Library cards don’t need new restrictions

On Aug. 7, 2025, the Garfield County Public Library Board will be considering whether to allow the use of restricted library cards for children. This restricted card would limit the books that youth are able to check out. The restricted card would not restrict the books children look at in the library nor the books their friends check out.

We don’t need to waste money on a new program to restrict library cards. We already have that program. It’s called parenting. If parents are concerned about what their children are checking out in the library, they simply need to take them to the library and approve what they check out.

As a retired teacher, I feel that parents should be more concerned about their children’s use of technology and social media. Kids between 8–12 years old are spending 4–6 hours on technology and 13–18-year-olds are spending up to 9 hours per day. Young children are watching mature movies on their parents’ streaming sites, watching adult content on their phones, misrepresenting their ages to access social media, and using platforms to bully people. This is causing high rates of social isolation, anxiety, and depression in our youth.

Our public library system is one of the most important foundations of our country. It levels the playing field by providing access to books for everyone regardless of economic status and cultural affiliation. As a veteran, I dedicated seven years of my life to uphold the Constitution while serving. The First Amendment protects our right to express ideas and includes the right to read and access information. I stand against banning books and any attempt to restrict my right and my family’s right to access and read anything we choose.

I have heard that restricted cards might be a good compromise for those who are concerned about books. I believe it’s a slippery slope to whittling down our First Amendment rights. I encourage you to contact the library board or attend the next meeting to voice your concerns against censorship.

Michele Howard, Silt

Democrats are failing with Kellof’s weak platform

U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd’s betrayal of the people of Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District should have opened the door for the leaders of the Colorado Democratic Party to back a candidate ready to fight for the real needs of working families. Instead, the party has chosen Alex Kellof — a millionaire investor whose vague platform touts job creation but says nothing about liberating us from the grip of our scandalous for-profit health insurance system. Nor does he address the urgent need for the wealthiest Americans to finally pay taxes at effective rates equal to or greater than those paid by middle-income Coloradans.

Worse still, Kellof’s generic call for “a strong military” may help him court donations from the military-industrial complex, but it ignores the runaway defense budget that is already devouring the resources we’ll need to navigate a just transition into an AI-driven economy — one that’s poised to displace millions of capable, hardworking Americans.

Kellof’s milquetoast platform plays right into the hands of Republicans who peddle false promises to struggling families just to secure another seat for Donald Trump’s cruel and reckless agenda. When will Democratic leaders wake up and speak to the true, urgent needs of our people? Until they do, they will continue to lose elections — and the trust of the very people they claim to represent.

Eric Treider, Trinidad

Frustration over encampment fires and lack of action

The most disappointing thing about the virtual meeting on July 24 was Lou Vallario’s, Garfield County sheriff, statement about the fires from the encampments above Palmer Avenue. There have been three fires since the beginning of the year. Two were directly behind my home. One was in January, when I was awakened at 2 a.m. and told to evacuate immediately because there was a “huge fire behind my home.”

A few months later, there was a fire behind REI (that encampment is still there), and now the most recent one on June 26. We have been experiencing fires from these encampments for 20 years. Please check with the fire department; they probably have them listed in their records.

The meeting of the city officials offered no suggestions, no insight into the situation. They just told us everything we already knew. There seems to be no responsibility, no accountability for the people starting these fires, and that leaves us as taxpaying citizens, who have lived on this property for 50 years, feeling pretty discouraged.

Elaine Speck, Glenwood Springs

Hurd is focused on real needs of the 3rd District

Rev. Gregory’s letter (seen in Wednesday, July 29 letters to the editor) misrepresents Rep. Jeff Hurd’s record and priorities. I’ve followed Hurd’s work closely, and he’s focused on the real needs of rural Coloradans, not billionaires or political elites.

Let’s be clear: Jeff Hurd has not voted to “take away” Medicaid or SNAP. He’s supported common-sense reforms to ensure these safety nets remain available for the vulnerable, without waste, fraud, or encouraging long-term dependency. That’s not cruelty; that’s stewardship. In a district where costs are rising and services are strained, Hurd knows we must preserve access for those who truly need help.

As for the Holy Sovereignty Protection Act, it’s a symbolic gesture reaffirming that a U.S. citizen shouldn’t lose their citizenship for accepting a religious role abroad. It costs taxpayers nothing and isn’t about handouts to the Pope. That some would twist it into a partisan talking point is disappointing.

Equally troubling is the baseless claim that Hurd wants to “deny all of us born in the USA our constitutional birthright.” Hurd has never proposed eliminating citizenship for those born in this country. That’s a dishonest smear. He supports securing our borders and enforcing immigration law, something many Americans, regardless of party, believe is long overdue.

Meanwhile, Hurd continues to prioritize issues that matter to us: protecting water rights, advancing wildfire resilience, defending property rights, and fighting red tape that hurts rural jobs.

Let’s debate ideas honestly. Jeff Hurd is doing the job he was elected to do, serving Colorado’s 3rd District with integrity and focus.

Kelly Hegarty, Durango