Finally, Mr. Steers neglected to mention that the 1991 legislation increased the maximum award for permanent partial disability from $37,560 to a maximum of $120,000, less monies paid for temporary disability. While the new law may in fact make it more difficult to prove permanent total disability, the fact that Mr. Dore was able to perform light maintenance and other volunteer work might indicate that he is not totally disabled as defined by either the new or the old law.
Mike Worley
Morrison
Stuart Steers responds: Mr. Worley would have us believe that Colorado employers could save more than $2 billion on workers' comp costs over the past six years with no impact on employees. But while businesses have enjoyed far lower workers' comp premiums since the law was "reformed' in 1991, there are now numerous cases of people in Colorado who were severely injured at work and are left with few, if any, benefits. Anyone who's met Kerry Dore can tell immediately that he has serious physical and psychological problems that would interfere with his taking a job. But because he's still able to walk, under Colorado law he wasn't found to be permanently disabled.
His trial is scheduled to begin November 3.
The Skyline's the Limit
Kyle Wagner's "Hanging Out to Dry," in the October 16 issue, reeks of a double standard. During a visit to Denver's City Park this summer, I was met with barricades at every entrance. I also had to suffer the humiliation of no doors on the women's bathroom stalls. Barricades were in place and bathroom doors removed to cut down on gang activity. By the way, teenagers hangin' out in my neighborhood are referred to as gangs, whether they are or not. I wrote a letter to Mayor Webb on the subject and received a response that supported the park department's efforts to keep the community safe.
Now I read that these poor kids at Skyline Park may be asked to vacate the premises when an upscale restaurant opens. Where will they go? What will the city (Webb and company) do to ensure that they have a place to go? May I suggest that they implement the same policy that has been implemented in City Park? Block accessibility or uphold the no-loitering rule by any means necessary. As for a place for this "gang" of kids to go, how about school, work or home?
Cheryl King-Simmons
Denver
Once again, the logic escapes me as I read of all the concern about the possible eviction of the street kids from Skyline Park, yet hardly a whisper was heard when City Park was barricaded for similar reasons. Could color have anything to do with it? Naw. This is a color-blind society. Right? Yeah. That's it.
Alice Holman
Denver
Playing Post Office
Regarding Eric Dexheimer's "The Males Get Delivered," in the October 16 issue:
A: Losers.
B: Victims.
A: What Billy Mullins and Garland Lewis and their ilk are.
B: What these losers see themselves as.
And what will these good old boys always be? (See A.)
Hey, losers, get a job--don't buy one.
John McMahon
Denver
Read your article about the postal employees. You don't know the real truth. Those guys are troublemakers. How dare you print stuff like that?
Name withheld on request
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