GOP state Sen. Bob Rankin risking lives
The COVID-19 crisis has impacted all as it has made its way through our state, our nation and our world. Organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization have recommended good hygiene and practices such as social distancing. The number of known coronavirus cases in the U.S. has grown to an unprecedented 115,000-plus and shows no signs of stopping there. This being the case, stricter measures were necessary. The best-known initiative in Colorado was Gov. Jared Polis’ mandatory stay-at-home order.
That order restricts everyone to stay home unless they need for necessary trips or they fall into the overworked and underpaid “essential worker” category.
However, in a climate where partisan politics always seems to make its way to the surface, there are dissenters to Polis’ stay-at-home order. Fourteen of the 16 Republicans in the state Senate, including Bob Rankin of District 8, signed a letter expressing their distaste for Polis’ mandate. The letter expressing disapproval of Polis’ statewide order cited “heavy-handed government power” and “disconnect between the impact at the city and rural levels.”
As a former two-term Eagle County commissioner, I feel a connection to the outbreak among the constituents I once served, with 182 cases more than either Vietnam, Cuba or Venezuela.
The 14 GOP senators who object to the stay-at-home order are putting our residents, doctors, nurses and the entire health care system in gave danger. During this unprecedented outbreak, it’s important that we consider everyone’s well-being when making decisions about how to keep us all healthy and safe — partisanship aside.
Arn Menconi
Carbondale
Candidate for State Senate District 8
Clean energy next
It is comforting to see that we have the infrastructure in place to move our planet’s inhabitants to act in unison, toward a common goal.
Given good information and wise leadership we can even act to reduce our CO2 plague, as we have in the past few weeks, but with a thriving, vibrant economy installing and maintaining a clean energy infrastructure. Just a matter of time now.
John Hoffmann
Carbondale
How to improve senior shopping hour
I went to City Market Friday morning for Senior Hour. I was very concerned and stressed and thus make the following suggestions.
While CM has limited the number of shoppers in the store to 75, consider lowering that to 50 please. People are everywhere with 75 there.
If you are a couple or a family, please only one person do the shopping. It protects you and others to have fewer people out.
If you could be my great-grandchild or my grandchild, please do not come at this special time unless you are a caregiver. If you are a caregiver, you will be with someone and not be alone.
The aisles are always about 6 feet wide. Please let shoppers and the store make them one way. This way we do not have to be closer than 6 feet. You cannot pass someone in an aisle and still have a 6 foot clearance. You just cannot.
Do not stand in the middle of an aisle and casually read your shopping list. You block others from going down that aisle and you are not shopping, you are reading. Please move to another spot.
Do not stand close behind someone in the checkout lane. The carts are not six feet long.
Just because grocery shopping is something we all have and do and will continue to do, please do not think that now it is done the way it was done in the past. It is not. Please be aware and conscious of others and careful. Too many shoppers in the store were simply on autopilot. I get it, but it is time to be awake.
Continue to lobby City Market to support its employees with masks and gloves for their safety and ours. I wish we had grocery store choices, but we do not. There is no excuse for the City Market/Kroger corporation not to protect both employees and customers with protective gear.
We can do this — please do this. In protecting yourself you protect me and all others.
Cheryl Cain
Glenwood Springs