The most important point is that in the "i.e., real world," boardmembers like Mr. Hemming aren't paid to play Grand High Muckety-Muck by belittling people for caring enough to try to fix problems. In the "i.e. real world," it seems to me, the board's job is to support and help educate our children. I don't have to have children in her school or live in her neighborhood to applaud efforts to get the best education Lynn Pohlod can secure for her school's students. I am glad to see that she, as a public servant, is spending my tax dollars as promised to the taxpayers.
School-board members are public servants, too. There is no Exalted Pooh-Bah in the job description, and having to work around dismissing and demeaning responses isn't part of Pohlod's job, either. She doesn't work for the board. The board works for us. Shame on any bureaucrat who passes such guff to the people in the trenches.
The best thing the board can do is follow Pohlod's suggestion and get a clue. Get lots of clues, and some class. Apologize publicly to Pohlod for lording over her with such a snotty attitude and to her students for the flippant disregard for their welfare. Apologize to the taxpayers for pretending to be on the board for some reason other than why the board is there. Then spend some of those "250 days" investigating Wyman's problems and doing what can be done to fix them.
Like we would expect of any public servant who is paid to do a job.
Chuck Kubin
Denver
Still Under a Spell
Regarding Michael Roberts's April 12 Feedback:
About a year ago, I wrote in praising the newfound success of Chanin Floyd's great band, Spell. After seeing their charming show with Jux County recently at the Bluebird, I felt I had to write again. It's just so great to see them and enjoy their success along with them. I love it when 92X plays them and, out of the blue, Chanin's voice is on the radio. They must love it, too.
The other great band I have to rave about is Lord of Word and the Disciples of Bass. These guys are simply the most monstrous, slammin', funky, nasty killers in town. I wish them every success and congratulations on their recent opportunities with James Brown and Ice Cube. Anyone who isn't hip to Lord of Word ought to check them out. Plus, they're just the nicest bunch of cats you could meet. Thanks, Westword, for the recent update on them. I think Small Axe productions is doing great things for them. Theo will soon be able to quit his bagel gig.
Anyway, both bands deserve every success. They're great--and really, they didn't pay me to say this.
Madison "Chip" Lucas
Denver
One Tough Cookie
Regarding the April 12 Off Limit:
Chester Davenport, political networker extraordinaire, owns the Envirotest outfit. His public-relations people must have realized that the public would be a bit ruffled to wait, as I did, an hour or more to pass the test. A very successful businessman, Davenport suggested that instead of just 17 cents per test going to public relations for the program, the amount be doubled.
When my car was tested, gourmet cookies filled a basket in the unheated waiting room. I'll tell you, I ate more than my 34 cents' worth. What a homey touch in the technical turmoil of the new program! Davenport's covered as many bases as possible. He also owns the rights to the University of Denver's promising research on emissions scanning. His company forcefully garnered contracts in other states through powerful lobbying and political maneuvering. Those weren't just cookies in the waiting room. Those were gourmet cookies.
Clean air is mandatory, but when a mandate falls to the permutations and marketing-par-excellence skills of a professional like Chester Davenport, the touch of gourmet cookies is just too much for some of us.
Susan Blosten
Littleton
I hope you continue writing about the EPA-mandated Emission IM/240 testing. I have licensed many vehicles from 1977 to the present in Colorado, paying the taxes, licenses and the unneeded inspection fees. Since I maintain my vehicles on a regular basis, none has ever failed an inspection. If the inspections had been done to see if I had a steering wheel or tires on the vehicle, they would have had the same effect on the environment: none. Ripoff fee, in other words.
With fuel injection and electronic ignition and the many sensors with computer-chip control, there is nothing the owner can do except change oil, filters, plugs and plug wires. All adjustments are sealed. Police or other drivers reporting oil-burners on the highway could require the repair of that 5 percent or 10 percent of vehicles that are out of proper repair status.
All inspection fees paid by me and other Colorado owners, if used for highway construction, would have already built the north-south freeway on the plains east of the Front Range cities and the east-west freeway from Limon to Colorado Springs, through the mountains to the southwest and up to Grand Junction--and left money in the highway funds. This would remove much through-traffic from the cities, lowering emissions and dispersing the traffic. I would gladly pay an annual fee to see these freeways built, opening this state and spreading out the people.
Frank Whiteman
Aurora
