Letters: Not so fast, Colorado chefs! Watch what you are putting on that pizza

Protective of the pizza pie

Re: “Peach pies: No, not the dessert; try the fruit on pizzas at these spots,” Aug. 16 features story

As a New Jersey transplant, I have suffered from a lack of decent pizza, bagels, and Silver Queen Sweet Corn since moving to Colorado. That indignity is offset by the really great Mexican food, surprisingly diverse seafood choices and the spectacular Palisade peaches.

However, my blood ran cold with your story on peaches on pizza. While this kind of blasphemy may not be illegal, it should be.

Agust Gudmundsson, Castle Rock

Election 2024: Buckle up and be kind

The next several weeks are going to be pretty awful politically (especially if you live in a swing state). I implore you to help keep things civil among friends and family. You may not understand why a friend or family member is rooting for one candidate or the other. But one thing you should understand is that most people all want the same thing in life: a good job to provide for themselves and their families, good friends, some meaning to their lives, and if possible, a bit of leisure time in which to have fun.

Don’t buy into the loud 10% at the extremes. You don’t have to hate someone who votes differently from you. They aren’t out to destroy our country. Chances are they are reading a whole different narrative about their candidate than you are based on their self-tailored news feeds. I do believe that facts, especially scientific facts, seem to have eluded the grasp of politicians (some more than others). But hasn’t that always been the case?

Just when I think the times we’re living in seem the most divided, I read about another time in the past that was the same or worse. We’ve been through all this before; it just seems like it’s on steroids now with 24×7 news and equal platforms for the extremes of society. So, good luck out there. Be safe. Be kind. Be understanding.

Mike Clinton, Longmont

News on wind energy brings hope

Re: “Wind beat coal 2 months in a row for generation energy,” Aug. 16 news story

Today could have started out with the depressing and desensitizing news of more ozone alerts.  Instead, I read that wind beats out coal two months in a row in the generation of energy. A headline of “Broncos beat Kansas City” couldn’t have made me happier.

This is a significant sign of hope for our vulnerable future. The article cited shifts in the economics of energy, federal tax credits and state mandates as having led to explosive growth in renewable energy in recent years. A thank you to Congress for passing the Inflation Reduction Act is in order.

Here is evidence that the Act and the innovation it spurred are working.

Lesley LeFevre, Centennial

Don’t underestimate municipal airport’s importance

Re: “Boulder’s airport is a subsidized waste of space,” Aug. 15 commentary

The other day, I was just sharing the amazing experiences I have had soaring in a glider over the Flatirons out of Boulder Municipal Airport. They are among the most memorable experiences of my life. Having access to small local airports is important for flying lessons, parachuting and gliding. It provides local access for ordinary folks like me. I don’t own a private plane, but I have had the opportunity to fly in small planes out of the Boulder Airport, and I am not alone. Lots of us have had our first experience in a small aircraft, thanks to Boulder Municipal Airport.

Boulder is just plain expensive and to think that developing every last corner of it will make it any less so is absurd. The developers must love Josh Joseph’s comments. I don’t. Leave the airport alone.

Christie McNeill, Englewood

Looking out for our grocery dollars

Re: “Kroger sues FTC over embattled supermarket merger,” Aug. 21 business story

If Kroger can afford to spend billions of dollars to establish a grocery monopoly in too many parts of Colorado and the country, then they can substantially lower inflation-causing prices, remove obstructive displays and product placements from along the sides of their too-narrow aisles, and reduce wait times by hiring additional checkout personnel.

The company that once boasted “our people make the difference” now tries to justify its monopoly attempt on the fact that its difference-making employees are unionized.

Give me a break! This is yet another example of inflation fueling corporate greed.

Thank you, Attorney General Phil Weiser, for acting to reduce inflation and protecting the economic interests of Colorado shoppers!

Dexter Meyer, Denver

It pays to be friendly on the trails

Re: “Grumpy Hiker: Doesn’t everyone else find small talk on hiking trails annoying?” Aug. 21 commentary

Wow. Yes, that is one grumpy hiker!  I’m surprised The Post wasted precious Op-Ed space for a non-story.  All the examples she used of her so-called trail small talk were friendly human interactions. I suggest Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff wears a big sign around her neck that says, “I hate people. Don’t even speak to me.”  Clearly, being in nature is not healing for her.

Krista Igoe, Littleton

I was appalled by this opinion piece by someone so ignorant, thinking the purpose of saying hello to other hikers is to engage in conversation. When passing someone on the trail, you check that they can respond because maybe they’re suffering from altitude sickness, dehydration, or many other things that can go wrong when hiking. They might not even know they’re becoming delirious until someone else observes their response.

All too often, on a hike, somebody needs help, and the next stranger coming along can help them or finish their hike down back to cell service and then call for help to get rescue patrol to head up. Just remember the next person who might need medical attention on a hike could be you, and you’ll be left out all alone unless you’re able to ask somebody to help. Hopefully, your slurred speech catches someone’s attention who can provide you with the necessary medical attention.

We all need to help each other out, so say hello, and be grateful strangers are checking on you as well.

Michael Wille, Denver

Investigating drug deaths

Re: “Matthew Perry’s assistant is among 5 charged in his death,” Aug. 16 news story

I see from recent reports that authorities have charged five people for complicity in Matthew Perry’s “accidental” death, including, as with the deaths of Michael Jackson and Prince, doctors. These charges demonstrate that catering to the whims of wealthy celebrities with no self-control is apparently a horribly egregious crime worth prioritization by prosecutors.

One could only wish the overdose deaths of the teenage dropout in the library bathroom or the Iraq veteran behind the dumpster in the alley were investigated with the same vigor, tenacity, and resources expended in the quest for Matthew Perry’s justice.

Paul Barnkow, Arvada

Israel isn’t the only one who shouldn’t be getting U.S. weapons

Although I support an arms embargo to end funding the genocide in Palestine, it isn’t going to happen. It is a slogan similar to “defund the police” which should have been “retrain the police.” Politics is the art of the possible and forgetting that means that nothing changes.

Instead of singling out Israel for an arms embargo, the question should be asked: Why should the U.S. fund the military of any country without conditions?  And since we give more money to Israel than any other country or countries combined, there should actually be more conditions. Biden pledged back in February that we would not fund countries that broke international law. Now that would be a great policy if it weren’t just meaningless words.

Let’s pressure Harris to act on that pledge.

Naomi Rachel, Boulder

Vail, doesn’t need a tunnel. Go electric.

Re: “How Vail is keeping the dream alive to tunnel or bury I-70,” Aug. 19 news story

Concerning the continued discussion of tunneling or covering I-70 through Vail, I have a very simple solution: Time. The major complaints are two: noise and pollution. Both will be corrected over time.

The electrification of the nation’s surface transportation is happening relatively quickly, right before our eyes. Motor noises from cars, SUVs, and even large commercial trucks will soon turn into a soothing hum. Granted, other road noises exist (tire noise for one), but once all internal combustion vehicles are replaced by EV’s, most of the noise and all the pollution problems disappear.

I suggest the Vail town council begin studying how to provide convenient charging facilities for all these cars and large trucks. The slow but steady conversion of gas stations in Vail and surrounding towns could provide the space needed for this charging infrastructure. Providing charging for trucks could be similar to the chain-up areas at the beginning of steep grades in the mountains. Truck-rated chargers could be installed at these off ramps thereby eliminating the need for trucks to even enter the town(s).

Mark Edward Geyer, Denver

Patients need protection from Kaiser billing

Why is Kaiser the cheapest health insurance in the Denver Metro area? They make money with inflated and false billing. Both my charge dispute and appeals process with Kaisers resulted in a form letter saying you still owe the money and the charges are valid (I only realized this after my 3rd time going through this process in the last 10 years).

Filing a claim with the Colorado Department of Insurance and the Attorney General’s Office, only gets a response to bounce back and forth between the two because they don’t deal with provider billing, try the other one. What is a patient to do when they are billed for labs or procedures that they were not informed of and had no need for?

In the state of Colorado, doctors have to obtain informed consent from a patient for labs and procedures in a non-emergency situation. After 15 hours spent disputing billing, my conclusion is that patients aren’t protected in the State of Colorado… insurance companies like Kaiser are.

Angela Taylor, Denver

We should always root for the home team — our nation

Over the last few weeks, many of us cheered, yelled, and screamed as the USA Olympic team brought home 126 medals. We came together and took pride in our athletes, coaches, teams, anthem and the American Flag.

Why can we rally around the flag during the Olympics but not during the other 50 weeks of the year and during non-Olympic years?

No political party owns the American flag. It is OK to love America and simultaneously expect more from it. Why are we so divided along those two trains of thought?

I hope that we can come together and that we can root for each other, and root for our country to be its best for all people.

And I hope it happens soon because I am about to become divisive and root against the Kansas City Chiefs every week of the NFL season.

Jamie Lofaro, Lone Tree

AI may be ahead of its time

The early years of the internet are reminiscent of what seems to be happening to the new bright and shiny object: AI. The new capability is being showcased as the next big thing well before it is the next big thing. The dot-com bust in the early 2000s might just be where the current hoopla is heading.

I have no doubt that AI will one day warrant the current bravado, but that time has yet to peak much above the horizon. And the looming interval will very likely do just what it did before: punish those pushing this immature product on an unsuspecting market.

Caution is always warranted with new technology, and another bit of historically proven advice that has served us all well comes to mind: Let the buyer beware.

Robert Heath, Lakewood

Let local governments decide fate of overdose prevention centers

As an infectious diseases specialist, I care for hundreds of people who use drugs every year; I treat Hep C, HIV, Hep B, and complicated bacterial infections, yet I worry that all the strides my patients make in improving their health could become meaningless in a single moment from an accidental overdose. Fatal overdoses in Denver have tripled over just the past five years. Trends in overdose deaths are reminiscent of the early days of the AIDS epidemic when people were dying at alarming rates, and the response was heartbreakingly inadequate due to apathy and stigma and the lack of research, knowledge, innovation, and courage to find solutions.

If Colorado were to lift the statewide prohibition on local decision-making for overdose prevention centers (OPCs), we could attempt new ways to reverse these awful trends in overdose deaths and support access to healthcare resources. Published data shows OPCs to be safe and effective by offering an alternative to using alone or in places that lack social support or Narcan. There is no data (online or otherwise) indicating that OPCs increase crime in surrounding neighborhoods.

Support for OPCs is broad among medical and public health organizations. Even the American Medical Association has endorsed OPCs in the 2023 Overdose Epidemic Report: “The data shows that (overdose prevention sites) help reduce risky drug use behaviors, overdose and death while improving public safety and access to health care.”

Considering the possibility of OPCs would show that Coloradans value each life and are committed to working together to address this crisis.

Sarah Rowan, Denver

“A glimpse of the world as it was created”

Re: “Mountain bikers push to ride through America’s last protected wilderness lands,” July 24 commentary

On Sept. 3, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Wilderness Act. I have a worn-out Sierra Club T-shirt and an index card on my dining room table with Johnson’s quote that he made as he signed.

Many presidents have made memorable quotes on such occasions, but this one is my favorite: “ If future generations are to remember us more with gratitude than with sorrow, we must achieve more than just the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was created, not just as it looked when we got through with it.”

Thanks to Kevin Proescholdt from Writers On The Range, who addressed the attack by all those who continue to assault the original premise of the Wilderness Act.

Bruce Luer, Evergreen

Kudos to Denver Animal Rescue

Recently, I came upon two aggressive, abandoned adult dogs tied to a park bench with three newborn puppies in a tote bag on the bench — no food, no water. We feared for the puppies’ lives, being in the sun and heat and unable to nurse! We were unable to rescue the puppies as the adults were so protective.

Officer A. Dailey from Denver Animal Protection responded to my call and was wonderful! Within 10 minutes, she was able to calm the aggressive adults, feed and water them, and get all five of them into her air-conditioned vehicle and to safety. I am so appreciative that Officer Dailey and this service are there for uncared-for animals in Denver!

Christine Schaefer, Denver

Development should complement Denver’s charm and styles

Re: “Developer, preservationists clash over fire-damaged buildings,” July 24 news story

At last, someone wants to do something about the eyesores on the 1600 block of Colfax Avenue.  The developer wants to demolish and build something new.  It is sad to see these magnificent buildings in such a sad state, but the time to do something about preserving them is long past.  At this point, I would guess it would be cheaper to demolish them and build them back using the original blueprints.

However, then you would have two beautiful, expensive houses that nobody who could afford them would want because, as the article states, this part of Colfax is now a very commercial area.  Face it, Colfax Avenue is a very different place than when these homes were built. It would make more sense to rebuild them elsewhere.

If the city officials were concerned about keeping Denver’s charm, they would stop approving grain bin-style apartment buildings and require new designs to complement the styles that made Denver, Denver. Imagine something like the buildings on the northeast corner of 17th Ave and Ogden or the new ones on the 8800 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd — apartment buildings with even larger ground floor front porches for outdoor dining at a coffee house or pizzeria or Irish tavern or even a traditional restaurant like we used to have with Tom’s Diner, Annie’s or Goodfriends.

But first, let’s give a proper eulogy and bid farewell to that blemish on Colfax that we have waited way too long to do something about.

Alan Sipes, Denver

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