Boulder should create peace award for Trump

Watching the president receive the FIFA peace award has given me an idea. I would like to recommend that the city or county create an annual peace prize that could be awarded as part of the Bolder Boulder or the CU Buffs football team’s first home game. It’s a no-brainer that the first recipient should be President Trump. He has done so much to foster world peace. Clearly, it would be a “win-win.” It would honor our dear leader and go a long way toward ridding Boulder of its unfortunate reputation as a “progressive” city, or may I say, a leftist stronghold. I can only imagine that the president would be delighted. We could possibly make the event even more memorable and newsworthy by presenting the first lady with an award as well, perhaps one that celebrates her success as a white, European immigrant.

— Steve Koester, Boulder

Longmont must remove itself from FasTracks

It’s interesting to note a recent Denver Post story revealing RTD (Regional Transportation District) has an “emerging crisis” with its latest debt-ridden budget. This fact only exacerbates Longmont’s ongoing travesty of paying a FasTracks sales tax for decades with nothing to show for it.

Longmont taxpayers will have contributed nearly $109 million by the end of this year toward the 0.40% FasTracks sales tax that began in 2005. We can’t get this money back, it’s been spent on completing RTD train lines in the Denver metro area.

RTD director and board secretary Chris Nicholson states, “In the long term, we don’t have enough money to pay for service increases.” Then how in the world could RTD ever complete a commuter train line to Boulder and Longmont, costing at least an additional $650 million?

To further complicate matters, this past summer RTD entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the Front Range Passenger Rail District (FRPR) and other agencies to build a “starter service” for passenger rail between Denver and Fort Collins by 2029.

RTD would need to continue the 0.40% FasTracks sales tax to complete the Northwest Line and would very likely ask for more sales tax increases, considering its budget woes. On top of that, FRPR, also on a very tight budget, is planning its own sales tax increase with a ballot proposal currently scheduled for November 2026.

The total combined sales tax in Longmont will already be reaching an all-time high of 8.865% on Jan. 1, 2026. Do we really want to see it approaching 10% in the not-too-distant future with all these boondoggle rail projects? The city must remove itself from FasTracks in any way possible and vote down the new passenger rail proposal.

— Dave Larison, Longmont

After pandemic, students must get out there again

Even though the people of Boulder are five years removed from the COVID-19 pandemic, many now-young adults are still carrying the weight of its effects. Those of us who were aged 13 to 14 in 2020 are now entering adulthood, and I realize that many of us are still struggling with the social and emotional development that we missed out on during the shutdown years. Yet, we must not blame the past and instead recognize that the pandemic’s influence didn’t disappear when the schools reopened.

In an article discussing the importance of adolescent development, author Matt Donnelly notes, “Adolescents often navigate a complex landscape of self-concept, self-esteem, and identity information, all of which can fluctuate dramatically during transitions.” It is already difficult to struggle with these aspects alone, but with the pandemic decreasing the number of opportunities to interact with others, it is not surprising that many adolescents fell into habits of isolation and anxiety. Many still find that these traits are surprisingly hard to shake, even years later. With this added layer, and mental health concerns already at a high in Boulder, we must find a solution — and it lies in every person who was affected.

If you still feel anxious to connect with your roommate, new people or even with your classes, you have the power to change that. I implore you to push yourself to step out of your comfort zone, meet new people and expose yourself to new situations. Join clubs and sports teams, go to that local community event on the Hill or even ask a classmate a simple question.

The important thing is, put yourself out there. How do you expect to swim if you won’t even allow yourself to get in the water?

— Griffin Mahoney, CU Boulder student