Focus on what Springs needs

I appreciate the attempt city leaders and developers are making to provide affordable living in Colorado Springs.

When I saw the story about the Union Printers’ Home in Thursdays Gazette, my hope rose that the plan might be to reinvent that historic space as an option to ease the needs for low-income housing.

Perhaps it’s been considered and I missed it. The UPH is situated near downtown with medical/mental health/access to transportation/entertainment/various other services and potential employment nearby for individuals who need a place to live, in or near downtown, though aren’t able to afford the current trend in downtown housing.

The idea of mixed use space isn’t necessarily bad. Can we please focus on that which Colorado Springs is in most need?

Su-Su Sawyer

Colorado Springs

Demand for government services

TABOR, like all “Starve the Beast” measures, was doomed to fail, because the idea that one can restrict the growth of government by limiting tax revenues is deeply flawed. The size of government is determined by the demand for services and isn’t really driven by the amount of revenue available or anticipated. When a shortage of revenue threatens to curtail a service that is in demand, the government simply finds another method to fund its activities.

This is, if you think about it, the same way that you and I behave. Do I save enough money to pay cash for the new car I want? No! I finance the purchase with a car loan.

When you bought your house, did you wait until you could pay cash for it? Of course not! You secured a mortgage loan. Thus, the amount of house you could buy was increased by the amount that a bank would lend you.

Whenever we want something and don’t have enough money to pay for it, we pull out one of our credit cards. The same is true for the government. If tax revenue won’t cover the cost of road construction, we issue revenue bonds. If property taxes don’t raise enough to cover our expenses, we can increase the sales tax. If TABOR prevents us from buying something we really want, we vote for an exception to the millage limits.

The only way to shrink the government is to stop demanding some of the services it provides. The same is true for us. The only way to shrink my stomach is to decide not to have another slice of pie.

Glenn A. Knight

Colorado Springs

An extraordinary nation

As a lifelong lover of music, I was struck by a recent Wall Street Journal piece on Irving Berlin. Born in Russia in 1888, he arrived in America in 1893 as a five-year-old immigrant who spoke no English. Yet within a few years, his extraordinary musical gifts emerged, and he went on to shape the American songbook in a way few others ever have. Like Cole Porter, Berlin was among the rare composers who wrote both lyrics and music, leaving us with timeless works that continue to define our cultural heritage.

Reflecting on Berlin’s life feels especially important today, when criticizing America has become fashionable in some circles. Too often, these critics speak from comfort and ignorance. They have never witnessed the harsh realities faced by millions across Asia, Africa, and South America—people who would give anything for the opportunities we take for granted. If more Americans understood what life is like elsewhere, their eagerness to disparage this country might fade quickly.

Berlin never indulged in that kind of cynicism. He loved his adopted homeland without hesitation. His patriotic hymn God Bless America is not just a song—it is a declaration of gratitude from someone who knew firsthand what it meant to find refuge, dignity, and possibility in the United States. Its opening plea for God to “stand beside her and guide her” reflects a sincerity that resonates even more powerfully today.

Whether we pause to acknowledge it or not, we live in an extraordinary nation—one that offered Berlin a home, a future, and the freedom to create. We would do well to remember his example and feel as blessed as he did.

Erik Lessing

Monument

How to participate

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