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Thursday letters: 22nd Street Project, Hanlon, Menconi, National Popular Vote, and America’s leadership

The lowest bid is not the best

I find it hard to believe that the Glenwood Springs City Council gave the contract for the 22nd Street project to a trucking company out of Edwards. How can an Edwards trucking company have more experience in infrastructure rebuild in Glenwood Springs than Gould Construction? In this case, the lowest bid is not the best because they have to travel from Edwards and will encounter one lane traffic in Glenwood Canyon.
If I lived in Glenwood, I would start a recall of the five council members that voted for the Edwards bunch. Tony Hersey is the only good member of the City Council.

James A Wingers
Aspen



Hanlon sees potential problems and has the work ethic to fix them

I am writing in support of Karl Hanlon in the Democratic Primary for State Senate District 8.



As his child I know Karl very well. If there’s one thing I know about my dad, I know he has it in him to get it done. Life can’t always be easy, but when I need help I know I can count on Karl. No matter how awful the situation may seem, he is able to rationally assess the situation and figure out the best way to solve it. A few weeks back there was a mountain lion spotted in our neighborhood. We have 21 animals and about a third were at risk. Instead of panicking, Karl looked at the resources we had and decided on the best possible option. Most of our animals could be put inside of various sheds with little difficulty and when we needed more space we built a shed out of an existing overhang. Karl Hanlon knows when a potential problem arises and has the work ethic to fix it.

This is only one of the many things that makes Karl Hanlon an amazing candidate for State Senate District 8. Whether it’s building a shed or fighting for better healthcare my dad doesn’t just know what he wants changed, he actually knows how to change it.

I’m 16, so I am not old enough to vote, but I’m urging all of you to vote Karl Hanlon for State Senate District 8.

Zane Hanlon
Carbondale

Menconi is the type of candidate who keeps me hopeful for the future

I’ve been a resident of Colorado for 17 years. I’m only 20, so most of what I know and love comes from this small mountain community. I’m writing to endorse a candidate for state senate, but before I do, let me tell you a little about me.

I graduated from Summit High in 2018. I was a politically active student – I started the ACLU People Power group at SHS, volunteered for several political campaigns, and, by the time I got to college in NYC, was involved with several youth activism organizations like Sunrise Movement. I believe that my generation doesn’t have the luxury of indifference – the world is changing rapidly, and we have a responsibility to raise our voice. If not us, who? If not now, when?

Arn Menconi is the type of candidate who keeps me hopeful for the future. He’s been endorsed by Sunrise, supports Medicare for all (important, given we have some of the highest healthcare costs in the country), the Green New Deal (important, given our economy depends on the environment), and is passionate about immigration reform in our increasingly diverse community. When I spoke to Arn, he was engaged and eager to listen to his constituents. As we discussed my concerns on environmental justice, police accountability, and community welfare, I felt heard.

We deserve to be heard by our legislators. We deserve a community that takes care of each other and our environment. I believe that with Arn as our state senator we will have leadership that is engaged, with a clear vision of what Colorado could become. I love Colorado – I believe we can set a positive example for the country, reflecting the best of what America could become.

I’m voting for Arn Menconi on the 30th. I hope you do, too.

Priya Subberwal,
Frisco

Under a National Popular Vote, the people will pick the President

A National Popular Vote offers all of America one hugely important guarantee: the candidate who receives the most popular votes across all 50 states and the District of Columbia will always become the President of the United States.

Five times in our history, and twice in just the last 20 years, the winner of the popular vote was denied the White House. The Electoral College – not the people – picked the President. Under a National Popular Vote, the people will always pick the President. That’s because Colorado and the other jurisdictions that become part of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact – which becomes effective when the total reaches 270 electoral votes – agree to award all of their electors to the winner of the popular vote. That’s good for Colorado and good for America!

Reader asks National Popular Vote opponents: “What are you afraid of?”
Here’s a simple question for those who oppose Colorado’s entry into the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact: Why shouldn’t the President of the United States be the person chosen by the majority of Americans across 50 states and DC?

Under the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, states combining 270 electoral votes or more – enough to elect a president – agree to award their electoral votes to the nationwide winner of the popular vote. The voices of your state’s voters would be amplified, the Electoral College would stay in place, and no one’s vote would be cancelled out for not going along with the majority in any particular state. In other words, every voter would become politically relevant in determining who becomes president.

Again, why would anyone fear a system that promotes fairness and equality? Under a National Popular Vote, the people will always pick the President.

Diane Birmingham,
Grand Junction

The country must come together!

There is an economical, environmental, and political crises all at once in America! There are 20 million jobs gone, 43% of Americans are living below the poverty line and another 18,000 people soon to be put on the poverty lines, as those jobs are not coming back, due to the coronavirus. Over 120,000 people are dead from the coronavirus and thousands more are dying every day. All of the 15.8 million jobs that were created under Obama are gone! Sounds rather gruesome doesn’t it?

We so badly need a leader who has a strategy and to be truthful with the American people at all times! These is very scary times we are living in. The scariest part is that the leader of our country is a pathological liar and so very few people believe anything that comes from his mouth, including our once allies!

We have a much more diverse society than we had 60 years ago. We cannot go back, but must go forward with more progressive ideas of the young people. They are now proving that with their protests, are they not? We need a leader with intelligence, experience, empathy and the ability to bring people together. We have none of those qualities in the current president.

The coronavirus is accelerating the social and political crises. There must be a change of policy in all of the systems in our country. The privileged people must become more empathetic to the plight of the minorities in this country. This is a democracy, if we can keep it! I still have faith in America and faith that we will elect a president that will always do the next right thing for America! In the meantime, we as individuals need to do the next right thing! We need to wash our hands often, wear the masks and vote in November!

Linda Carr
Eagle


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