Fair housing is justice

Colorado Springs has a housing crisis, but it is also a moral test. A recent Regional Housing Needs Assessment reports that the city is short more than 27,000 homes today and may need about 60,000 more by 2035. Behind those numbers are workers, seniors, young families, military households, and single parents who are increasingly priced out of the community they help sustain.

A city cannot celebrate growth, recruit employers, praise teachers, depend on nurses, police officers, child-care workers, soldiers and service employees, and then organize its land-use policies so many of them cannot live here. Housing policy is never morally neutral. Zoning rules, permitting delays, infrastructure decisions, neighborhood resistance, rental assistance and fair housing enforcement all decide, often quietly, who may belong and who must leave.

The biblical tradition judges communities by their treatment of the vulnerable: the stranger, the poor, the laborer, the neighbor whose security depends on justice. Stable shelter is not the whole of human flourishing, but without it, family life, health, education, work, and citizenship all suffer.

Fair housing is not a favor to the poor. It is justice. Colorado Springs needs more homes of many kinds: apartments, townhomes, accessory dwelling units, senior housing, workforce rentals, and modest starter homes. Supply matters, but markets alone will not serve those with limited purchasing power. Public policy must shape growth toward the common good.

A decent city does not price out the people it depends upon. A faithful city makes room for them in every neighborhood today.

Douglas R. Sharp

Colorado Springs

Little goat joins firefighters

I am writing this letter as a prerequisite for my BSA Comunication merit badge before i head to summer camp. I recently read the story about Goldie (Golden Oreo), a 4-year-old Nigerian dwarf goat who escaped her yard and joined the Colorado Springs firefighters as they tried to contain a brush fire. I wanted to share my opinion on this story.

I think this story is really cool because it shows how unpredictable news can be. Firefighters do incredibly dangerous work and put their lives on the line every time they go out, so the fact that a little goat walked up to them and acted like their supervisor is both funny and heartwarming. Firefighters have a lot of stress in a day like that, trying to minimize damage and stop the fire from spreading, so it’s nice that this little goat gave them a second to laugh and relax in a stressful situation.

Although I do not even live in the state, thank you to all of the local crews for keeping the community safe, and thank you to Golden Oreo for giving us all something to smile about.

Graeme Sautter

Traverse City, Michigan

Just a bruise

I am a US Marine Vietnam veteran who was a tank commander for my 12-month and 29-day deployment to Southeast Asia. While I was lucky not to have been wounded during my combat “adventures”, I do have some very real experience with witnessing combat wounds. I am also old enough to have lived at a time when people did not receive trophies simply for participating.

When I read the article about a US Army soldier who was bruised (the medical report was “blunt force trauma) by an enemy sniper, I was appalled to see his almost insane and very expensive tribulation to fight the US Army’s decision not to award him a Purple Heart. After reading the article, I looked up the criteria for receiving a Purple Heart, and one of the “official” criteria includes the following: “Minor concussions or injuries that do not result in loss of consciousness or duty restriction for more than 48 hours.”

I know for a fact that after all of this time, this ex-soldier’s “combat wound” award and $2 will get him a cup of coffee.

John Wear

Black Forest

Respect Native peoples

On Monday, President Donald Trump, once again (also initiated in his first term), issued proclamations under the Antiquities Act to reduce the size of two national monuments in southern Utah: Bear’s Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.

He wants, as does Utah Governor Spencer Cox, these reduced areas to be open for the development of coal and uranium deposits. These are sacred lands to Native Americans, containing many cultural and historical sites that go back thousands of years. A Navajo Nation spokesperson was heartbroken over the decision and upset that there was no consultation with federal officials as per their legal responsibility with tribal nations.

In the vastest of the western states, there must be other areas that can be utilized. As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, let’s not forget to remember and respect the people who lived here long before.

Billy Greer

Colorado Springs