Recipe for injuries

How is a motorcycle different than a bicycle in traffic and new lane filtering?

Colorado law states a bicyclist must be given three feet of room from the passing vehicle. Yet, a motorized set of handlebars (motorcycle) does not require such distance for safety and this is on either side, not just one.

In an environment of vehicles in differing lane center positions, rear view mirror different positions, extensions and flexibility, there is not predictability for anyone.

This is a recipe for avoidable injuries, damages and deaths in our state. How this sort of recklessness comes to bear that benefits so few who will bear the brunt of pain and suffering is really a reflection of our lost legislative priorities.

Grant Bayless

Loveland

Safety of athletes

The recent Perspective, “Drowning in Abuse,” highlights the ongoing need to address abuse and misconduct in sport. However, it fails to acknowledge any progress made toward sport culture change and centering athlete wellbeing.

As the first national, independent organization of its kind in the world, U.S. Center for SafeSport is pioneering a culture shift within the Olympic and Paralympic Movement. The Center has provided training to nearly 4 million individuals on how to recognize, prevent, and respond to abuse, and we currently list more than 2,100 names of those who are restricted or banned from sport on our public Centralized Disciplinary Database—a novel tool for parents, youth-serving organizations, and employers.

More and more athletes, coaches and parents are speaking out when they see toxic and harmful behaviors because they understand the rules, and they know there is recourse. Exponential growth in reports of abuse and misconduct—up more than 2,500% since we opened our doors in 2017—is evidence of this.

While it is encouraging that people are coming forward with their stories, we know the road ahead to eradicating abuse in sport is long and difficult. The greatest hurdle we face is a lack of resources. There is widespread consensus that the Center’s static funding is inadequate to meet the growing demand, so we renew our call to Congress to increase funding by $10 million annually. The safety of the nation’s athletes is too important to shortchange.

Ju’Riese Colón

Denver

Par for the course

I live near Conifer, Colorado, where I shop at the King Soopers all the time. If I get there before 9:30 am, the meat counter for customer orders is closed, employees are still trying to fill display cases with product. The store opens at 6:00 am. When I need grass fed beef, I always wait until 10:00 am, transporting myself, to ensure employees are behind the meat counter. Many times I have to ring the bell for service. I flagged a checkout employee about the late opening of the meat department, she apologized, said “I’m sorry” and left it at that.

Merging multiple food supply houses is monopolistic and will only cause prices to rise continually. Par for the course, in today’s world.

Patrick Kelley

Morrison

Issue is banning hunting

Voters in November will be asked to become biologists and decide if all hunting of mountain lion, bobcat, and lynx should be forever prohibited. If you want the pros at CPW, many with advanced degrees in wildlife biology, to manage these cat species. If you want credible science to guide wildlife management decisions. If you want wildlife policies and regulation to be overseen by the Wildlife Commission, a citizen board appointed by the Governor and designed to be responsive to broad community interests, then you should vote no!

The proponents of this issue (Prop 91) tell you it is about protecting these cats. No, it is about banning hunting. They tell you it will stop hunting them just as trophies. No, it will ban all hunting. They tell you it will stop the inhumane ways of hunting them. Again, it will ban all hunting.

Some facts: Lynx are already protected by the very agency that brought them back.

Harvested lion meat must be cared for same as deer or elk meat. It is illegal to kill a lion just for a trophy. That word is included in the ballot issue to deceive you or to tug on you for an emotional response. There are many times more lions in Colorado now, than before 1965 they were declared big game animals and regulated hunting was begun. There is no credible science that can show regulated hunting is a threat to lion or bobcat populations.

CPW has scientific management guidelines, evaluated every year to determine if harvest objectives for lions and bobcats are being achieved. Analysis is conducted by professional wildlife scientists with decades of experience.

I was Colorado’s carnivore biologist for 17 years before retiring and I developed the guidelines that CPW pros have improved greatly improved since then. Vote no.

Jerry Apker

Monte Vista

Measure impacts entire state

My name is Cory Gaines. I was not born on the Eastern Plains but I call it my home now. Many of the people I am friends with out here are involved in agriculture and many of them are concerned over the Prohibition of Slaughterhouses ballot measure which you’ll be voting on this November. You should be too.

By collecting only about 9000 signatures, the advocates behind this bill are hoping to capitalize on the same kind of sentiment that allowed urban voters to narrowly pass a measure that has already proven to be horribly divisive and harmful to those involved in agriculture and tourism in the Western parts of our state.

If it passes this measure will end an employee-owned business which has had its doors open for generations in Denver, but that’s not all. You have to understand that individual businesses are not discrete entities which stand alone. Behind Superior Farms (the target of this initiative) are families that grow the lambs, families that produce feed, families that fix the mechanical equipment of those that grow the lambs, and on and on.

Small wonder that my friends are nervous about this measure: if it passes it will not just hurt those people in Denver, it will not just hurt those that grow lambs. It will hurt the entire state.

Please vote no on this measure. Please reach out to friends and relatives in Denver and urge them to vote no as well. Let’s not repeat the same kind of error made with wolves. Your fellow Coloradans who do not get a voice in this matter, yet who will be affected by it, are depending on you.

Cory Gaines

Sterling