Thanks to ‘shoemaker’s elves’
Dear Editor,
Too often in life, it seems that it is using you for a punching bag as the challenges of health, finances, family stresses and loss pummel you over and over again, even as you try to maintain a sunny, positive attitude. Sometimes life just hurts.

 

It’s at these times, which probably means daily, that the best we can do is to do our best at finding the things that we actually do have to be grateful for. For example, we here in the Southwest are daily surrounded by exquisite natural beauty, clean air and a wonderful community that offers so many diverse support systems. There is always someone or some organization that is offering a helping hand, open heart and helpful solutions when we are feeling overwhelmed.

 

I would like to personally thank my teeny family, my many beautiful friends, neighbors and organizations who have helped me through the overwhelming pain of the unexpected loss of my husband, Ron, and barely being able to walk for the past few years due to an accident. I could never have survived without you all.

 

I have been blessed in so many ways, but I would like to extend a special thank you to my Sunnyside neighbors, some of whom I barely know, who so generously showed up on my springtime doorstep to help clean and build ditches, haul away years of piled up “stuff” and generally “rescue” me from the terror of how I was going to be able to deal with this huge 4 acre yard without being able to walk or even knowing how the irrigation worked, since Ron always took care of those things for us for more than three decades. Just thinking of my selfless neighbors working like the shoemaker’s elves in my yard that day still brings tears to my eyes. Jerry and Karen Zink, and all of you are amazing!

 

So, no matter what seems impossible, just remember, as Ron wrote in a song, “Gotta take one day at a time, don’t wanna die of a worried mind ... Just find one thing to be grateful for each day, each and every day... .”

 

Blessings to all of you who have been there for me, our uniquely loving community and our most beautiful planet. God shows up in mysterious ways, just like the shoemaker’s elves.
– Humbly, Susan Urban

To the editor,
It’s not often I agree with Bill Vana, but in his letter (Telegraph, Oct. 13) on the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protests, I found a number of points with which I can agree.

 

First off, I highly encourage Telegraph readers to view the MSNBC coverage so they can see first hand how shallow, confused and clueless these protesters really are. I agree that this is not the Tea Party of the left. Instead of billionaires like the Koch brothers supporting the Tea Party, the OWS can count on move-on.org backer multibillionaire George Soros to foot the bills. For the record, Soros’ move to overturn an insider stock deal conviction failed. Somehow, the fact that Wall Street investment firms and banks donated $18 million to the Obama election campaign is lost on the “99%.”

 

Again, I agree with Mr. Vana on the fact that the Glass-Steagall Act that dates back to FDR in 1936 should have never been overturned. That’s why I always questioned why Bill Clinton signed the bill to repeal the act.

 

Perhaps Mr. Vana can comment on the fact that the government-forced bankruptcy of GM cost the taxpayers $120 million in legal fees alone, and bond holders were left hanging out to dry. Hourly rates ranged from $355-$695 per hour, and the government audit of the legal bills alone cost a cool $2 million! But hey, that’s less than 23 percent of what Obama lost on his latest “green energy” investment.
– Have a nice day, Dennis Pierce

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Help heroes do their jobs safely
To the editor,
I have read, with an open mind, all the arguments both pro and con concerning 4A. It is a hard choice. Many of the points are worthy on both sides of the issue. The compelling reason to vote for 4A, for me, is our responsibility as a community to make sure that our local heroes have the training and equipment to do their jobs safely. Inadequate funding doesn’t accomplish this. The jobs they do are dangerous. We need to be sure that they have every chance to return home from work in the same condition that they left. Please support 4A.
– Bill Robertson, Durango

To the editor,
While I sympathize with the idea that everyone should pay for the trolley, some people truly can’t afford to. One part of Durango I love is that we take care of people. Perhaps if this community was overflowing with high-paying jobs, it would be a different story. However, it’s not. Many people work three and four jobs just to get by. And many of us also do a lot of volunteer work in our community. Most do, in fact. So we are giving even if it’s not money.

 

That said, right now, the last trolley to where I live, Animas View Drive, leaves the transit center at 7 p.m. This means I have to walk or ride a bike about 3.5 miles to get home in the cold and dark. Not only that, but we still don’t even have a bike path past 32nd, and I pretty much risk my life every time I cycle home. The sidewalk is dangerous for a bike rider and so is the road, especially that section from 32nd to Animas View Drive.  

 

Perhaps we could have tourists pay a small fee for using the trolley, but residents can buy a seasonal bus pass at a price that covers the admin of the pass only.  

 

I think the free trolley is a fantastic example of a city government and a city that cares about people.  What better purpose can we put our tax money to than to serve the people?
– Zahra Lightway, Durango

Love Revolution is still alive
To the Editor,
“What in the world do they want?” the TV heads squawk about Occupy Wall Street. Corporations are numb to the pain they cause, to the very people who work for them. The 1 percent of America has lost her ability to empathize. Empathy was not something any of our murderous, genocidal fore-fathers had, either. Corporations have overtaken every aspect of our lives, and our minds have been poisoned with false realities. The “American Dream” is the American lie. Imagine a world without war. Imagine all the corporate loss. Imagine a world free of cancer. Imagine all the screaming pharmaceutical companies. Imagine if we made our own energy and grew our food more locally? Woops, no more need for agri-farmers. No need for oil and gas, uranium or nuclear energies, either.

 

The loss of the old paradigm based in profit making may mean we have to lose more than jobs. How it’s going to come down, no one is sure: Much has to be dismantled.

 

For example, the financial sector needs a complete overhaul, along with almost every branch of government. Creating a sustainable environment is the only sane thing to do, and ending all wars. It might sound like a pipe dream, but it is a harsh reality.

 

Our current system is broken. The people know this. The 99 percent live with the consequences. “Wall Street is War Street,” is not hard to understand! Too many people die at the hands of corporate-run wars. I have never lived in a year without a war in the background.

 

We can no longer turn a blind eye to the planetary and personal degradation caused by oil and gas development that goes hand in hand with war. We are no longer fooled by the clown presidential nominees who are part of the old story, “drill baby, drill.” How do we get through to the hearts of the most corrupt? That remains to be seen. Occupy Wall Street is more than a movement. This is our time! The LOVE Revolution, which happened in the ’60s, is still alive.
– Heather Snow, Durango

Dear Editor
 I would like to recommend an exceptional candidate to the 9-R School Board. Suzanne Carlson stands out from the crowd because she is absolutely passionate about the education, health, nutrition and success of children. She is a dedicated school volunteer and an active consumer of public education with three school-age children. Each child gets just one brief chance at a quality education, and Suzanne will move mountains out of the way to make that happen. That includes rallying parent and community engagement and supporting principals and teachers who are committed to inspiring and teaching their students.

 

Over the last decade, a tidal wave of “accountability” and “measurement” has plowed over the public school system, and some of this movement had merit. As a society, we really don’t want kids left behind. But the movement is decidedly out of control now. Endless testing is wearing out principals, teachers and students alike. Even the parents are fed up. What if your boss tested you every day to measure what you already know, and left no time to help you feel excited about learning new things or actually carrying out your work assignments? Constant testing doesn’t work in the real world, and it doesn’t work in schools either.

 

If you have a child or grandchild in the public schools, Suzanne won’t give up on or postpone or compromise your child’s best interests. Later isn’t good enough. Suzanne has a unique talent to work through a maze of complex and troublesome circumstances and generate creative solutions. She will work hard for a high-quality classroom experience, no matter what social, economic, legislative or other obstacles seem to get in the way. The Durango Education Association recommends Suzanne Carlson for the 9-R School Board. How about you? Fill in your ballet today!
– Jama Crawford, Durango