The demon in the mix here

In Tuesday’s Gazette, we were told about the “special session” in Denver to deal with the $800 million shortfall in the budget. They claim that “the sole reason” for this issue is the Donald Trump spending cuts (except it happened last year, too). And when that idea is shot down, the DNC leaders go on to blame TABOR for their financial incompetence. Gov. Jared Polis even tried to claim innocence saying, “…the legislators decide what bills to pass and what to do and the specifics.” No Governor, you have the final say. You didn’t/don’t have to pass everything!

• Federal money had nothing to do with throwing millions at setting up EV charging stations very few of us will use (if we can even find them).

• Fed money had nothing to do with spending millions on ILLEGAL ALIENS housing, food, medical and legal fees that cut so deep, it took a chunk out of Denver’s municipal budget. We know this has been happening because our AG sued the Fed to keep that money flowing so they could keep doing it.

Fed money had nothing to do with the decision to feed all kids under the age 18 for free whether their family could afford it themselves.

Fed money had nothing to do with a wildlife crossing over I-25 that is six-lanes wide when they could have gone with less than half of that (are you expecting frequent stampedes?).

Fed money had nothing to do with limiting the fossil fuel industry to where hundreds of jobs were lost (along with that pay-roll tax money) and state revenue from it greatly reduced after we told them twice to leave it alone (so much for “the voice of the people”).

The Fed warned us that the extra money we were getting for “COVID recovery” was only temporary. That didn’t stop them from starting never-ending programs with it that we knew they couldn’t sustain without that money continuing.

These are only the more public things the DNC Denver dictators are blowing money on that we didn’t need and could do without. I am certain if you were to take a close look, you would find much, much more. And all of them get their own new office and new employees to make sure that they spend every penny they can from us, and even more if they can attach a new “fee” to them.

Up until about eight years ago, the TABOR limitations and growth formulas were working just fine. The only reason why they say it is the demon in the mix here is that they want to spend more than the obscene amounts they are spending.

No, Jared Polis and Julie McCluskie, this one is all on you.

Tim Smith

Colorado Springs

Do we need new governance?

I appreciated Travas Deal’s guest opinion, “Why a smart energy transition matters for Colorado Springs Utilities,” in Tuesday’s Gazette. I’m pleased the retirement of the coal-fired Nixon Power Plant is being reconsidered to allow more time for finding a financially viable, sustainable alternative. Wind and solar are not sustainable or financially reasonably for replacement power.

I expected to see a positive response from the public in the comment section of the article, but I was surprised to see mostly negative statements. One especially caught my attention.

The reader includes this quote from Deal: “We remain committed to ensuring our energy system is reliable, cost effective and environmentally responsible for both our customers and community,” and follows with his own comment of: Really?! Is that why we have spent millions, committed millions more in 5-year increases, and will be subjected to triple the electricity rates starting next month between 4-9pm to conserve power that your reliable, cost effective” system can’t keep up with? This response along with others of concern begs the question as to whether we are being duped into believing governance and leadership around our local utility is being effectively planned and implemented. Do we need new governance? Is City Council (Utilities Board) qualified to provide adequate leadership over Colorado Springs Utilities?

For some time, I have had reservations regarding the City Council’s supervision of the planning and management of our local utilities. We should consider bringing in more experienced people for these operations. The mayor can initiate a City Charter review to address this need.

Alan Goins

Colorado Springs

Standing up for LGBTQIA+ rights

LGBTQIA+ rights are under attack — nationally and here in Colorado. Far-right leaders weaponize these issues to divide us, as we saw in the 2024 elections when Donald Trump ran an ad targeting LGBTQIA+ people with hateful rhetoric.

Locally, we must hold our leaders accountable.

My opponent in the April election was the only Democrat to vote against SCR24-003, a crucial measure to remove the outdated ban on same-sex marriage from Colorado’s constitution. This was a missed opportunity to stand firmly for equality — especially painful coming from someone who claims to represent our community.

Some say we don’t need to talk about LGBTQIA+ issues so much, or that the community has “enough” rights. But just days ago, the Supreme Court was asked to overturn the landmark Obergefell ruling that guaranteed marriage equality nationwide. The threat is real.

We must demand that our state and local officials fight as hard as national leaders — if not harder — to protect the rights of every person, no matter their sexuality, economic status or skin color.

Chauncy Johnson

Colorado Springs