter so all of our food scraps are recycled. We subscribe to Ridwell — a company with bi-weekly pickups of plastic film, multi-layer plastic, fabrics, light bulbs, batteries, and more. They partner with companies that turn our recyclables into products. Our weekly trash output is now less than one 13-gallon bag.
And for anyone who is not able to make the same financial choices, recycling is not hard. Almost every city has recycling bins where you can take your recyclables for no fee. There are facilities like SustainAbility in Broomfield and Arvada that are committed to filling unmet recycling needs in the metro area by working in partnership with cities, residents and businesses to divert valuable resources from landfills.
An added bonus is they employ people with intellectual and developmental disabilities — an under-employed segment of society. Win-win! Please, Colorado — we must do better!
Kim Dion, Westminster
