Monthly Archives: February 2011

Congratuulations to Daily Camera editor Erika Stutzman for printing John Stadler’s letter, “Workers’ rights born out of unions” and Paul Krugman’s column “Shock doctrine, USA”, alerting us to the truth behind modern day union busting and the neo-con war mongering respectively. In our rush to be gobally competitive with math and science education (as we should be), how easy it is to ignore the equally important humanities, including history, which hopefully humbles us to the reality that people gave their lives for something so simple as the right to a 15 minute coffee break. If history and literature were taught in our schools perhaps people would have read Doss Passos’ “USA Trilogy” and been aware of the viscious, murderous methods inherent in the practice of labor busting (be assured, these methods will be back; witness Wisconsin’s governor confessing to his presumed billionaire boss his intention to plant thugs among the protestors in Wisconsin).

Well regulated capitalism by an informed electorate has proven to be the most effective force in history for the advancement of art, science, civil liberties and the rightful distribution of wealth (to those who created and earned it and yes, to the disadvantaged who didn’t have a chance to earn it). Remove the regulation, remove the “informed” (through the consolidation of media and gutting of humanities in the schools), and you have a “free market” almost immediately seized and controlled by the ruthless and criminal class. And that’s where we are today.

Doug Richards
Boulder Continue reading →

In the last few decades, the United States has seen the development of monster-banks whose assets are so huge, they are now equivalent to over 60 percent of the American gross national product. These Godzilla banks are named in the book :Thirteen Bankers, the Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown. The monster banks include Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup.

The economic power of these mega banks has actually increased since the financial meltdown of 2008 – thanks to the demise of competitors in the crash, plus the package of sweet deals provided to the survivors by the Bush and Obama Administrations. The surviving mega-banks have collectively received huge government bailouts, federal guarantees for their debts, and access to enormous amounts of money at near zero interest rates, which they then turn around and use to make high-yield, and often risky investments.

Much of the money these behemoths have made because of these sweet deals has been used to successfully lobby Congress to make sure that the mega-banks were not broken up in the tepid financial reform that was enacted.

You can learn more about monster banks by going to the website thisisnotadrillradio.org.

Judy Lubow
Longmont Continue reading →

I had thought this letter might be about inconsiderate dog walkers who leave picking up dog waste to us senior citizens, mountain bike riders running us down, or obsessed cell phone users and twitterers ignoring us on the road or in crosswalks. However, an experience this weekend leads my thoughts in another direction. After an unexpected failure of my prosthetic leg, I found myself lying beside the south Mesa Trail with a severely bleeding stump (residual limb), prosthesis some feet away, and my dog nervously circling, worrying about what he could do. Since it was a weekend, with numerous visitors to open space, I wasn’t too worried about getting help. However, after several dog walkers, runners and hikers averted their eyes and rushed by to avoid getting involved, I managed to crawl to my prosthesis, clean off my bloody stump, replace the leg, hike the two miles back to the Eldorado Springs road parking lot, and drive to the emergency care facility. After 43 years of living in Boulder, teaching at the University, and observing the self-centered, entitled and uncaring nature of too many in our large young adult and baby-boomer population, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. However, this small and generally insignificant personal experience and its sheer callousness raised serious questions about our community, what values we hold dear, and who among us is our brother’s keeper.

Hoping for a better future,

Richard J. Kraft
Boulder Continue reading →

What do Unions mean to you? Probably not much if you have a job that pays a fair wage, provides healthcare and benefits, and treats its employees ethically, with appropriate pay for hours or days worked. Unfortunately there are many occupations that are filled by our middle class citizens that seldom offer such working conditions. Colorado is a Right to Work state, which really means that employers have full employment rights, and employees seem to have few.

According to a recent list of Ten Best employment occupations, Dental Hygienist was number one. But a highly experienced and dedicated hygienist in Colorado is hard pressed to find a job, let alone find one with the benefits just described. There is no mutually recognized, central employment representative to bring the employer and potential hygienist together. So what would a Union mean to them?

In addition to Colorado licensing requirements, a Union would require specific experience where a Hygienist would be designated similar to a journeyman, apprentice, or trainee, thus the employer would be confident in hiring the specific level needed. If one was a member of a Dental Hygiene union and out of work, one would register with the union; employers would interview and select from an established list provided by the Union Office. As a senior member, one would be at the top with other comparable hygienists who register for work, with the usual order being according to seniority. When ones name came to the top of the list one would be called for a job interview and the employer would have to hire from the people who were referred by the union (probably 4 or 5) rather than from Craig’s List. The pay rate would be according to a prior negotiated Union Agreement. Union members would enjoy benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, and paid vacations.

If one was terminated for any reason, such would be according to an established Union agreement protocol. If the employee considers the termination not according to the Union Agreement, the Union Representatives would investigate and represent that member’s rights. If the employer neglects to maintain a safe work environment, requires unpaid over-time, no lunch break, no 15 minute break, or condones an environment of demeaning behavior, the Union would investigate that practice, require corrections. The employee would not be subjected to reprisal by the employer.

A Union provides a powerful means by which middle class workers can be sure their work rights are protected and that they are treated fairly by individual employers or Corporations. That is why many Powerful Corporations now want to destroy all the unions rather than negotiate agreements. So while certain government unions may not seem important to middle class workers in the private sector, to destroy any union is to weaken ALL of them. Once the unions are all destroyed we could have a society of virtual slaves, and anyone who can’t see that has not lived and remembered the Great Depression of the 1930’s.

Lois McCoy
Boulder Continue reading →

I support continued access to the Saddlerock and Tenderfoot/Chapman Drive by hikers with dogs . I have been using these trails for thirty years, almost daily!
Among fifteen members of the CCG there is only one (1) person representing dog owners/guardians, who are the most frequent users of open space trails, so the CCG “recommendations” do not reflect needs and opinions of the majority.
We need to co-exist with the nature (humans, dogs and horses are part of it!) . Closing more trails for dogs equals closing them also for owners/guardians. It may also result in increased traffic, potential conflicts and enviromental impact on the remaining open trails.
I strongly support preservation of environment, but being a physician I am mostly concerned about health of human fellows. To my patients I often recommend hiking with a dog as a therapy for depression, anxiety, obesity and other medical conditions, with good therapeutical success.
We really need your help.

Sincerely,

Andrea Malanowski MD
Boulder Continue reading →

Journalism Professor Len Ackand’s plea on behalf of journalism education at CU will likely fall on deaf ears (Sunday February 27th Camera). Ackland described a CU process that seems destined to yield a journalism-free result. According to Eckland, Journalism faculty was excluded from committees charged with making recommendations on the future of journalism education. Two reports, numerous statements and a presentation by CU administrators are vague, ambiguous and leave no clear indication regarding whether journalism education will survive..

However, a quick look at recent history suggests an abiding hostility by the CU administration not only toward journalism, but also toward truth telling of any sort when such seems to run counter to administration interests. One needs only to recall what happened to Environmental Studies professor Adrienne Anderson when she and her students discovered that major corporate donors to CU were involved in dicey deals to dispose of their illegally dumped hazardous wastes in a secret deal with Denver Water. When news of the deal began to emerge, Anderson’s classes were summarily cancelled, her position eliminated, her reputation besmirched and public exposure of the dirty deals quashed.

One might also recall that for 34 years the Silver and Gold Record provided faculty and staff at CU independent news about university policies and an open forum for CU employees. The S&GR was summarily wiped out for “financial reasons” after it published articles detailing uncomfortable information about CU budget priorities. An in-house administration mouthpiece that offers little in the way of either independence or journalism replaced the S&GR.

If CU administrators intended to support journalism education, not just media technology development, their intent would be clear and unambiguous. I suspect that the administration hopes to dispense with journalism education without appearing to do so. Such intent requires spin, not journalism.

Ken Bonetti
Boulder Continue reading →

Like most states, Colorado is in a deep budget crisis with some very difficult choices to make. One significant expense (larger than higher education) is our prisons. Another very large expense is Medicaid, within which mental health has sustained large cuts in the past and is being viewed as an opportunity for further cuts in this budget cycle. What is the connection? Taking a look at Texas, which ranks 50th on per capita spending for mental health, the largest mental institution in the state is now the Harris County Jail in Houston. When mental health services are cut back, those with severe problems wind up in prison and on the street, and many times in a repetitious cycle between the two, often punctuated by visits to the emergency room. This isn’t cost effective, nor is it humane.

To find a real solution, we must address misperceptions about the homeless: that they “prefer” homelessness, and they aren’t motivated to improve themselves, acting in a way that perpetuates their problems. Like most generalities, these don’t apply to everyone.

One of many studies on trauma and the homeless concludes, “in addition to the experience of being homeless, an overwhelming percentage of homeless individuals, families and children have been exposed to additional forms of trauma, including childhood neglect, psychological abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse; community violence; combat-related trauma; domestic violence; accidents and disasters.” Looking at the “difficult” behaviors of many homeless people, we find a close correspondence with the symptoms of trauma: depression and diminished interest in daily activities, flashbacks and triggered responses, irritability, outbursts of anger, difficulty concentrating, feeling unsafe or helpless, difficulty trusting, a loss of a sense of order in the world, and use of alcohol or drugs to manage emotional responses.

Without an understanding of the issues, we may make cuts that wind up costing us more, both in dollars and in human terms. An investment in appropriate care and healing for the homeless will help reduce the cost of prisons and healthcare while improving the quality of life and community for us all.

Barbara Bennett
Boulder Continue reading →

The sneaky move Xcel pulled last week to hurt the solar industry in Colorado is close to criminal. On Feb. 17, 2011, the monopoly – without any advance notice – suspended the solar rebate program.

While this step may help Xcel stockholders, it is devastating to Colorado’s 400 solar companies. Suspending the Solar Rewards program stops all future residential and commercial solar installations and solar leases that were counting on the rebates, and will likely cause an estimated job 2,000 – 3,000 people who work in the solar industry to loose their jobs.

Black Hills Energy in Pueblo puts on hold its solar in October 2010 causing a 90% decrease in solar sales and significant job losses.

The current rebate program had been working well. Slowly ratcheting down incentives as solar costs decreased, incentives were reduced nearly 50% during the past two years as solar electric costs decreased by 40-50% during the same period.

Before Xcel pulled the rug out from under the solar industry, rebate changes were predictable, incremental and transparent. Zero notice and eliminating a successful incentive program shows Xcel’s disregard for renewable energy in our state and the environment.

Public citizen support and the passage of Amendment 37, spurred Colorado to become the #2 state in the U.S. for solar jobs with 5,300 people working in the solar industry in our state.

Boulder show your support for renewable energy in Colorado. Attend the Rally for Clean Energy Jobs on Friday, February 25 at 12 pm at the Colorado State Capitol building. More info at the Colorado Solar Energy Industries website http://.coseia.org

Xcel’s self-interested move makes me further distrust the utility monopoly as a future provider for Boulder’s energy future. Now I feel even more drawn to have Boulder take control of our electricity supply.

Neshama Abraham
Boulder Continue reading →

I enjoyed Mr. Scott Rose’s letter of Feb. 24th. Indeed, it is a great time to be alive! What is happening in the mideast is history in the making. It is exciting to see democracy coming of its own accord, instigated by a people who express their desire for it, and without interference from well-intentioned outsiders. There is one word that keeps coming to me: 1776.

Kate Secrest
Boulder Continue reading →

I remember, from an early age, hearing about my grandmother who came to the United States toward the end of the Nineteenth Century. What was always shocking to me was that, at the age of eight, she went to work. She rolled cigars. Because she was young and small, she had to stand on a box to reach the work table. Women doing the same work were paid more than she. Men doing the same work were paid even more. The cigar companies liked to hire children—more cost effective!

Young people today do not know about child labor nor about a time before collective bargaining, the eight-hour workday, paid overtime, the minimum wage, and–it’s hard now to imagine it–a time before there were weekends! All these things which we now take for granted, were fought for and even died for by labor unions.

My grandmother worked ten to twelve hour days at the age of 8 to make it possible for some “gentleman” to smoke a cigar. And the only reason 8 year olds today are not doing her job and others like it is that unions forced the government to ban child labor. The owners of companies and others in power protested every time the working man achieved some step in workman’s rights, but they couldn’t stop progress. The unions wouldn’t back down.

Although I’m not in a union now, I have belonged in the past. I know that what I think of as rights and expectations in the workplace exist because workers before I was born earned them by sweat and blood and even death.

My grandmother wouldn’t have had to stand on a box and work today, but, if Governor Walker of Wisconsin were to succeed in destroying the unions in Wisconsin, we will be headed back into the Nineteenth Century.

Sincerely,

John Stadler
Louisville Continue reading →

David Brooks’ editorial in the February 24, 2011, Daily Camera entitled “Make Everyone Hurt” is misdirected.

First, who is “Everybody”? Mr. Brooks devotes a large portion of his article to setting up a conflict between private sector middle-class employees and unionized public sector employees. The truth is that all of these people are hurting, unionized or not.

Mr. Brooks, instead, should concentrate his thoughts on the tax cuts enjoyed by the rich. who control a disproportionate amount of total income. (According to an article published on September 13, 2010, by New York Times editorial writer Bob Herbert: “By 2007, the last year for which complete data are available, the richest 1 percent were taking more than 23 percent of all income. The richest one-one tenth of 1 percent, representing just 13,000 households, took in more than 11 percent of total income in 2007.”) And what about the cost of those golden health benefits available to members of Congress while the Republicans attempt to repeal healthcare reform for the rest of us?

Second, as for teachers, until the bubble burst in 2008, their jobs went begging. As one writer commented recently, the complaint against teachers appears to be “pension envy.” Others have had the opportunity to be teachers but passed it up for bigger bucks. As a good libertarian might argue—each of us has a choice to make and once made must accept the consequences.

Finally, Mr. Brooks’ brief reference to “seniority, not merit” seems to indicate that there in lays the fault with the educational system. If so, he needs to research the impact of poverty and the lack of parental involvement on student performance.

Paul G. Bursiek
Boulder Continue reading →

To eat a rabbit or not to eat a rabbit? Let’s start with a more basic question: how do we Americans decide what is Good to Eat and what is Bad to Eat? It’s a cultural question, one with a certain amount of economics at its heart. We are taught that some animals are pets and some are food. So, we eat cattle but not horse. But the French eat horse. And the Chinese eat beetles. Puppy dogs go into the soup in some Asian countries. Plenty of other cultures eat what we refuse to eat because their systems allow and encourage it. And we, of course, eat food that others do not, e.g., Mother Cow is sacred to Hindus. There is a long list of foods that make most of us gag because we’ve been taught they are lovable and not good in a stew. Rabbits seem to have a secure hold on the middle-ground.

Alma Becker
Boulder Continue reading →

Mountain bikers are not adrenalin junkies set on danger and destruction. There is defamatory talk regarding mountain bikers from certain user groups that is bordering on hate speech. These groups are determined to portray mountain bikers as a lesser user group that does not deserve Boulder Open Space because of there perceived character. The language coming from the conservationists against mountain bikers is unfounded and should not be part of any decision made by the leaders of Boulder. Mountain bikers ride because of a love for the outdoors and the ability to find isolation and adventure on wild and scenic nature trails. Just as any hiker finds solitude and rejuvenation in nature, so to do mountain bikers

Mountain biking is an activity that promotes healthy lifestyle and appreciation for the outdoors. From most of central Boulder it is not easy for a person that does not own a car, like a young adult, to get to a mountain bike trail. The current ride along Broadway has several spots that are dangerous for cyclists. For young kids Mountain Biking is largely inaccessible. Why would Boulder, a city that claims health and appreciation of nature as values of the community, oppose opening these virtues to our youth in the form of an accessible in town mountain bike trail?

Fears of user conflict are unfounded because the building of a new mountain bike trail means that all the hiking trails that people love and use regularly will still be there and still be free of bike traffic. A new trail would hardly even be noticed by the existing user groups. The cost of a new trail is also a flawed argument. Mountain bikers are excellent trail stewards and OSMP would have no trouble recruiting volunteers and raising funds from the mountain bike community

Ryan Hamilton
Boulder Continue reading →

After seeing the movie, “Bag It” and rereading Dave Burdick’s review, I wonder if we saw the same movie. It goes far beyond the topic of plastic bags and addresses the most important message of all – that the use of plastics is causing havoc on our planet.

Imagine – “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch” – twice the size of the state of Texas, floating in endless circles. The sheer enormity of this is mind-boggling. Our oceans have become garbage dumps because all sewers lead to the ocean. Plastic photo-degrades, turning into smaller and smaller pieces. And sea creatures think this is food.

Next – remote Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean – albatross chicks who were fed these bits of plastic died because there is no nutrition in plastic. Their remains were mini-garbage heaps – feathers surrounded by a pile of plastic pieces.

WE are at the top of ocean food chain – and inadvertently, we are eating these plastics too.

Now, what about the Berrier’s experiment of eating foods that were heated in plastic containers in the microwave and consuming foods from cans lined with Bisphenol A (BPA)? His BPA levels were off the charts. Did you know Bisphenol A is an endocrine distruptor and is linked to ADHD, gender neutrality, autism and other maladies? But the American Chemical Council says BPA is “safe.”

Pthalates (aka “fragrance” and the stuff that makes plastic malleable – e.g., your baby’s rubber ducky – and is found in such things as dryer sheets and those candles you burn in your bathroom to make it smell nice) is another endocrine disrupter.

The American Chemical Council, a powerful conglomerate of plastic manufacturers, appears to be more interested in profits than your health.

What can we do? Use reusable shopping bags, bring your own coffee cup to your local coffee shop, say no to dangerous plastics, especially Nos. 3, 6 & 7, and much, much more.

See the movie and “think” before you consume. Stop this deadly cycle now before it kills us.

Teresa Foster
Longmont Continue reading →

To the Editor:

Under cover of night on Saturday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill (HR 1) that wages the most sweeping assault on our air and water in recent history.

The bill blocks the Environmental Protection Agency from protecting our health from dangerous carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants and also puts at risk the drinking water of over 3,700,000 people in Colorado by barring EPA from restoring Clean Water Act protections to vulnerable waterways.

Though the proposal passed, in Colorado, we are grateful to have members of Congress like Representative Polis, who voted against this measure and courageously stood up for protecting our health, our air, and our water.

Representative Polis knows that, while Coloradans voted for many things last November, they did not vote for more asthma attacks and more contaminated drinking water. He should be applauded for voting against this atrocious anti-environmental legislation.

Sincerely,

Caitlin Seeley
Boulder Continue reading →

Editor,
While we assess what’s happening in the netherworld of the Madison Wisconsin Governors office,
we the people are becoming more and more disenchanted with our so-called leaders.
Americans elected to change the dynamics of a one-party-in-control scenario, but we apparently got shafted anyway with new leadership-without-the-courage-of-OUR-convictions scenario. Labor Unions aren’t the problem, the lack of jobs , corruption in taxation and election procedures are.
If we don’t learn from the mistakes of the former USSR, we will soon follow them into oblivion.
The “war” in Afghanistan was the costly last straw for the USSR and Osama-Bin-Laden is gleefully playing the same game with us. And,unfortunately, it seems, he’s succeeding.
With the latest billions approved for our little “war”, that brings the total to over a trillion dollars, and that’s over and above the Defense Department yearly budget that they claim is 23 % of our total budget. (The number is considerably higher when you figure in how many other departments contribute to keeping the military afloat, eg; food stamps for underpaid troops families, housing costs , rising fuel costs,maintenance scams and pork projects, to name a few) The actual costs have been estimated at closer to 50 % of our budget.
We can’t afford to keep the Military Industrial Complex doing business as usual.( Ike warned us of exactly this 50 years ago.)
Unless , of course,you prefer help the economy of our new buddies, the Chinese Communists, who are more than happy to sell us cheap cadmium-tainted crap (via Wal-Mart) as well as make Osama a very happy man….Again.

Americans aren’t that stupid.
Are we?

Tommy Holeman
Niwot Continue reading →

Re the departure of Carmelo and Chauncey: The Associated Press writer made it sound like a wake. And one of the opening lines, “Anthony was one of the best players in Denver Nuggets history” needed the modifier “if the NBA was a one-on-one league.” Great players know when to shoot and when to pass, and Melo only mastered half of that equation. Great players know how to involve the other four professionals on the court, bringing out the best in everyone, and Melo played a lot of back-em-down, jack-it-up while the others stood around and watched. Great players lead their teams to championships – enough said.

I was hopeful that the short-handed Nuggets would pull it together on the day after the trade. They played the Memphis Grizzlies, a team they are battling for a playoff spot. I watched and I was very pleased – they hustled, they played great defense, they ran the fast break, and most importantly, they played team ball. On nearly every possession, there were 2,3, or 4 passes, working toward the best shot. They shared the ball, and were up by 30 at one point in the game. Awesome. It will be interesting if the talent that had been in Melo’s shadow will emerge as a team rather than a group of individuals. Coach Karl has the ability to do this, and no longer has to watch helplessly as an anointed one plays his own game.

I may actually watch them now.

Dr. Douglas Swartzendruber
Professor Emeritus – University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Continue reading →

I see where Douglas County Schools is working on voucher plans for up to 500 students. Given the demographics of Douglas County and the fact that 13 of the 14 private schools in the district are religious, the numbers would break down something like this: vouchers for 170 kids of the Catholic faith, 70 with the LDS Church, and about 240 Southern Baptists or churches to the right of the Southern Baptist Convention. Buddhists, Shintoists, Hindus, Jews, Bokonists, Agnostics, Atheists . . . need not apply.

Maybe if the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution were printed in Gideon Bible script the Douglas County School Board would have a keener sense of the public in public education.

Rocky Hill
Denver Continue reading →

I oppose Excel Energy’s cancellation of the rebate for solar energy systems. This rebate of $2.35 per kilowatt hour is a great help for people of modest means to install PV panels to promote clean, emission free energy, to protect against future rate increases, and to help make our country more energy independent. With the current turmoil in the Middle East, and the threat of cutbacks on imported energy, this the worst possible time to create a disincentive for producing our own energy with Colorado sunshine. The charge to ratepayers is next to nothing – only $1.25 per month per household – and solar system owners pay this charge too. Excel should withdraw this action.

Phil Wardwell
Erie Continue reading →

I was delighted to learn Wednesday morning that SB 126, the CO ASSET bill (Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow) was approved by the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday. That’s the 2nd committee that has approved this bill. Now it goes to the Appropriations Committee before heading to the entire Senate for a second reading.
I’m a strong supporter of this legislation because I’ve met several undocumented youth who came to this country as small children and learned only in their teens that they were not US citizens and therefore ineligible for many opportunities. Many of these young people are excellent students who want to pursue higher education but find it unaffordable. If this bill passes, they will be able to attend a CO state college or university, paying instate tuition. This would help them, but it would also benefit our state schools because of the additional monies paid.
I’m told that to attend CU/Boulder tuition is something like $29,000. for an out-of-state student and about $8,500. for CO residents. That’s a BIG difference, and certainly the reason why many undocumented high school graduates see attending college in CO impossible. I’m also told that some of these young people choose to move to a neighboring state (New Mexico, for instance) where they can pay in-state tuition at their colleges. Why should CO lose those gifted and ambitious students? And why should our schools lose their income?
I very much hope my senator, Senator Rollie Heath, will support this bill when it comes to a vote in the Senate. I also hope other people who think like me will encourage both their Senator and their Representative to support this legislation. I think we all stand to benefit.

Barbara Hanst
Boulder Continue reading →