Introducing Friends of Falcon

The Falcon area was once known as a quiet, rural community but after remarkable growth, it is now better known as a unique and harmonious mix of rural and urban lifestyles. Continuing to grow while maintaining that balance will be challenging. In light of this, volunteers formed a new nonprofit organization called Friends of Falcon to promote the Falcon area and to help preserve its identity. The group hopes to achieve three objectives: foster and preserve a strong sense of community and build resiliency; advocate for responsible development; and attract needed businesses and services.

With continued growth and a permissive political atmosphere for new housing, advocating for responsible development will not be easy. But it is important to note that the organization’s stance on “responsible development” does not mean to stop all growth. Instead, it simply means development should balance the rights of existing homeowners with the developer’s desires. Such compromise is often rare, but is not out of reach. It can be achieved through actions like incorporating meaningful density transitions and building needed infrastructure from the outset rather than putting the burden on the county to build it out later.

To learn about Friends of Falcon and how to get involved, visit TheFriendsOfFalcon.org

Kevin Curry

Falcon

Start asking questions, now

Thanks for the relief! I wanted to thank the Colorado Legislature and the governor for their help and concern with the issue we will face paying our 2023 property taxes in 2024. They obviously rushed to get this done by the end of the session and just made it. Whew.

The early information is confusing to me — what did our leaders actually do? They did give us Prop HH. If we accept it, everyone gets TABOR tax money that we are owed back to help offset property taxes. I am not certain but if we don’t pass HH, don’t we get this same money back?

Need more information, but it sure seems like our leaders waited until the last minute because they did not need much time for their solution to the tax property tax problem.

I am curious as to what exactly Prop HH really does for the state. Suspect we will find out more as the press digests they end-of-session events. Are there pitfalls similar to the repeal of the Gallagher amendment? What happens in years when TABOR surpluses are less and our property values stay the same or increase. I can’t wait to find out.

At least our government thought through this issue, openly discussed their solution and gave the taxpayers time to understand and interact with our representatives in the government.

Hopefully, everyone will start asking questions, now and continue until the next session.

George Towner

Colorado Springs

An unjust law

I am writing today in response to the opinion piece titled, “The hard left favoring criminals over children” to commend The Gazette for reporting and shining the light on what our progressive legislators are doing and to condemn these actions, their opposition to House Bill 1135. Had they supported this bill, indecent exposure would have become a Class 6 felony. But instead of protecting children, they chose to protect the perversion of indecent exposure/masturbation in front of children. They showed more concern for the perpetrator than the victims, our children. This is heartless legislative negligence, which they continually do without remorse or accountability.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention preventing “Adverse childhood experiences” (ACEs), leads to improved adult health. Adverse childhood experiences “are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood and adolescence”. In addition, ACE exposure has been connected with poor academic performance, poor health outcomes, and certain diseases. The CDC also notes females and several racial/ethnic minority groups are at greater risk of experiencing one or more ACEs. “Ideas have consequences, bad ideas have victims” (John Stonestreet, president of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview). Our Democratic, progressive legislators are willfully putting children at risk, victimizing them for their own agenda.

My husband and I volunteered weekly for several years in a prison where 75% of the men were sex offenders. Most had probably themselves been victims of “Adverse Childhood Experiences,” which placed them at high risk of becoming sex offenders. I get it, I have seen this from many angles. At least in prison, they were able to get some help/counseling.

I volunteer in the area of domestic minor sex trafficking. I see minor survivors of sexual exploitation weekly. Society does not help anyone if they remove restraint and accountability from the perpetrators. A slap on the wrist is not the answer. Their choices, as adults, should not place our children or our communities at risk, not only to exposure but also to potentially more serious sexual assault. Martin Luther King, in his famous letter from the Birmingham jail, said it best, “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law, or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.”

It is time to reset the moral compass of this state. This is an unjust law!

Wendy Smith

Colorado Springs

Long overdue convention center

A $35 million year-round outdoor amphitheater. I have doubts about sitting in 10 degree weather with 6 inches of snow on the seats (yes, I’m sure they’ll sweep or shovel off the snow)? Remind me again about where the Colorado Springs year-round indoor convention center is. Is it too late to put the $35 million toward the long overdue convention center? Isn’t Colorado Springs the only Front Range city without its own convention center?

Charles Reed

Colorado Springs

‘What, me worry’?

Alfred E. Newman of Mad Magazine more than once said “What me worry”. I would have to say the same thing. After all, our federal government and politicians are looking after our best interests by concerning themselves with dishwashers, gas stoves, reparations, EVs, gender reassignment and a host of other nonrelevant issues to the average American citizen. Let’s put aside the border, inflation, ever increasing taxes, Ukraine, China, crime, the homeless, Social Security issues, and the ever increasing debt. Their solution, just throw more money at it. So I say “What me worry!”

Dennis Trombetta

Colorado Springs