Let our legislators do their jobs – dump TABOR (Letters)

Let our legislators do their jobs – dump TABOR

Many have discussions pro and con about TABOR (the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights). Those who want it believe the state wastes money on silly things like food for children, health care for the poor, education for all children, highway maintenance, state patrol, prisons, voting infrastructure, state park maintenance, enforcing environmental, civil, and criminal laws, etc. Many live in rural areas and complain the state isn’t giving their schools enough money – they simply don’t want to pay taxes, just use the taxes others pay.

Those who feel TABOR limits legislators from meeting their state’s constitutional obligations due to a constant shortage of funds, want all state obligations to be adequately funded.

TABOR was created in the mind of a man who was a brutish criminal, convicted of tax evasion and filing a false tax return. He was also censured by the legislature for kicking a news photographer: I believe that’s called assault.

Any thinking person knows a flat tax is a regressive tax. Individuals with incomes below $100,000 are unlikely to benefit from a federal income deduction of state income taxes paid, while high-income people get their state income taxes subsidized by the federal government. A graduated tax evens it out a bit and effectively transfers federal dollars to the state’s treasury.

Mandell S. Winter Jr., Denver

Cooperation, checks and balances are the solutions to our cultural clash

The recent tragedies in Minneapolis have become a constitutional crisis. Extreme thinking and behavior have escalated a cultural clash. We need to work on intergovernmental cooperation and take a long step away from politics as usual.

Based on the video footage, many people believe there should be a murder charge in the death of Alex Pretti. But outrage does not change the supremacy clause of the Constitution or define peaceful protest. Local authorities have no more jurisdictional authority to remove federal agencies from states than the president has to pardon state offenders. This matters because the force of government power is not going away and needs to be restrained with checks and balances.

The constant blaming, labelling, discrediting, and maligning of government service is not going to solve anything. The left targets law enforcement and the right targets every other branch of government.

Government and law enforcement are turning against each other and looking for solutions to problems that can only be managed, not solved.

And why? Because people cannot agree on what the problem is. Both the public and government officials are making up their own definition of the word ‘illegal” and cannot even agree on who is law enforcement. This has increased disrespect for government and endangered law enforcement and the public.

Immigration reform will help everybody and help avoid economic disaster.

Consider the fact that misplaced rage and words and phrases like Gestapo, thug, defund the police, goon, criminal, scumbag, even small government, are powerful and pervasive. Their immediate impact is not as deadly as a bullet, but has certainly helped create the authoritarian leadership we have now.

Timothy D. Allport, Arvada

Living amongst the haves and working toward a better life

Re: “How to revive the American dream,” Feb. 1 commentary

I was a child of poverty, one of 10 children. We lived not far from Chicago in a small one-bedroom converted garage. All of my friends in school were middle- to upper-class. I was embarrassed to invite any of them home. They never knew where I lived. Regardless, I never resented their wealth or comforts. Even at a young age, I realized that with determination, perseverance, and faith, maybe I could rise above my station.

I graduated, got a job, married a solid, loving man, raised three law-abiding children, and rose to the middle class.

I often read where many middle-class neighborhoods do not want to accept those in poverty into their neighborhoods for whatever reason. I am grateful that while our neighborhood adult neighbors didn’t socialize with us, their children did.

Barb Zrubek, Windsor

Vaccines are the answer

Re: ” ‘Really stressful’ — With recommendations changing, parents navigate a fracturing vaccine landscape,” Feb. 1 news story

I didn’t make it past the first page in the Sunday paper. As the mother of four children, I have to ask: Why? Vaccinations are lifesaving! The measles vaccine eliminated (until people began to listen to conspiracy theories) a childhood disease that can kill. The polio vaccine was the most wonderful relief of my child-rearing life.

Nothing in this world is 100% safe. Consult your pediatrician, don’t listen to the nutty fringe, and, barring a rare condition that precludes them, get your children vaccinated. Please!

Theo Davis, Arvada

Yes, Clintons, and others mentioned in Epstein files, should testify

Re: “Democrats are holding the Clintons in contempt? Way to go!” Feb. 1 commentary

I found the column by Michelle Cottle of the New York Times interesting.

That being said, former President Bill Clinton has asked that all the files be released, including anything related to his behavior. That doesn’t sound like a man with something to hide.

We can debate Bill Clinton’s affairs, along with his disgraceful handling of the Monica Lewinsky scandal. We can also find fault with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton trying to vilify Lewinsky and the whole “Stand by your Man” charade.

What we can’t debate is that Donald Trump tried to keep those files from being released. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche actually claimed attorney-client privilege regarding the release of many of the files.

I applaud those Democrats who voted to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt for failing to honor the subpoena to appear before Congress. Let’s subpoena any people who appear in the Epstein files. This is the only way to handle this whole sordid situation.

David Shaw, Highlands Ranch

School voucher scheme overrides will of the voters

Re: “Polis all in on Trump’s tax-credit scholarship,” Dec. 10 news story

Gov. Jared Polis should not opt into the federal tax-credit scholarship program, a scheme that diverts public money to private institutions. The program drains resources, weakens accountability, and contradicts the will of the voters.

Public funds belong in public schools. After attending an A4PEP webinar, I learned that Colorado voters have rejected school vouchers three times, yet a new federal voucher-like program could override that decision without a public vote. This program offers a 100% federal tax credit to donors who fund private-school scholarships through “scholarship granting organizations.” There is no spending cap on this program, and it is federal tax revenue diverted from public purposes.

Also, by reducing federal tax income levels, this will reduce Coloradans’ taxable income. A resource we cannot continue to keep reducing. When a student leaves public schooling, the districts lose roughly $12,000 per child, even though fixed costs remain. That means larger classes, staff cuts, and school closures — outcomes already seen in states with a voucher scheme in place.

I am also concerned about a lack of oversight and accountability. These private programs are not held to the same transparency, academic achievement, or civil rights standards as public schools. Private schools can limit admissions (often times based on religious beliefs) and are not required to serve all students. Supporters call vouchers a “choice.” But nationally, most voucher users already attend private schools, meaning public dollars subsidize families who were never in public education.

Gov. Polis, do not override the people’s vote.

John Levene, Littleton

Don’t sacrifice truth in offering opposing views

Re: Sunday Drawn cartoons, Feb. 1

My initial reaction was anger regarding the Tribune Content Agency Perspective panel featuring the Democratic donkey. That changed to disappointment in The Denver Post.

If you missed it, the Democrat says, “I’m against ICE deporting votes, I mean, undocumented immigrants.” This panel perpetuates the falsehood that undocumented immigrants are a significant source of pro-Democrat votes.

I appreciate reading about different perspectives on an issue, and The Perspective is where I go first when I read the Sunday Post. But repeating a falsehood isn’t the same as presenting a different perspective. Denver Post and Megan Schrader, you need to do better.

Linda Brannan, Erie

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