Harder to get to downtown

I find it kind of ironic that Boulder is closing for a new sports facility for Palmer High School. The city of Colorado Springs keeps getting new amenities in the downtown area and keeps making it harder to get there.

Examples are bike lanes on both Cascade and Weber. One lane of traffic to downtown on Uintah. Closing Boulder at Nevada is a little inconvenient, but doable. If closing Boulder with the sports facility happens, Boulder will fail to connect with Wasatch or Weber and that will significantly increase traffic on Platte.

Bruce Nicklas

Colorado Springs

Profiting off the homeless

Our community needs to start asking hard questions about how homelessness grant funding is being used and whether it is truly helping the people in crisis it was intended to serve, or just enriching organizations.

Non-profit organizations in Colorado Springs receive significant funding each year for homelessness-related programs, and yet our homeless population has tripled.

Funds that would be better spent on direct services are instead being used for Homeless Diversion Training, which costs hundreds of thousands of dollars each month to train people about homelessness.

Many frontline providers have already been using diversion techniques and compassionate care practices long before these trainings were introduced. Our community does not need expensive conversations about homelessness while vulnerable people continue sleeping outside on the concrete. We need action, housing support, flex funds, and direct services.

When organizations spend substantially more grant funding on staffing and administrative costs than on direct contract services, it raises serious concerns about priorities and accountability. Spending tens of thousands of dollars on office supplies while families struggle to survive should concern every taxpayer and donor in this community.

Funding should go to the people in crisis — not toward expanding salaries, unnecessary training programs, excessive data collection or administrative growth. Nonprofits entrusted with public and grant dollars should be held accountable for demonstrating measurable outcomes and direct community impact.

Organizations that dedicate much of their funding directly to homeless outreach and neighbor services rather than salaries and overhead are what true stewardship looks like.

At some point, our community must come together and demand real solutions without fear of retaliation. We do not need misappropriation of funds while children and adults are abused, starve, freeze, and die on our streets. We need dollars reaching the individuals and families who are struggling right now.

It’s time to stop blaming the homeless. Without the homeless population, these organizations would not exist. Our homeless neighbors and community deserve action, compassion, accountability, and leadership dedicated to improving homelessness, not just talking about it.

Edie Wren

Colorado Springs
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I think that Jon Calarara might have been a bit too negative in his opinion column from June 14: “Why I’m voting for the Democrats”–in his choice of a primary ballot.

In the greatest need in the world, the stopping of Vladimir Putin from putting the free Western World under his totalitarian boot, the solid leadership of one man, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is instead leading even other countries, from southeastern Europe through the South Caucasus to Central Asia, out of Putin’s orbit.

The same thing could happen in Colorado. The silent near-majority–the nearly 50% of voters who are unaffiliated–may recognize the neglect of common-sense governing by Colorado’s ruling Democrats in favor of their far-left agenda.

Like millions of people in and to the southeast of Europe, Coloradoans may understand that their chance to vote for a Republican candidate at long last is a chance to return common sense to Colorado’s governance.

Who would have guessed it?

James Sayler

Colorado Springs

Thankful for the mute button

Thank God, someone years ago invented the television mute button.  I have used mine more in the past few weeks than any other time.  Why? Because the political ads are becoming nauseating. Michael Bennet and Scott Weiser are nauseating in their quest to outdo each other in condemning President Donald Trump.  Having suffered through these television clown shows I can see no reason why anyone in their right mind would vote for Weiser or  Bennet.  

They offer nothing to the citizens of Colorado.  Suing Trump doesn’t help anyone, except these two misfits’ egos.  Now Jena Griswold has joined the “bash Donald Trump movement”.  What will they do after Trump leaves office and they have no whipping boy?   Isn’t it time that Colorado voters finally wake up and realize that the Democrats have nothing to offer them?  They have lost all credibility.  They will support anyone (even a Nazi from Maine)  to win back Congress.   Kind of makes you want to take a shower after watching this.  Voting for a Republican might be a better change.  Or you can validate the definition of insanity and continue voting for Democrats and expecting different results.  Keep that mute button nearby!

Barry S. Oswell, LtCol, USAF (ret)

Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs