Let’s protect Loveland from fracking
Please urge our city councilors and Mayor Marsh to deny any future fracking permits being set forth by Troy McWhinney, et al. As residents of this city, we need to hold City Councilmembers Foley, Overcash, Fogle, McFall, Mallo and Olson accountable for their votes in support of fracking in our protected natural areas. The councilors listed voted in support of fracking on Jan. 18, 2022; I applaud Councilor Samson for voting in favor of protecting Loveland residents and the natural beauty that called us to live here. Thank you also to Mayor Marsh, who advocated for a moratorium so that more information may be made available to City Council and residents.
Big oil does not care about the negative effects fracking will bring to our climate and citizens. Clearly six sitting council members do not care about the health of its citizens. They might be worried about being sued by McWhinney and creating a bottleneck to his project. We as citizens must continue to urge our City Council and mayor to stop any future permitting for oil and gas fracking projects in our state.
We know money speaks, but we the people must speak louder. Call and email the City Council, Mayor Marsh, Sen. Marchman, Gov. Polis. Make noise; get loud. Write letters to every editor to every newspaper in this state, because we all will suffer if fracking continues to be allowed to occur in Colorado. Get involved with organizations like Colorado Rising (https://corising.org/community-misled/), contact KUNC, be the squeaky wheel that ensures our community and future generations can remain healthy and protected from big oil and people like McWhinney.
Aida Zygas, Loveland
Loveland need primary employers, not more low level jobs
Chad McWhinney’s argument on why the Centerra South development proposal should be approved is a perfect example of the wrong type of thinking that began in the late ’70s and early ’80s and that Americans are finally starting to realize is a mistake: our obsession and addiction to money and commerce.
There is no denying that the economy and commerce are major contributors to driving our society forward, but they are not the end all be all. Certainly true in these current times, Loveland has more than enough low level, $18/hour retail jobs that all our high-schoolers, college kids and retirees can’t hope to fill. What we need are more primary income jobs, the type that pay at a rate that will actually allow people to live here with some semblance of financial stability.
So, no to more retail where only one or two positions at the very top of the organization have any real earning potential. And as far as the tax breaks, McWhinney is a super rich entity, you have enough, so don’t go around trying to maximize your profits. You’re acting just like Stan Kroenke and Comcast, two super-rich entities nickel and diming each other for years while the thousands of fans suffer for their nonsense.
Anthony Smith, Loveland
America should pay its bills and quit playing politics
We want to cut or get rid of Social Security. Same with Medicare. We want to cut or get rid of Medicaid. We want to stop regulating pollution and ensuring safe travel. Can you imagine Republicans campaigning on any of those? Of course not. They’d cause the party to cease to exist because Americans want all those things, as well as others.
So the strategy has instead been to accomplish those ends by forcing cuts by not raising the debt ceiling. They called it sequestration when they forced it on Obama, and it allowed them to force unpopular cuts while avoiding the blame.
Consider that three times Republicans voted to raise the debt limit under Trump without complaints. Each time without spending cuts. During that time the national debt increased by over $7 trillion.
So why would Republicans threaten our financial stability by not raising the debt limit? Because Speaker McCarthy sold his soul to far right Republicans in order to become speaker after 14 unsuccessful attempts? Maybe to embarrass President Biden, who has seen his approval numbers increase as his programs take effect? Or simply because some Republicans have never approved of government spending intended to help the average American? I clearly recall Dick Cheney proclaiming deficits didn’t matter.
Republicans need to explain exactly what spending they’d cut. Medicare and Social Security should be off the table as they’re self funded. Waste and balanced budget amendments aren’t specific answers. The growing deficits started with the Reagan tax cuts, and added to with every Republican tax cut since. Seems to me it’s time we stopped playing politics with the credit limit of the United States. It’s time we pay our bills and preserve our credit rating.
Ken Bublitz, Loveland
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