Letters to the editor: Democracy; letters to the editor; helping one another; City Council; COVID outbreaks
Sep. 17—Paul Atcheson: Democracy: In danger of the decline
In a January Letter to the Editor I noted that Trump had finally done something that would benefit all Americans for years to come. His inept attempt to thwart our democratic processes could encourage political and social leaders to institute safeguards against it repeating under a more capable single-minded revolutionary. That optimism was misplaced. Indeed, our country's leaders are moving us further into socially destructive schisms, pandering for votes from a crowd drinking the Kool-Aid of a shallow, charismatic autocrat wannabe.
One school of thought on civilizations holds that they advance when driven by a creative minority, whereas they decline when a dominant minority reverts to archaic social controls in order to maintain its dominance. We're in danger of living the decline.
There are many examples of how our society is splitting, but the big picture is that we have a belligerent minority that wants to move America back to the 1880s, a quixotic minority that wants America to lead the world into the 2100s, and a majority that just wants to live in a free, protective, and supportive society.
It's good to revisit constitutional debates — states' rights versus federal authority, individual freedom versus social responsibility, unregulated capitalism versus workers' protections, etc. Beyond constitutional generalities, several issues need to be recognized as cornerstone setpoints. Some, such as voting rights and a woman's right to abortion, are foundational. Others, such as mask-wearing, are more symbolic. Actions regarding these will be progressive or regressive. The goal should be to implement actions that advance and strengthen our society at personal, social, national, and international levels.
Upcoming local and biennial elections are important in establishing whether our society will regress or advance. We have about a year to tell our leaders what we want. Don't wait until elections to let them hear you.
Paul Atcheson
Longmont
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Thomas Crane: Letters to the editor: Much substance of late
The Daily Camera and the Letters submissions the last couple of months have been especially substantive; instead of " 'bleeding leading' news coverage" (an understandable tendency given the plethora of world events occurring), there has been a depth of relevance to news coverage (and letters) such that citizens can identify, partialize, and glean key factors in sequence process wise relative to current events; as such, we can become better informed and participate meaningfully.
Thomas Crane
Boulder
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Susan Evans: Fellow travelers: We are on the same path
This thought came to me a few years ago while walking my dog up Shanahan Ridge trails, which I still do:
I like to picture people hiking up the various trails around a mountain toward the top. Some are moving quickly, some slowly, some even pause for a while, but all are moving in the same direction toward the top.
And it occurred to me that this is like our spiritual paths: whether Protestant, Catholic, Buddhist, Muslim, Sikh, whatever of the myriad of religions we are, or whatever our nationality or skin color, or other differences, we are all headed in the same direction, just by different paths. It's such a good feeling to help fellow travelers when we can.
Susan Evans
Boulder
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Kim Bixel: City Council: A vote for good listeners
I fully, wholeheartedly endorse and support Michael Christy, Steve Rosenblum, Mark Wallach and Tara Winer for City Council in the upcoming election (And Jacques Decalo, if I had to choose five). All the issues Boulder faces are complicated, with many variables: there are no single, simple correct answers. I believe Steve, Michael, Mark, Tara and Jacques represent the candidates who will actually listen and consider all relevant information BEFORE making their decision.
This is going to be the critical attribute to navigating our community through its complex issues ahead. While I am impressed by the other candidates, they are singularly focused on their own preconceived ideas about how things should be, are closed to any other opinion and are reticent to incorporate information different to their own viewpoint into their decision-making processes. They are stuck in their own 'silo' when this is a whole village.
Kim Bixel
Boulder
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Emilio Perna ruggiero: COVID outbreaks: Wrong dates reported
The Camera put out a Sept. 3 article in which my business was the only one to actually talk to your writer. The article was about an outbreak of COVID at my business.
I strongly feel that it's unnecessary to post which businesses have an outbreak. We work closely with the health authorities to figure out the best strategy to contain any situation, in fact it's impossible to even figure out if any employee has spread the virus. You can read what I said in the article.
The issue and big problem is that the writer wrote the wrong date, you can't copy and paste from the website dates because they are not updated or submitted correctly when the health department sends it to the state. You want to inform people, then call the health department and get your facts straight.
There is a huge difference from Aug. 8 and Aug. 25, which is what the Camera wrongly announced to the public. That made us lose guests, money and trust. The huge damage was done.
We don't hide or anything, we work with the health department and they decide what to do and monitor the situation that's safe and enough for the public. Your wrong article damaged my reputation and business greatly.
Emilio Perna ruggiero
Parma trattoria, Louisville
