Questioning the pruning of city trees
A few weeks ago I received a postcard from the city alerting me to upcoming tree trimmings in the neighborhood.
Well, today they came and butchered one of the trees in my front yard. This tree was struggling as it had died off a bit the year before and needed professional pruning. It didn’t block the sidewalk or tower over the street, but they removed half of its branches. Now I’m not sure if it will survive. I am angry.
Linda Fladager
Colorado Springs
violation of the free market
Paul Prentice’s excellent op-ed in Tuesday’s Gazette on “Colorado’s assault on property rights” points to the scrutiny Denver Democrats want to impose on us. Freedom is the most important word that describes America, and having others control you is the opposite of freedom. Nowhere is freedom more important than in the market, hence the word “free market”.
In the free market, each of us can choose what to charge or pay for and negotiate with another person. The individual is responsible for these transactions, not dictated from above by a democratic bureaucrat.
When you see Denver’s many laws and policies, you know the free market is being debased. They are always worded seductively to make you believe they are good for society. But anything that is mandated by law violates the free market and your success.
Eric Lessing
monument
Violence is the problem
There has been a lot of discussion about gun control lately, and our legislature had drafted several bills to make gun ownership more restrictive. But will these efforts really make us safer? I don’t think gun control will reduce knife attacks, broken bottle attacks, attempts to mow down people with cars, people being pushed off subway platforms, or violent attacks on airplanes. Will gun control have any impact on the attacks we see on industrial sites or power generation plants, the strokes used to terrorize people, or the rampant violence we now see in Chicago and Compton, California?
What about auto theft here in Colorado? Will more gun control solve this problem? No. Guns aren’t the problem. Violence is the problem, and the individual weapons chosen for use, be it a gun, car, truck, knife, or jab, are the instruments. The bigger question is why do so many people act with violent attacks instead of trying to resolve differences and disagreements with peaceful discussion, mediation and reason? Why are we consumed by violence?
Is it a drug problem, a behavioral disorder, a social upheaval, or are we programmed for violence?
Maybe we should look into our body population. Is it our sport? Aside from wrestling and boxing, football and now even basketball are violent. What do people see in video games – violence, guns with unlimited ammo to shoot down whoever or whatever we aim at. What about our TV and movies? We see violence rampant and seemingly glorified. Check out the John Wick movies. A recent letter in The Wall Street Journal indicates that the first three films portrayed the character John Wick as he “killed” 299 people. Is our entertainment industry leading us to violence?
Perhaps yes, because all too often this fantasy becomes a reality.
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Darrell Whitcomb
Colorado Springs
Our first modification rights
One of our strengths as a nation lies in our ability to recognize our mistakes and overcome them. This is why I am so concerned about the prosecution of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Allegations of espionage against Assange by the US government set a precedent that can harm the media by essentially criminalizing standard journalistic practices.
The New York Times, the Guardian and Der Spiegel, to name just a few media organizations, have joined numerous human rights, press freedom and civil liberties groups in condemning this persecution.
It is imperative that we look beyond the smear against Assange, look at the years of suffering this man endured, and do whatever we can to urge our leaders to urge US Attorney General Merrick Garland to to drop charges. Our First Amendment rights are at stake.
William Howe
Denver
legislation too extreme
Rep. Rose Pugliese’s column “Proposed Abortion Laws Too Extreme” is spot on. These bills trample on the rights of parents, deny women the right to change their minds and do nothing but protect the abortion industry.
Parents not only have the right, but also the responsibility for the health of their children. Not informing them not only takes that away from them, but puts the decision in the hands of the child, who may not know what is best for them. When this child seeks advice from an abortion clinic, we know where that will go.
One of the pillars of pro-abortion advocacy is the “right to choose”. Then why shouldn’t a woman have the right to change her mind and the freedom to seek help in making that decision? Restricting the use of abortion withdrawal procedures only protects the abortion industry. Not allowing pregnancy counseling centers to advertise their services is a government interference with free competition, let alone a violation of freedom of expression.
I saw an ultrasound of our son and daughter-in-law about 8 months pregnant. Anyone who saw this image could not deny that it was a human life with identifiable physical features. We just saw a picture of their gorgeous newborn baby girl. I can’t imagine taking this little life on purpose.
Pugliese is right; these proposed laws are too extreme. And last year’s RHEA law, which allows abortions until birth, is also too extreme. She said something else that is also true. Elections have consequences.
ted cox
Colorado Springs
gazette.com
https://gazette.com/opinion/letters-city-tree-trimming-violating-the-free-market/article_09ec91a0-deb9-11ed-9188-4b8b6fbf7ef8.html
