Public School’s Faulty Inspection Program
Editor:
The Public School Inspection program has been in housed with the Department of Labor and Employment’s Division of Oil and Public Safety for over forty years. However, in recent years the ever-increasing number of school construction projects, coupled with inadequate funding for the program, has resulted in an untenable situation that was brought to light by a recent state audit.
The audit found problems and inadequacies surrounding Colorado’s school inspection program, findings that surprised and troubled lawmakers and state officials. The audit outlined a variety of administrative failures but underlying all of the failures – as is often the case – was a lack of proper funding to get the job done right.
After Governor Ritter appointed me executive director of the Department of Labor and Employment, I spent time learning about the agency and assessing its merits as well as its areas for improvement. I began to recognize that funding shortfalls had left the school inspection program in a bad state, grinding away in low gear for many years, trying to meet a staggering volume of work.
This new administration is committed to putting a full-court press on in addressing the problems and ensuring codes are enforced. It is simply too important to wait for further deliberations, lengthy reviews or dissection of past mistakes to be completed. While moving toward a long-term solution, we have already made strides toward addressing immediate issues:
The Department of Labor and Employment has nearly completed the arduous process of reevaluating 150 school inspections from the past year throughout rural Colorado to confirm that codes have been met.
With the help of our Colorado Legislature, last session House Bill 06-1158 provided some additional funding that allowed us to raise the number of inspectors from one individual to two. That is still not enough, admittedly, but it is a start.
After our own internal audit uncovered problems with the school inspection process, we took action to hire a new manager for the public school inspection program with civil engineering experience to ensure that the program has more expertise in that office than was previously available to us.
We are making progress and we certainly have the talent to build a first class operation. Oil and Public Safety Division director Dick Piper and his staff have created an oil inspection program that has been the recipient of numerous national awards for excellence. Together, he and his team will work to replicate that same level of excellence in the public school inspection program.
The state auditors told us that “the Division’s oversight of public school construction projects … needs to be overhauled” and I agree. They suggested a number of options for us including contracting with qualified inspection agencies to augment our own resources, requiring schools to obtain inspections by an independent third-party inspector, and delegating the responsibility for inspections to local building departments.
The Division of Oil and Public Safety has and will continue to work with school districts, fire marshals, contractors and architects from across the State to ensure schools are properly inspected, while we continue to examine and assess the structure of this program from top to bottom.
Donald J. Mares
Executive Director
Colorado Department of Labor and Employment
Denver, CO
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Black Federal Politicians Lose To Latino Representatives In Federal Funding
Editor:
We're out-numbered and out-represented. The Latinos are cleaning the Congressional Black Caucus' clock. The "economic-hog" carcass, traditionally left by whites for blacks, is being scarfed-up, by both legal and illegal Mexicans. I was simply stunned when CNN reported US Sen./US Rep. Salazar's were given $484K in federal farm subsidies. No black farmer can match this welfare because black farmers have been "vaporized" by our racist bankers and the feds. Until I'm told otherwise, the Salazar's also employ criminal illegal Mexicans to work their farms, and blacks are paying their wages too, and the Salazar's won't hire blacks to work on their farms (illegally displacing qualified American workers).
More than $14 billion in federal money has been spent in our T-REX (I-25/225 highway construction and light-rail), Fas Tracks (city train system), CBMS, and Fitzsimons redevelopment projects. Black disabled Vietnam veterans with their federal contracting and job preferences, were excluded from these Latino, Mormon, and white cash-cows. US Sen. Shamnesty Salazar (while state attorney general) laid the foundation for this "fleecing of blacks", a long time ago. Without a shot being fired, Salazar and the GOP engineered a slick Texas-style redistricting, in Northeast Denver, where illegal Mexicans actually registered and voted, thusly nullifying the black vote. For the first time in decades, there is "no" black representation on RTD's board of directors (13 whites/2 Latinos), and they control the purse strings in T-REX and Fas Tracks.
The Denver SBA office is a "cash-cow" for legal and criminal illegal Mexicans too. For the past 17 years, the CEO was always a Mexican in this office. Recently, the feds created a benefit for disabled military veterans, where the feds would "back" a $150K business loan (Patriots Express program) for disabled vets. I took the bait. I applied for this loan and this SBA office dispatched me to the Colorado Enterprise Fund (CEF). The CEF told me they would only loan me a measly "$25K". Smells like farming to me. They even went to the point ,of where they required me to expose more than $260K in my personal assets, for the $25K. Where is Bush's backing for Blacks, who served America, while he "cut and ran"? Heck! Where is Sen. Obama?
James J. Tenant
Centennial, CO
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Strong Prejudices, Wrong Assumptions Distort The Reality
Editor:
My daughter just completed her driver’s education program, so we (my wife and I) went with her last week to the DMV office to get her driving permit.
Because of new laws approved in Colorado a year ago regarding personal IDs (to stop any undocumented immigrant from getting a driver’s license), my daughter had to take her birth certificate, her Social Security card, her certificate of naturalization (citizenship), and her American passport with her, to prove she is who she says she is and that she is here legally.
In the meantime, I was ready to present a certificate signed by Adam and Eve, and some DNA tests, to show my daughter belong indeed to the human race. However, they told me there was no need to do it this time.
Unfortunately, my daughter did not receive her permit because, in spite of all the documents she presented, and in spite of being an American citizen, the DMV clerk said none of those IDs show that we (the parents) are legally in the country.
Of course, the clerk didn’t want to review our passports and certificates of naturalization. She “knew” we were “illegals.”
So, what’s the point of being an American citizen and obeying the law if you’re going to be discriminated and your rights are going to be violated because of how your parents look?
Francisco Miraval
Denver, CO
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Denver Black Arts Festival Thanks DUS
Editor:
On behalf of the Denver Black Arts Festival, I would like to thank the Denver Urban Spectrum for its tremendous support. We had a great turnout this year impart due to the great coverage we received in the Spectrum. I will be sending out information regarding the coverage you received as a result of your sponsorship.
Christina Childrey
DBAF PR Coordinator
Denver, CO
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Bill S. 625 May Overwhelm The FDA
Editor:
While some believe that giving the FDA regulatory authority over tobacco is long overdue, it could have a deadly impact on the Food and Drug Administration, who, based on its recent performance, isn't capable of managing its current responsibilities.
This bill, S. 625, could have a deadly impact on the Food and Drug Administration, who, based on its recent performance, isn't capable of managing its current responsibilities. Despite a clear mandate and a $2 billion budget, the FDA has proven itself unable to avoid or correct in a timely fashion nationwide outbreaks of e. coli contamination of lettuce and spinach; chemical poisoning of pet food; and deaths due to dangerous drugs previously approved by this very same agency.
The FDA's mandate calls for it to ensure the safety of the nation's entire food supply, as well as 11,000 drugs in the marketplace. The agency is overwhelmed and is buckling under the strain. The FDA told Congress they need more funding, more personnel and more authority to fulfill the currently defined mission. Dr. David Kessler, who led the agency from 1990-1997, testified, Simply put, our food safety system in this country is broken. We have no structure for preventing food borne illnesses."
With the FDA in such obvious crisis, we don’t believe it is in the best interest of seniors to promote legislation that would further burden the agency with regulatory responsibility for the massive tobacco industry. Congress should leave the FDA charter as is and find a way to make the FDA an effective guarantor of food and drug safety.
James Martin
Arlington, VA
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Alito Blows Off Service
Editor:
Those dang Edwards' 2-Americas. Judge Alito is a certified Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) felon (AWOLee, deserter and guilty of illegal separation and discharge). Alito got "7" years of college education (JD and undergraduate degrees) "free', courtesy of taxpayers (pimped and exploited). He joined the U.S. Army ROTC program, and as a result of his taxpayer "gifts", Alito incurred and "11" year active military obligation. In a move that probably made President Bush blush, Alito blew-off his military obligated service, under the "guise" of him being a federal law clerk.
America has dealt severely with blacks who broke our U.S. Selective Board military draft laws. Muhammad Ali was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for religious draft-evasion; however it was overturned by the Supreme Court. Ali's religious advisor, Elijah Muhammad, sought a religious draft deferment and he was rewarded with a 3 year federal prison sentence. Elijah's son, Wallace D. Muhammad, sought a military draft deferment and he too served 3 years in federal prison. Mitt Romney (dad in Nixon's cabinet), when NAM broke-out, Mitt broke for his Mormon mission. Federal law clerk isn't mentioned in the UCMJ. Therefore, Alito should serve three years in federal prison.
Barbara A. Shufford
Centennial, CO
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Reader Feels Initiative #36 A Rotten Egg
Editor:
I am so upset by this proposed Initiative, that it is hard for me to find the words to express myself.
The proposed inclusion in the Colorado Constitution that would define any fertilized egg as a person is clearly a move based on religious beliefs-not the betterment of the lives of Coloradans, nor protection of their religious freedoms, nor based on any kind of proven science regarding human consciousness and development.
I can only hope our representatives will see fit to defend the Constitution as they have sworn to do: and keep Church and State separate- by not passing laws based on religious beliefs.
Instead, passing laws based on well-established scientific research and data based on facts-not mores.
We, the citizens of Colorado depend on our representatives to safeguard us against attacks upon our religious and civic freedoms.
Please urge your representative to vote against the passing of Initiative #36!
Michele Nobriga
Denver, CO
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