Belmar Park: Going back to the drawing board isn’t always feasible
Re: “Lakewood’s messy fight can be solved,” Feb. 16 editorial
I read your editorial on the open space fight going on in Lakewood. Your suggestion that the developer should just go back to the drawing board is not realistic. If they had plans that were ready to submit for permit (which it sounds like they did), then a re-design would probably cost in the high six figures to low seven figures for a project of this size.
I can tell you from experience that many new multi-family developments are just not financially viable in today’s interest rate and regulatory environment. That re-design fee could be the difference between this project making financial sense and not. If we can agree that housing affordability is a bigger issue than open space, we should be bending over backward as a community to get more projects started.
All the fees and new green building requirements in the past decade make many potential development projects untenable. And let’s look at the alternative of no development and a vacant office building that will sit and decay over the years to come. We need to be incentivizing new development, not demonizing the developers as evil or greedy and making it harder to build in Lakewood.
Allen Perry, Lakewood
Government funding cuts are not motivated by altruism
Re: “Musk is right to look for waste,” Feb. 16 letter to the editor
Republicans and Democrats alike see it as beneficial to pare down the government. But if you think that’s what Elon Musk has been hired to do, guess again.
He is not finding fraud or wasteful spending because four weeks is not enough time for anyone to thoughtfully and responsibly complete such an enormous task.
There’s a number in mind for money they want to reallocate to the rich through tax cuts, and once they reach that number, the slashing and burning will end.
Ellen Haverl, Denver
The letter writer makes some good points by listing some of the more egregious examples of government waste, but waste like that needs to be excised with a scalpel. Instead, we have an unelected billionaire and a vindictive president taking a chainsaw to vital government agencies. I recently requested refills of some of my VA prescriptions and I’m wondering if there will be a pharmacist to fill them.
Bill Powell, Wheat Ridge
A courageous calling out of cowards
Re: “Colorado’s GOP – with one notable exception – have embraced criminals and violence,” Feb. 16 commentary
I thank Krista Kafer for her courageous honesty in her column. The fact that only one Republican, Rep. Jeff Hurd, spoke out about the pardon of those who attacked our country and police officers is astonishing. Fear of retaliation may be the reason; however, we elected these officials to represent us, and I would think most of us would have liked the violent ones (we can literally see who they are on film) to have faced serious consequences rather than just get released, perhaps to commit more violence.
And to think, the Jeffco Republican party recently elected a convicted felon and election denier as their chair. Who could have predicted that?!
Karen Goldie Hartman, Westminster
Krista Kafer must be applauded for her steadfast courage. Most elected Republicans seem to have lost themselves as they bend the knee in idol worship. Almost like a Biblical prophet, Kafer speaks truth in a GOP wilderness. Her candor is invaluable.
Writing as a Democrat, I will add that we need more Krista Kafers on both sides of the aisle as we, as a nation, struggle to reclaim our moral compass.
Evan Siegel, Westminster
Is fact-checking all that needs attention?
Re: “Fact check the Capitol deaths,” Feb. 16 letter to the editor
The letter writer correctly points out the “deceit” in various claims made that White House law enforcement officers were killed in the Jan. 6, 2021 riots. Hopefully, he took note of and considered the same Denver Post opinion section’s well-written column by Krista Kafer, decrying the Republican Party state leaders’ collective lack of courage in voicing any disagreement with the Jan. 6 blanket pardons. (And kudos to 3rd District Rep. Jeff Hurd for being the exception). Kafer’s solid Republican credentials are well established — yet she displays a high standard of objectivity.
In a bigger sense, and trending from more current events, the alarming media trend has been apparent — from recurring deceit in Fox News and other outlets repeatedly calling Trump’s 2024 election win “a popular vote landslide” (when Trump received 49.8% of the vote) to Fox News’ repeated reference to the coming “New World Order” (by several of their prime time anchors, as if directed to say so) — is even more chilling. And, of course, we’ve now witnessed the displacement of several ranking national media outlets — NBC, National Public Radio, CNN — from Pentagon office spaces to make room for such established news luminaries as Breitbart and Newsmax.
These trends should be of great concern to all Americans.
Peter Ehrlich, Denver
The letter ignores the reality of who caused the deaths of the police officers.
If someone suffers strokes after being terrorized by another person and dies shortly after, I think the terrorist killed that person. If a person suffers physical and mental trauma from being terrorized by someone and takes his own life to end the pain, the terrorist killed him, in my opinion.
Perhaps the letter writer should look at the real liar: Donald Trump, who is the reason that the January. 6 terror attack happened. He lied, saying it was a peaceful protest.
Anne Campbell, Denver
Vice president’s presumptuous words in Germany
Re: “Vance speech rankles leaders,” Feb. 16 news story
Regarding Vice President JD Vance’s speech in Munich, there is something incongruent between Vance promoting Germany’s hard-right AfD party, whose fascist ideology trivializes the holocaust, and Vance’s proclaiming support of Israel. I guess the love of fascism knows no bounds.
Steve Morrow, Denver
How can Vice President JD Vance criticize European countries on freedom of speech when President Donald Trump has limited the access of the Associated Press. Freedom of the press is guaranteed in the Bill of Rights and is the 4th pillar of democracy.
Nancy Litwack-Strong, Lakewood
I am thoroughly humiliated to be an American today. In what world is it appropriate for our administration to preach to another democracy on how they should vote? It would be a questionable topic anywhere, but it was particularly questionable in Germany. For our vice president to tell the German leaders they should allow the far-right AfD party to be a part of their government is absolutely abhorrent and out of bounds.
When JD Vance visited the Dachau concentration camp site, how could he miss the very purpose of the memorial and the message: “Never Again.” Fear and intolerance were tools the Third Reich used to divide the people and turn neighbors and even families against each other. That feels very familiar in our own country in recent years.
We also need to pay attention and learn from history. I grew up in the Cold War era, and I always felt lucky and safe. I never dreamed I would feel humiliation instead.
Vicki Timm, Denver
Looking for fresh opera offerings
Re: “An opera love story,” Feb. 16 feature story
It’s a nice opera but how many times do we need to see it? At one time, Opera Colorado was known for its bold and groundbreaking productions. Now it’s the same old stuff over and over. Are Colorado opera fans that dumb? Apparently, Opera Colorado thinks so.
A long time ago, I thought that I would support Opera Colorado to my dying day. Then, they raised their prices and dumbed down their repertoire. I haven’t been in years.
If I want to watch La Boheme, I have a DVD of a production that blows everything else out of the water. It costs me nothing to watch it. I don’t have to drive downtown, and I can sit in a recliner in my den in my pajamas.
Dick Snyder, Greenwood Village
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