Snowmobilers need to have greater sense of responsibility
On Feb. 16 at 1 p.m. three snowmobilers (one on a bright green sled, the other two dark machines) were spotted riding in the Babbish Gulch area, east and south of Williams peak, traditionally an area off limits to snowmobile traffic.
Several questions should be asked of these riders: did they know you were operating in a off limits area? Was there an awareness of the complete lack of any snow machine tracks, thus a clue to the area being off limits? Was there any consideration of the possible remote triggering of avalanches under the heavy wind blown slab that underlies the surrounding cornice the riders were under? Was it taken into consideration there might be skiers in the area?
Traveling in the back country with aid of powerful and sophisticated machines should bring a greater sense of responsibility. Know your limited and unlimited areas of operation, maintain a heightened situational awareness, be cognizant of the avalanche conditions, and be thoughtful of other back country users. Don’t let your questionable actions speak for the snowmobiling community.
David Plush
Glenwood Springs
Sanders more than qualified to be a socialist leader
With tax season upon us and the fact that society has embraced the attitude that nothing is wrong, unless of course the thought police say it is, I have decided to help everyone get a bigger tax refund. Simply follow my lead and you will be on your way to a huge refund check!
So, in my case I have been filing single, this is unfair and so this year I plan to identify as married, and to identify as a person with 20 dependents. This is how my emotions are making me feel and no one can tell me it’s wrong. I also am feeling poor so I am identifying as a human without income.
Some of you may think this is a joke, but if America can have a person running for president that in 2016, when he released his tax returns, he and his wife had a combined net income of $240,000, and his net worth was estimated at around $700,000. Now fast forward to 2020. Forbes estimates this candidate to be worth over $5 million. Now the main point everyone must understand is that this candidate identifies himself as a socialist and identifies as a believer in income redistribution.
We can draw some conclusions from above, first just because a person identifies as something, they may not actually be what they claim to be. Obviously he has not redistributed much of his income. As far as being a socialist leader, he is more than qualified. History describes failed socialist societies, and one thing they have in common is that only the leaders have money, the citizens are left out in the cold. Look no further than Venezuela. A final conclusion would be that the last 3 1/2 of the Trump economy has been very good financially for this candidate.
In closing, I want to wish you all a happy and prosperous tax season and apologize to my many liberal friends if they “feel the burn” from my letter.
Doug Meyers,
Glenwood Springs
Use every resource possible to send RMR packing
Greg Dangler’s guest commentary in the Feb. 18 Aspen Daily News poses the question: “Who can we trust In Glenwood Springs.” I would ask the same question of Greg Dangler and his well-connected partners from Denver to Beverly Hills — “Who in your well-connected group should our community trust, and why?”
Rocky Mountain Resources proposes increasing the 23 acre quarry to 321 acres. A quarry that size would dwarf the massive rock/gravel quarry one sees immediately east of Idaho Springs on the way to Denver. Is that the vista we want to see on the north edge of Glenwood Springs? What assurances does our community have that this massive quarry is not going to unalterably effect the hot springs that is so vital to Iron Mountain Hot Springs, The Glenwood Hot Springs and the Vapor Caves?
The current market value of limestone is $38 per ton. RMR proposes a $50 million underground conveyor system to move the limestone from the quarry to the railroad. Whose backyard is this conveyor system going to go through? Just to put this in perspective, RMR would have to sell 1.3 million tons of limestone at $38 per ton just to pay for the conveyor system. For visualization purposes, 65,000, 20 yard dump truck loads would be needed to move this amount of limestone.
In the 1970s Crested Butte faced a similar threat when AMAX proposed investing $2 billion in 1970s dollars to mine molydbdenum from Mt. Emmons. Led by the courageous and determined efforts of Mayor W. Mitchell and the citizens of Crested Butte, AMAX was denied their big money dreams and sent packing. Crested Butte was saved and Colorado is better for their efforts.
I implore mayor Jonathan Godes and the committed citizens of Glenwood Springs and Garfield county to channel W. Mitchell and use every resource possible to send RMR packing just like AMAX and save our community. What RMR is offering is not worth the risk to our community. Again, “Why Should We Trust You?”
Rob Snyder,
Glenwood Springs
More to farming that seed in dirt
I’ve grown gardens. But I just found out I could have been a farmer all this time! Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg said all you have to do is put a seed in dirt and give it water. And he’s a billionaire, so he must know.
I thought that being a successful farmer meant you had to know a lot about irrigating, planting and harvesting at the right time, keeping the soil healthy, developing a sixth-sense about weather, learning to keep machinery running (often with baling wire), risking your time and money on something weather could destroy, learning how to control insects and diseases, working long, back-breaking hours and more. I never knew you could just put a seed in dirt, give it some water, and watch the corn come up!
But that’s okay. I’m coming out of retirement to be a machinist. Bloomberg said that all you have to do is get a piece of metal and start the lathe turning. I can do that! Want a new crankshaft? Just give me a call!
Bruce Many,
Eckert
