A few more miles for wildlife

Dear Editors:

As a heavy local trail user and Colorado Trail veteran (I have hiked 400-plus miles from Durango to Denver), I feel compelled to comment on La Plata County’s continued agenda to push the Colorado Trail through the Perins Peak State Wildlife Area.

After having spoken to countless through hikers on the trail headed for Durango, I can assure the business community, they are all looking forward to enjoying the fine restaurants, bars and attractions in Durango. Anyone hiking the trail has figured out the logistics of how to get into a town a few miles away! Furthermore, putting the trail through the Perins Peak State Wildlife Area will not improve the safety of Junction Creek Road. Only an engineered and designed solution involving widening can solve the safety issue. This will take political will, money and cooperation between the city, county and residents. In addition, humans have created the problem of a narrow road with bicycles, cars and the occasional pedestrian, and I believe we should solve the problem without impacting the area set aside for wildlife. And finally, there are currently hundreds of miles of trails for bicycles and people in the immediate vicinity of Durango. Surely, we can all do without a few more miles in an important state wildlife area.

County commissioners – please stop wasting our tax dollars on a frivolous lawsuit and start addressing the real problem of the Junction Creek Road!

– Sandy Burke, Durango

More appealing than meth

Editors, Today, I noted that our Attorney General Mr. Gonzales is quoted as saying, “the scourge of metham

phetamine demands unconventional thinking and innovative solutions to fight the devastation it leaves behind.” I write to encourage your readers to accept that challenge and join me in developing solutions that

embrace unconventional thinking in every respect the attorney general could have imagined, and then some.

Clearly, meth users find something attractive in the drug, and if we are to be honest with ourselves, the only thing that is likely to make a meth user turn away from that dark seductress is a prettier lady. The values of family life, personal responsibility, better self esteem and more have all been cast aside as inconsequential to meth users. Offering them a second helping of that will do no good.

What we do know is that meth users want altered states of consciousness and are willing to trade almost anything for it. That they should have to resort to dangerous and illegal practices, in the midst of plenty of legal options, signals a reprehensible marketing failure for the legitimate and socially accepted engines of altered states.

We must now craft social programs that present legal options for inebriation in conspicuous and favorable light, thus empowering meth users to choose their inevitable “high” more wisely. Warning labels on alcoholic beverages shouldn’t just address the pregnant: have them say “Meth users ‘drink this instead.’” We can read public services announcements on TV that show cheerful, well-adapted alcoholics playing with their families, a stark alternative to the meth user’s abandoned children and ex-spouses. Indeed, it may be time to rethink the range of inebriation options that society should offer without legal consequence. Social progress in this direction could open up, or perhaps expand, agricultural opportunities in the Four Corners. Rather than plan for an ever expanding jail, let our government embrace creative advertising of meth lifestyle alternatives: “Beer’s Better Than Meth” month, followed, who knows, by rum, scotch and vodka, and at the holiday time, perhaps eggnog. Large billboards could remind the at-risk of what they might gain, as well as what they could throw away if they make the wrong choice. Public subsidies for allotments of intoxicants for recovering meth users should be considered, to assure equality of opportunity and freedom of choice.

This is not only a public scourge, and the public sector must not be the only one to respond. Our spiritual leaders should use their pulpit to encourage tolerance, and indeed, legal and joyful indulgence by those parishioners who are at risk. A new evangelism, preaching appropriate and legal indulgences in lieu of methamphetamine, would help heal the bodies of the needy faithful, and thus free their minds for higher thoughts.

– Robert Evans, Durango

Idiots almost always get caught

An open letter to the jerks who broke into my car:

Well, I hope you guys enjoy all of the music I had gathered over the years. I guess that you (whoever you are) were in the right taking my CD collection from me, I didn’t really realize how much I wasn’t enjoying the music. But I have a couple of questions first: what kind of person is in such a bind that they resort to breaking into a rusty old truck (whose owner, by the way, is so poor he cannot afford enough gas to move it across the street)? Second question, what are you going to do with my music? I have had enough life experience to know that the people who enjoy listening to David Bromberg, Modest Mouse, Steely Dan or Radiohead don’t steal their music out of other people’s cars.

So, if you find that my music or my neighbor’s music is not suiting to your tastes, please return the CDs to our vehicles (you know where you got them). Third ,why would you steal music in Durango? The idea of stealing music for a rush or money is almost as petty and half-witted as stealing the bell off of someone’s old beat up rusty cruiser then writing about it in your column in theTelegraph. It’s a small town, and idiots almost always get caught (I would say “always” if the DPD wasn’t so ineffective). Please return what is not yours. Your Karma and even your mom may reward you.

– Spencer Fuller, Durango

A commitment to clean energy

Dear Editors,

Local owner-members need Jeff Berman on the La Plata Electric Board.

With energy prices skyrocketing, Jeff’s familiarity with alternative energy, combined with a focus on efficiency, cost containment and conservation, will be essential. Ongoing gasoline sticker shock is a harbinger of trends throughout the energy industry. We will all benefit from his experience, fiscal conservatism and conservation ethic in charting OUR electric co-operative’s future.

Jeff’s level-headed pragmatism and openness to innovation, along with a personal commitment to clean, renewable energy, will serve us well on the LPEA board.

– Jerry Swingle, Durango

A new voice and perspective

Dear Editors, I’m writing in support of Jeff Berman’s candidacy for the LPEA Board. I have had the opportunity to work with Jeff over the past 1½ years and believe that he is well qualified for the LPEA Board. Not only does Jeff have a degree in electrical engineering, he is deeply involved in energy conservation. In addition, he has extensive experience in collaborative decision making through his work with Colorado Wild and the San Juan Biodiesel Cooperative.

Jeff Berman will bring a new voice, new energy and a new perspective to the LPEA Board. I have found Jeff Berman to be a man who is willing to put in his time, energy, and money for the good of this community. LPEA needs more board members who will look to the future and new ways to approach the demands of increased energy consumption. If you are concerned about our future and how we will cope with the challenges ahead of us, you will join me in voting for Jeff Berman for the LPEA Board.

– Wally White, Durango

An alternative thinking leader

Dear Editors,

This letter is in support of Jeff Berman for the Board of Directors of La Plata Electric Association in the upcoming election. LPEA needs some alternative thinking regarding alternative energy sources. Jeff is a leader in this area.

– Laura Bransom, Durango

A severe roller coaster ride

Dear Editors, This letter recounts, with added explanation, my e-mail of July 6 to six Republican holders of national office: the president, the vice president, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Sen. Bill Frist, Sen. John McCain and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. I’m pretending they would want to show THE main historical stocks’ truth.

In the U.S., common stock share prices are in U.S. dollars, and so are all the various averages and indexes of these share prices. This includes the Dow Jones Industrial Average – the DJIA or Dow – the most-quoted market indicator by the media. The purchasing power of the U.S. dollar has shrunk over time. Last month, $100 bought what $78 bought 10 years earlier, what $55 bought 20 years earlier, what $28 bought 30 years earlier, and what $16 bought 40 years earlier.

So, meaningful examination of the Dow over time must be done on a purchasing power basis. The Dow over time, shown as purchasing power – what it could buy – is called the “Real DJIA.” For elaboration of the foregoing see: “The compelling Real DJIA, 1924-now” at http:/ /homepage.mac.com/ttsmyf.

The long-term, Real DJIA is a “severe roller-coaster” on a 3½ decade time scale. (The Real S&P is similar.) This dominant historical reality is overwhelmingly relevant to long-term stocksholders and to the Social Security personal accounts issue.

The dominant historical reality is proactively well ignored by the financial services industry and by the financial news media – this is the big CON. For their own gains, these two entities treat the people like mushrooms, because they can.

Regarding Social Security, the President’s fine words “candid review” and “debate with courage and honesty” clearly promise the providing of truth and LEADERship, and not the providing of CON-FOLLOWERship.

The six leaders listed above should choose LEADERship, not CON-FOLLOWERship, and not treat people like mushrooms because they (think they) can.

My e-mail of July 6 is athttp: //homepage.mac.com/ ttsmyf/E-mail_7-6-05.html. I hoped to put actionable fear of CON-FOLLOWERship in one or more of the six addressees.

– Ed Hamilton, Durango