Election results show the power of freedom
In this election, Coloradans said yes to people-power and no to massive corporations and the wealthy few.
Paid family leave passed with flying colors after years of being killed by corporate lobbyists in the legislature because workers should never have to weigh the need to care for seriously ill family members with skipping a much-needed paycheck that puts food on the table. Voters said yes to tax initiatives that will allow the state to support the public services we need to build a strong Colorado — investments in public education, health care and roads. And we elected candidates like Chris Kolker (State Senate District 27) and David Ortiz (House District 38) that will put our interests first rather than tax cuts for the wealthy.
Here’s my takeaway: We the people are the ones who make way for a Colorado future where all of us can thrive, no exceptions. The record turnout shows that when Coloradans vote, we win.
Now we’ll turn to holding our new government accountable to us, the people.
Marilyn Sorensen, Denver
Much is made of the divided nature of Americans over the past few years. Rather than always considering this to be a negative, it might be useful to look at this in a different light.
I can have one opinion about the politics of our country and my neighbor can have the exact opposite opinion. We can both talk about it over the fence, write about our beliefs and speak about our beliefs anywhere at any time.
But unlike many countries in the world, neither of us need to worry about a knock on our door in the middle of the night and a disappearance to a “reeducation camp”.
Rather than lament the different ways our citizens think about candidates and politics, perhaps we should revel at how well our society and institutions function in these tumultuous times. Divisiveness by another name can be called freedom.
Richard Plastino, Lakewood
I finally get just how divided our country is. There was no blue wave. We’re split almost in half.
I think the only solution we have to heal our country is to listen. Listen to each other. Listen to people with whom we are in disagreement. Leave our positions at the door and listen with our hearts. Leave behind the talking points of our favorite news source. Leave behind the finger-pointing and the accusations of what the other candidate did do or might do. Listen to each other’s fears and hopes. We can do this with our neighbors, family and friends — if we are very brave. But we might need some guidance to show us the way.
Who can step up to be these leaders? Is it middle of the road politicians? Clergy? Social Workers? I know some people have been doing this work for the last four years, but we need it on a larger scale. Maybe the next president can institute a Commission on Unity, so we can learn how to work together again. Like a previous letter-writer smartly suggested, maybe getting rid of the aisle and having our representatives seated by alphabetical order would be a symbolic start — a good-faith gesture that they care more about healing our rift, in the best interest of the United States of America, than about gaining or holding power.
Nancy Litwack-Strong, Lakewood
Defeat of Proposition 115 detrimental for all
Re: “Colorado’s clear message on abortion,” Nov. 5 editorial
I disagree that the rejection of Prop 115 is good for anyone in Colorado. I do agree with the editorial that society needs to provide greater education and birth control to residents at perhaps an age a bit uncomfortable to some. But the killing of an unborn human being, in particular in the latter stage of pregnancy, should be considered murder.
Through advances in ultrasound and other medical imagery, one can clearly see this “organism” or “blob” is a human being, skull, eyes, fingers, toes, etc. You can refer to it as a zygote all day long; in the end, it is a person.
I believe it is wrong to conduct such an act and call it health care. It is acknowledged this perspective goes against popular culture and the fair compromise is an aggressive education and access to contraception for both the woman and the man who are equally responsible for taking these steps.
James Massey, Cottonwood Heights, Utah
Hypocrisy of criticizing court-packing consideration
Re: “Coloradans deserve a clear answer on court-packing,” Nov. 1 commentary
Kristi Burton Brown’s breathtakingly hypocritical opinion piece on court-packing was a nice touch of surrealism on Sunday morning. After the Republican Senate majority leader refused to hold a hearing on Judge Merrick Garland for nearly a year, after holding over 100 Federal Judgeships open at the end of the Obama administration and ramming through two of the least qualified Supreme Court justices in history, including the most recent record of 35 days before an election, Brown is worried about court-packing?
I’ll refer you to a lawyer’s definition of chutzpah, a person who kills his parents and pleads for the court’s mercy on the ground of being an orphan.
She should be ashamed.
Glenn Hendricks, Pueblo
In her column in Sunday’s Post, Kristi Burton Brown asserts that Coloradans deserve an answer from Joe Biden on court-packing.
The Republicans have stalled and blocked court appointments for the last decade, including, and most significantly, the nomination of Merrick Garland by President Obama in 2016. This has resulted in hamstringing the judicial process and backlogs in the lower courts.
Then, with the election of Trump and the GOP Senate in 2016, these hurdles suddenly disappeared. We have had Supreme Court justices appointed and approved in this last term. The final travesty was the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett so late in the election cycle, and in direct opposition to the precedent which the GOP set with Garland
Even more concerning, though, is the rush fill all those vacant positions in the lower courts. With a majority in the Senate, the GOP ramrodded judicial appointments through. Some of the appointees were not even considered up to snuff by the American Bar Association. This raises all sorts of red flags for anyone concerned about a competent and independent judiciary. I don’t have problems with conservative judges, but I do have issues with incompetent ones.
Such a mockery of the appointment process makes an antidote necessary. If a commission was set up and it recommended adding positions to the Court, I would back such a move.
Bob Stephenson, Englewood
Adopting herd immunity a dangerous idea
Re: “Herd immunity: What it means and what it takes to get there …” Nov. 1 commentary
The opinion piece on herd immunity by Justin Fox in Sunday’s Post presented a thorough and informative examination of the many factors relevant to this controversial policy. As an addendum, one might also contemplate the consequences of adopting herd immunity as public policy prior to achieving widespread availability of a proven, safe vaccine. While I’m just a simple nuclear scientist and not an epidemiologist, I do know that adopting a national policy of herd immunity at the present time would have two highly negative effects.
First, the number of COVID-19 cases would increase dramatically. As a test case, consider North Dakota and South Dakota, where ignoring coronavirus guidelines has been the norm and the per capita case rate is currently 5-6 times the national average. Bottom line: more deaths and long-term respiratory illnesses.
Second, and of overriding concern, is the additional strain such a policy would impose on our already overloaded health care system. For the past eight months, those individuals in the response network from EMTs to ICU physicians have risked their lives daily to address the crisis 24/7. With a COVID fatality rate of nearly 1,000 per day, the emotional toll further adds to the physical stress. Burnout is an increasing reality. And other areas of health care can become secondary to the pandemic.
Herd immunity may seem to be an attractive way to “get back to normal.” But at what expense?
Vic Viola, Golden
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