Re: “Palantir’s exit is the warning smoke,” Feb. 21 commentary

Plantir’s exit is the warning smoke. There is more than just smoke. The canary in the coal mine has croaked. Colorado ranks fifth in the country for outbound moves.

The progressive left that controls the State of Colorado has made it difficult, if not impossible, to live here. Our property taxes are 10% higher than last year. The Democrats are drafting a backdoor tax increase by modifying the state’s tax laws. The fees assessed are a death by a thousand little taxes. According to the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, Colorado is the sixth-most regulated state in the country.

Want proof? Wait until you must replace your furnace. Last year, the average cost was $4,500 to $6,500. With the new regulations, it is $7,000 to $12,000 or higher.

Traffic regulations are another example. Traffic is being reduced to one lane for bike lanes that no one uses.

And then there is the higher minimum wage. No one wants to pay $20 for a hamburger. When your next favorite restaurant closes, thank the governor.

And let’s not forget that the Democratic left can’t stand law enforcement. In 2020, Senate Bill 217 created a $25,000 personal liability for cops doing their job. And now the Democrats want to ban someone from serving their community if they previously worked for ICE. But if you break the law, you’re not going to jail anytime soon.

Unless the Democrats change course, the time to leave Colorado is now.

Jeff Jasper, Westminster

Palantir, will we even miss you?

Re: “Palantir changed address twice in February,” Feb 19 news story

It’s certainly ironic that Palantir should cite climate change in its SEC filing as one of the reasons it’s leaving Denver for Florida, especially given its support for this climate-denying administration.

Martin Berliner, Greenwood Village

Re: “Politicians caught between ICE’s violence, Palantir’s money, and the voters they represent,” Feb. 22 commentary

“More members of Congress are likely to follow suit and return their donations as the company and its political contributions come under more public scrutiny. These donations, while welcome, raise a deeper and more troubling question: Why is a company that powers mass surveillance and immigrant enforcement so deeply embedded in our political system in the first place?”

Blame the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United vs. FEC. The Court found that laws restricting the political spending of corporations and unions are inconsistent with the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

This opened the door for businesses to donate to political campaigns.

Remember when Antonin Scalia died, and Mitch McConnell refused a hearing to replace him, so that the next President could select Scalia’s replacement? It was close to the 2016 election and McConnell wanted to protect the Citizens United ruling.

There needs to be a constitutional amendment to overturn this travesty. The only way to do it is to vote straight line for Democrats in future elections. It takes forever to get a constitutional amendment passed. Amendments can be proposed by a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress or by a national convention called by two-thirds of state legislatures. Ratification requires approval by three-fourths of state legislatures or state conventions.

The solution is very difficult to achieve, but it has to happen. Palantir is the model for why Citizens United is such a horrible ruling. Republicans need to get a spine and join Democrats to end it, once and for all.

As for Palantir leaving Denver, good riddance.

Mike Filion, Lakewood

What’s in a name?

Re: “Secretary on ‘freedom’ tour,” Feb. 24 photo

I’d just like to remind The Denver Post that the United States has a secretary of defense, not a secretary of war.

And if you don’t believe that, you can just go jump in the Gulf of America.

Robert Priddy, Westminster

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Re: “Denver set to crush women’s sports record next month – and the team’s not done peaking,” Feb. 4 sports commentary

In a recent column by Sean Keeler, the excitement surrounding Denver Summit FC highlights how powerful women’s sports can be when they’re given real opportunities.

As a girl who plays highly competitive soccer, I know firsthand what it’s like to crave the same opportunities and treatment that men receive in team sports. The hard work, the bond with teammates, and the highs and lows of competition create an experience like no other, and both girls and boys deserve that because both are fully capable of competing.

This matters because when women compete in sports, they show little girls everywhere that they can pursue any sport or passion they choose, and that being a girl should never hold them back, despite what some may say. Overall, women who compete in team sports are strong and embody everything women can achieve. I hope to see more accomplishments like Denver Summit FC’s for women across the world in every type of sport.

Josie Sima, Castle Pines

Editor’s note: Sima is a player for ECNL Real Colorado

The idea of ICE running massive detention centers

Re: “ICE’s purchases marked by secrecy, frustrate towns,” Feb. 22 news story

The article about Immigration and Customs Enforcement buying warehouses to hold detainees is a good start in shedding light on the issues surrounding these purchases, but more needs to be illuminated.

Of course, we must first and foremost never forget the immorality of human beings being literally warehoused in private prisons where owners have a profit motive to keep conditions in a cheap, inhumane status. Most ICE detention facilities are run by private prison companies.

The Department of Homeland Security is trying to build facilities that will hold anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 humans. For perspective, the Louisiana State Penitentiary holds about 6,300 prisoners and employs about 1,800 staff. This prison is notorious for having often been sued for inhumane and brutal conditions.

For ICE to run its proposed 5,000 to 10,000 prisoner warehouses, it will likely need 1,500 to 3,000 trained staff at each of the dozen or more facilities. In a time of well-documented shortages of corrections officers throughout the country, including Colorado, how is ICE going to find staff in those numbers of good character and background? And can we count on ICE to give them adequate training on the rights and treatment of humans in their custody? ICE certainly hasn’t done such a great job with its street officers’ training and recruitment.

Will these facilities and the other ICE abuses become visible and concrete warning signs of what our great nation could become?

Ethan Feldman, Littleton

Reclaimed sewage water shouldn’t be used on Colorado’s ski slopes

Re: “Endangered snowpack,” Denver Post three-part series on climate and ski industry, Feb. 15-17

The Denver Post series on the future of Colorado skiing and on the economic health of mountain communities correctly blames the impacts of climate change. Winter temperatures are rising, precipitation patterns are changing, and annual snowpacks are declining.

Without optimal below-freezing temperatures, the solution is not simply transporting more water uphill to do snowmaking, a process that will disturb mountain habitats and require substantial energy.

Of additional concern, the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission will consider in April allowing the use of treated sewage water for snowmaking. Unfortunately, many Colorado wastewater treatment facilities are outdated and unable to meet discharge standards for contaminants. Some are operating on expired permits.

Reclaimed water could contain residuals not removed during ordinary wastewater treatment processes, such as pathogens, medicines, personal care products, pesticides, heavy metals, radioactive materials, de-icing salts, PFAs (“forever chemicals”) and other toxins.

Little is known about the impacts of these pollutants on fragile high-altitude soils and pristine mountain streams. Until there is sufficient evidence to demonstrate the safety of using treated wastewater for snowmaking, every precaution should be taken to protect public health and the environment.

Surely skiers, especially children, deserve more than signage warning to avoid eating the snow.

Kirkwood M. Cunningham, Boulder

Editor’s note: Cunningham is the Water Quality Committee Chair for the Sierra Club Colorado Chapter.

Get to know the science on climate change

Re: “Reduced snowpack – is it a sign of things to come, or a temporary weather pattern?” Feb. 22 letters to the editor

I want to thank The Denver Post for publishing the two letters responding to the three-part series on the effects of climate change on the ski industry. This shows there is no “confirmation bias” of The Denver Post.

Both letters were perfect examples of the climate-denial mentality and lack of a basic understanding of the science behind the story. The extreme weather on the East Coast and the freezing over of Lake Erie and Lake Champlain are examples of weather variability caused by global climate change.

The changes to the climate cycle did not happen overnight. It has been a gradual and cumulative process caused by greenhouse gas emissions, and is accelerating as we continue to reach “tipping points” in CO2 levels in the atmosphere. The science is supported by facts and data collected and analyzed by the dedicated professionals at NCAR, which is now the political punching bag of the current climate-denying president and his administration, and is facing being dismantled. The lack of past snowfall graphs in the story does not discredit the science and the look to the future and the impact on the ski industry.

Jim McKeeman, Aurora

The letter mentions “The Colorado ski industry uses a tremendous amount of Colorado River water to make snow.” True enough. However, that water is more correctly stored on the slopes. Some is beneficially absorbed into the soil, and the majority melts. Where exactly does this meltwater go, if not back into the river?

This ski season validates the important need for machine-made snow to help our economically critical ski industry. Think snow!

Dave Montanari, Fort Collins

Bennet plays politics — well or to his downfall?

Re: “Sen. Bennet should not get to pick his replacement,” and “Legal prostitution in Colorado more liberal than Nevada’s rural brothels?” Feb. 22 commentaries

Both Kent Thiry and Krista Kafer had great columns last Sunday. I would like to add a little commentary to each of them.

First Thiry brings up the “Bennet” problem. Sen. Michael Bennet refuses to resign from the Senate while he runs for governor. Bennet has been feeding at the political trough for many years. His first term as a U.S. senator had him running for president. Unfortunately for his ambitions, Iowans only gave him some 190 votes in their primary. Sen. Bennet should give up his Senate seat to run for governor, but wouldn’t. His fear is that there would be a chance of him losing and not having a taxpayer job.

Professional politicians are the bane of our society.

Kafer’s column was right on. I worked in law enforcement in the 1970s. Prostitution on East Colfax was crazy. Hookers would solicit near businesses for customers, and the businesses suffered greatly. Prostitution affects the quality of neighborhoods greatly. Kids going to school while prostitutes and their customers prowl in the area degrades the whole neighborhood. And yes, drugs were a big part of the whole enterprise.

Michael Scanlan, Arvada

Kent Thiry’s premise, should Sen. Michael Bennet become Colorado’s next governor, is laughable. Essentially, he feels the replacement should be chosen by the people, via an election.

A little civics lesson here: Each state has their own rules for how replacements are handled. Most leave it to the governor to appoint someone to finish the current term. Then an election occurs. Basically, this is an indirect way of using the people’s voice. It shortens the process and immediately puts someone in Washington to represent this state. Historically, the majority of the time, the replacement has been of the same party as the void that was created.

In Colorado, should Sen. Bennet become Gov. Bennet, it really doesn’t matter if Gov. Jared Polis fills the seat or it waits until the new governor takes office. Both are Democrats and odds are the senator’s seat will be filled with a Democrat, which is actually enacting the people’s choice since it was the people who put a Democrat into that senatorial seat.

Demanding that person be named now is a shallow attempt at saying Thiry wants to be able to vote for both governor and whoever the replacement may or may not be. It doesn’t work that way. Any candidate who plays into Thiry’s hands would be naive to do so (let’s not forget that we have not even determined yet who will actually be our gubernatorial candidates).

Krista Igoe, Littleton

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Re: “6,000 trees removed from Chatfield,” Feb. 25 news story

Major damage has been done to one of Colorado’s premier state parks. Chatfield State Park has been damaged, disfigured, and stripped of healthy trees, over 6,000, with more to die.

The Corps of Engineers calls the removal of the trees “technically sound, environmentally acceptable and economically justified.” Anyone who has ever visited Chatfield before this shocking destruction will call it “heartbreaking.”

Chatfield had the distinction of being one of the best places in northeast Colorado to recreate. Boaters, birding groups, families, bicyclists and others loved the forests of trees. Deer, elk, foxes, and other animals called the forest home. Bald eagles gathered on the ice in winter. Now the trees are gone. With the loss of the forests, the animals lost habitat and their numbers will be greatly reduced. The 100,000 replacement trees and shrubs planted as part of the project are small, pencil-sized plants, which may or may not survive the drought gripping the area.

Bear Creek Lake Park may be next. More heartbreak.

Doris Cruze, Centennial

Misplaced credit — and blame — for crime trends

Re: “Trump’s State of the Union is strong as he delivers safety to Colorado,” Feb. 25 commentary, and “Is it wise, Rep. Evans, to align with this administration?” Feb. 26 letter to the editor

To begin, I second the letter writer suggesting Rep. Gabe Evans should campaign on his own reputation instead of following in President Trump’s wake. Trump may lead the GOP, but his control of crime is overstated and his support for effective law enforcement is seriously dubious.

Evans states that violent crime dramatically decreased across U.S. cities in 2025. It’s encouraging to hear this, and I want to congratulate all the officers, prosecutors, and politicians who helped reduce urban crime. However, the vast majority of cities with large homicide rate decreases are led by Democrat mayors (Denver included). And on Jan. 3, 2025, the U.S. District Attorney’s Office reported violent crime in Washington, D.C. had reached a 30-year low. How does Evans explain these numbers? In fact, per the Pew Research Center, U.S. violent crime has been trending downward precipitously since 1993. So, perhaps we should admit that crime trends are a complicated phenomenon not controlled by the party in power.

Secondly, Trump himself has pardoned umpteen convicted criminals since taking office in 2025. Amongst the pardonees’ crimes are: assault of a police officer, drug trafficking, identity theft, second-degree murder, wire fraud, and Medicare fraud. Besides pardoning the January 6th rioters, he also pardoned former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was serving a 45-year sentence for using his position to help smuggle 400 tons of cocaine into the U.S. and helping other traffickers evade arrest. Are these the actions of a president who is “reversing the many years of rising crime and chaos?”

Megan Hartmann, Denver

Men’s team diminishes gold-medal win with laughter

My wife and I watched every hockey game leading up to the Gold Medal event won by the U.S. women’s and men’s hockey teams. It was especially meaningful since my wife is of Canadian heritage. Nonetheless, we cheered the efforts of both teams as they progressed to the medal rounds. Truly, we were ambivalent about the victory over Canada, since both the U.S. and Canadian teams played so well and represented their countries in the highest spirit of the Olympic Games.

Sadly, the men’s team diminished their effort by laughing at the chauvinistic comment made by President Trump during his congratulatory call, inviting the team to the State of the Union Address, namely that he (Trump) better also invite the women’s team or he would be impeached. This was met by derisive laughter in the locker room, where, coincidentally, the director of the FBI was chugging a beer and joining in the uproar.

One could excuse the celebratory spirit in the locker room in the aftermath, but to allow themselves to be played by the president was regretful, if not naively ignorant, given the present state of affairs that exists between Canada and the United States.

For a team so successful in their sport, they should have reacted differently than to allow themselves to be used for political purposes.

Philip Arreola, Denver

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Re: “How to safeguard the DOJ against the next Trump,” Feb. 22 commentary

I would advocate a more concrete way of safeguarding the Department of Justice than even Barbara McQuade suggests. Amendments to the Constitution are harder for the Supreme Court to overturn than legislation.

Here are some proposed constitutional amendments:

Separately elect the Attorney General by a majority of the popular vote (runoff if necessary) in the midterm of the presidency. This would codify the separation of the DOJ from the executive branch. The AG’s responsibilities should include military prosecutions, and the AG should have jurisdiction over all JAG officers who will be, for practical purposes, civilians. This will prevent the execution of illegal orders of the president to the Department of Defense. Passage should prevent the weaponization of the DOJ. The same impeachment and removal procedure would apply to the AG as to the president.

Please note that presently, state AGs are separately elected by voters in 43 of the 50 states.

Given the above, there is a possibility that a corrupt AG can be elected. To lessen that possibility, the Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court must be overturned. I suggest: “Reasonable election campaign spending limits may be imposed by the states in compliance with Amendment XIV.”  This will lessen the possibility of a bought election.

Mitch Brodsky, Denver

Fear and detention, from Ukraine to the United States

Re: “Ukraine: Life is harsh, dangerous in regions run by Russia,” Feb. 22 news story

Soldiers are wielding guns, bullying citizens, and invading their homes. Everyone was scared and afraid to go outside. This was a description in Sunday’s Denver Post article describing life in Ukraine under Russia’s oppressive occupation.

The description seems eerily similar to life in Minnesota under the oppressive invasion and occupation by ICE: terrorizing and killing U.S. citizens, and U.S. citizens afraid to leave their homes.

The same article describes how Russia established a vast network of official and secret detention centers where tens of thousands are being detained. Another article in Sunday’s Post describes how ICE is spending tens of billions to secretly snap up warehouses across the United States, converting them to detention centers.

Thanks to the big bad bill, ICE has $45 billion to spend on expanding detention centers! These new detention centers will be placed in our neighborhoods near our homes. ICE is doing this secretly without informing the communities where the detention center will be placed.

I think we have better needs for that kind of money: educating and feeding our children, taking care of our veterans, repairing our crumbling bridges, sewer systems and other infrastructure.

The United States is supposed to be the land of the free. Worldwide, we are living in a culture of war, hate, inhumanity, and animosity. Throw in a good measure of nihilism, greed, and narcissism.

Surely God is looking down upon what he created and is sadly crying. What is the answer? Maybe we could start by creating a culture that follows one of God’s commandments: to love our neighbor — not detain and kill one another.

Gregg A. Kulma, Lakewood

We need to protect bears from euthanization

Bears are euthanized because we humans can’t or won’t take care of our garbage and other bear attractants, which is a tragedy. What does it take to adequately store and dispose of smelly garbage, liquids, and other attractants?

The State of Colorado and Colorado Parks and Wildlife need to establish regulations and laws that fine individuals who don’t adequately store or dispose of garbage when a bear or other wildlife needs to be euthanized. Shame on us.

Alan Aldrich, Thornton

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Re: “State of the Union: Trump tries to calm economic jitters before midterm election,” Feb. 25 news story

I never thought I would see the day when demeaning insults would result in a standing ovation. The State of the Union address changed all of that for me. Pointing at the Democrats, the president said, “These people are crazy!” The vice president and speaker of the House smiled, laughed and rose to their feet, applauding with many in the gallery. That has got to be one of the most despicable displays I’ve ever seen by people representing our nation. I am deeply saddened that politics has devolved into this.

Michael Lehmann, Lafayette

America’s strength is our people. President Donald Trump, in his State of the Union address, undermined that strength. Over and over in opportunities for collaboration, he created blame, shame and division. Stronger together — that means listening and working together.

David L. Stevenson, Denver

Is it wise, Rep. Evans, to align with this administration?

Re: “Trump’s State of the Union is strong as he delivers safety to Colorado,” Feb. 25 commentary

Having read Rep. Gabe Evans’s defense of the administration’s actions on Wednesday’s Post Opinion page, I seriously wonder if this is a wise tack for a gentleman seeking re-election in a district that I understand to be more unpredictable than the 5th Congressional District, where I live.

Living in Colorado Springs, I cannot bear witness to the fine decisions you have (or have not) made for your constituents in northern Colorado. Think first of your district!

Rushing to defend this administration, with its victim-persecutor-rescuer rambling, I’d recommend you make a case for yourself, how you internalize and wish to implement the finer ideals that Republicans have stood for in the past, well before this administration. Don’t seek to run your re-election campaign by touting any so-called successes of this administration — run on your own!

John Birkhead, Colorado Springs

Commentary from Peña provides needed insight

Re: “Why ICE should target lawbreaking employers,” Feb. 20 commentary and “Wanna bet the commission’s move will benefit the Trumps?” Feb. 20 letter to the editor

Thank you, Federico Peña, for pointing out that employers of non-citizen immigrants should be the ones who suffer penalties for breaking the law, rather than immigrants who work and are paid less for their labor than they otherwise would be. Without those jobs many would not come here. And, with more expensive labor, prices would rise. The general public pays more for goods and services without the cheap labor of immigrants.

Also, kudos to Dan Danbom for pointing out the large sums of money that will line the president’s pocket with his prediction-market scheme. Without a doubt, Trump is No. 1 among his predecessors in raking in money from the presidency.

Jeannie Dunham, Denver

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Re: “Endangered snowpack,” Denver Post three-part series on climate and ski industry, Feb. 15-17

The Post seems to be heavily focused on climate change and any weather that supports its philosophy. Over the last few days, there were a number of articles on Colorado’s recent warm/low snow weather and climate change.

However, this partial analysis doesn’t provide a full picture, including:

1) For at least the last five years, there have been typical snows and temperatures here.

2) It ignores the record cold/snow in the eastern United States this year that killed more than 100 people.

3) Huge lakes froze over this year (such as Erie and Champlain) that rarely freeze. It begs the question — is weather variability being confused with climate change by The Post?

In examining the complex climate, a complete analysis is needed to provide a comprehensive view– not cherry-picking events that meet a predetermined agenda. I wonder if The Post has a significant “confirmation bias” on this issue, where anything that doesn’t agree gets buried and things that confirm it get endlessly pushed.

William Turner, Denver

With the “Endangered Snowpack” article, there’s a color timeline graph of the number of days that individual Colorado ski resorts were open in 2025, plus dismal projections for 2050 and 2090, based upon the assertion that the “damage already done by anthropogenic climate change to the U.S. ski industry is evident”. That may be the case, but such climate change, reputedly caused by greenhouse gas emissions, could not have occurred overnight.

In other words, why are there no graphs for 2015, 2000, 1995, etc.? (If the number of ski days in past decades is not easily obtainable, then the recorded snowfall would probably have made a better metric for this analysis.) Regardless, any valid attempt to predict future snowfall is meaningless if it fails to include statistics on snowfall from previous years.

John Contino, Golden

Don’t let politicians get involved in water compact negotiations

Re: “States fail to meet another deadline for water deal,” Feb. 17 news story

The Post has been carrying a series on the current drought-caused water shortages and their impact on the ski resorts. These stories are of “above the fold, front-page importance.”  Tucked away in the upper corner of Page 2 on Tuesday is an article about states missing the deadline for an agreement on distribution of the shrinking water flows in the Colorado River and the threat of the Bureau of Reclamation stepping in and setting the distribution. Extended litigation is forecast.

The dispute between the states boils down to the split between the Upper Basin states and the Lower Basin states, and whether the Upper Basin states should reduce their allotments during low-flow years, which they oppose.

The Colorado ski industry uses a tremendous amount of Colorado River water to make snow. The Front Range cities divert tremendous amounts of Colorado River water for urban domestic use. Both have purchased sufficient senior water rights to sustain current standards, but these are Colorado state water rights, which could have dubious value in the negotiations over the interstate distribution of available river flows.

In the current political climate, Colorado, being a so-called “blue state,” may have trouble retaining these rights. The president is throwing out all kinds of threats of retaliation for perceived slights, and he controls the Bureau of Reclamation. In particular, Denver, a “sanctuary city,” could be very vulnerable to having its current diversion severely curtailed.

I hope the Denver Water Board, as well as city and state officials, and our Congressional representatives, act expeditiously to mitigate any adverse impacts.

Richard (Dick) Emerson, Denver

Move beyond false choices in energy policy

Re: “Global energy demand is rising as Colorado is still restricting operations,” Feb. 15 commentary

In her opinion column on global energy demand, Lynn Granger creates a false dichotomy when she states, “Colorado politics has framed energy policy as a moral choice rather than a systems challenge.” Energy policy is both a moral choice and a systems challenge.

Given the scientific consensus that fossil fuels are the root cause of the climate crisis, and given the impacts we’ve seen here in Colorado — including the fires, floods, beetle-kill, meager snowpacks, and the dire condition of the Colorado River — doing anything other than constraining the burning of fossil fuels can be considered a crime against the people of Colorado.

And, given that the whole planet shares the same atmosphere, any steps that would perpetuate or increase the burning of fossil fuels in Colorado could readily be considered crimes against humanity. Energy policy is indeed a moral choice.

And energy policy is also a systems challenge. Our challenge is to transition our energy systems from huge, established, and entrenched extractive and polluting industries to systems more reliant on clean energy and more resilient to disruptions by climate-change-driven weather events.

Fortunately, many of the technologies we need are already available. And they are being implemented right here in Colorado. In 2024, Colorado overtook California as the EV capital of the United States with 25.3% in new EV sales. The electricity delivered by Holy Cross Energy was 85% clean last year.

We can get to a cleaner, safer, healthier future, but Ms. Granger’s false choice doesn’t help us.

Chris Hoffman, Boulder

Lynn Granger’s guest opinion is basically “drill, baby, drill” obfuscated in a word salad. Instead of “drill, baby, drill” she talks about “maximizing existing assets” and “preserving affordability.” She helpfully points out that burning hydrocarbons is an easy and relatively cheap way to provide additional energy, because demand is increasing.

Granger chastises Colorado leaders for prioritizing the “tired” and “outdated” framing of renewable energy. Her opinion is nothing more than the classic Baby-Boomer approach to everything — “let’s consume it, burn it, use it up, borrow and spend it” and then pass all the problems down to our children and grandchildren.

When you boil down her opinion, it turns out to be — take the easy way out.

Roy W. Penny Jr., Denver

When the world asks us too much, dogs provide comfort

Re: “Are we asking too much of our dogs?” Feb. 15 commentary

Clara Bow, the “It Girl,” is reported to have said, “The more I see of men, the more I like dogs.”

Are we asking too much of our dogs? Absolutely not. Their potential as replacements for human interactions has been underestimated for years. Once, a family’s dog was just a dog. That is not longer true.

Harry, my third and final dachshund, was invaluable to me during the pandemic, and he is even more invaluable to me now during this wretched presidency. (Does anyone not know by now how psychologically depleting last year and this year have been?)

The importance of dogs — and other pets — during the pandemic became the theme of an art exhibition at the Lone Tree Arts Center. Harry was featured.

I’m elderly. Final glide pattern. Mark Twain said, “The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man’s.”

Craig Marshall Smith, Highlands Ranch

Provide a fix to the family crisis

Re: “The Heritage Foundation sees the family crisis — but not the fix,” Feb. 15 commentary

I have wondered many times why the Republican Party, along with the Heritage Foundation, is so intent on people having more children.
Children are expensive and getting more so every day. As these expenses continue to mount, the Republicans are doing everything possible to discourage parents from having children.

They want to restrict women from having abortions, and yet once the baby is born, the safety nets like universal child care, health coverage costs, and other programs are being eliminated or drastically reduced.

Many young couples I have talked with are even debating whether they want to bring a child into this world, with global warming being ignored, EPA regulations rolled back, home ownership becoming more out of reach every day, and income inequality at its highest level since the “Gilded Age. “

That is why I enjoyed her column headline ending with “but not the fix.”

Let’s make it easier to have children, not harder. Children are a blessing, but only if you can afford them.

David Shaw, Highlands Ranch

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Re: “Group pursues map that would give Dems 7-1 edge,” Feb. 19 news story

As a reasonable and fair-minded voter, I was incredibly proud of Colorado for establishing a non-partisan commission to determine the Congressional Districts after each census. The result was District 8, which is a near 50/50 split between Republican and Democratic voters (27.3 % registered Democratic voters vs. 24.2% Republican). This is how the Framers envisioned the entire country. When this is successful, we truly have a government that is representative of the people.

However, with the recent efforts by the Republican Party to gerrymander states to gain more red seats, the tide has turned. If allowed to go unchecked, we would truly be living under an autocratic leader, where future elections and choices would likely be decided by the ruling party.

In spite of my feelings about rolling around in the mud with these perpetrators, the Democratic Party has no choice but to undertake this same effort in order to protect democracy and the rule of law. Once the Democrats are able to re-establish a firm footing, new regulations regarding elections and term limits can be enacted to rein in this anarchical behavior.

David Thomas, Denver

When it comes to redistricting, I completely get why Democrats do not want to unilaterally disarm. I would rather voters choose their elected representatives than have elected representatives choose their voters. But that is not where we are at.

The independent commission that set current district boundaries made an egregious error, in my opinion, by splitting Loveland and Fort Collins into different districts. The two cities and surrounding areas are part of a formalized metropolitan area. As well, Larimer and Boulder counties are home to our state’s two largest universities and the populations that serve and support both.

Interstate 25 is a natural cultural and economic divider, so if cleaving off parts of Northern Colorado is necessary, there is your dividing line. If the ballot measures do not unite Boulder, Longmont, Loveland, and Fort Collins, I will vote against them and urge others to do the same.

John W. Thomas, Fort Collins

I find it ironic that the proposed map to favor Democrats in seven of the eight Colorado Congressional districts is being proposed by a group called Coloradans for a Level Playing Field. Curtis Hubbard, spokesman for the group, claims, “No one wanted to have to take this action — independent redistricting is the ideal,” an ideal his group will abandon in order to skew voting for representation in Congress. Our state is currently balanced in representation equally among the eight districts, with Democrats having a slight edge.

To top it off, the issue will be decided by Colorado voters, not the state legislature. The recent redistricting proposal in Virginia, which would reduce Virginia’s Republican representation in Congress to one representative, will also head to the polls in April. To their credit, Republicans in the state legislature in red-state Indiana recently refused redistricting to favor Republicans, on ethical grounds.

States are now abandoning independent, bipartisan commissions that have traditionally been tasked with redistricting — often at 10-year intervals to coordinate with the Census. This manipulation, a frenzied approach to control Congress, seems unhealthy to our democracy.

Karen Libby, Denver

Wanna bet the commission’s move will benefit the Trumps?

Re: “Trump administration backs prediction markets vs. states,” Feb. 18 news story

President Trump appointed the chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, who then threw the weight of the federal government behind the prediction market and its primary operators, Kalshi and Polymarket.  Any friendly decision the CFTC makes could financially benefit the president’s family: Donald Jr. has invested in Polymarket and is a “strategic advisor” to Kalshi.

Here’s a bet I want to make — a parlay:  The CFTC will act in such a way that the Trump family will make millions, and Congress will ignore such obvious conflicts — unlike what they did when Hunter Biden was on the board of a foreign company that President Biden had no power to regulate. Put me down for the maximum.

Dan Danbom, Denver

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Re: “Epstein files: Bondi clashes with Democrats,” Feb. 12 news story

Attorney General Pam Bondi does middle-school mean girl really well. The insults she hurls at members of Congress — the people’s representatives — are choice and juvenile. The deranged demeanor accompanying her rude responses under oath deserves an Oscar nomination in the cringe and horror categories.

Sadly, none of these theater performances is in her job description.

We, the people of the United States, who have hired her (bad decision, Republican Senate!) and are paying her salary and benefits, and to whom she has sworn an oath to serve, require a grown professional who understands their job to be the attorney for the people and not the bodyguard of the Fuhrer. The people require an AG who performs the duties of the office, like, for example, prosecuting pedophiles, and to do so in a dignified manner that honors, not insults, the people they serve.

Bondi is not doing any of that. This leaves but one solution. Congress is to impeach, convict, and remove her from office.

Floy Jeffares, Lakewood

Crow’s accusers are the ‘ones following illegal orders’

Re: “Crow says ‘there will be costs’ after failed indictment attempt,” Feb. 12 news story

You go, Jason Crow. The malicious failed prosecution of those in Congress who urged military members not to follow illegal orders demands a response to hold Trump administration officials accountable.

The irony is that the prosecutors in the Justice Department should have been paying attention because they were the ones following illegal orders when they clownishly filed a criminal case when no crime had been committed. They had to use the grand jury route because, in a regular federal court proceeding, the case would have been immediately dismissed out of hand.

What is the over-under bet for how many Trump pardons ultimately will be issued to these spineless creatures? A lot of people will have to be pardoned, but many who need a pardon won’t get one. Yes, keep track of who is being naughty or nice.

Barry Noreen, Denver

Follow officers’ orders and stay alive

Ever wonder what the paper would be like if Donald Trump weren’t president? On most days, the front section is dominated by articles critical of the president, his programs or his party. It has been said that it’s foolish to take on folks who buy ink by the barrel. That is not my intention here.

I believe it’s past time we all just took a big breath, group hug, and think about all the freedoms and good things we have here in these United States. As a Marine Veteran who has seen more of this world, I can say from experience that what we have here ain’t so bad.

I’m sorry people had to lose their lives in the riots in Minnesota; however, I will say what no reporter or editor will say. They would be alive had they only obeyed the officers’ orders.

Ralph McClure, Greeley

Rittenhouse defenders condemn Pretti

In 2020, Kyle Rittenhouse crossed state borders to attend a protest in Wisconsin. Even though he was only 17, he brought an AR-15-style rifle. Rittenhouse fatally shot two men and non-fatally injured another. He was lauded and called a patriot by some.

Alex Pretti attended a protest in his hometown of Minneapolis carrying a holstered gun, which he had a permit to carry. He was called an “assassin” and “terrorist” by many of the same people who endorsed Rittenhouse’s actions.

Rittenhouse was acquitted of homicide charges and is alive and well. Pretti was killed.

What am I missing?

Karen Snyder, Aurora

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Re: “ICE accountability pledged,” Feb. 3 news story

When my son was four, we got him a tiger costume. He loved it and wore it almost every day. He could transform himself into a fierce animal, not only a tiger but also a bear, a wolf, a zombie, etc. His personality changed, but in a 4-year-old, it was cute and harmless. And who doesn’t love costumes at Halloween? Groups and masks enable behavior we wouldn’t otherwise exhibit.

The problem arises when grown-ups dress up in real life and lose the social barriers determining how we should behave. Until now, our law enforcement officers (“servants of the people”) have worn identity badges and not masks. By disguising its agents and dressing them in intimidating uniforms, ICE enables them to behave more aggressively than they would otherwise. Since they operate in groups of like-minded enforcers, like all bullies, they feel free to act aggressively, with no accountability. They operate like a pack of dogs, which will terrorize people where a single dog might not.

How many ICE agents are bullies and see ICE as a means to satisfy a desire to dominate other people, while in real life, unmasked, they can’t? Or is it the $50,000 signing bonus? Or do they have violent pasts? We don’t know, because we can’t identify them. Like my 4-year-old, they can hide behind their masks and behave in ways they otherwise would not.

Therefore, I support the Colorado House in banning face masks for all law enforcement personnel. Enough is enough!

Marsha Budz, Boulder

ICE agents need protection from aggressive protesters

Re: “Judge won’t halt crackdown,” Feb. 1 news story

A judge who believes in ICE agents doing their job? Amazing. The ICE officers need protection from the lunging protesters who are screaming, spitting, injuring and threatening them. Allow them to do their jobs. Stay out of the way. Police need protection as well.

These protesters are out of control. Standing with a sign? Fine. Otherwise, get out of the way.

Deanna R. Walworth, Brighton

Time for voters to embrace independence

A Declaration of Independence in 2026!

What is slowly happening in America this year is a growing pool of independent voters. As the reservoirs of the Republican and Democratic voters evaporate, independents are becoming a stream of optimism for removing the wasteful and destructive policy of the two-party war that is pushing us further apart.

Imagine a campaign built on real character and service instead of a front for the rich. Are there enough citizens willing to risk an honest campaign with only the endorsement of individual voters?

This is a measurable method to demonstrate Americans’ will to free themselves from the power of money to buy representation. In the year we celebrate independence, America should give independent candidates a boost to represent the common voter.

Experienced Republicans and Democrats have produced a political void. Let independent candidates fill that void. Blessings.

Bob Grimes, Windsor

When wealth outweighs the will of the people

The discrepancy between the public and the market views of the health of the economy harkens back to the Marxist analysis of the dynamism of labor and capital being ever at loggerheads. The majority of Americans belong to the working class and are finding their paychecks unable to keep up with the higher and higher prices of everyday needs. Corporate stockholders, on the other hand, see the value of their assets rising to record highs.

Supporting this is the Supreme Court ruling [Citizens United v. FEC] that money is integral to free speech, thereby giving wealth unlimited power in campaign spending. The laws of the land have been heavily tilted in favor of capital over labor for years. Donald Trump simply is the latest, most manipulative avatar of its power. With the Republican Congress fawning at his feet, the ideal of democracy that the will of the people governs the nation is being buried under multimedia waves of the autocratic ambition of wealth.

Robert Porath, Boulder

Paying for $20 beer is not truly captive spending

Re: “Officials targeting high cost of living,” Jan. 27 news story

In the recent article on proposed legislation concerning cost transparency, there seems to be a basic misunderstanding about the difference between required and discretionary spending.

No one chooses to end up in an emergency room. Very few people in pain are going to decline a painkiller, no matter what the cost. It is in situations where the consumer is truly captive that the legislature should focus its attention.

Sporting venues do not fall in this category. Everyone there is making a discretionary purchase and knows the price of a beer. Besides, water is a free substitute. If fans refuse to pay $20 for a beer, the price will eventually come down. The same principle should also apply when it comes to paying major league ticket prices to watch a team that is not major league.

Guy Wroble, Denver

Another assault on our voting rights

The Supreme Court has interpreted the Elections Clause expansively, enabling states to provide a complete code for congressional elections, not only as to times and places, but in relation to notices, registration, supervision of voting, protection of voters, prevention of fraud and corrupt practices, counting of votes, duties of inspectors and canvassers, and making and publication of election returns. The Court has further recognized the states’ ability to establish sanctions for violating election laws as well as authority over recounts and primaries.

Nothing in the Court’s rulings gives any legitimacy to President Donald Trump’s rantings about “nationalizing” the midterm elections and allowing the Republican Party to oversee them.

Please turn your attention to this matter and advise the deranged, demented poseur in the White House that the people will not tolerate this egregious assault on our right to free and fair elections.

Steve Peister, Aurora 

Targeting journalists is not American

Re: “Lemon charged with federal civil rights crimes,” Jan. 31 news story

Fascism is knocking at our door. We have reached the point where “first they came for the journalists” is no longer a warning; it’s our reality.

The recent arrest of journalist Don Lemon and others covering Minnesota protests should alarm every American who values constitutional freedoms. This represents a direct assault on First Amendment protections of free speech and press freedom. While the Department of Justice pursues journalists who report critically on government actions, they have failed to investigate the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers. This misplacement of priorities reveals a troubling pattern.

Independent journalists like Lemon perform crucial work, especially as corporate news outlets scale back investigative reporting. The First Amendment exists precisely to protect journalists who shine light on truth and hold power accountable, even when that reporting makes officials uncomfortable.

As an attorney who swore to uphold the Constitution, it has been disheartening to witness the nation’s top law enforcement official blatantly disregard constitutional principles. Even more concerning: an appellate court initially denied prosecutors’ request for Lemon’s arrest, yet the administration persisted.

Protected speech remains protected regardless of whether we agree with its content. Once we begin targeting journalists for doing their jobs, we will have lost what makes America free.

A quote resonates deeply with me: “If America hasn’t broken your heart, you don’t love her enough.” This is not the America our founding fathers envisioned — not one where journalists face arrest for covering protests and holding power accountable.

Alyssa Kellar, Denver

Honor Alan Page, whom award was named for

Re: “NFLPA’s Alan Page Community Award: Bolles honored for work with Colorado kids,” Feb. 4 sports story

Wednesday’s article about the Alan Page Award neglected to mention who exactly Alan Page is and where he went to college. Page was a defensive lineman on Notre Dame’s legendary 1966 football team. He later became a Minnesota Supreme Court Justice. Page was an African American trailblazer in college football and the Minnesota justice system.

What a player he was and a statesman he is!

John Amari, Denver

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The TABOR Committee supports the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights. We’re writing to remind you to claim your TABOR refund on this year’s tax return. To obtain between $19 and $118, be sure to claim your refund on page 6 of the state income tax report.

The state’s tax code is designed to bring in more and more money in good times, above what the TABOR limit allows. TABOR provides for automatic increases in tax revenue while preventing government from growing out of control and taking an ever-larger share of family and business budgets. When the TABOR limit is exceeded, tax law restores the over-collection back to you in the form of TABOR refunds. This year, the TABOR refund is rather small.

Your refund would have been about four times as large, except the legislature got sneaky in 2024 and opened a loophole that TABOR allowed by being flexible. They created a new welfare program, a redistribution, only available if there is a TABOR surplus.

Making a welfare program dependent on taking our refunds is also unfair to the people who get the subsidy, because they may come to depend on it, yet it will be jerked away entirely if the economy turns down. Better the program should be funded inside the state budget with transparency and certainty and in competition with all other state priorities. For more information, visit thetaborfoundation.org.

Jason Bailey, Denver 

Kafer column should serve as a voter guide

Re: “Trump is taking his losing streak out on Colo.,” Feb. 15 commentary

Now is a good time to clip and save Krista Kafer’s assessment of what a Donald Trump presidency has meant for Colorado after a little more than one year: retribution. Be sure to read, clip and save for making voting choices in November. Keep her words available for you and your voting friends and relatives, as they offer inspiration and evidence of what your vote means for this year and the future of the state.

David W. Dent, Broomfield

I do not think, therefore, I do not am

Re: “The ugly sides of AI,” Jan. 25 commentary

My wife noted that Jeffco schools were not in session on Friday before Presidents Day, and I responded that with AI, it doesn’t take long to get answers. That morphed into a discussion of the learning process: answers versus thinking through problems. Technology dumbs us down, so we become dependent upon it (think: GPS v. map and compass).

I often wonder whether young people are being deprived of learning how to think and so just rely on technology to get by. AI makes that problem worse, amplified by social media. If schools no longer teach the process of thinking through problems to get real-world solutions, then we become totally dependent upon technology (especially AI) for everything. And, if we do not think, evolution will eliminate our ability to think (we do not am).

So, as we relinquish control over our lives and our environment to technology, and AI learns to do the “thinking” that we no longer do, where does that lead? Are we making it easy for AI to destroy the human race, given the probability that AI already “knows” that we are the problem and must be eliminated?

It is no longer science fiction. We are making it a reality. Not just possible, but probable, maybe inevitable. Humans need water and clean air; AI just needs data centers and electricity. Think about that, or do not am.

Greg Scott, Evergreen

Former V.P. Pence should speak out

Former vice president Mike Pence has the historic opportunity to do what civil rights hero John Lewis called “good trouble.” He could do that by simply telling the truth about President Trump and especially about the January 6 rebellion.

Good trouble would help Mike Pence join the members of the “Profiles in Courage” gang.

David L Stevenson, Denver 

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