Prisoners are being punished
Respectfully, I must disagree with Patrick Condon. People in jail are awaiting trial. 2020 saw some terrible postponements of fair trials due to COVID-19 but that is not happening now. They are likely criminals, and getting mail could potentially include things not meant to be mailed. Committing a crime does not give you the right to have the same privileges as law abiding citizens.
I worked at a book store and you can not buy a book and send to a jail or prison. It has to come directly from the publisher. Not getting mail is not the same as being denied food, or the ability to have hygiene.
There simply is not enough staff at our jails to personally inspect mail coming in. If you want to write a letter, and include a picture, deliver it personally and not in an envelope so the understaffed jail employees know it is legitimate. I didn’t give my daughters a book to read when they were in time out. They were being punished for bad behavior.
Trish Beyer
Colorado Springs
Misuse of government agency
I am disturbed by many of the actions taking place in the Biden administration. Another example appeared in our mailbox recently. We received a letter from the IRS. I always open and do not discard a letter from the IRS, as is the case with most people. But inside was a self-promotional letter on White House letterhead from President Joe Biden. Under the cover of asking if we had received our $2,800 in free money from him, the letter goes on to promote the American Rescue Plan and some of its component like aid for small business, child tax credits, school reopening funds, unemployment insurance extension and the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare in the vernacular). It is a campaign letter.
None of this has anything to do with the IRS. It is a total misuse of this agency of government.
It makes the IRS look like an arm of the Democratic Party and eliminates any trust in the operations of the agency and those who now administer it. Being from Chicago I recognize the politicization of all aspects of government. After just 100 days, this appears in our national government. Campaign letters should not be sent from such government agencies.
The letter was timed to arrive at just the time that the president was scheduled to give his address to Congress. This just wrong, corrupt, but appears to be a new standard we are seeing in this somewhat disorganized and non-transparent administration.
Raymond Willis
Colorado Springs
All this Woke nonsense
In this world of political correctness and the Woke society it is hard to see how comedians can write or tell any jokes without offending somebody, on stage or off.
It’s funny how history repeats itself. In the 1950’s closed minded conservatives banned Lenny Bruce and his on-stage comedy routines because they were thought to be too controversial and his language too obscene. He was censured because of his views, even though he was only making fun of everyday Americans, conservative politicians and conservative politics. His thoughts were too offensive for the puritan conservative people of that day. Face it, he was just ahead of his time.
Today’s liberals are not much better when it comes to censorship. Twitter bans everyday conservative Americans for having a conservative viewpoint, even if civil language is used. The liberal Twitter Police are as bad as the conservative moral police who banned Bruce. I guess paybacks are hell.
In the 1970s, Mel Brooks made fun of people of all ethnicities, Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Irish, and Native Americans. He also made fun of most religions and ethnic races in his movies. And he committed the sin of all sins, he made fun of the gay community. He wouldn’t get away with that today.
Today Mel Brooks would be labeled a racist, homophobe or worse, for writing and directing the movie Blazing Saddles. In today’s Woke society, even though his movies were funny, he would be censored and ran out of Hollywood on a rail.
In the 1970’s, people were not as thin skinned as they are today.
Everyone made fun of each other because they all knew it was just humor. Today lawsuits and corporate sponsors are involved. Boycotts, protests and possible riots would ensue if anyone attempted to make a movie that provocative. Mel Brooks would have been fired, just for writing something funny.
Humor as we knew it a few years ago is an ancient art form. Now a white male comedian can only make fun of other white males. If the comedian makes fun of a race or gender other than his own, he risks being called a racist.
Maybe humor will just die off in the new Woke age.
We need to get back to the Blazing Saddles age again and forget all this Woke nonsense. Its just humor. We need to make Lenny and Mel proud.
Steve Darnell
Colorado Springs
Effective debate and negotiation
I just finished reading in Sunday’s Gazette about the use of Quadratic Voting (QV) in our state legislature in the preparation of budget allocation amongst competing bills.
I am already uncomfortable with the growing dominance of a liberal political majority in this country that doesn’t like to flex for conservative opposition to their proposals. I’m shocked that the minority in our state legislature hasn’t called “foul ball.” Can we be sure QV is not just another way to overpower the minority via substitution?
It looks to me like this scheme to substitute numbers and gaming principles for debate, reason and logic and a genuine search for the common welfare should be replaced by a better search for effective debate and negotiation.
Charles Hotchkiss
Colorado Springs