LETTERS

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jun 26, 2001

LOCAL POLITICS

Voters don't want downtown 'Disneyland'

In the June 19 letters page there was a letter from City Councilman Richard Skorman telling us what he thinks we don't understand ("Condemnation option is an integral - and misunderstood - part of urban renewal").

Well, this is a message to the City Council. Please try to comprehend this: We, the people, are not as unknowledgeable as you think. In fact, we probably know better than you how to make and manage a budget.

It seems that some on our City Council are trying to turn downtown Colorado Springs into Disneyland. They don't understand that we don't want downtown turned into Disneyland, or anything close to it.

In Skorman's own words, the only time condemnation is used is when a person doesn't accept the price offered. That translates into "take what we offer or we'll take it anyway, it's only your property until we want it."

The council members must try to understand that we didn't put them into office to make their vision of the city to become a reality. We put them into office to carry out the will of the people. Those who don't want to and want to throw tantrums like 2-year-olds won't be there anymore. We put them into office and we can remove them from office. It's called voting.

Saundra Littlepage, Colorado Springs

Pay for public services with money from park

Years ago the top priority was for needs, necessities for sustaining the quality of life. Luxuries were much lower on the list.

I am very disturbed to read that Confluence Park may be built in spite of the rejection of the urban renewal plan. It's a $60 million luxury.

Only a short time ago our City Council was telling us how much we needed new fire stations, more policemen, road work, etc.

Wouldn't the $19 million the city now has for the park be much better used in building fire stations, or increasing our police force, or whatever is the most important?

It appears that our newly elected council members have their feet firmly planted in reality. I hope they can prevail.

Jean Salazar, Colorado Springs

ACADEMY FLIGHTS

Air Force, Navy have different missions

In reference to Robert Hunt's letter concerning naval flight training: His statements concerning the Naval Academy program are correct but are irrelevant to the Air Force Academy ("Air Force should take a clue from the Navy," Letters, June 14). After all, the Naval Academy has a yacht club and midshipmen learn a great deal about sailing and ships.

The Air Force Academy does not have a yacht club and most cadets couldn't tell the difference between a boat and a ship. The focus of the Naval Academy is on producing naval officers whether for the fleet, shore duty, or aviation. The Air Force Academy's focus is on producing Air Force officers (whether pilot or not) and flying is as central to the Air Force as sailing is to the Navy.

Each academy has a program appropriate to its mission.

Incidently, the Navy is also looking for a replacement for the T- 34C.

Richard R. Sexton, Colorado Springs

CALIFORNIA ENERGY

Limiting purchases to spot markets caused woes

The column by syndicated columnist Robert Reno in the June 16 Gazette was biased and blatantly inaccurate ("President must prod regulators to address issue," Commentary). You would like to believe that a writer for the national media (and published in The Gazette) would get the facts straight before suggesting solutions. The current power situation in California is not the result of deregulation, it is the result of regulation by freeing the electric power companies to purchase fuel gas and electricity only on the spot market but still regulating the price to the consumer. Gas supplies got tight and the spot market soared for both gas and purchased electricity.

With consumer prices fixed, the costs to the power companies going out of sight, and the regulatory requirements to continue to provide power to the consumer, the power companies have acquired massive debt (Pacific Gas and Electric has filed for bankruptcy). Many gas and electric suppliers to California have not been paid for their products - the total is in the billions of dollars. Not surprisingly, they have discontinued service, driving costs up further.

California's Gov. Gray Davis' political stance is to blame everybody except the state government. This will not provide power, only hot air. Consumers must be made to pay the cost of power service as painful as this might seem. California is reaping the results of the green/political activists who have hindered the investment in new generating capacity necessary to keep up with the state's growth in population and demand.

Edwin L. Emmel, Colorado Springs

INFORMED URBANITES

Watchdog groups keep voters in the loop

Whoever wrote the Our View, "Snared in the law," is as naive as the "urbanites" the editorial found fault with. The initiative to ban leghold traps, snares, and poisons in Colorado was successful in part because we urbanites are no longer as naive as we once were. Thanks to dozens of watchdog groups, and the information they have made available, especially through the Internet, we now have the data, statistics, the cruelty, and the politics behind the real cost of cattle ranching in the West - data very difficult for an individual to acquire.