Equity?
Equity. What’s that? Whatever it is, we’d better scramble toward it if we want to be seen as righteous.
Stan Badgett
Carbondale
Thanks from Ascendigo
On Oct. 29, Ascendigo Autism Services hosted our second annual Trunk or Treat event, offering a safe and fun environment for Halloween trick-or-treaters, especially those with autism or other special needs. The night was full of Halloween spirit, as families and kids from throughout our community came ready to celebrate and dressed in their favorite costumes. Ascendigo’s stellar volunteers decorated imaginative trunks and handed out candy, toys and trinkets to the excited crowd.
Sometimes, those with autism or other disabilities do not have the same access to social activities as their neurotypical peers. With your help, we were able to provide a safe and welcoming Halloween experience for many individuals on the autism spectrum, for whom Halloween can otherwise be overwhelming. The Roaring Fork Valley continues to welcome our autism community, and we are grateful to the many partners who provide accommodation to people of all needs and abilities.
I would like to extend a special thanks to our partners who helped make this event special: Glenwood Springs Ford, Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District, Carbondale Police Department, RFTA, GF Woods Construction and the Carbondale Rotary Club.
Your contributions go a long way in supporting our mission: to elevate the spectrum by empowering people, inspiring lives and shattering expectations!
With gratitude,
Dan Richardson
Carbondale
Donovan gerrymandered
Vail’s Democratic State Senator Kerry Donovan was planning to run against Third District Republican Congressman Lauren Boebert in next year’s election. A popular and productive state legislator, Donovan figured to give Boebert a run for her money. All that came crashing down when the Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission moved Donovan’s home county, Eagle County, out of CD3 and into CD2.
Donovan could still run for the CD3 seat, but her chance of winning as an outsider would be slim. Rep. Joe Neguse presides in CD2, and he’s just as popular and productive at the federal level as Donovan is at the state level, so that’d be a long shot, too.
What happened is Donovan got gerrymandered in response to a charge of gerrymandering. A preliminary map from the redistricting commission showed the northern half of CD3 shifted to CD2.
This brought the ire and charges of gerrymandering from CD3 Republicans, including the Garfield County Commissioners, who claimed it was a direct effort to get rid of Boebert, who is considered by many to be a statewide embarrassment.
So, the commission put the district back together, moving just Eagle and Routt counties to CD2. Routt County is the home of previous Democratic challenger Diane Mitsch Bush and figures to be a county where the Dems have a good chance. As it stands, CD3 will be a cakewalk for Boebert.
As it is most commonly practiced, gerrymandering is where you group a large number of your opponent’s supporters into one or a few districts, then disperse the remainder thinly over the majority. That way the opposing party controls as few districts as possible.
Just like Colorado, redistricting in Texas was necessitated by additional House seats called for by the 2020 census. Texas is 41% Latino and 42% Anglo. Guess how many districts will be Latin controlled? Zero.
Voters’ rights legislation currently blocked by U.S. Senate Republicans would limit gerrymandering. Colorado needs that. The current map would give our congressional representation a 4-4 split, and that doesn’t reflect the political realities in a state that has a Democratic trifecta in state government and two Democratic U.S. senators.
Fred Malo Jr.
Carbondale
Cataclysm
A couple of cats
Created quite a clatter
Now they’re quite quiet
JM Jesse
Glenwood Springs