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| A bad case of dirt bike Dear Editors, I am writing in response to your “Thumbin’ It” comment published in the July 30, 2009,Telegraph: “Dirt bikers who disregard motorized closures and then buzz nonmotorized users at extreme rates of speed.” There is no question noisy, dangerous, and destructive dirt bike riders do not belong on public trails (especially those trails closed to motorized use). Trail systems near Durango are sensitive, both ecologically and politically, and motorcyclists who ride these areas frequently go to great lengths to ride with care and respect. We turn off our motors when approaching horses. We stop and wait for directions before passing other people on the trail. We strive to make our machines as quiet as possible. And every spring, we clear downed trees from many miles of trail for the benefit of all users. It saddens me to know that one group of bonehead dirt bikers vacationing from out of state can erase all the hard work and effort the responsible motorized community puts in to cultivate peace on the trails. It is harder to build a house than to destroy it. – Adam Krefting, via email A new manifesto Dear Editors, The following should be the Federal Energy Spending Manifesto: “We want Congress not to spend our tax dollars on securing oil from the Middle East, or subsidizing and cleaning up after coal companies, or insuring nuclear plants, or bailing out car companies. We want Congress to spend our money making homes and businesses more energy efficient, making renewable energy more affordable, and building a mass transit infrastructure throughout the country.” If you agree then cut and paste this manifesto and send it to: President Obama, Sen. Udall, Sen. Bennet or Rep. John Salazar. – Fred Kirsch, Community for Sustainable Energy, via email It’s time to kill coal Dear Editors: I think the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 is a potentially landmark first step to usher America into a powerful clean energy economy that will create millions of jobs for American workers, save consumers and businesses hundreds of billions of dollars in energy costs, make our country energy independent, and limit global warming pollution. The bill could help us finally wean our country’s dependence on costly oil, create millions of clean energy industry jobs to regrow our economy, save consumers and businesses money through increased energy efficiency and conservation, and fight global warming pollutions. It still needs improvements though, and I hope the final bill will cut back our reliance on dirty coal energy that contributes to dangerous global warming by supporting an immediate moratorium on new coal-burning plants. We must also ensure that workers in older industries that are highly reliant on carbon based energy – and the communities in which they’re concentrated – are provided with the assistance and tools necessary to make the transition to the clean energy economy. I ask Congress, including our Congressmen John Salazar and Michael Bennet, to continue to work to strengthen these provisions before it is voted on. – Sincerely, Josh Whittaker, via email Calling out ‘clunkers’ Dear Eds, Quite frankly, I thought there was some merit to the “cash for clunkers” program. However, it looks like team Obama screwed the pooch on this one. I’m in SoCal and saw at least 10 TV ads from local dealers pushing the program last night (Thursday) and half a dozen newspaper ads this morning in the SD Union. With the program up in the air and no one claiming responsibility for adding more money to the pot, who’s going to reimburse the dealers for the ad money they apparently wasted? This is what happens when you have people who never signed the front of a check running things! And to think, these are the same people who are going to run our medical care system! – Dennis Pierce, via email
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