Does Obama support the Second Amendment?



This is the time of year in an election season when liberal presidential candidates suddenly support the Second Amendment of our Constitution. It seems very easy for these candidates to say that they support the people’s right to keep and bear arms; however their voting records often tell a different story. Barack Obama is no different.

He voted against an Illinois Senate bill that would protect people from prosecution who used firearms for self defense in their homes. What is the point of the Second Amendment if not for protection of those whose right it is to keep and bear arms?

He has stated that he opposes concealed carry laws. This again shows that he misses the point that the right to bear arms exists for a reason, which is for self-protection. He along with most gun control advocates miss the point that gun control laws only work on law abiding citizens and do little to stop criminals. However allowing people to defend themselves does a great deal to detour criminals, at the very least when a criminal tries to assault, rob, rape, or kill an armed citizen.

Recently the Supreme Court upheld the right of individuals to keep arms. Barack Obama disagreed with our own John Salazar on this issue and refused to sign a friend of the court brief in support of individual Second Amendment Rights. In fact prior to ruling by the court he stated that he felt that the Washington D.C. gun ban was constitutional, even though it prevented law-abiding citizens from keeping operable firearms in their homes for self-protection. Fortunately the Justices ruled otherwise. If elected Barack Obama will be appointing Justices to the Supreme Court, yet he voted against the confirmation of two of the five justices that upheld that right and said he would have not appointed two other justices that upheld that right as well. How safe will our rights be with Barrack Obama appointing the justices of the Supreme Court and our Federal Judges?

Jason Lorenz

Monte Vista







'BEST' environment

supports learning“Hindsight is 20-20” or so we’ve all heard. Foresight should be close if you have the right situation and the right elements for change. The right time for change is about as good as it gets with the new “BEST” program going into effect soon, and the right elements of need are quite obvious. My support for the Sangre de Cristo bond issue is simply stated. Give children a good environment to learn in and they will prosper. Keep them in environments that are constantly falling down around them and they will also be a part of the chaos. Prepare them for their future and they will go into the future prepared.

The buildings in the Sangre de Cristo School District have outlived their usefulness and the constant “band aid “ approach we have taken can be eternal and extremely cost intensive if not remedied. Even though we are a small school district, we are hard pressed for good sound learning environments. The expense of building new schools has risen astronomically and will continue to do so in the future. We can no longer just make do with what we have, especially when an opportunity presents itself that may not come along again. Whether you have children in school or not should dictate how you vote. Your future will be in part determined by the children we educate today. A “yes” vote for them today could mean someday your hindsight will be as 20-20 as the foresight of our voters this Nov. This is as good as it gets for opportunities for our school district and for all those who have the same goals here in the valley and throughout the rest of the state. Whatever district you live in, do the right thing for all of our children.

Lenny Martinez

Principal, Sangre de Cristo

Undivided High School







Anti-Islamic campaign paints wrong picture

I was saddened to receive the movie called “Obsession, Radical Islam’s War Against the West” from the Clarion Fund, based in New York. When I googled it, the Fund was a non-profit (special interest) group with links to the McCain campaign. It seems as though the Fund is hoping to support its candidate who supports continuing the Iraq war by whipping up public fear against a small branch of Muslims by making it appear that all Muslims are like “those” Muslims.

I know first-hand that most Muslims’ basic concerns are pretty much like Christians’. One of the clues was when I asked a Muslim man about his religion. He said, “Live a good life, and you go to heaven when you die.” All he wanted was to tend his family’s greenhouse and be the air traffic controller he was trained to be. He couldn’t because Israeli authorities would not allow him to travel between the only Palestinian airport in Gaza and his home in the West Bank. The desire to have a quiet comfortable life, and go to a safe place when one dies is a fairly universal desire!

I have written to The Clarion Fund to remove me from its mailing list of people targeted in key swing states like Colorado. The Clarion Fund’s “radical, obsessed” propaganda is wrong to paint a whole religion as fundamentalist -- most Muslims want to live in peace and with economic opportunity for all. Sound familiar?

Joanne L. Kaufman

Del Norte







Obama is candidate for the middle class

Let’s take a more levelheaded look at the facts surrounding the mortgage crisis and the Presidential choice. There are many bad actors to blame for the sub-prime crisis — real estate speculators in California, greedy mortgage lenders, banks that packaged mortgages into “safe” securities, rating agencies that gave them the “thumbs up”, Wall Street tycoons who bought the securities and finally Federal agencies, under Pres. Bush, who looked on silently while all this unfolded. Any of these entities could have prevented the banking crisis simply by acting in a prudent, responsible manner. Do the facts support the “blame the Democrats” case the FOX news pitches? Not at all!

Middle class Valley residents pondering their presidential choice might want to put aside the petty election year rhetoric we hear on TV and look at which candidate takes their side on issues facing them today. Healthcare — Obama wants a system that covers everyone and will not allow insurance companies to refuse coverage; McCain’s plan does not even acknowledge coverage for all as a goal. Taxes — Obama says lets take back the 2002 tax cut for the top 5 percent of wage earners and cut taxes for everybody else (i.e. SLV residents), McCain is proud to offer additional tax breaks to oil companies and big business. Energy — Obama favors all kinds of renewable forms of energy including wind and solar which are plentiful in the Valley; McCain continues to push a drilling based strategy. How many Valley residents are in favor of drilling for oil / gas in the Valley aquifer as has been proposed by the Oil industry McCain so often aligns with? International relations — Obama favors diplomacy before military action while McCain has historically taken belligerent stances toward foreign nations and openly talked about “winning wars” in the last debate. How may Valley residents are eager for their family members to ship out to fight the next war McCain sets out to win?

The choice is clear -Obama is the candidate who will govern with the interests of middle class Americans in mind.

Ted Krings

Manassa







Water district opposes Amendment 52

On October 23, 2008, the Board of Directors of the Rio Grande Water Conservation District unanimously agreed to oppose Amendment 52 on the Colorado November ballot. Amendment 52 would divert funding that has and will finance future Colorado water projects and other water related programs and instead fund highway projects to relieve congestion in the I-70 corridor. This proposed amendment would put into the State Constitution a permanent funding mechanism for highway rehabilitation projects in one area of the State instead of allowing the State Highway Commission to decide where highway funds should be used. It is the Board’s position that the Highway Commission should be the entity to determine the priorities for our highway system. Our State should not allow special interest groups to change the Constitution as a way to deprive this Valley and the rest of the State of water project funding in order to fund highway projects for a small area of the State.

The source of the funding in dispute is the severance tax funds which come from mineral and oil and gas extraction in the state of Colorado. Severance taxes have historically been used to finance statewide water projects, wildlife protection, forest health projects and low income energy assistance. It is projected that the state will need to spend nearly $3 billion dollars to fund Colorado water projects to meet projected water supply needs of the state over the next 20-25 years. Currently even the current level of severance tax funds will not cover this large sum and Amendment 52 will significantly reduce those limited funds and make it much more difficult to meet the growing demand for water in the state.

The passage of Amendment 52 would be especially bad for the San Luis Valley because severance tax funds are funding numerous critical water projects in our area. There are many other projects that will need loans or grants from these funds in the near future and the reduction in funds available caused by passage of this Amendment will cause many critical projects in our Valley to go by the wayside.

The Board encourages voters in the Valley to seriously consider the adverse consequences of the passage of Amendment 52. The Board believes that it will cause irreparable harm to our continuing efforts to insure that Rio Grande basin water supplies are available and sustainable for many years to come. We urge a NO vote on Amendment 52.

Ray Wright, President

Rio Grande Water Conservation District







Carefullly review

ballot styles

Recently, voters in Alamosa County received a voters’ guide (commonly called the “blue book”) that includes several ballot questions that voters in different parts of the county will be voting on. No voter in Alamosa County will vote on all ballot questions included in the voter guide. What one will be voting on depends on where one resides in the county.

Alamosa County includes parts of 6 different school districts; Alamosa School District RE-11J is by far the largest with respect to the assessed value. School districts, according to state law, are assigned questions that begin with a number “3.”

Each school district within the Alamosa County boundary, if they are holding an election in 2008, will have a letter following the “3.” Alamosa School District RE-11J will be 3A. Voters in Alamosa County residing in one of the other 5 school districts will have another ballot number, 3B, 3C, etc. But each voter in Alamosa County can reside in only one district, and will vote on only one “bond”; ballot.

Alamosa County sends to voters only one “blue book” that has all questions, whether county, city, schools, or special districts, Included in it. When it comes to the actual ballot you cast your vote on, only the school district in which you reside will be on your ballot. In addition, you will only pay the taxes for the school district in which you reside.

For the Alamosa School District RE-11J, that will be 3A. Join me in voting YES on 3A.

Christine Burns

Alamosa





School vote is for revitalization

I am writing to urge people to vote yes on ballot issues 3B and 3C, the mill levy override and the bond issue to improve and revitalize our schools.

As a life-long resident of Monte Vista, and a fourth generation cattle rancher, it saddens me to see our town slowly decaying. I see this sad reminder every day as I drive through town and see the numerous houses for sale and the ubiquitous empty and boarded up buildings.

The school is the heart of the community. We cannot afford to let our schools continue to deteriorate. We need improvements in technology, and facilities, and money for utilities, transportation, and deferred maintenance. I firmly believe that one of the first steps in revitalizing this community is to revitalize our schools.

Let me make it clear that there are three school ballot initiatives in Rio Grande County, Sargent, Del Norte, and Monte Vista. The residents within Monte Vista School District will only be taxed for the Monte Vista initiatives, and not the initiatives of the other schools.

Monte Vista’s district boundaries are: The Rio Grande River to the north, Alamosa County line south of the River, Conejos County line to the south, and 7 Mile Plaza and road 27, between Monte Vista and Del Norte to the west.

Please remember the initiatives will be on the last page of an extremely long ballot, so be sure to hang in there!

Good luck to all of the schools in the state on passing their bond issues and mill levy overrides. It’s about our children, their education, their future, and ultimately the prosperity and security of this great country. Remember, education is not an expense, it is an investment!

Mike McNeil







Republican

supports Obama

I am an Eisenhower Republican. I had hopes for Senator McCain but given his age, health, and choice of running mate, like General Colin Powell, I lost confidence in his ability to lead us during this incredibly difficult time and am voting for Senator Obama.

Similarly, on October 17th, the conservative Chicago Tribune broke ranks with McCain and endorsed Obama, commenting: “We have watched him, worked with him, argued with him as he rose from an effective state senator to an inspiring U.S. senator...”

And: “We have tremendous confidence in his intellectual rigor, his moral compass and his ability to make sound, thoughtful, careful decisions. He is ready.”

This is the first time in its 150 years that the Tribune has endorsed a Democratic candidate.

Following W.W. I, my grandfather started a Savings and Loan. I was serving on the Board when Phil Gramm masterminded financial deregulation, eliminating sound home lending. He is still McCain’s biggest economic influence, whereas Senator Obama looks to Paul Volcker and Warren Buffett.

As head of the Federal Reserve, Volcker defeated inflation and has, ever since, criticized deregulation. Paul Volcker and Warren Buffett stand for traditional values.

Buffett is the world’s greatest investor, but has lived in the same house in Omaha, Nebraska for 50 years and only accepts a modest salary, without stock options, bonus, or golden parachute.

Senator Obama was raised by grandparents who grew up in Central Kansas. Listen to him and those who know him best. Barack Obama represents the change that brings us back to our roots in caring for one another, in overcoming the divisiveness that is ruining our country.

If you don’t like the way things are going, vote for change. Thank God we have the opportunity to do that this year!

Jay Bremyer

Crestone







McCain-Palin is vote for life

After forcing myself to read the extremely long letter by Rocky White about socialistic, government run health care which he is constantly promoting I had to say something about his comment about Obama and his health care plan being “compassionate”. Obama is the farthest person from compassionate that I can think of — this guy is the most liberal, violent and uncompassionate person I have heard of in a long time. He not only votes consistently for every form of abortion including partial birth abortion — he even votes to kill the babies if they somehow survive an abortion. He is even more liberal in his voting record than Kennedy, Kerry and Clinton (didn’t think that was possible).

The only mistake that Republicans are making in this election is apologizing for President George W. Bush. He is a great leader with character and integrity. He doesn’t care about polls — he just does what he thinks is right. Most people hate it if you take a stand and do what is right because they have no moral convictions. They want their leaders to be “politically correct” and not “offend” anyone. They don’t want any standards of right and wrong.

Now we have a chance to elect two great leaders — John McCain and Sarah Palin. Here is a short voter’s guide for anyone confused about the candidates.

McCain/Palin: Vote for them if: you want to protect babies; a safe and secure country with a strong military; lower taxes and leaders that believe in Godly values.

Obama/Biden: Vote for them if: you believe in killing babies; higher taxes; more government in every aspect of our life including health care; gay marriage; unsecure country and a weak military and a leader that will negotiate with terrorists and countries like Iran, North Korea and Venezuela. Obama is a much bigger threat to American security than Osama Bin Laden (Bin Laden is hiding in a cave).

In short, vote your convictions - if you hate God and country — Obama is your person. If you love God and country — McCain and Palin are the ones you want.

Kit Page

La Jara





Vote yes on

3B and 3C

Times are tough. None of us knows what the future will bring. The problems seem so widespread that we must wonder how any one of us can really make a difference. We research the issues and vote for the persons we hope will best provide leadership for the challenges we face. Naturally, we won’t always agree on who those persons are or the solutions they should advocate.

But there is something each of us can do that will have a positive local affect and contribute to a better future for the next generation.

A yes vote on 3B and 3C will provide the Monte Vista School District with potential access to matching funds through the state’s new BEST funds program. The needs list is long: modernize science labs, increase learning space for young students, update technology, expand athletic facilities to ease practice time conflicts for student athletes and provide improved community facilities, address immediate maintenance concerns, and support student transportation. Yet meeting every one of these needs is an investment in our children and their future, and in our community and its future.

The individual fiscal impact of 3B and 3C is a little over $8 per month for a $100,000 home -about the cost of a hamburger meal or a couple of movie rentals. The impact would be about half for the many seniors who meet eligibility for reducing their property taxes through Colorado’s Homestead Act.

Times are tough. But it is during tough times that we show what we value most. Our children and community, now more than ever, need our support. Vote yes on 3B and 3C.

Dirk Oden

Monte Vista





Polston principal supports bond

1 want people to think about why we live in Alamosa, Colorado. Many of us live here because we value the healthy and pleasant environment, the active and rural lifestyle, the supportive community, the richness of culture, and the value placed on life-long learning. It makes sense that we want these values represented in our children’s school environment. We believe with our heart and soul that voting yes on the Alamosa Public School bond proposal 3A is the right thing to do for our children.

While our local elementary schools have served us well in the past, things have changed. At Polston Primary, for example, the air and ventilation is poor. Research shows that clean air and good ventilation support children’s ability to learn. Another consideration is the lack of space. Crowded conditions inhibit children’s learning. Teachers’ ability to collaborate and to use cooperative, active learning strategies is also inhibited. Additionally, due to the increased number of students and the implementation of all day kindergarten, we are currently relying on hallways, the teachers’ lounge, and other cubicles to deliver small group instruction. Our staff is ready to make the best out of any scenario, but our children deserve better.

The number of students enrolled in our elementary levels is stable or has increased. At Polston Primary, eight classrooms - three kindergarten, two first grade, music, art, and HIPPY - are located outside the main building in modulars. The location of these structures means that students must trek across icy ramps in bitter cold to get a drink and to use restrooms, the library, the computer lab, eat lunch, and take P.E.

Our building is not only too small, but also old. Although we work hard to maintain an aging building, we are continually repairing leaky roofs, window seals, heating systems, plumbing, and mediating asbestos, a health hazard for the staff and the children. Technology is often difficult to access because of inadequate electrical infrastructure. To keep up with technology and current electronic assessment programs, we need connections that provide adequate speed.

We believe that passing 3A will provide our outstanding professional staff and students the setting they deserve and need. We strongly urge you to vote yes on 3A.

Lori Smith, Polston

Primary Principal, parent lifelong community member

Esmeralda Martinez, English language teacher