Flag stands for great nation

When we stand and pledge allegiance to our flag, I can help but wonder just how many of you think about that flag. The many places it’s been and the things that it has seen. It’s the same flag that Betsy Ross stitched together so many years ago. Oh, we’ve added some stars and sad to say we have also added some scars. But it is still the same flag (our flag) and stands for all the things that has our nation great.

It has survived two world wars, it has been burned in the streets in protest. It has been to the moon. And it has covered those who have died defending its name. It has witnessed war in many far away lands. Still it stands strong and proud. It tells the world, “Everyone has the right to be free.”

Jerry Proctor

Colorado Springs

No one need to be offended

In regard to the football players who refuse to stand during our national anthem, why don’t the coaches require them to remain in the locker room and sit on their behinds there while the anthem is being played. That way no one is offended – them or the crowd. It would be interesting to see the crowd’s reaction when they come out to the field once the anthem is over.

Mary Montie

Colorado Springs

Dangerous crossing near college

On Monday evening Sept. 12, I had reason to renew a weekly drive up and down Nevada between First Methodist and Pulpit Rock Church. The unguarded crosswalks near Colorado College leapt back into my consciousness. The potential for a serious accident is obvious. Light rain was falling, cars were going about the speed limit, young people were crossing. It was hard to see! The tiny lights don’t even make the crosswalks visible. I understand overpasses and underpasses are expensive. But at least a flashing light when pedestrians are present cannot be that expensive. Something is needed before it is too late.

Gerald Givens

Falcon

No help for the ‘revenue stream’

OK, I’m not an M.D., but it is obvious to anyone (well, anyone who’s being intellectually honest) that Hillary Clinton is not well … and it’s not “pneumonia.” Her malady/maladies has/have been on public display for some time now.

Is there really no one around her who cares enough about this woman, this mother, this wife, this grandmother, to immediately get her to a hospital room, to have her receive treatment for whatever it is that is wrong with her?

Are her numerous sycophants so ambitious that they are willing to sacrifice her well-being and perhaps her life for their own ends? Hmmm…

It reminds me of the lyrics of the Pink Floyd song, “Comfortably Numb,” alluding to an amoral agent that will do anything (including heavily drugging his client) to keep his client (read: “revenue stream”) producing for him on a grueling concert tour: “Can you stand up? I do believe it’s working good. That’ll keep you going through the show – C’mon, it’s time to go!”

Sound familiar?

Will someone, anyone who cares about this woman do the right thing, and remove her from the campaign trail and get her into treatment, before it kills her? Probably not.

And it was ever thus.

John Erskine

Colorado Springs

Lacking values-based leadership

The story is all too familiar by now. In an effort to meet their targets, Wells Fargo employees created over 2 million fake bank and credit card accounts from which they charged various fees. While the fees were real, the fraudulent accounts were never authorized by the owners.

Companies set targets without being mindful of how those targets might elicit unintended unethical behaviors – behaviors that are inconsistent with their core values. In bold letters under the heading, “Vision and Values”, Wells Fargo CEO, John Stumpf, states on the company website, “Everything we do is built on trust. It doesn’t happen with one transaction, in one day on the job or in one quarter. It’s earned relationship by relationship.” Well, it seems like Wells Fargo disregarded its relationship with millions of its customers.

Regulators are blaming the bank for not having tighter controls and oversight on employees’ behavior. But I seriously question if loose controls were the culprit. It seems like what was lacking was values-based leadership at the helm of this Wall Street behemoth. Research by myself and others demonstrates that the best leaders are those who not only emphasize meeting goals but also emphasize how those goals are met; for a values-based leader, a goal is only important to the extent that the company’s values are upheld in the process. Yes, setting goals is important for keeping employees motivated. But if those goals are achieved at the expense of the company’s values, then the achievement is more than shallow – it’s a major blemish to the company’s public image and trust.

Values-based leadership means that values are not just words but are translated into actions – actions including how targets are set and monitored. Targets are meant to be won or achieved. But in this situation, everyone involved – employees, the company, the customers, the banking industry – is a loser.

Jennifer Jordan

Lausanne, Switzerland

Vance Court is smiling

Thank you to Corey Farkas, Colorado Springs Streets Division manager, and all his workers for paving Vance Court. In many places, our street was reduced to gravel and broken chunks of asphalt. Farkas’ team arrived and gave us back our street. Residents responded with clapping and donuts. Parents and grandparents brought their little ones out on the lawn to watch the heroes in the big trucks. Vance Court is smiling. Our kids can ride their bikes without fear of wiping out on the loose stones. Our street looks pristine and well cared for.

Thank you, road workers, for coming to our rescue and demonstrating that every street in Colorado Springs, even a very short one, is important to you.

Marlene LeFever

Colorado Springs