Mixed reviews on Walz as Harris’ running mate
Re: “Harris names her VP,” Aug. 7 news story
Imagine a campaign where people are pushing to help encourage those who help feed the hungry; see that education is accessible for all ages of students; where colleges get funding; where veterans are honored and not made fun of; where disabled individuals aren’t mocked but treasured;, where seniors are served not dismissed; where teachers are treated with respect; where women, men, gay and straight, people of color are welcome; and everyone’s voice is heard. Now that is a president and vice president team I can get behind. What a breath of fresh air this week as Vice President Kamala Harris picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Forward we go!
Cheryl Brungardt, Wheat Ridge
What was Vice President Kamala Harris thinking when she named her running mate?
Every professional political pundit knows that for Harris to win the election, she needs support from some anti-Trump Republicans and a lot of independent voters. There is one widely known fact about these voters: They are NOT liberals or “progressives.” Gov. Tim Walz doesn’t add value here. In fact, it can be argued that her choice proves Harris is a “California liberal,” and a zebra doesn’t change its stripes.
Pundits also know that in a close election, a presidential running mate needs to bring along some value — or dowry — to the team. Minnesota is a deep blue state that hasn’t voted Republican in a presidential election since the 1970s. How does Walz help in Arizona, Pennsylvania, Michigan or North Carolina, where the election will be close?
Finally, the voters that Harris needs have strong feelings about immigration — a potential weak spot for her. What “expertise” on this issue does Walz bring as opposed to, say, Mark Kelly, a national hero who lives on the border and has a record of understanding both sides of the issue?
Harris’ choice is a win for the Trump team. Sadly, they will fly with it.
Curt Anderson, Broomfield
We must fight harder to keep vaping products from children
Re: “$17.4M awarded to schools to combat youth vaping crisis,” July 10 news story
Over 2.1 million kids nationally use e-cigarettes and almost 90% use flavored e-cigarettes, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Youths are being hunted by the tobacco and vape industry and hooked on nicotine at younger and younger ages with flavors, predatory designs, and clever marketing strategies — and kids have no idea they are the prey. Their brains, including their reward centers, are essentially being rewired to seek pleasure through nicotine, and that is sad and scary. That’s why I’m so glad to see that Colorado is investing funds in our schools and our kids — funds collected from a lawsuit against the company that started the vaping epidemic among young people in the first place.
I am a visual arts teacher at Mountain Range High School and have been working closely with my school and students for the last few years regarding the predatory practices of big vape and helping my students with their addictions and struggles. I know how important it is for schools like mine to get the critical resources needed to implement programs that help young people quit or prevent them from ever starting. But one thing still doesn’t make sense to me: Why are young people able to get such easy access to them? We need the attorney general to work with state and local lawmakers to pass legislation that outlaws the sales of flavored vape/tobacco products and keep them out of the hands of kids before they get addicted.
Kyle Wimmer, Broomfield
Sloan’s Lake plan lacked effective communication
Re: “Business owners decry potential loss of parking due to Sloan’s Lake bike lane,” Aug. 1 business story
It’s said that the single biggest problem in the communication business — which, like it or not, Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) is in — is the illusion that it has taken place. Put another way, a message sent isn’t necessarily a message received.
DOTI can continue to defend itself by saying it has distributed 7,000 flyers and email blasts to 1,300 people. But it will continue to play defense until it makes a meaningful effort to truly engage its stakeholders — we, the taxpayers.
DOTI appears to be surprised that its messages aren’t getting through. But they don’t seem to understand that their messages — although important — are among thousands that each of us receive daily. Some are more and some are less important than DOTI’s. But we expect more from our government than to throw their hands in the air and say, “We tried!” or that they scheduled a meeting and only 50 people showed up.
DOTI’s lack of communication aptitude was spotlighted with the installation of many traffic circles around the city, especially along East Seventh Avenue. It is the same with the lane reconfiguration at Corona and Downing streets and Speer Boulevard.
One word: lame.
DOTI is, indeed, in the communications business, and shouldn’t install traffic circles after a half-hearted communication effort, especially when livelihoods are at stake. DOTI needs to stop hiding behind its poor communications and begin to get this right.
Pete Ziverts, Denver
Residents and business owners are sadly fighting to keep a popular neighborhood corridor accessible by motor vehicles instead of limited to bicycle traffic. No one should be alarmed about that. Similar decisions are made every day.
What is alarming and should be a wake-up call to every Coloradan and American is this decision is being made by a non-elected government agency void of the representative democracy our forefathers passed down to us. Decisions affecting our livelihoods and our pursuit of happiness made by a few appointed by a king rather than duly elected officials is hardly the government envisioned almost 250 years ago when proud, brave men sacrificed their fortunes and sometimes their lives because they believed in a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, not a monarchy!
Citizens of that road near Sloan’s Lake and every Coloradan must demand a representative democracy. An appointed government agency should do its job and make recommendations, but all such final decisions should be made only by a duly elected body of government.
Paul C. Gremse, Denver
Biden just taking first step to fix Supreme Court
Re: “Supreme Court doesn’t need an overhaul,” Aug. 2 letter to the editor
President Joe Biden is quite aware that he cannot impose term limits on the Supreme Court without it being ratified by Congress and the Senate. This is merely a first step in what is sure to be a long but necessary process. And this has nothing to do with right vs. left. It has to do with some of our current Supreme Court justices behaving in ways that are unethical and openly biased, which is antithetical to their job.
How is this acceptable to you?
Ellen Haverl, Denver
Something’s fishy in Paris
Apparently, many people think all the backlash for the Paris Olympic opening ceremony is from uneducated, right-wing Christian zealots who should “learn something,” “chill,” or, as The View’s Caryn Elaine “Whoopie” Johnson advised, “just turn the TV off.”
I am a rube — of the nonreligious, apolitical variety. And what I saw during the opening ceremony was the desire to get a rise out of 2.4 billion faithful by befouling Christianity.
The spectacle combined both Christian and pagan imagery. Even with my backwoods education, I immediately discerned central figures in colors and poses reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th-century painting “The Last Supper.” Olympics organizers reported that Jan van Bijlert’s “The Feast of the Gods,” painted over a century later, was the purported muse for this production.
This was followed by an infusion of Greco-Roman mythology. During this pivot, we saw — not a big loaf of Eucharistic bread — but a nearly naked Papa Smurf-like Dionysus (Bacchus) figure. Dionysus is the androgynous god of ritual madness and ecstasy, among other things.
Catholicism impedes the LGBTQ movement’s doctrine of Hedonism.
Let’s permit the Jesus portrayer from the Olympics spectacle, Barbara Butch, to speak to the production’s intent: “OH YES, OH YES, THE NEW GAY TESTAMENT!”
This exclamation captioned two juxtaposed photos on Butch’s Instagram: the drag-queen tableau and “The Last Supper painting.” Her post has been deleted.
Scott R. Hammond, Denver
Rewarding illegal immigration is not right or fair
Re: “Demonizing illegal immigrants is a betrayal of America,” July 20 letter to the editor
What this letter writer and all the illegal immigration advocates conveniently choose not to acknowledge when they misappropriate the innocuous “immigrant” moniker, is that while our nation was most certainly built by immigrants, those immigrants were compelled to comply with the laws of our nation instead of rationalizing their breaking them to illegally gain entry.
It’s easy to allege respect for the United States, citizenship, and the rule of law, but how much respect can illegal aliens have for our nation and its laws if they’re willing and eager to rationalize breaking them?
Isn’t it illogical and unfair to try to group people coming here illegally in the same category as legal immigrants when earlier generations of legal immigrants, who came through Ellis Island, were screened and their identities verified, not all who came were accepted, and many were sent back for legal and health reasons.
So how are all the letter writer’s rationalizations fair to all the other potential legal immigrants, from all over the world, who would love the opportunity to play by the rules instead of cutting in line.
Not all illegal aliens are as harmless, benign, or innocuous as some may perceive. Kate Steinle, Laken Riley, and Jocelyn Nagaray would very likely disagree with him if only they could.
Unfortunately, there are political groups whose goal is to enable and facilitate illegal aliens breaking our nation’s laws to increase their membership. They realized years ago that they would never get the changes they wanted through congressional legislation, so they rationalized creating a gigantic problem to force the nation to contend with the illegal aliens by overwhelming the laws, facilities, and systems to accommodate legal immigration. Of course, by helping them evade consequences for their illegal actions, they created an obligation to support and vote for the political groups supporting them.
Right is right, wrong is wrong, and fair is fair. Rewarding illegal aliens for their proficiency at breaking our laws is neither right nor fair.
Gordon Carleton, Pueblo West
Dwindling police presence, traffic enforcement
Re: “Cities scaled back traffic stops, and road deaths soared,” New York Times news story, Aug. 1
I’ve come to think that the Denver Police Department has become a public Rent-a-Cop operation. The only time that I see a live police person is at stores or events that rent them. I continually hear about how long a call for service takes and still see a multitude of expired license plates. In Thursday’s New York Times there is a report of Denver’s traffic stops in 2022 being down 62% and road deaths up 21% since 2019. Chief Ron Thomas is a good guy but maybe he should start kicking some rear-ends.
Jim Hannifin Sr., Denver
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