‘Letters to the Editor’ Archives
Red Rock, I ran the numbers
I ran the numbers that were provided by Red Rocks Academy in the Berthoud Surveyor on the proposed charter school. As Red Rocks freely admits, the "money follows the student.” I have attached the spreadsheet of that money so that you can see the impact. Now, if a school has already been built, as have all the Berthoud schools, then there are fixed costs associated with their operation that must be covered. Fixed costs are just that: fixed. If there are no children in the school, they are the ... Full Story
No to charter school
Some people are in line to make money on this charter school project, but what it will do is to tear our town apart. Berthoud is too small for a charter school. Yes, they can probably do it. The school board will turn the application down and then the state will approve it. This is all planned out already. Why don't the organizers ask the people of Berthoud through a vote and let us see if they are really in this to help the people or just in it for themselves. If the school is built, ... Full Story
Larimer County Issue 1A
Issue 1A on the ballot gets a thumbs up from me. Government was instituted to provide protection to the citizens. The Sheriff’s Office and the County Jail deputies have been doing that quite well in recent years. The sales tax that funds a significant portion of the jail expires very soon. That’s a problem! Without funding, the Sheriff will be forced to cut back on many of the effective programs from the jail. I’ve seen the kind of people who are kept in the jail and I ... Full Story
Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop
We can't seem to be able to rein in unprecedented spending or come anywhere close to balancing the budget. But now watch for a huge push to expand the role (and budget) of FEMA in the weeks and months to come. FEMA still hasn't recovered what it laid out for "Katrina", but we've got fires, and twisters, and quakes, OH MY! Remember those days before FEMA existed? Hard to do so, isn't it? Just like trying to remember how our schools possibly functioned before the Department of Education, ... Full Story
Support the deputies
Did you realize that Larimer County’s Jail is one of the most efficiently and effectively run jails anywhere around? The jail staff has worked with the judges, the public defenders, the cops and the DA to make sure that they are using the best practices in operating the jail. The deputies at the jail need your help because much of their funding is scheduled to expire soon. Vote YES on 1A on your election ballot and assure that the deputies at the jail have the resources they need to ... Full Story
Answering Joe Dion’s Stomping Stamps
EBT means Electronic-Balance-Transfer. While, yes, the EBT card may hold "food stamp" benefits for some, others get cash assistance and can use the card, like a debit card, most anywhere credit cards are accepted. What Mr. Dion saw "Mr. EBT" doing at McDonalds˙ was not purchasing fast food with food stamps but with a cash allowance. Yes the entire welfare system is out of control. But the reader needs to take a look around the whole warren not just the one little rabbit hole he seems to ... Full Story
Stomping the Stamp!
No, I'm not talking about postage; I mean food stamps. This program is out of control. It's no longer a stopgap to keep people from starving, it's a lifestyle for many who don't need it in the first place. In fact a rapper calling himself "Mr. EBT" has put out a rap video championing the use of "EBT" card (food stamps) and showing him sliding it through a reader at McDonalds! Last year we took in a woman who was in "crisis" and needed emergency shelter. Abused, homeless, out of work ... Full Story
Support for mill levy override
To the editor: The purpose of this letter is two-fold -- to clear up some misconceptions about funding for the proposed charter school and to urge your support of the school district's request for a mill levy override. I spoke with Steve Towne, the school district's director of business services, and discovered that even if the charter school is ultimately approved, (1) no additional revenue generated by the override is earmarked for the charter school and (2) no district money ... Full Story
Epitaph for the 3-R’s
Last week President Obama signed an executive order allowing states to "opt out" of the reading and math requirements of No Child Left Behind. After all, who needs to know math when everyone has their own calculator. And kids don't need to read when they've got video games. Oh, and the last "R", writing, was already dead - everyone "texts" these days. That's why so many entering college freshmen need to take a remedial writing course. With the 3-R's dead, the ... Full Story
Yes on 3A
The gravity of the current situation in our school district is one key reason to vote yes on 3A, the Mill Levy Override. Unfortunately, it is quite frequent that a student comes into the counseling office with everything under the sun going wrong. I made a suggestion to one heavily burdened student to take on just one of the many challenges instead of staying frozen and overwhelmed by everything. I asked this student: "What is one important item out of all that ... Full Story
