Buc-ee’s is back

We thought we had convinced the Beave he was barking up the wrong tree. Boy were we wrong. Buc-ee’s is back! Bigger and more obnoxious than ever. Well, friends, we must gather our strength. He has a new strategy now. He thinks he can sidestep this community’s objections and schmooze a few county officials into a cozy deal.

Well, we’re not having it. We have a strategy of our own and we will gather our strength and get everybody on board.

So why is the Beave doing this? Why, when there are so many other places that would love to have his circus nearby? The answer may surprise you. Yes, greed is involved; but that is a minor part of the story. The Beave is frightened…Yep, scared stiff! You see, when you are used to getting your way, it’s scary when the adults in the room say no, not this time. Time for a temper tantrum! Scream louder! Bang your head against the wall! What will your billionaire cohort think of you? The shame! It’s sad, but toddlers do eventually come to understand the meaning of the word no.

Buc-ee’s, there is something we can thank you for. You showed us we are a community, and that is precious. We love where we are, who we are, and who we share this space with. This is where we stand, choose to raise our children, enjoy and value each other, protect our spaces, and grow old together. We thank you for that.

Daniel Gaskill

Monument

Persistence is not compatibility

Over the past two years, citizens across El Paso County have done everything their government asked. They attended hearings, submitted public comment, funded expert studies, gathered petitions, and voted. In both cases — overwhelmingly — they said no.

Colorado Springs voters rejected the Karman Line annexation by 82 percent. In the Tri-Lakes region, the proposed Buc-ee’s mega travel center was subjected to over a year of hearings, expert analysis, and massive public opposition. Palmer Lake’s Planning Commission recommended denial. Trustees were recalled. Buc-ee’s withdrew — not because it accepted the verdict, but because it had already pivoted to El Paso County.

Now both projects appear poised to re-enter through the county as though none of that happened. The same week Buc-ee’s withdrew from Palmer Lake, its consultants filed a county request to expand their parcel by ten acres through administrative approval — no public hearing, no public notice. This is not due process. It is a betrayal of it.

El Paso County’s own Master Plan designates 90 percent of county land to change little or not at all. Citizens invested years creating those protections. If rejected projects can simply change jurisdictions and try again, those protections are meaningless.

Persistence is not compatibility. Changing jurisdictions does not change the facts. I urge all El Paso County residents, HOAs, and community organizations to join Tri-Lakes Preservation and Citizens to Stop Illogical Growth in demanding full public review and accountability.

Laurel Schow

Monument

Failing government schools

Looks like more children walked out of school Thursday to protest ICE. Six schools were impacted in Pueblo. What are the ramifications for these children missing education? The day will be lost for educating the kids. Disruptions like this ruin the day for all, including students who want to further their education. Taxpayers see their taxes being wasted on another day of nonsense. And the children “protesting” get a day to virtue signal with limited punishment.

As a retired teacher, every day is valuable and precious. And, in my opinion, most of these kids are simply leaving the classroom to hang out with friends. Losing another day is simply more confirmation that our students will fall further behind academically.

Incidentally, if students are so concerned about this issue, wonder why they never protest on a weekend or a day off?

And finally, I never hear of children walking out of a charter school. Wonder why?

Bill Crow

Larkspur

Parents must do better

I recently went to dinner with some teacher friends of mine. To say I was still in shock when I got home is an understatement.

Parents! You clearly have no idea what is on teachers’ plates. If you did, you wouldn’t complain and email admin when the teacher reads a story about Abraham Lincoln, keep your kid home because the teacher is having the class read an article about Booker T. Washington because you don’t want your child to learn Black history at school, file a complaint with CDE about your child not participating in a classroom event when they just hit another student with a chair after pulling a chunk of hair out, send disrespectful emails accusing the teacher of disrespecting your child because other students in the classroom know your child has a behavior plan.

Teachers cannot and should not cater to your every whim. They have a job to do and your job is to make it easier on them. Send respectful, well-behaved, fed children to school and stop expecting teachers to raise your children.

The students I see in schools and hear about at dinner are downright awful. They talk back, they blatantly disobey, they don’t konw how to work hard, they are mean to their classmates, and they take no personal responsibility. We’ve got to do better parents!

Amy Sanders

Colorado Springs