Air Force Academy graduation chance to rethink cuts

Re: “Bauernfeind wants warriors from the Air Force Academy, so he’s cutting ‘education,‘” May 25 guest commentary

The academic heart of the U.S. Air Force Academy is under threat.

On Thursday, we honor the USAFA graduating class of 2025. U.S. Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink will be giving the keynote address, and the situation warrants his intervention to reverse the damage being done.

The ongoing, indiscriminate cuts of USAFA’s experienced (and cost-effective) Ph.D. faculty are putting the academy’s academic excellence — and its mission to forge leaders who think critically — at risk. These cuts are not strategic; they are politically motivated and overtly based on “anti-woke” notions that jeopardize the core of what makes USAFA a world-class educational institution, without increasing lethality.

The academy is not merely a military training camp with classrooms. Rather, it is a premier university where future Air and Space Force officers learn to think critically, act ethically, and lead decisively on complex problems in a rapidly changing, increasingly autonomous battlespace. Decimating academic departments by cutting 30% of their veteran faculty demoralizes both faculty and cadets, threatens even basic accreditations (not to mention academic excellence), and sends the wrong message about the kind of leaders we value.

There must be a reasoned reassessment, discussed openly by USAFA’s many stakeholders, that protects the Academy’s academic and research core, not as an afterthought, but as a central pillar of officer development.

If we lose USAFA’s academic strength, America loses a key part of its war-fighting and peace-keeping edge.

Thomas Bewley, Colorado Springs

Excellence of Air Force Academy’s educational programs at risk if civilian faculty cuts continue (Opinion)

/*! This file is auto-generated */!function(d,l){“use strict”;l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&”undefined”!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll(‘iframe[data-secret=”‘+t.secret+'”]’),o=l.querySelectorAll(‘blockquote[data-secret=”‘+t.secret+'”]’),c=new RegExp(“^https?:$”,”i”),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document);

$23 trillion new debt, not $3 trillion

Re: “Economy: Trump ignores warning signs,” May 25 news story

For some reason, everyone is concerned about the $3 trillion being added to the national debt over ten years by the House bill.  Left unmentioned is the fact that the current $2 trillion annual budget deficit is projected to continue throughout that decade, adding more than $20 trillion to the national debt.  The $3 trillion is just icing on the cake.  (A trillion here and a trillion there and pretty soon we’re talking about real money.)

Bond investors will soon conclude that the U.S. is too stupid to be relied upon and interest rates will skyrocket. (Bond markets are stable until they aren’t.)

Buckle up, everyone. I hope you’re protected.

Robert Kihm, Centennial

Governor should veto the kratom bill

Re: “Will Polis veto kratom bill?” May 23 news story

Gov. Jared Polis should veto Senate Bill 72. It puts patients like me at risk and fails to do what regulation should: make things clearer and safer. I live with chronic pain. After trying countless treatments, I found relief with a kratom derivative called 7-OH. It’s plant-based, affordable, and has worked without the need for dangerous opioids.

SB 72 threatens that access. The bill, rushed through at the end of the session, sets a hard cap on the active compound 7-OH but gives no clear direction on what happens to products that go over the limit. Without clarity, patients and businesses are left guessing, and the risks of misinterpretation or overreach grow.

Safe, regulated access matters. When rules are vague and confusing, people might turn to an unregulated black market or to opioids. Lawmakers could have passed thoughtful, evidence-based regulation. Instead, they rushed a bill that creates confusion and instability. I hope Gov. Polis will veto SB 72 and bring patients and experts to the table in 2026 because we deserve better.

Suzanne Whitney, Golden

Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.

To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.

I live in Jackson County, in northern Colorado, where hundreds of inactive and abandoned oil wells litter the landscape. Not only are they an ugly sight, they are also just a few of the estimated 2.6 million unplugged wells across the country that leak methane, benzene and other toxic substances.

The reality is that long after I’m gone, most or all of those wells will remain unplugged. The companies and people who once owned them will have been allowed to walk away from their responsibility to clean up their mess.

Uncapped wells are what happens when the federal government enables the fossil-fuel industry to dominate energy policies, as is happening again now, both in the Interior Department and Congress. The policies emerging would allow companies, including many foreign ones, to profit from public lands and minerals that all Americans own. They would also leave taxpayers holding the bag for cleaning up leaking wells.

These abandoned wells already have consequences for wildlife, air, water and rural people. Kirk Panasuk, a rancher in Bainville, Montana, said: “I have personally experienced serious health scares after breathing toxic fumes from oil and gas wells near my property. And I’ve seen too many of my friends and neighbors in this part of the country have their water contaminated or their land destroyed by rushed and reckless industrial projects.”

Republicans and Democrats in previous administrations and Congresses took pains to reform this historically biased federal energy system because of the damage done to rural communities and American taxpayers. Now, the federal government is rolling back those reforms.

Recently, the Interior Department announced that “emergency permitting procedures” were necessary when carrying out NEPA, the National Environmental Policy Act. Timelines for environmental assessments for fossil-fuel projects were changed from one year to 14 days, without requiring a public comment period. The timeline for more complicated environmental impact statements was cut from two years to 28 days, with only a 10-day public comment period.

In May, the House Natural Resources Committee unveiled its piece of the House budget bill, which enables the federal government to expedite oil, gas, coal and mineral development. It gives Americans basically no say on whether those projects should move ahead, while keeping taxpayers from receiving a fair return on the development of publicly owned lands and minerals.

The administration’s justification for expediting permits is that we face “a national energy emergency.” No such emergency exists. The United States is currently the world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas and is producing more oil than any other country on Earth.

Both the House bill – -just passed and now before the Senate — and the Interior Department’s policies, ignore the long-standing mandate to manage public lands for multiple uses. Instead, the new policies: drastically reduce the public’s role in the permitting process, allow large corporations to pay to evade environmental and judicial review, and exempt millions of acres of private lands with federal minerals and thousands of wells on these lands from federal permitting and mitigation requirements.

The House bill would also slash the royalty rate for oil and gas production from 16.67% to 12.5%, depriving state and local governments of funding they depend on for schools, roads and other essential services. An analysis by Resources for the Future found that the proposed lower royalty rates would result in a loss of nearly $5 billion in revenue over the next decade.

The Interior Department’s emergency permitting procedures and the House bill are assaults the federal government has waged on public lands since January. The public has been shoved to the side as oil and gas drillers enjoy their energy dominance throughout our public lands.

Now, it’s up to the Senate to strip out these gifts to the fossil fuel industry, and it’s up to us tell our elected Senate representatives that these policies ignore the wishes of Westerners. We have told pollsters innumerable times that we support conservation, not exploitation of public lands for private interests. What’s happening now is radically wrong.

Barbara Vasquez is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. A retired biomedical researcher and semiconductor engineer, she is board chair of the Western Organization of Resource Councils and a board member of the Western Colorado Alliance.

Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.

To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.

Track your grocery prices at checkout

Re: “‘Secret shoppers’ challenge pricing,” May 16 news story

Even in ancient Rome, the advice to shoppers was caveat emptor (let the buyer beware). It does not matter whether the overcharging of customers at King Soopers is the result of understaffing — which does not allow the store to post accurate prices — or a deliberate policy to try to increase profits; the result is the same. Just as it was 2,000 years ago, it is up to the customer to make sure that they are receiving the advertised price.

When shopping at King Soopers, I make a habit of using my smartphone to take an image of the shelf price of “specials.” Then I use the self-checkout line to ensure that the amount charged matches the shelf price. If it doesn’t, I ask for assistance. The staff at King Soopers has always adjusted the price when they see the image on my smartphone.

Some may say that this should not be necessary. In an ideal world they would be correct. But bear in mind that your local grocery stocks tens of thousands of items. Even the best system will produce errors. It is up to you to catch them. It’s your money, so be careful with it.

Guy Wroble, Denver

Transgender troops expensive to recruit (and dismiss)

Re: “Recruitment: Military spent $6 billion in 3 years,” May 26 news story and “Removal of transgender troops: How the military is dealing with Hegseth’s order,” May 11 news story

Apparently, the military has spent a truly significant amount of money recently recruiting and training troops. So why would they want to get rid of 1,000 members? Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth announced that they will immediately begin removing approximately 1,000 transgender and transexual service members. Demonstrating an embarrassing lack of understanding, he proclaimed, “No more dudes in dresses. We are done with that (expletive).”

Men in dresses are not transgender or transsexual. Transsexuals are people who have gone through a long, arduous process of: counseling, hormone therapy, and operations. And one of their essential goals, from what I have been told, is to look like they fit in with their new sex. That is why it will only be at their yearly physical exam that their history will be used to identify them. So if transitioned people want to serve their country, and if recruiting and training costs between $50,000 and $100,000 per candidate, that translates to $50 million to $100 million dollars down the drain in the interest of prejudice and ignorance, not to mention the emotional toll of being fired simply for being who you are.

T. John Hughes, Denver

Air traffic control crumbles, warnings ignored

The current “mess” in the United States air traffic control system should not and is not a partisan issue. The safety of all Americans is a fundamental duty of our elected officials. They have failed miserably. I am so disgusted that so many of our issues are handled in a reactive mode instead of being proactive. The air traffic control system has been outdated for many years in both Republican and Democratic Congresses. Is it going to take a preventable air disaster where hundreds of lives are needlessly lost? The warning signs are on display on a daily basis.

In the same vein, the credit of the United States has just been downgraded. The blame lies in all of our politicians. However, I am afraid that it is too late to act proactively, and the reactive solution may not be enough.

Allen Vean, Denver

Opposed to the Boulder suit? How about a carbon tax?

Re: “Lawsuit would punish handful of companies for generations of global emissions,” May 7 commentary

The author, a lawyer writing on behalf of the National Association of Manufacturers, argues against lawsuits seeking damages from energy companies for outcomes linked to climate change. He states, “deciding how to pay for climate adaptation is a policy, not a liability, issue.” So who will pay these costs? If companies have to pay these costs, things will be more expensive, says he, and “this is the last thing people can afford right now.”  Better to just go along with the status quo: let industry do its best at cutting emissions. But that course of action has produced our warming world.

How do we move payment into the policy arena? The carrot-not-stick Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress and signed by Biden in 2022, now under piecemeal attack by the Trump administration, is our best attempt thus far. A tax on carbon has been proposed for years in the U.S. Congress, referred to as “revenue neutral” when introduced with a tax rebate to offset the higher consumptive costs. Support for a carbon tax has been voiced in the past by ExxonMobil, now one of the defendants in the Colorado case, although they never went to bat for it. In a written brief for the Colorado case, the Chamber of Commerce argued for a “uniform approach” to greenhouse gas emissions. A carbon tax would fulfil their desire for uniformity. A carbon tax could also provide funds for loss and damage.

The primary cause of warming and its consequences are with us now. We must get better at cutting emissions and coping with damages. Let’s get started on a nationwide carbon tax.

Phil Nelson, Golden

Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.

To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.

Beware the all-or-nothing mentality in our schools

Re: “Valor Christian isn’t the only Colorado high school lost to ‘gladiator culture’,” May 15 editorial

I do not follow high school athletics, but I did teach adolescents, so I read the editorial about school sports with interest.

If we want to understand the toxic nature of competition in our schools, we only need to look in the mirror. Holding fame and fortune as the primary focus for student effort has always been present, but it has gotten out of hand. The bell curve reminds us that only a small percentage of our students will achieve measurable fame and fortune, but the majority of them should be able to achieve, with the support of parents, teachers and the community, a level of personal satisfaction and empowerment.

I personally witnessed the crippling effect on students who were otherwise “pretty darn good” when the adults around them implied that being the best was the only acceptable outcome. Success is not going to college or making over $200k a year. Happiness is not having more money and power than your neighbors. It is not the job of schools or colleges to provide a culling vehicle for professional sports or any competitive business environment.

As adults, our job is to help children find and improve their strengths and learn from their mistakes. They will encounter plenty of toxicity without us adding to it. We are reading about the increased number of young people who are mentally “dropping out.” We have made it clear to them that they will never be “the best.” They are the collateral damage of our gladiator culture.

A. Lynn Buschhoffl, Denver

Can no longer recommend Naval Academy path

Re: “Naval Academy removes nearly 400 books from library,” April 3 news story

Recent actions by the U.S. Naval Academy – my alma mater – and the service academies at West Point and Colorado Springs have serious ramifications for the education, training, and commissioning of junior officers. Books removed from library shelves, classes censored or dropped, speakers disinvited, all to comply with both the letter and spirit of executive orders issued by a protofascist – these have all the hallmarks of cowardice in the face of creeping authoritarianism.

While the military leadership at the academies may be in a tough position – balancing their oaths to the Constitution with their commitment to provide well-rounded, educated, and principled graduates to American forces at home and abroad – there is a reason the superintendents of these schools tend to be in their final tour of duty. They should be able to speak their minds, stand their ground, and take stands against illiteracy and bigotry.

For more than 10 years I served as a “Blue and Gold Officer” for the Naval Academy. In that capacity, I’ve spoken with hundreds of Colorado high schoolers from the Western Slope to Yuma, interviewed dozens of interested applicants, and recommended the top academic, athletic, and patriotic young men and women to the Admissions Board in Annapolis, Md. As of this year, I’ve resigned from that position and cannot in good conscience tell a Colorado student that they should pursue a spot at any of the academies, not until the leadership there explains their actions, inactions, and silence.

Travis Klempan, Morrison

Appreciating the Dolores and efforts to keep it preserved

Dear Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper,

In early June of 2023 the water was high and we rafted the Dolores from Bradfield Park all the way to Dewey Bridge on the Colorado River. It was 184 miles in nine days, and eight nights camping out. It was some of the most spectacular scenery, wildlife and challenging rapids I’ve encountered in 35 years of rafting.

The Dolores watershed is truly a gem that should be preserved and restored for future generations.

Thank you for your efforts in this regard.

Joe Mollica, Glenwood Springs

Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.

To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.

On May 12th, Denver’s city council overwhelmingly approved $70 million towards the nascent National Women’s Soccer League team’s new soccer stadium and surrounding entertainment complex. Inspiring news. I wanted a first-hand look at the site.

But where? For even the most enthusiastic supporters do not name the neighborhood where the complex will reside. Official statements tout the location as “Santa Fe Yards” – a name that is yet to appear on a map of Denver.

Makes sense, because the actual neighborhood does not yet exist. Currently vacant dirt just south of Interstate 25 between Broadway and Santa Fe, there is not much to see. Instead, assurances: the $70 million investment, primarily to purchase the land, will provide a boost of economic activity, including “restaurants, bars, and shops.” Writing for the Colorado Sun, columnist Mario Nicolais gushed: “It is like a whole neighborhood winning the lottery.”

I thought of this image – a new neighborhood rising from dirt by winning the economic lottery of government support – while walking home up Colfax Avenue just north of the Capitol. Once Denver’s beating heart, Colfax runs astride several existing neighborhoods, each with their own restaurants, bars, and shops, a rich history memorialized by great works like Kerouac’s On The Road and the eponymous album by the Delines.

Small echoes of the proposed site accompanied my walk. A vacant building on the left past Logan Street; several abandoned stores; an empty lot after Ogden. Across Franklin, a long row of dilapidated houses slowly falling into themselves; beyond Williams Street boarded-up buildings lean gently on each other. There is an existing entertainment complex on Colfax these days, but it has a very different feel, and is unlikely to be transformed by the forthcoming elevated bus stops.

Opponents of the new entertainment complex were chided by Nicolais as “short-sighted,” in part for citing “other unrelated priorities.” But the vacant lots on Colfax and across Denver whispered an all-to-familiar word: housing. Last month Denver ranked 12th in the nation for the gap between home prices and household income.

So here is a modest proposal for the City Council: provide Denver’s existing neighborhoods the same winning lottery ticket afforded the proposed entertainment complex. Offer similar terms – subsidize new construction by purchasing the land — for anyone who builds on these vacant and abandoned lots.

Or broader: give the same deal to the public fans buying tickets for stadium seats as the private group who will own them. For new homebuyers, Denver could purchase the land under their houses, subsidizing the price of homes by about 15% to 25%.

Like the complex’s supporters, I harbor a deep passion for soccer and women’s athletics. I played, coached teams for my sons and daughter, and now spend many weekends as a referee, willingly accosted by fans loudly questioning my mental capacity. I have been a spectator at games for DU men’s and women’s teams, local clubs, high schools, a semi-pro team, and a spontaneous neighborhood match which ended with cupcakes. I truly, deeply love the sport. But there are many avenues for soccer enthusiasts that do not entail $70 million of municipal spending.

Soccer will be Denver’s only professional sport with two local stadiums. The new NWSL stadium (capacity 14,500) will be just eleven miles away from the existing MLS stadium (capacity 18,000). We can all agree that loyal fans deserve a dedicated soccer stadium. But is it short-sighted to question spending $70 million to build a second?

The new stadium will host NWSL games just 13 days per year, but it is crucial. “Without the stadium, the team likely wouldn’t have stayed in Denver,” the head of the ownership group confided, while also envisioning the entertainment complex as “a destination place that’s 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

This is a shell game — follow the ball as the three cups rotate. No stadium, then no team. But without the entertainment complex, no stadium. And minus millions in public dollars, no complex. Because the intense passion of fans for soccer and women’s athletics is worth far, far less to investors if it comes without government subsidy. The stadium is soccer bait, dangled in front of an eager audience, and once snatched by the City Council the full cage of the entertainment complex will fall down around it, trapping $70 million of public support.

In an artist rendition of the proposed site, if you gaze across the four broad lanes of Interstate 25 and past the commercial buildings, one can just make out residential city blocks in the distance. If we all want something to cheer, City Council members should give the same incentives and attention to building in our existing neighborhoods as they have for the vacant dirt of the new entertainment complex.

Alexander Ooms lives in central Denver and supports Tottenham Hotspur, who are usually not very good.

Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.

To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.

With Memorial Day upon us, known until 1967 as Decoration Day, now is the time to not only thank those who made the ultimate sacrifice, but also to commit to triumph over these turbulent times to maintain American greatness.

The moment has come for all Americans to re-create the selfless spirit of those that won World War II and built a great nation, and to become the new Greatest Generation. Today, we must address our lack of faith in our institutions, both private and public.

My dad’s generation grew up during the Great Depression and fought in WWII, or worked to help win it. They were low-key citizens who returned to ordinary lives. At home, there were those who produced war goods, served in government or provided moral support to overseas troops. It was the generation that gave us the unique sight of women in uniform. Many postponed their careers to fight in the war. It was the “Greatest Generation” ever because they saw their duty as the right thing to do, not to gain fame and recognition.

My dad was an ensign on the USS Pensacola for three years, three months and three days in the South Pacific.

So, what happened? When did we sacrifice solid American values and instead start wallowing in greed, power and self-centeredness? It may have been in the late 1900s, when the self-sacrifice and teamwork that helped the United States to persevere began disintegrating into greed and materialism.

The enemies today are not Japan, Italy or Germany. Instead, they are domestically produced: global warming, mass shootings, conspiracy theories, domestic terrorism, the nation’s political divide, a growing antigovernment sentiment, the high costs of higher education and health care, the misuse of technology through fake news, an economy that doesn’t work for all, the missing middle class, an appeal to authoritarianism, over $36 trillion in debt, and more.

There’s a crying need for Americans of all ages to step up and live the noble ideals that carried us through tough times – not just World War II, but also the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, Korean War, Watergate, Vietnam War, the 9/11 attacks, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Today, there are serious enemies to our greatness: A country which teaches our kids to put forth an effort only when they can expect a big reward and to work at jobs not to earn money for college, but to spend on useless stuff. There is the birth of artificial intelligence, which will fundamentally change our country and the world.

There is apathy, a force of inertia that keeps us addicted to cell phones, social media and things devoted to our pleasures.

There is still too much anger and violence, in our schools and in our neighborhoods, in society and of course, in our hearts.

We need to usurp the “Greatest Generation” — to seize control of our future and ensure the United States’ purported prominence as the world’s most powerful nation. We must make a new commitment to public service and contributions beyond just political agendas.

We need to continue to share our unique talents overseas, offering the latest techniques in such areas as producing safe drinking water, operating farms, building schools, providing medical assistance and so much more.

On the home front, we need new volunteers to work in our schools, civic organizations and charities, and to help revitalize our communities.

We need parents to run for school boards and to help their kids with homework. We also need courageous community leaders who will help local governments manage the public’s business without fear of mean-spirited personal attacks. We need people to help tutor at-risk kids and to register new voters.

We still need all Americans to show us we still have the right stuff and that war is not the only way to prove greatness. Sacrifice, unity, hard work and humility must once again define the American character.

We’re not a broken nation but simply unfinished and always striving not to become perfect, but to become a “more perfect union” as enumerated in the preamble to the U.S. Constitution.

Memorial Day is not a relic of the past, but a living call to action — a reminder that the freedom and security we enjoy are fragile, and must be protected and cherished.

Today, “We the People” should all get to work or risk losing our 249-year experiment, thus becoming the “Worst” Generation.”

Jim Martin can be reached at jimmartinesq@gmail.com.

Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.

To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.

Cuts to national parks would be “the worst idea we ever had”

In 1983, author and historian Wallace Stegner wrote, “National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.”

Efforts are currently underway in our government to destroy our system of national parks. This is the worst idea imaginable.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is proposing a reduction in the park operating budget of $900 million. Current funding for the National Park Service stands at $3.1 billion. The effects of such a reduction would be catastrophic.

To address the effect of such a reduction, the secretary is proposing some parks be categorized and managed as state parks.

Staffing reductions have already been made. Some 1,700 of the over 20,000 employees have already been removed with some 1,500 more possibly to be cut under the provisions of a reduction in force expected to be announced later this month.

Congress almost sold off 500,000 acres of Western public lands. What could that mean for Colorado?

/*! This file is auto-generated */!function(d,l){“use strict”;l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&”undefined”!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll(‘iframe[data-secret=”‘+t.secret+'”]’),o=l.querySelectorAll(‘blockquote[data-secret=”‘+t.secret+'”]’),c=new RegExp(“^https?:$”,”i”),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document);

Such actions cannot be absorbed by the National Park Service without a dramatic effect. The National Park Service, as we know it now, will be decimated.

Over 300 million people visited the national parks in 2024. Visitor spending in communities near national parks provides a benefit of over $55 billion to the nation’s economy and supports over 415,000 jobs. Why destroy an agency that provides such a benefit to our economy, to say nothing of the value it brings in preserving our nation’s heritage?

We cannot let America’s best idea be replaced with America’s worst idea!

Donald Falvey, Lakewood

Editor’s note: Falvey has served as the superintendent of Zion and Badlands National Parks and in various positions at the Denver Service Center in Lakewood for several years, beginning in 1972.

Public lands sell-off would set the stage for sweetheart deals

Re: “GOP pushes to sell off public land,” May 8 news story, and “Congress almost sold off 500,000 acres of western public land,” May 23 news story

In the late of night, Republican corporate cronies in the U.S. House of Representatives added a public lands giveaway provision to their sweeping tax cut package for the rich. It would have mandated the sale of thousands of acres of our public lands to big business. Make no mistake; this would just have set the stage for future mass sweetheart deals to sell off huge tracts of our national forests, wildlife refuges, and national monuments to mining, drilling, logging and wealthy land developers.

Donald Trump and his cowardly cronies in Congress are doing all they can to hand over our public lands with little oversight. These lands belong to all of us and should not be given away to pad corporate bottom lines.

This scheme follows up on Trump’s recent horrendous order to eliminate environmental safeguards on more than half of the nation’s national forests, opening up 59% of our forests for clear-cutting and logging.

Maga Republicans proclaim they are conservatives. Conservative of what?  Certainly not our environment, public lands, wildlife and clean air, and water. They are clearly more concerned about conserving huge profits for greedy corporations and the wealthy.

Jessica Talbot, Arvada

Track your grocery prices at checkout

Re: “‘Secret shoppers’ challenge pricing,” May 16 news story

Even in ancient Rome, the advice to shoppers was caveat emptor (let the buyer beware). It does not matter whether the overcharging of customers at King Soopers is the result of understaffing — which does not allow the store to post accurate prices — or a deliberate policy to try to increase profits; the result is the same.  Just as it was 2,000 years ago, it is up to the customer to make sure that they are receiving the advertised price.

When shopping at King Soopers, I make a habit of using my smartphone to take an image of the shelf price of “specials.” Then I use the self-checkout line to ensure that the amount charged matches the shelf price. If it doesn’t, I ask for assistance. The staff at King Soopers has always adjusted the price when they see the image on my smartphone.

Some may say that this should not be necessary. In an ideal world they would be correct. But bear in mind that your local grocery stocks tens of thousands of items. Even the best system will produce errors. It is up to you to catch them. It’s your money, so be careful with it.

Guy Wroble, Denver

Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.

To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.

Watching recent events unfold at the U.S. Air Force Academy is like having front row seats to a slow-motion train wreck. The Air Force Academy’s new superintendent, Lt. Gen. Tony D. Bauernfeind, arrived in August of 2024 and immediately embarked on his own personal shock and awe campaign.

According to reports from The Colorado Springs Gazette and other news outlets, Bauernfeind is planning on reinventing the Air Force Academy in the spitting image of the Special Operations Command in Florida, which he just left. This small, specialized unit represents only about 6% of the regular Air Force.

The first phase of this campaign is a massive reduction in the number of civilian faculty. Behind the scenes, a plan is being implemented to replace these civilians with active-duty officers who have little or no teaching experience. The general predicts that this would somehow increase the number of cadets wanting to attend pilot training. It would be amazing if senior Air Force leaders are actually on board with the idea of reassigning mission-ready pilots to teach entry-level academic classes at the Academy.

Winning wars on the battlefields of the future is increasingly dependent on developing entirely new weapons and technologies. The current focus is on dominating space (via the newly created Space Command), computer cyberwarfare, and the use of less expensive force multipliers, such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles that don’t need pilots at all — to name just a few. It’s not just about traditional air power anymore.

Despite all this, the general seems to have found a receptive ear in the “cut twice and measure later” bazaar of ideas that is alive and well in the nation’s capital. Selling a plan to reinvent the Academy as a solution to the ongoing pilot shortage is exactly the kind of quick fix that plays well in D.C. when politically expedient.

Unfortunately for him, this kind of high-level top cover can be remarkably fickle and quickly shift allegiances when risky programs like this don’t bear fruit immediately or they become an unexpected political liability.

Excellence of Air Force Academy’s educational programs at risk if civilian faculty cuts continue (Opinion)

/*! This file is auto-generated */!function(d,l){“use strict”;l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&”undefined”!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll(‘iframe[data-secret=”‘+t.secret+'”]’),o=l.querySelectorAll(‘blockquote[data-secret=”‘+t.secret+'”]’),c=new RegExp(“^https?:$”,”i”),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document);

With minimal institutional support, zero buy-in from Academy graduates intent on protecting the institution, and no real backing from the Colorado Springs community at large, one really must wonder if his vision is just a house of cards.

Blunting the “tip of the spear” by stealing away busy warfighters from operational units already stretched thin seems like a monumental waste. Do we really want to start pulling flyers out of the cockpit to teach Chemistry 101?

If reducing spending is your thing, know that Gen. Bauernfeind’s plan will cost more than what is traditionally spent on the faculty. An unbiased study by the highly regarded RAND Corporation bears this out, concluding that we would save money by hiring more civilian educators, not the other way around!

The Academy has always attracted the best and brightest students from around the nation. Now, many parents are questioning whether or not they should encourage their sons and daughters to apply at all. They are rightfully concerned about the foundational changes being hammered through. This is not hyperbole – the number of qualified students accepting an offer to attend the Air Force Academy for the Class of 2029 has already decreased significantly compared to prior years, according to internal Air Force memos.

It certainly did not escape notice when the word “educate” was unceremoniously dropped from the Air Force Academy Mission Statement this year. This thoroughly vetted document has always embodied the deeply held core values of the Academy. So now, out of the blue, educating our future Air Force leaders is no longer even a core value?

Presently, only the Air Force Academy is being targeted for such crippling cuts. West Point and Annapolis are not yet on the political chopping block. If the Air Force Academy falls, it’s likely that the other service academies will quickly suffer the same fate.

If we’ve learned anything from the devastating wildfires in California and Colorado, it’s that what we value most can be destroyed in a fraction of the time it took to build.

Kent Murphy, M.D., is a head and neck surgeon and a retired Colonel in the U.S. Air Force. He practiced at the Air Force Academy hospital for almost 15 years. He graduated from the Academy in 1980 ( the first class to admit women). He remains very closely involved with the academic mission of the AFA, serving as a volunteer civilian premedical advisor for the past 6 years.

Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.

To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.

The pros and cons of PBS content

Re: “Make public broadcasting great again by shaking it up,” May 18 commentary

I agree with Adam Clayton Powell III, quoted by Llewellyn King, that “some of the old rigor about [PBS and NPR] being even-handed may have ‘fallen away,’”

Full disclosure: I raised my kids on Mr. Rogers, am a nightly watcher of “NewsHour,” and love British drama. My Friday nights are devoted to PBS; the car radio tunes in NPR.

However, I am also a Democrat for Life — a position I see as seeking middle ground in the abortion tug-of-wars. While I’d love to see NewsHour present a more centrist position, they continue in their all-or-nothing pro-abortion stance. Lately, this includes digs at Catholic hospitals.

That said, I can’t help but also notice their increasing concern to zero in on humiliating aspects of the Catholic Church. While the “CBS Evening News” with John Dickerson showed actual enthusiasm for the historic election of Pope Leo XIV, the NewsHour Team was quick to direct interview questions to priestly sexual abuse — serious, yes, but hardly appropriate to bring out at a time of celebration.

There is guilt and innocence on both sides among the many groups making up our population, and so, no need to demonize some at the expense of others.

While King makes a good point suggesting more original creative material from public broadcasting, our present material could be made fairer and more attractive by presenting a greater range of our population in a more sympathetic light, thus drawing back previously alienated viewers, whose support could enable new programming.

Frances Rossi, Denver

Surely, I will not be the only person writing about Mr. King’s commentary on PBS needing to be shaken by its lapels.

Yes, most of the wonderful scripted dramas come from the BBC or ITV. However, what about “NewsHour,” “Frontline,” and “Nature?” Plus, PBS airs “NOVA,” “Antiques Roadshow,” all of Ken Burns’ specials, “Finding Your Roots,” and “The American Experience.” The list goes on.

I would rest my case, except all organizations can get better. So a little lapel shaking can’t hurt, but to compete with the big guys like Prime and Netflix to produce wonderful scripted dramas is probably asking for more shaking than PBS could tolerate. Sometimes, it is best to stay in one’s own lane, especially when it is done so well.

Judith Pettibone, Denver 

Remembering the good ol’ GOP days

Congress is debating the budget bill, and some Congress members are unhappy with the bill. It is tax cuts and increased spending. Negotiations seem to be adding more to the debt — a Republican bill that is adding to the debt, and Moody’s has already downgraded our standing.

Does anyone remember when Republicans would always try to pass a balanced budget amendment? It appears we no longer can call a Republican conservative; they are now the big spenders.

Written by an R. who still likes to balance a budget.

Norma Anderson, Lakewood

Editor’s note: Anderson is a former state senator.

Don’t saddle immigrants with ‘blatant distortions’

Re: “Blame sanctuary policies or immigration policies?” May 18 letter to the editor

Ross Kaminsky misses the whole reason for sanctuary cities. In our government, there has been little to rectify our lack of clear laws by either of the parties over the years. Immigration comes up when they want to use it as a football to blame each other while real humans seek a better life.

The reason for sanctuary cities is protection! Protection from the games, lies, and harassment while they go through the inefficient process we use as a path to citizenship. Some take more than 10 years. We all know this country depends on immigrant labor. It’s not a political punchline; it’s reality. The fact that President Donald Trump’s main argument against sanctuary cities is that we are harboring criminals doesn’t bear out in real numbers. Fear sells. Masked ICE agents kidnap people off the streets without transparency, due process, or proof that they need to be deported.

Strong-arming innocent people isn’t a strong American value. After the first four years of his administration, Trump used the tried and true repetition method of convincing his followers using blatant distortions, racism and outright lies. Trump cannot point to crime stats; in fact, they would prove the opposite to his immigrant-crime claims.

Both Kaminsky and Trump lack credible crime statistics that prove all the drama and torture people are going through. I’ve seen Trump sidestep that, and his believers will post their gullible opinions again, without proof. Come on, if you have good evidence of criminality, post the proof!

Sue Cole, Centennial

Denver needs to finish what it has started

Re: “Soccer stadium, Park Hill open space move forward,” May 13 news story

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s announcements about a women’s soccer stadium and the Park Hill Golf Course acquisition are exciting developments. But while the city celebrates these high-profile and high-priced projects — with Park Hill alone projected to cost up to $300 million — it continues to neglect long-standing commitments to other neighborhoods.

At a time of tightening budgets, Denver will be asking voters to approve another general obligation bond, even as projects from the 2017 and 2021 bonds remain incomplete. Communities like the parkless University Hills North have waited for years for a simple 1.9-acre park. These residents, who lack a political spotlight, have been consistently overlooked.

Equally troubling is the disrepair of the historic Wellshire Golf Course clubhouse. With its 100th anniversary approaching in 2026, it deserves restoration, not neglect. These are not optional improvements; they are long overdue and must be honored.

City leadership cannot continue to shift focus to flashy new developments while sidelining past commitments. Denver’s strength lies in all its communities, not just the ones with media buzz or political capital.

I urge the mayor and City Council to prioritize equity, accountability, and follow-through. Deliver on what’s been promised. Reinforce public trust. Finish what’s already been started before launching the next big thing.

Kendra Black, Denver

Editor’s note: Black is a former Denver City Council Member for District 4.

Review Polis’ credentials as he focuses on his next run

Re: “Polis’ vetoes hit and miss in a session marked by compromise,” May 18 editorial

In vetoing newly passed union-friendly legislation, Jared Polis’ fat-cat libertarian roots are showing. Upon leaving state government, his ambitions for political life are national, most likely a 2026 run for Michael Bennett’s Senate seat as Bennett seeks to be the next governor, or perhaps a bid for the Democratic nomination for president in 2028. Colorado Democrats need to view his credentials for either closely.

Robet Porath, Boulder

Cheers to protecting and restoring our forests

Re: “Bill aims to mitigate wildfires,” May 19 news story

What could trade wars and wildfires have in common?

There’s been a movement in Canada to buy less American-made whiskey. But there’s another threat to the whiskey industry, and that’s the depletion of white oak, which is a key component of the barrels from which a good ol’ draw of Bourbon comes.

Enter the Fix our Forests Act. While it won’t stop any trade wars, it can at least lay the foundation for saving our beloved white oaks. Of course, future-proofing America’s bourbon industry isn’t the sole purpose of the act. The act lays plans for the reforestation of our aging (and frequently burning) forests and performing prescribed burns as well as establishing firesheds to assess risk areas.

Our forests currently offset about 12% of our pollution, but that’s likely to decline as our forests age and/or get caught in the latest blaze. This bill would cut the red tape around protecting our forests, enabling a more robust and fire-resilient green belt to protect the communities we live in.

Our very own Sen. John Hickenlooper is already co-sponsoring the bill, but more support is needed if we’re going to protect our aging forests.

With careful planning and stewardship, we could secure future generations of beautiful trees of all types, including the white oak. I say cheers to that!

Bridger Cummings, Aurora

Expectation of honesty from all White House press secretaries

Re: ” ‘Did she say that with a straight face?’,” May 18 commentary

Interesting and amusing is Kevin Manahan’s article charging White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt with telling lies, lies and more lies. I don’t remember him writing an article about Karine Jean-Pierre and her many lies about former President Joe Biden’s mental acuity, inability to lead and other age issues. Everyone in the world saw it — except for the media and naive people. Those protecting Biden and surrounding him had to have known — especially when the world knew. It was very embarrassing and even cruel.

Kay Robbins, Denver

In case Kevin Manahan’s commentary was missed, I hope readers will look it up and read the truth of what is happening instead of thinking they are hearing the truth from Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. She is either deceived herself or is deliberately deceiving the public regarding the actions of Donald Trump, whose visit to the Middle East was fraught with blatant corruption.

Carol Carpenter, Denver

Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.

To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.

Apparently, it’s “No Mow May.” Keeping up with these new “official” additions to the yearly calendar is hard. I struggle to remember the usual holidays. Fortunately, No Mow May is a no-brainer for me. Every month is a holiday away from mowing because several years ago, I removed my lawn and replaced it with plants that do not need to be mowed. Better yet, they require less water and fertilizer than grass.

Even with a large drip-irrigated vegetable garden, fruit trees, and a small pond, I use substantially less water than I did when I had a lawn. The year I rid myself of the last of the grass, I sold off my lawnmower and leaf blower. I not only save on my water bill, but also on my electricity bill.

A few other advantages of reducing or eliminating turf and replacing it with water-wise plants: more visiting birds and butterflies; no need for energy-consuming, ozone-producing lawnmowers, edgers, and blowers, and greater curb appeal. Also, since Japanese beetle grubs eat grass roots, I’m no longer feeding the spawn of Hell.

A few of my favorites are larkspur, yucca, blanket flower, sunflower, sea kale, Artemisia, Colorado four o’clock, poppy, potentilla, sage, spirea, salvia, downy serviceberry, cactus, California mallow, honeysuckle, wine cup, and sedum. All of these are perennial or reseeding annual plants.

Don’t take my word for it. Learn more about plants suited to Colorado’s climate by visiting the websites of Colorado State University, the Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Water and other city utilities, Oasis West Wash Park, Wild Ones Front Range, Resource Central and the Colorado Native Plant Society.

Additionally, several of these organizations also provide grants to help with the cost of buying new plants. These grants are supported by funds authorized by the General Assembly and requested by the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB). This year, legislators authorized $1.4 million for urban turf replacement programs. The money does not come from the state’s general fund. Rather, it is generated through severance taxes, sports betting revenue, and interest on CWCB loans.

When shopping at garden centers look for the Plant Select label. These plants were developed by the Denver Botanic Gardens, Colorado State University and other professional horticulturists and partner organizations to thrive in high desert conditions. This is the time to get new plants into the ground before it gets hot. The higher the temperature, the more difficult it is for plants to acclimate and thrive in a new environment.

Want to keep some lawn but still use less water?

Two decades ago, Resource Central, one of the above-mentioned organizations, launched a Slow the Flow program to provide on-site sprinkler system evaluations to optimize use and reduce waste. Last year, they found that 99% of home sprinkler systems had correctable efficiency issues. Resource Central estimates that by optimizing water use, they have saved more than 200 million gallons of this precious resource over the past 20 years. That’s another way to lower the water bill.

After all, why spend money on water and energy when you don’t have to. There are better uses for that hard-earned income. National Donut Day is just around the corner.

Krista Kafer is a Sunday columnist for The Denver Post.

Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.

To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.