Who will save democracy?

Who will save America from another Trump kakistocracy? (Look it up.) My hope is that voters in these following groups will “step up” for democracy!

Young people would seem to be highly unfavorable toward Republican policies. They support gay marriage, gender choice, reduction of student debt and fair housing practices. Young people want lifestyle choices and options, and progressive policies support these. The only question with young voters is, will they turn out?

How about women? Women make up over half of voters, and they have much to lose in a Trump presidency. Trump supports a nationwide abortion ban, and Republicans want women returned to a role of submission and child-rearing (no childless cat ladies). Equal pay for women always suffers during a Republican administration. Plus, how could a woman support a candidate who openly brags about grabbing their genitalia and getting away with it?

Studies show that highly educated people are the least likely to vote for Trump. They support progressive agendas including increased aid for underprivileged students, college education assistance, and government-funded research and development.

Republicans demonize well-educated Americans as elitists and celebrate ignorance as being a virtue. The highly educated population is not a majority, but they will show up at the polls.

What about immigrants and their descendants, especially Hispanics? Hispanics make up the largest non-white segment of the U.S. population. Trump has criticized Hispanic immigrants as anti-American and spreading “bad genes” into the U.S. population. How can immigrants and their families possibly support this kind of racist candidate?

America needs these groups of people to show up and vote for Harris/Walz, to save the USA from the gravest threat to democracy since the Civil War.

— Bob Breyer, Niwot

Be a hero with a single vote

Heroes can come in many forms. From administering CPR to simply stooping to help a child. Maybe in this moment, right now, a hero can come with a single vote. Even if you are a devout Republican man, start over.

Just this once vote blue and be a hero to the Constitution of the United States and to every woman in your life and flush the cancer called Trump, with his chaos and his unfathomable hatred of women, from your party. Just this once vote blue and be a hero with a single vote.

— Jim Clark, Broomfield

Listen to the biologists and follow the science

The opponents of Proposition 127 are trying to confuse and deceive the voters with signs that sound animal-friendly but are not.

If you care about science, Vote “yes,” as Prop 127 has the support of wildlife biologists across the country who agree that the killing of these animals is cruelty, not management.

Thank you to the Commissioners from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission who recently announced their support of Proposition 127. The CPW Commission is the governing body that sets policy on wildlife for all citizens across the beautiful state of Colorado. An opinion authored by several Commissioners stated, “Prop 127 is based on not a little, but more than a half-century of the best science as evidence for commissioners to confidently tell the voters that lion populations will stabilize, not increase, without hunting.”

The Commissioners report that the scientific consensus is that mountain lion populations do not ever need to be trophy hunted because populations naturally balance themselves based on environmental factors.

That list includes Dan Ashe, the long-time director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the nation’s top wildlife manager. And Elaine Leslie, PhD, Chief of Biological Resources for the National Park Service.

If we don’t listen to the biologists then we fail to follow science. Follow the science and vote “yes” on Prop 127!

— Maya Key, Boulder

America is caught in a dangerous debt spiral

The federal deficit for FY 2024 exceeded $1.8 Trillion. The interest on the national debt has surpassed defense spending. The trade deficit remains near an all-time high. For the first time in history, the U.S. became a net food importer in 2023. This isn’t a partisan issue. It’s taken at least 50 years or so to get here. No matter what happens in the upcoming election this trend will continue. It’s a debt spiral. In order to service an enormous debt, you need to borrow more, which increases the deficit, and inflation, which increases interest rates, which requires even more borrowing, and so on. This causes wealth inequality because interest payments on the debt transfers tax-payer dollars to bond investors. The situation seems irresolvable. But for a solution that God gave to the Israelites 3,500 years ago. According to Deuteronomy Chapter 15, every 7 years debts are to be cancelled. I’d like to see a Trump rally where he reads this passage from a copy of his “God Bless The USA” Bible.

— Tom Chapin, Lyons