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Opinion | Colorado Springs Gazette

Opinion

Medical marijuana dispensaries around Colorado Springs Tuesday, January 6, 2015. Michael Ciaglo, The Gazette

Thu, Jan 29, 2015 - 4:15 AM 0

EDITORIAL: 'Medical' marijuana trade undermines voters' intent

If Colorado voters won't reverse their decision to create the world's most permissive marijuana...

Letters view all

The Gazette Editorial Board
Ryan McKibben, Chairman
Christian Anschutz, Vice Chairman
Dan Steever, Publisher
Wayne Laugesen, Editorial Page Editor
Pula Davis, Newsroom Operations Director

Columns view all

  • FAGIN: Price gouging is what 
capitalism is all about

    Three cheers for price gouging! During the recent bouts of wintry weather, sharing companies like Uber and Lyft employ "dynamic surge pricing." Their prices rise, sometimes dramatically, in response to increasing demand. During crime situations where people are desperate to flee the area, during brutal storms where finding cabs is difficult...

  • Look to charter schools 
for lessons on success

    Jews and Christians educated in their religion know the biblical story of Balaam's ass. Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet, is traveling on the road on his donkey, and suddenly the donkey stops and, despite the beating by his master, refuses to go further. Eventually, the invisible cause of this recalcitrance is revealed. The obstinate refusal of...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Far too many kids are still left behind

    Thousands of National School Choice Week celebrations are taking place to remind us that access to more learning options makes a difference for thousands of students in Colorado and across the nation. But the concept of "school choice" doesn't go far enough to provide the flexibility many Colorado young people need to excel. Providing needy...

  • City Council made right choice on Jones Park

    On Tuesday, Jan. 13, the Colorado Springs City Council wisely chose to transfer ownership of historic Jones Park to El Paso County. This decision ensures that the property will remain open and under local control, giving our citizens and therefore our elected officials power to maintain the property. The principle of local control was key in...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Poor country is rich in wisdom

    Here I am, a skeptical Jew, staying in a Muslim city, in a Buddhist country, with a sizable Hindu minority. To make things even more interesting, Dean Martin's "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is blasting over the hotel stereo. I must be in another part of the world. Americans don't go to Sri Lanka. It's a much bigger vacation destination for...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Small segment of the population doesn't want people of color to advance

    Last Tuesday, Jan. 6, things in my life changed a great deal. About 11:15 a.m. on this date, I received a phone call from the Colorado Springs NAACP staff notifying me that an explosive device was activated at the office. I quickly asked if anyone was injured and, thank God, the answer was no. After ending the phone call, I was in shock that...

  • GUEST COLUMN: A peaceful solution to the marriage debate

    Though she is pro-choice, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg decried the "heavy-handed judicial activism" regarding abortion in Roe v. Wade. Judges in the current debate over marriage are again disrespecting the people by denying sufficient input from them, thus risking another never-ending culture war. Fortunately, there is a peaceful...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Voters should decide capital improvements funding

    Our community recognizes the importance of addressing stormwater improvements, but November's vote on ballot item 1B made it clear that a different approach is needed to gain the support of our citizens. The Pikes Peak Regional Drainage Authority, which was proposed by the El Paso County Commission and supported by a majority of the Colorado...

  • In education, support what we know works

    News about the present and future of American K-12 education continues to be discouraging. But a series of effective out-of-school programs is creating a glimmer of hope. If we focus on these, thousands of children can be salvaged from a broken system. First the bad news (culled from three recent reports). - The U.S. Department of Education...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Endorsing the proposed Clean Power Plan

    Response to the Nov. 3, 2014, Gazette article by Stuart Sanderson, CEO of the Colorado Mining Association: Colorado has been in the forefront in diversifying its economy and its electricity production by increasing its reliance on its rich renewable energy resources while maintaining relatively low electricity rates. Portions of the Front...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Proud spirit guided Udall during his time in public service

    Recently, a lot of people have been asking me what it's like to lose an election. It stings, that's for sure. And while I wouldn't recommend it, falling short in a race is a very humbling way of appreciating just how far you've come. In fact, as a lifelong mountain climber, I've learned far more from the mountains I did not summit, than those I...

  • GUEST COLUMN: A threat to economic opportunity

    Imagine a country where the man in charge could, by the stroke of a pen, ban certain use of public lands by citizens. Sound undemocratic? Amazingly, this power is afforded to the president. And if President Barack Obama's allies get their way, soon parts of Colorado and the West will be locked away. The Obama administration recently held...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Drug law enforcement isn't racial

    Mayor Bill de Blasio seems to believe that law enforcement doesn't so much protect minority communities as harm them. His administration's latest effort will have the NYPD reduce enforcement of marijuana laws - a move toward legalization under the banner of social justice. The push for marijuana legalization begins with the claim that the drug...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Business model, at cost of principles, not way for Republican Party

    Nothing surprises me anymore when pseudo-conservatives talk about how the Republican Party could gain more relevance if they just followed their particular brand of leadership. Those that have succeeded in business, at least by their estimation, are convinced they have the answers to what the Republican Party could do better. That is what we...

  • LITTWIN: Having the ugly conversation on race

    If you believe the polls or watch cable TV news, you may be halfway convinced that race relations in America have somehow grown worse during the tenure of the first black president. But if that seems counterintuitive, that's because, well, it is. It's counterintuitive and it's wrong. Yes, people are marching in the streets. Yes, NBA stars are...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Our republic is in danger

    By now you have to know the legacy big-city newspapers, ABC, CBS, NBC and their JV cable stations have a liberal bias in their presentation of the news. The real danger to our republic is what the mainstream media (MSM) is not reporting. MSM reports on a Staten Island, N.Y., man who was (illegally) selling individual cigarettes when police...

  • Opinion: Police run toward danger while cowards run away, second-guess their actions

    Have we forgotten 9/11? Do we remember the police officers, firefighters and EMS teams who died trying to save innocent victims of a terrorist attack? Alongside brave firefighters and selfless EMS teams, 23 courageous New York City police officers and 37 Port Authority officers gave their lives that day without hesitation. As district attorney,...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Christians and Satanists should unite

    A Christmas angel is on fire at Florida's State's Capitol building this holiday season. Adjacent to a traditional nativity scene, this disturbing display depicts an angel falling from the sky in burning flames with a sign overhead wishing "Happy Holidays from the Satanic Temple". The New York-based Satanic Temple's holiday message was nearly...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Conservative movement needs a makeover

    The elections are over, and as conservatives we experienced victory and defeat. After an appropriate celebration, the question becomes: Where do we go from here? How do we remain relevant and escape extinction? Though we had much to celebrate after the 2014 mid-terms, we must be honest with ourselves. From a state standpoint, we barely won the...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Colorado Springs Manifesto

    On April 6 my Gazette Guest Editorial about revitalizing our economy suddenly opened the “proverbial door” to interview and interact with a broad spectrum of our city’s leading civic, business, military and political leaders; including a majority of our City Council. Their generous contributions of time and insight – eye-opening and at times...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Save Browns Canyon from its would-be saviors

    One problem with most politicians is that they just don't know when to leave well-enough alone. That impulse to fix what isn't broken helps explain why so many of their "solutions" make matters worse. One prime example of this is the push by Sens. Michael Bennet and Mark Udall to get President Barack Obama to unilaterally designate the...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Illegal Drugs and Civil Rights

    The debate about enforcement of the drug laws has raised the question of what is required to support civil rights. Drug use is certainly an issue of social class. It victimizes the poor and vulnerable even more than it hurts the affluent, whose resources can be deployed to offset the social and health impact of drug use, provide for private...

  • GUEST COLUMN: The immense value of lessons learned at the USAFA

    I recently learned that I am the recipient of the 2014 Walter Camp "Alumni Award." It seems like yesterday (actually 26 years ago) that I was being recognized at this same event as an All-American defensive lineman from the Air Force Academy. Reflecting back upon my experience as a college football player, I am very appreciative of the...

  • Expensive EPA rules affecting every utility

    Your City Council will soon consider a modest rate increase to the nonfuel portion of your electric bill. Your local print daily has already weighed in on this increase a few weeks ago as a rate increase we all cannot afford. In their story, the editorial board noted a very productive meeting which included the editorial board, the chair of...

  • FAGIN: Great genius taken far too soon

    I know of a man who made World War II shorter, who saved millions of lives, and whose brilliantly original mind opened the door to the computer age. You've never heard of him. That is about to change. "The Imitation Game" will soon open in theaters. It is the story of Alan Turing, one of the great minds of the 20th century. It is about great...

  • Lawful solution must be found for immigration

    President Barack Obama violated the law last week with the full encouragement of Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet. He signed an executive order that circumvents Congress and establishes amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants by fiat. He did so without regard for checks and balances that form the basis of America's representative democracy....

  • GUEST COLUMN: Re-Crowning Pikes Peak: Nine principles for success

    A once in a lifetime opportunity is at hand to redesign and replace the Summit House on top of "Pikes Peak - America's Mountain." When the Summit House was built 50 years ago, more "utilitarian" objectives ruled, such that shelter, curios and food, especially the famous "donuts," were most important. Today, many visitors to the Peak have...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Strip away the power of public school monopoly

    Last week, The Gazette printed two interesting letters. One appeared on Nov. 14 from Frank Case, a self-identified public school teacher who wrote in opposition to teachers being paid on the basis of the performance of their students, defending what he characterized as a socialistic public school system, supporting tenure and unions. Larry...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Why are there so few arrests for marijuana violations?

     *   RAND: “In no Western country is a user at much risk of being criminally penalized for using marijuana.”  *   Arrests for marijuana are actually far fewer than the rates for other drugs would indicate.  *   One arrest for 34,000 joints smoked. A common criticism of laws against marijuana use...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Support humanely raised local food

    This morning, I pulled up to the barn that sits high on one of the many rolling hills of our family farm. I thought just how lucky I was that fall was finally here and I was able to look out over the same couple of hundred acres that my great-great grandfather did and see those new born calves just starting to stir. This cool, foggy morning...

  • GUEST COLUMN: The moral case for fossil fuels

    Here's a question for Coloradans to ponder: Is it good that your state generates 88 percent of its electricity from fossil fuels? I'd wager that most of you would say no. So would many of the politicians and bureaucrats directing America's energy policy. This was on full display this month, when President Barack Obama announced that the United...

  • Caregivers of those 
with Alzheimer's 
overlook a key ally

    The recent death of Tom Magliozzi, co-host of NPR's popular show "Car Talk," from complications of Alzheimer's disease is a reminder that dementia is a terminal illness. While Alzheimer's is just one type of dementia, it accounts for at least 
60 percent to 80 percent of all dementia cases, according to the Alzheimer's Association. People...

  • FAGIN: Net neutrality is nothing new

    Once again, "net neutrality" is bouncing around the blogosphere. Just this week, President Barack Obama called for the FTC to regulate Internet service providers like telephone companies, citing concerns about ISPs "picking winners and losers in the online marketplace." Nobody, to my knowledge, says that is actually happening. But it might...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Under-appreciated assets must not be ignored

    Now that the elections have been settled at the state level, the people of Colorado Springs ought to begin focusing their attention on the April municipal election, at which time we, the voters, will choose a new mayor and members of the City Council. As an engaged citizen, I have this recommendation for the candidates: Don't forget our...

  • GUEST OPINION: Ask a veteran to tell you his story

    My father was quite a man. He was an Army chaplain during the last days of WWII serving in an artillery unit fighting their way across Germany. He kept his reserve commission after the war and was a pastor in Wheaton, Ill., when the Korean War broke out. Though a reservist, he was called up to active duty for the war, being told by his...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Not just one day, but a lasting commitment

    Let me to first state the obvious. Veterans Day is for those who return from war. Memorial Day is for those who have not survived. Two days to remind us in a multitude of ways how to remember, and also act. Our veterans need us now. On Veterans Day, it's one day to think hard. What do we contemplate when we launch into war? Do we plan for the...

  • GUEST COLUMN: Denver Health waiting lists deny Medicaid patients health care access

    A growing number of Colorado's Medicaid enrollees are trapped in a system that deprives them of quality health care choices. Over a million people are now enrolled in Colorado's Medicaid program. About a quarter of the enrollment occurred in the first half of 2014. According to an outside review, at least one large Medicaid contractor was...

  • U.N. must reverse the climate change course

    Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Chairman Rajendra Pachauri was right to advocate an "agreement to finally reverse course on climate change" when he spoke to delegates tasked with approving the IPCC Synthesis Report, released on Sunday. The new direction governments should follow must be one in which the known needs of people...

  • Girls interested in politics, just not as a profession

    With the midterm Congressional elections happening today, Girl Scouts of the USA's Girl Scout Research Institute has just released compelling results of a "pulse poll" targeting girls' attitudes, interest, involvement, and perceptions with regard to the world of politics. If you're a Girl Scout alumna, volunteer, or troop leader, the results of...

  • Double-digit rate increases would come with EPA plan

    Imagine seeing big increases in your monthly electricity bill. Picture the loss of thousands of jobs in Colorado and the West. This could be our world if the Environmental Protection Agency goes through with its Clean Power Plan to reduce carbon emissions from the nation's power plants. The rule will hit coal-dependent states, like Colorado,...

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