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Today's Opinions

  • County will reconsider bonus policy

    Bonuses have been in the news a lot lately, and the news has not been positive. Most recently, Jeffco’s employee bonus policy has come under scrutiny.

    I do not think bonuses are appropriate for public employees, and I said so two years ago. But my proposal to eliminate bonuses did not get the support of my fellow commissioners. They argued that government should be run more like a business, and bonuses are a legitimate method of acknowledging and rewarding exceptional performance in business.

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  • How should higher ed be funded?

    Hannah Hayes

    I loved Kelly’s passionate plea for schools in her Columbine column. It’s ironic and predictably perfect that she would follow it up by advocating for a $300 million cut in higher education this week. Education is the single most important force in creating the kind of citizenry that America needs. An indication that you value schools would be a willingness to pay for them, as our state surely must.

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  • Cell phone ban nothing but grandstanding

    Recently, my former colleagues in the state House passed a bill that would make it illegal to drive while talking on a cell phone, unless you’re using a hands-free device. By the looks of it, the ban will pass the Senate and be signed by the governor.

    At first glance, this seems a reasonable law. But it’s also totally redundant. In fact, under current law, a person who causes an accident while talking on a cell phone can be prosecuted under no fewer than four criminal statutes.

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  • Our Readers Write

    Witwer relies on discredited assumptions

    Editor:

    Rob Witwer’s column is an example of what Al Gore pointed out in “An Inconvenient Truth,” that the popular press doesn’t hesitate to level the playing field between pure ideology and scientific theory, presenting the former as the equal to the latter, in complete disregard of evidence, logic, and a broad consensus among experts.

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  • Reviewing the lessons of Columbine

    By Hannah Hayes

    When I see parents waiting at a bus stop, I can remember the multitude of feelings I had when my child came home from school on the day of the Columbine shootings. The illusion of schools as safe havens was irrevocably shattered, as were so many lives. We are all Columbine.

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  • How to avoid coyote conflicts

    Coyotes are active in Jefferson County and the metro area. The following is adapted from Colorado Division of Wildlife literature.

    Coyotes on the Front Range?

    Coyotes are extremely adaptable and can thrive in urban areas. From downtown Denver to the smallest suburb, coyotes are not new to residential communities. They can and will be found in any neighborhood that provides their basic needs — food, water, shelter and space.

     

    Why are they here?

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  • Ambitious artists not over the top

    For several years, a husband-and-wife team of “environmental artists” named Christo and Jeanne-Claude has proposed a massive project near Canon City titled “Over the River.”

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  • Iraq: What is the status of U.S. mission?

    By Hannah Hayes

    What do you call 50,000 troops that will be left behind when the U.S. withdraws from Iraq? Re-missioned. How can you re-mission troops when they never had their original mission disclosed?

    But we’re jumping ahead on Iraq (while we’re falling behind at home). The reality today is that lives keep being lost, dollars continue to be spent, and troops still redeploy. It ain’t over, folks.

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Copyright © 2013

Columbine Courier is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in South Jefferson County, Colo., and the surrounding area.