Letters: Staff is invested in improving RTD performance, safety

Staff is invested in improving RTD performance, safety

Re: “Do RTD bosses arrive late to work?” June 19 letter to the editor

The recent safety concerns causing slowdowns on RTD’s southeast rail line have been very difficult for riders, so the recent letter questioning whether RTD’s managers use RTD themselves to go to work is understandable. The letter reflects concern that RTD’s managers don’t know or don’t care about how well the system is performing.

Nothing can be further from the truth.

I retired as RTD’s general counsel in 2020 after 30 years with the district. I still know many RTD employees, including many of its top managers. While I was with RTD, most, if not all, of RTD’s top managers and board members rode RTD to and from work every day — from the general manager on down. I used an RTD rail line to go to work every day, even when I had to ride home near midnight. I have no reason to believe that this longstanding ethos has changed since I retired.

RTD’s recent slowdowns on its southeast rail line are very distressing to all, and I can assure you that RTD’s managers and employees are deeply concerned about this situation every waking moment. I know these fine, hardworking people well, and I am certain they are working as hard as anyone possibly can to keep RTD running safely while they fix the issues so that the entire system will again run on time.

Rolf Asphaug, Centennial

Carbon tax could help keep our homes insurable

Re: “Some kind of carbon tax is coming to America, like it or not,” June 16 commentary and ” ‘Uninsurable future?’ As insurers bleed cash from climate shocks, homeowners lose,” June 16 news story

Insurance companies are pulling back and pulling out across the nation, not just in Colorado, as reported by the New York Times. Stronger windstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires, all made stronger and more frequent by climate change, are driving increases in insurance rates and deductibles or else making home insurance simply unavailable. And Colorado is not alone. As the contagion of unaffordable home insurance spreads across the U.S., we must address the root cause of the problem — climate change.

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What a coincidence that a solution supported by economists and many governments is overdue for adoption, as noted by a Bloomberg columnist in the same issue of The Denver Post. Yes, we are indeed overdue for a carbon tax and a tariff on imported carbon-intensive goods. The author fails to mention that a carbon rebate would compensate U.S. taxpayers for the effect of a carbon tax; for most low and middle-income people, the rebate would more than offset increased costs of carbon-based fuels. A carbon tax would further spur the replacement of our carbon-based energy infrastructure with energy from renewable sources. It is time to tax carbon before we are completely unable to insure our homes.

Phil Nelson, Golden

Lawmakers legislate religion in Louisiana

Re: “Scripture reference must be displayed in Louisiana classrooms under new law,” June 20 news story

When will lawmakers realize that trying to legislate religion and morality doesn’t work? Both are personal decisions and making a law doesn’t change one’s beliefs.

Linda McGrath, Lakewood

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