The Colorado Springs Gazette

GUEST COLUMN: Be aware of stigma that surrounds mental illness

Stigma. What is the stigma of mental health? When we think of someone seeking mental health treatment, we think of him or her as weak, incompetent or even crazy. Why? Is it because someone needs help processing his or her thoughts or needs medication? What do you do when you are upset with a situation in life? You talk to a friend or a...
GUEST COLUMN: Colorado Springs should become the Silicon Valley of inventions

The Gazette's special section on economic development detailed many good initiatives - all aimed at doing more of the same while hoping for a different result. Don't get me wrong; we have very good people working very hard with the best of intentions. I'm writing to suggest it's time we add something a bit different. Like so many other cities,...
GUEST COLUMN: Protecting sex assault victims in the military

In the coming weeks and months, Congress will begin debating this year's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). It's a comprehensive piece of legislation that authorizes military and defense programs for the coming year and has passed every year for the past 52 years. Without this legislation, our troops would lose combat pay, and...
GUEST COLUMN: The real problem with health care as entitlement

The real problem with health care "insurance" in this nation is an issue of mental conditioning. You and I have been conditioned to believe that health care insurance is something that it is not. Or at least that it was not intended to nor should it be. As is the case in so many other areas of our society, we all have been conditioned by the...
FAGIN: Leave the courts out of First Amendment issues

Two weeks ago, I wrote about an important religious freedom case before the Supreme Court, Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby. We won't hear their decision for a while. But just last week the court announced its ruling in another important constitutional law case: McCutcheon v. FEC. The winner, by a split decision, was the First Amendment. The usual...
GUEST COLUMN: Focus on key components for economic development

After a 42-year absence as an investment banker and venture capitalist, I returned to my beloved city with fresh eyes, no preconceptions and many questions. When I first arrived in 1967 as a 21-year-old Army artillery officer, Colorado Springs was a young town overflowing with bright members of my "baby boom" generation. Today it is a "sea of...
FAGIN: The devil is in the details of Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores

This week the Supreme Court heard arguments in Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. This is a high-profile, high-stakes Obamacare case. Ultimately, the court will be asked to shed light on the question of when it is acceptable to force Americans to choose between running a business and honoring their religious beliefs. I want to live in a...
GUEST COLUMN: Rapidly changing higher education landscape requires some tough decisions from within

By Gene Budig and Alan Heaps - Those who question the fundamental value of a college degree need to stand back and accept undisputed facts. The truth is the worth of a college degree is rising. Today, young adults with just a high school diploma earn 62 percent of the typical salary of college graduates. In 1965, those with just a high...