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Monday letters: Boebert bad, Boebert good, youth hockey, get vaccinated, school shootings, Whiting on point

Poor ‘Christmas’ message

As a professor of educational psychology, a former high school teacher, a parent and a grandparent, the “Christmas” family portrait of my U.S. Representative, Lauren Boebert, with guns and her children, horrified me.

It didn’t exactly profess “Peace on Earth.”



But, as a researcher who has published works on school shootings, I cannot believe she comprehends the long-term psychological impact of the photograph on families who have lost their children in school shootings. I have interviewed too many teachers and parents who had to live through those horrors.

Ms. Boebert needs to speak with those who carry post-traumatic stress disorder 24 hours a day for the rest of their lives. We who value our children need better representation in Congress than this.



Edward Mooney

New Castle

You can prevent school shootings

We are seventh-grade students from Basalt Middle school. We want people to know that anyone can help to prevent school shootings.

School shootings are awful, but anyone can help to prevent them. You can be kind to all people. Most student shooters shoot because someone is mean to them or something is happening in their life, and it may help to be kind to them.

Studies show each day, eight children die from gun violence in America. Another 32 are shot and injured. According to Education Week, “There have been 30 school shootings this year, 22 since August 1. A shooting on Nov. 30, in which a student killed four people and injured seven at an Oxford, Mich., high school, was the deadliest school shooting since May 2018. There have been 88 school shootings since 2018.”

School shootings have been getting worse and worse in the past years. The U.S. has had 1,316 school shootings since 1970 and these numbers are increasing — 18% of 1,316 school shootings have happened in the last eight years.

Basalt Middle School’s resource officer said, “If you see someone or hear about something suspicious, report it to a trusted adult.”

Connor Anthes, Hudson Hollar and Elliott Melnik

Basalt Middle School students

Youth hockey gratitude

On behalf of the Glenwood Springs Youth Hockey Association, I would like to express our deep gratitude to the various youth hockey clubs of the Western Colorado Hockey League who graciously helped us continue our youth programming during the four-week shutdown of our ice rink after a serious refrigeration system failure on Nov. 14.

The member clubs and their local facilities generously provided us with ice time where it was available and co-programming with their athletes and coaches.

Specifically, we want to thank:

The Grand Junction River Hawks, Jackson Wilson, director.

The Vail Mountaineer Hockey Club, Dave Bishop, director.

The Aspen Junior Hockey Club, Harlan Pratt, director

Summit Hockey, Chris Miller, director

Colorado Extreme (Independent), Sheldon Wolitski, director

Thankfully, our ice rink is back up and running. We are humble and thankful to be a part of the wonderful hockey community on the western slope of Colorado. Happy Holidays!

Hamilton Tharp, GSYHA president

Glenwood Springs

Begging to differ

The “Blackhearted and evil” letter writer (Dec. 3 Letters) claims the Post Independent turns a blind eye to Rep. Lauren Boebert’s salty appraisal of Ilham Omar. The disgruntled Dem denigrates Lauren as racist, xenophobic, wrong, disgraceful and un-American.

I beg to differ.

Lauren has spoken out against critical race theory being taught in schools. She has repeatedly sounded the alarm of the crisis at our southern border. She has deplored the betrayal of our allies and NATO partners in Afghanistan. Boebert has decried our milk toast foreign policy of appeasement and weakness. She has loudly pointed out Biden’s blame for high gas prices and inflation.

Seems to me local and national media have turned a blind eye to all these Biden blunders.

I find it amusing that some embarrassed, die-hard Dems still display Trump derangement syndrome, while ignoring the joke they put in the White House.

Bruno Kirchenwitz

Rifle

Costing us all

​​We are still in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., in large part because of the failure of millions of our citizens to get vaccinated, preventing herd immunity and allowing new mutations such as omicron to develop.

Thousands of Americans are still dying, and the lives of tens of thousands more have been ruined due to long COVID-19.

COVID-19 vaccines are extremely safe and are very effective at preventing serious COVID-19 illness and death. Recent data indicates that approximately 85% of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 are unvaccinated. These preventable illnesses and deaths are costing us all money by increasing the cost of health care.

While we can’t force people to get vaccinated, one thing is clear: Those of us who did the right thing and got vaccinated shouldn’t have to pay for expensive care required by unvaccinated risk-takers who get COVID-19 and end up in the hospital.

Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance should increase the premiums for the unvaccinated to cover their potential care.

Greg Feinsinger, M.D.

Steve Hessl, M.D.

Whiting on point

I am in total agreement with Bryan Whiting’s opinion article (Dec. 1 Post Independent). Having looked at the Garfield County’s budgets over the years, I continue to be astounded at the high percentage of funds dedicated toward “social programs,” or in other words, “government handouts.”

If the monies are disbursed for such programs, how does the county or its hardworking citizens benefit in return? No one wants to live in a community that is in economic decline for lack of services or a viable workforce.

While the commissioners pondered over how much to raise county salaries during the most recent budgeting process, they should have dedicated the same amount of effort in scrutinizing their social program budgets in order to reduce them, thereby strongly encouraging able-bodied people to go to work.

A capitalistic society expects its citizens to contribute to the prosperity of their nation through getting a proper education in order for them to obtain employment in their chosen field and for which an honest wage is earned. How can one hold their head high when living on government sustenance?

As Mr. Whiting points out in his article, “The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 7.4 million people are currently unemployed while there are 10.4 million job openings. They choose income inequality.

“If we believe in freedom, we must allow them to make this choice but shouldn’t be required to subsidize it.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Eleanor Nelson

Battlement Mesa

 

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