Re: Three-legged stool
This is in response to Richard Vottero’s letter in last week’s Sopris Sun.
Three-legged stools are great! Balanced and stable, I’d sit on a good one without thinking twice. A three-party system would be great, too. I would love to vote for a third-party candidate with humble roots, original ideas and a realistic path to the presidency. The sense of humor required to dump a bear carcass in Central Park is giving major trust-fund-kid energy. This is one of many reasons that RFK ain’t him.
Imagine going to a local woodworker and asking for a stool with one 45” leg, one 43” leg and one 5” leg. You would get the same look I’m giving you right now. If you want a well-balanced stool with three 33.3” legs, it will take decades of consensus-building, hard work and better metaphors.
Dr. Joanne Whülke
Missouri Heights
O&G savvy commissioner for GarCo
Garfield County commissioner candidate Steven Arauza forgot more about the oil and gas industry than his opponent, Mike Samson, will ever know. Arauza is an environmental protection specialist for the Energy and Carbon Management Commission and a member of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Environmental Justice Advisory Board. Much of what follows came from an exchange of emails between Arauza and myself.
Arauza monitors “reported spills and releases and enforces our environmental regulations to ensure they are properly cleaned up.” He also conducts routine environmental inspections of oil and gas facilities to verify compliance with state regulations and helps “to conduct follow-up investigations and pursue penalty enforcement if violations are found.” Arauza is proud to “serve as the eyes and ears of the public.”
Recognizing the importance of oil and gas to the tax base of Garfield County, Arauza believes the decisions the BOCC has made on behalf of the industry has made the county dependent on the industry. “It places the people of Garfield County, particularly in District 3, in a highly unstable situation. They’re impacted the most by predictable boom and bust cycles of the industry and forced to live with the environmental and health impacts,” Arauza said.
“My opponent,” Arauza said, “and the rest of the BOCC see oil and gas as free money. They are in denial that climate change is even a problem. They deny or accept the environmental and human costs. I understand the environmental, human and climate costs of this industry. I understand that we need to diversify away from our reliance on oil and gas production in a way that is mindful of the dependence of our county on property taxes and workers for their livelihoods. We can do this.”
“The challenge is to do this without bankrupting the county,” Arauza said. “We need to be careful not to sacrifice the quality of government services. Unfortunately, this really cuts to our continued ties to oil and gas production. We need to critically assess new applications and stop drilling in residential areas entirely while working with our municipalities to identify additional industries to bring more jobs into the region.”
Steven Arauza’s wife, Hanna, was chosen by the Garfield County Public Library District to become a trustee. In an unprecedented move, the BOCC shot down the appointment. Steven had already announced his candidacy for commissioner, so it was likely a political decision to stir up a culture war. Hanna isn’t a book-banner and that’s what the BOCC is looking for in a GCPLD trustee.
“As a parent,” Steven said, “I believe that parents and guardians are the ones that get to decide what is suitable for our children. We shouldn’t be chipping away at the First Amendment in a feigned effort to protect kids.”
Fred Malo Jr.
Carbondale
350.org docuseries
I recently read an article in our local paper that involved climate change issues and various ways to approach these problems. I volunteer with 350.org to provide education and activities to help people understand climate change and what we can all do to help the situation.
To provide education and conversation, we have organized a movie series with knowledgeable people present to discuss facts and provide answers to questions we all probably have. It will be educational, entertaining and inspirational.
As I looked through titles and topics and viewed the videos that might be appropriate, I realized how much I did not know about many of these related subjects. In some cases the information was almost frightening, but it is a good feeling to know more and understand why it is important to do certain things to help.
It might surprise you to look up “small” information about something like cattails and find why these pretty plants might cause problems. Then try another “larger” subject like permafrost and see what you find. You may be shocked.
The upcoming documentary showing will be on Aug. 24 from 4:30 to 6:30pm at the Carbondale Library. The series will continue every Saturday for eight weeks — same time and place. Learn what we need to do to care for each other and the planet. We will be much stronger when we all work together.
Hope to see you on Aug. 24 at 4:30pm.
Wendy Draina
Roaring Fork 350
Driving saturation
Here it comes again. Just when we were hoping for road ease as summer tourists depart, school is starting.
On our geographically constrained roadways from Rifle to Aspen, expect over 12,000 students, faculty and staff Thursday, Aug. 15 and beyond. Students will be on the roads for morning commutes, during the day looking for lunch and to and from after school activities.
Take a Minute, think about everyone who we share our roads with, drive focused and Slow Down in Town!
Diane Reynolds
Take a Minute/
Slow Down in Town
Vote like our libraries depend on it
VOTE to protect YOUR First Amendment right to speak, publish, READ and view what YOU wish, worship (or not worship) as YOU wish, associate with whomever YOU choose and gather together to ask the government to make changes in the law or to correct the wrongs in society.
VOTE to keep our county commissioners OUT of library governance and focused on their stated objectives and goal policy initiatives: infrastructure and investment, public health and human services, community outreach and transparency, economic development, federal, state and local policy and organizational, core and internal services.*www.garfield-county.com/board-commissioners/policy-directives
VOTE to keep the variety of community offerings at all of OUR Garfield County libraries.* www.gcpld.org/events
Carolyn Howard
Carbondale
Why support a sexual predator?
Really? How could you bring your little girl to stand on the street and cheer for a man who has bullied, assaulted and demeaned women his entire life? His words, “Grab ‘em by the [expletive]. You can do anything.” He has been accused of assault and/or inappropriate sexual behavior by dozens of women in multiple incidents dating back to the ‘70s. For years he has lied or bought his way out of lawsuits. But now he is a criminal, finally convicted by an impartial citizen jury for sexually assaulting a woman in a dressing room. How low could Donald go?
Longtime locals well remember when Trump brought his mistress to Aspen for his family’s ski vacation. That was when he was cheating on his first wife. He’s also cheated on the other two. Are these the family values you are hoping to pass on to your daughter?
Almost every woman I know has been in a situation of having to deal with inappropriate sexual behavior and/or sexual assault. Don’t support this liar, this cheat, this lecherous, disgusting old man. Take the time to really listen to him. He lies and lies and lies. He’s a misogynist would-be dictator who doesn’t care about you or your daughter’s future. Luckily we now have a better choice for our future president. Take this opportunity to put your energy behind a woman of integrity.
Annette Roberts-Gray
Carbondale