Shaw: Let’s try democracy again in Aspen

To answer Mr. Blumenthal, you write “the airport is already a safe facility.” You all forget Merv Griffin’s aircraft, regular-sized business jet that tried to abort a takeoff, lost control, and swerved onto the private aircraft ramp, crashing into two other aircraft. With great luck, there was not a group of passengers on that ramp nor a fireball. Lucky that it didn’t veer earlier and crash into a fully-loaded United aircraft or into the terminal itself, nor did it horribly crash into the private terminal. How many times do we read about aircraft losing a landing gear or losing control on the ice and veering off the runway? With the limited buffer zone between the runway and disaster, it is amazing that more crashes into the north side of the runway occur. FAA doesn’t give a darn about the size of the aircraft landing here, their wingspan, nor the number of people. They are concerned about safety to avoid disasters like the Merv Griffin/Sally Field’s crash. We can move the runway for additional safety for all of us and still restrict wingspan.

To Neil B Siegal, Entrance to Aspen. You write that Richards is subverting “voter rights.” Quote “Richards would deny the vote on any new highway.” I’ve been in Aspen and this valley for 40 years. As far as I can remember, there have been around 25 separate votes on the entrance. Every time, the losing side puts up the arguments that you bring up, get out their checkbooks and lawyers, threaten the board, and subvert the election. Not exactly a democracy when the wealthy get involved and disagree with election results. If we had simply followed the winning vote, we would have had an efficient Entrance to Aspen 30 years ago. We used to have a city of “we’s” — we face this problem, and we will fix it. Now it’s all “I’s” and “you’s” — this is the problem I face, and this is how you are going to fix it for me. Way too many I’s and a noticeable lack of we’s. Let’s try democracy again in Aspen.

J.A. Shaw

Carbondale