The night after Christmas

Twas the night after Christmas, and all thru his castle

Dennis P Scrooge was raising his hackles.

Who is this Lefty elected on high?

Where’d he get all those votes he didn’t even buy?

First he propped up GM so po’ folks could work,

Buy food and pay taxes - Scrooge thought him a jerk.

Then they paid the loan quick and paid interest too,

But Dennis weren’t happy - he prefers to be blue.

He’ll sit in McMansion counting silver and gold,

Blood in his veins running perennially cold.

He hates social programs - from hell they were sent,

But complains when his check doesn’t go up a cent.

He despises the paper that prints his foul script -

Most reasonable people would say “hypocrite.”

Christmas miracles happen - Tiny Tim walks again!

Mister Scrooge is pondering as he scratches his chin.

Santa brought Tim a bike – that’s welfare folks!

If he rides down my road I’ll kick out his spokes.

When the world is your problem and everyone’s wrong,

Do ya think maybe it’s you who just can’t get along?

Christmas cheer, just desserts - I really do have a doubt,

Are playful ribs taken as well as dished out?

– Greg Rossell, via e-mail

The crown jewel of the San Juans

To the Editors:

We wanted to thank theTelegraph for last week’s story about the Alpine Triangle. We are blessed in Southwest Colorado with some of the finest public land in the U.S. and the Alpine Triangle is BLM’s crown jewel in the high country. Our back yard is a public land treasure.

It’s important to note that a local, grassroots effort is under way to discuss permanent protection for this very special place. Sportsmen (hunters/anglers), backcountry campers and hikers, 4x4 enthusiasts, history buffs, pho

The motto for this campaign is “keep it like it is.” The BLM is doing a fabulous job of managing this public land for all 300 million U.S. citizens who own the Alpine Triangle. Our desire to protect the Alpine Triangle is not to change the way this resource is used by the public, but instead to permanently adopt the current recreational management regime so that the Alpine Triangle can be enjoyed by our children’s children, just the way it is today.

Some public land is well suited and appropriate for mineral withdrawal, oil/gas leasing, unlimited cross country motorized travel and general public use. Other public land, like the Alpine Triangle, is simply too perfect, too special and too economically important to tourism, recreation and local economies to be put at risk.

We encourage you to join us in support of an open discussion about the Alpine Triangle. These are public lands, they belong to all of us, and we have a voice. Learn more at www.alpinetriangle.com , on Facebook at “Friends of the Alpine Triangle” or by contacting the Alpine Triangle Coalition via email at tchurchwell@tu.org.

– Ty Churchwell, Coordinator, The Alpine Triangle Coalition, Durango

Wrong way on the Alpine Triangle

To the Editors,

Your article in the Dec. 16 issue titled “A Makeover for the Alpine Triangle” stated, “On narrow high country roads, the right of way goes to the downhill traveler.” Everything we’ve read over the last 25 years that we have been traveling these high country roads states the opposite. Check out page 12 in the book, Colorado Trails where it states, “Vehicles traveling uphill have the right of way.” No wonder the waits get irritating long if no one knows who has the right of way. Will you please research this and let us know for sure who’s supposed to wait?

– Thanks, Jade Halterman, via e-mail

P.S.: By the way, love the Telegraph!

Hypothetically speaking

To the Editors,

Regarding Bradley Harrington’s statement in the Dec. 9 edition concerning Social Security: “[A]dvocate the application of the private sector’s approach to Social Security itself. For, on a salary of $50,000, with an investment of 15.3 percent over 40 years compounded annually at 8 percent, the yield[sic] would be $2,140,324.75.” There are several problems with this juxtaposition.

That figure is the future value of an annuitydue, meaning the investor would need to have $50,000 x 15.3% = $7,650 available at thebeginningof the period. But, Social Security is deducted at the end of the period, so a better number would be the future value of anordinaryannuity, where the payment occurs at the end of the period. And, monthly payments would be better. Still assuming an 8%effective annual rate, the figure changes to $2,054,307.07

And, Social Security only considers your 35 best years, so the proper comparison would be 35 years or 420 months, lowering the figure to $1,266,478.24. But, only 12.4 percent goes to retirement benefits, not 15.3 percent (the rest goes to provide health-care benefits; i.e., Medicare) so that cuts it to $1,107,584.66.4

It’s also important to realize that Mr. Harrington is assuming this investment will get 8 percent every single year, not just average 8 percent per year. If it gets 7 percent some years and 9 percent other years, his figure will not be achieved; if it gets 10 percent some years and 6 percent other years, the results will be even further from the stated results, and so forth.

What kind of investment gets 8 percent every year and is: 1) guaranteed by the federal government both as to amount and as to default, 2) protected against inflation, 3) protected against superannuation, and 4) protected from creditors? If there were such an investment, would it provide disability protection for up to 47 years at no extra cost? Would it pay benefits or benefits to your survivors? Would it pay for your children to go to school if you die?

Comparing Social Security to a hypothetical risk-free investment with a constant 8 percent return is not a very good match. Social Security is an insurance program first, an investment program second. Let’s not confuse the two!

– Andy Atkinson, via e-mail

Government of greed

Dear Editors:

What would make our elected representatives ignore the electorate they’re supposed to be representing? What would make them insert pork barrel spending into every bill, thus crippling the U.S. taxpayer over time? What has become of the things that we, as a people, once cherished – things like liberty, honesty, the belief that all men are created equal, and that all men have certain inalienable rights endowed by their Creator? What has become of our government “of the people, by the people, and for the people?”Here is my opinion: The United States has become known for its support of the belief that a separation of church and state should exist and be honored. Yet, it appears that religious services (of a sort) are regularly held within the halls of Congress. What were once hallowed halls where legislative genius was practiced has become what could be seen as a Cathedral of Avarice … a cathedral where power appears to have become the “Religion of State” with corruption the hymn that is sung and lies the prayers that are chanted. The lobbyists who represent special interest groups make up the congregation and gladly fill the collection baskets. Every collection goes to feed greed – the ultimate deity they worship.

It certainly appears that the election held on Nov. 2, 2010, has changed nothing except some of the clerics officiating at the daily services.

Too many of our elected officials continue to worship at the altar of greed!

– Respectfully yours, Robert M. Collinsworth, via e-mail