More affordable housing

What is truly affordable housing for those in the low to lower middle income range? If you are earning from $35,000 to $80,000, it is not homes selling for $200,000 and more! Monthly mortgage payments, if you could qualify, would be impossible to afford on such a limited budget.

Our low to low middle income workers deserve far better treatment from the city and county instead of commuting from outside the city limits or renting for the rest of their lives. I have some creative ideas that have potential to provide more affordable housing.

1. The city could buy the empty St. Francis Hospital on Pikes Peak near downtown from its developer owner and repurpose it for affordable units. There is a bus route there to provide transportation for those without cars.

2. Purchase empty small shopping strip malls. There are many in the city. Divide these into apartments.

3. Repurpose closed schools for units. This is happening to Hunt Elementary. Schools are already set up for those with ADA needs and usually have kitchens, gyms and wide hallways.

4. Purchase old motels and hotels available for sale. Convert to affordable housing.

5. Ask existing high school carpentry programs to help build small homes, using students as the builders with an incentive of college scholarship money.

6. Require new housing developments, as a condition of approval, to include at least 10% of homes being affordable.

There are foundations and federal grants that provide low-cost loans to cities to build affordable homes.

As taxpayers and consumers of basic services, we all win when our low income and lower middle income wage earners can afford homes in our community.

John Hawk

Colorado Springs

Students’ names at school

On Dec. 15, Thomas Carey of the District 11 School Board wrote a column for The Gazette which he titled, “Returning public education to the public.”

He explained how the private interest of the CSEA teachers union differed from the public interest of the school district in educating students. Carey and the board majority of 6-1 concluded that in the public matter of public education, the interest of the private corporation CSEA should not have authority over the public interest.

When the Colorado Legislature created a “right” for students to force their teachers to call them by a name that is different from their name in the public record of the school, the Legislature authorized students — who are a private party — to force their private desire upon the public school in the public school setting.

Colorado school boards should come to the same conclusion as the D-11 school board. They should require their teachers — public employees carrying out their public role —to call their students only by the student’s name that is shown in the public record of the school.

Public schools that force their teachers to call a student by a name that the student prefers but is different from the student’s name in the public record are forcing their teachers to abandon their obligation to exercise their authority from the people over their students in the public setting of school to provide the orderly environment in which their students can learn.

James Sayler

Colorado Springs

Look past the obvious

Who watched the last season of “Yellowstone”? The Las Vegas coroner’s comments, along with the FBI SAIC, sound really similar to the Yellowstone TV show coroner — Yes this must have been a suicide. Of course in the TV show, John Dutton did not kill himself, he was targeted by professionals.

So this Green Beret, 10th Special Forces decorated soldier happens to go berserk and blow himself up after he shoots himself in his head? Does this not sound funny? The day before he is enjoying an online conversation with a former love?

I sincerely hope somebody looks past the obvious to make sure he wasn’t a false flag and target of opportunity for a serious terrorist act.

John Bender

Monument

Rebutting two letters

I always enjoy reading the letters to the editor, even once in awhile seeing one of mine. Recently, we had a couple of beauties.

“Lack of Emission Testing” from Mark Tillman.

Tillman is so concerned about breathing the “toxic air” that he keeps the air closed in his car! He wants to bring back emission testing to solve the toxic air problem. I hate to tell him, but testing didn’t end the brown cloud over Denver. New engine design solved it with cleaner burning efficient engines. All testing did was pad the pockets of unscrupulous testing station/garage owners.

“Definition of a Sociopath” from Craig Dean.

Dean knows that Donald Trump is a “convicted felon, sex offender, racist sympathizer, and habitual liar” and the results of his presidency will be “dire.” He forgot to mention the Nazi fascist bit. I can’t wait for those dire results such as a closed border, reduced inflation, lower gas prices and a strong military. Trump derangement syndrome is alive and well in some people.

Robert Bee

Colorado Springs