Letters to the Editor: Feb. 26, 2010

Pommer wrong: business does care

When speaking about increasing taxes on business on Feb.16, state Rep. Jack Pommer stated, “Business does not care about Colorado.”

I bet IBM, Roche, Seagate, Amgen and other businesses in Boulder County would disagree. They have all invested significantly in his district, providing jobs and tax base for many years. And who does he think provides the money he is busy spending?

Sorry Rep. Pommer, we can’t all work for the government. As a matter of fact, 84 percent of us work for private businesses.

Pommer’s comment shows a complete lack of understanding and appreciation for the companies that have afforded the citizens of Boulder County jobs and such a beautiful place to live. These companies don’t stay in Colorado because it is a “business friendly” state.

I understand that the legislature has to balance the budget. But demeaning the people, who ultimately provide the state with income, and its citizens with jobs, seems extremely insolent and disrespectful.

Bonnie Finley, Longmont

Capitalism has not served health care

It is a cultured and civilized society that takes care of its sick. Howis it that we Americans with such high ideals as found in our fabulousConstitution cannot not provide for our sick?

While capitalism may workfor business enterprise, it is a failure in covering those who needcare. Education and health are human services not for profit makinginsurance companies.

The expense is becoming more and more prohibitive. According to a newfederal study, health care is projected to be at $8,047 per person by2019.

Look down the line, folks, and see more families declaring bankruptcy asindividuals are unable to pay these huge health care bills. Just think,our children could be the ones on that homeless road.

Thesa Kallinikos, Longmont

Comcast fee increase all about its profits

Recently we received a letter from Comcast stating that they are upgrading the service in our area and to continue to receive the same service channels I have received; it will be an extra $2 a month. We signed a two-year contract in July, and now they feel that the changes they are making is worth more of our money.

From talking to their customer service, this is not breaking the contract. Comcast appears to think it is an industry that can change the rules and fees at any time.

We signed up for the Triple-play, a deal for $99/month for phone, cable and Internet. Now that they have increased subscriptions, they seem to be fine with changing the rules. Let’s see $2 a month if it only affects, say, two millions homes, an additional $50 million a year in pure profit, and most people would accept it without a challenge. Since they now have a stake in a major network, and some control of on-line viewing, they seem to think they have nothing to fear.

Any lawyers from the satellite services out there care to offer advice?
Charlie Patrick, Longmont
Health care debate reveals flawed system

Because of my work on health-care reform I have been able to evaluate how the present political system manipulates and deceives the general public. This process has been very discouraging at times and has forced me to accept some conclusions that aren’t necessarily positive.

We are conditioned to accept that we are individualists and exceptional and anyone who doesn’t meet our standards must be lazy or stupid and doesn’t deserve basic rights. The powers in control are only too happy to promote and nurture this concept. A politician who believes in statesmanship or being a public servant is likely to be unemployed.

Our political system actually prevents real change in any substantive area that would alter the status quo. Powerful corporate interests control our politicians and therefore our lives. These industries are so powerful that they can simply buy the politicians that make the rules of the game. Occasionally they will allow some cosmetic gesture to appease the public when they think it is necessary.

It is impossible to make meaningful changes that benefit the public as long as the political system is controlled by corporate interests. Elections are for sale and special interest have the money to buy them and controls the information that the public views to make their voting decisions.

To work on any social issue through the current political system without changing the way we elect our representatives is extremely difficult. It’s not the politicians but the system that is at fault. To expect our elected officials to represent the public is naive at best.

Progressives really have but one choice to effect social change: use the citizen’s initiative to enact publicly financed elections and then fight to keep them.
Richard Hansen, Longmont
Focus school cuts on administration

I find it fascinating that as we prepare for massive educational cuts throughout the state of Colorado, the focus falls immediately on teachers and classrooms and class sizes.

The problem here is that the fox is in charge of the henhouse. I urge the community to pressure administrators to cut their own bloated bureaucracies before negatively impacting our children’s educational opportunities. I would also ask our intrepid local reporters to begin to question administrators about why we so quickly focus on cutting teachers and class sizes.

Parents, you can do more than anyone to protect our teachers jobs. I suggest you demand to know more about the many layers of administrative positions that no doubt pervade throughout your school district. Find out how many administrators spend time teaching your children.

Ask if your district has expendable positions such as “teacher coaches.” Then, decide if you prefer former teachers driving around “coaching” new teachers or would you prefer to have real teachers in classrooms administering the business of actually teaching our children.

It’s time for parents and the community in general to step up to the plate and demand that the state budget cuts become an opportunity to eradicate financial fluff and focus on our district’s educational commitment to the classroom. Let’s not allow “electives” to be cut before first cutting administrative, bureaucratic fat.

Michael Rees,  Niwot
Senators lacking in principle, decency

On both sides of the aisle we’ve experienced frustration with Senate gridlock, but the recent news has caused me added outrage.

Legislators are consistently threatening filibuster (traditionally an occasional procedure) which forces 60 votes rather than a simple 51-vote majority. Recently Republican Sen. Richard Shelby from Alabama, by himself, held the Obama administration hostage by putting a “hold” on 70 qualified, non-controversial White House appointees for reasons he claims to be of national security. Two of those nominations were the heads of security at the departments of Homeland Security and of State.

What was the real reason for this “ransom”? Follow the money: a bought-and-sold Shelby was holding out for two major earmarks to go to his state before dropping his obstructionism.

Another example is Sen. Ben Nelson (D — Neb.), who refused to support the Democratic health-care proposal until he was promised a permanent exemption from Nebraska’s Medicaid expenses.

Whatever happened to principle, decency, and fixing our country’s problems according to the common good?

Marilyn Stinson, Longmont
Show us the money on Heaven Fest concert

At Longmont City Council on Feb. 16 speakers presented a strong case for holding the Heaven Fest concert at any location but Union Reservoir.

One missing argument was the city’s virtual gift of the site to the promoters. Longmont is renting the multi-acre park with its lake, trees and wildlife to the organization for 10 days. The total cost: $50!
The crowd is expected to be upwards of 30,000 people, and perhaps as many as 50,000 based on previous Heaven Fests in Brighton and elsewhere.

People will camp on that land. Vendors will market food and memorabilia.

I wish I were wrong about the fee. Could it at least be $50 a day? I haven’t had all my phone calls to city officials returned, but so far no one has contradicted this ridiculously low fee.

I think Longmont should welcome this event at the airport or the fairgrounds or the Rogers Grove area, but it should be prepared to negotiate a fair return for what it permits, an amount to cover the city’s expenses in supporting the event and a fair profit above that amount.

Ticket prices have not yet been established, but if the city got only $1 per ticket and 40,000 tickets were sold, this deal would begin to make sense, especially in these economic times.

The number $700,000 has been calculated by city staff as the amount concertgoers will spend in Longmont over 10 days. From that the city itself would take in sales tax, the bulk of the dollars going to restaurants and hotels.

However, speakers on Tuesday night pointed out that the calculation estimates hotel revenue based on 30 percent more beds than actually exist in Longmont!

Until the city council is prepared to negotiate appropriate contracts based on real numbers for its facilities, especially in this economic hard time, it should not be giving away our valuable resources.

Tom deMers,  Longmont

Recession offers chance to renew

In a recession there can be great opportunity. We have the choice to have an energy policy that will work to reduce our dependence on oil and protect consumers by focusing on energy efficiency, renewable energy and conservation.

Chemical facilities must employ safer technologies and we must have policies to protect our watersheds from destructive mining and pollution. Metals like arsenic, aluminum, boron, cadmium, manganese, nickel and other heavy metals have been shown to contribute to cancer, organ failures and other diseases. It is time to develop and enact comprehensive chemicals policy reform.

Our current food systems are built for the largest producers, making it hard for small farmers. The more we now about our producers and their methods, the risk of contaminated foods can be minimized. Buying local makes the food fresher and less energy is used in transport.

Our country needs a modern network of light rail to assist in getting cars off the road. Each freight train can take up to 280 trucks off our roads. We could build a system for trucks and trains that both reduces cost and reduces carbon.

Single payer health care would stop the private for profit insurance subsidized by our tax dollars. The mandate that everyone must buy health care cannot be done without major regulation.

On Wall Street arrogance abounds. We must change the executive compensation structure of our financial institutions. First they take our tax dollars, then they charge us again through credit, while counting on the taxpayers to bail them out when they go out on a limb. We can choose to regulate our banks and health insurance to stop exploitation of consumers.

Citizens must urge congress to move in a different direction that demonstrates a commitment to protecting the environment and the public’s health and well being.

Ruth A Remple, Longmont