Pair share ideas for equalizing incomes

Income inequality was the topic of Monday night's state of the economy forum at the Fort Collins Main Library, 201 Peterson St., hosted by state lawmakers John Kefalas and Randy Fischer. The two state representatives are hosting monthly forums throughout the summer on various topics affecting Northern Colorado residents.

 

 To read the rest of this article, please visit the Fort Collins Coloradoan as it appeared on 06/24/08. Please note, this link may expire after 7 days.

 

EARN IT FORWARD 03/13/08

The following is an Op-Ed piece John wrote and appeared in the Rocky Mountain Chronicle on March 13, 2008

 

Middle-class Coloradans are being squeezed again. Foreclosure rates are up forty percent from 2006. In Weld County alone, one foreclosure was filed for every 29 households between 2006 and 2007. Gas prices, already hovering at $3.08 per gallon in Colorado, may reach $4 by spring. Consumer confidence is down, inflation is up, and the income gap is widening. In Fort Collins, 19.2 percent of our children lived in poverty in 2006, according to Census Bureau data.

Those in the middle class are feeling the pinch on all sides: Their house is depreciating in value, but the costs of basic staples like food, utilities and clothing are accelerating; their wages are stagnating, but priority items, like the cost of their children’s college tuition, is increasing.


Read more: EARN IT FORWARD 03/13/08

   

CSU students turn attention to cost awareness after textbook bill signed

CSU students who persuaded Gov. Bill Ritter to sign a new law aimed at eventually lowering textbook prices are already ramping up for their next battle: getting professors to pay more attention to their syllabi.



Students are already reminding their instructors to get their book orders in by Tuesday, the deadline set by the CSU Bookstore. The bookstore uses those orders to figure out how much it will pay students for used textbooks, and officials there say they are committed to keeping costs low.

 

View the rest of this article as it appeared on 4/08/08, in the Coloradoan.

 

   

Coloradoan: Our View 03/31/08

Mining bill has essential protections
Reps. should be commended for listening to their constituents' concerns


Colorado lawmakers appear to have been listening to residents' concerns as the prospect of renewed uranium mining becomes more real in the state.
Friday, the House of Representatives appropriately passed HB 1161, which increases water quality protections and public oversight on in-situ uranium mining operations.

The impetus of the legislation is a Canadian mining company, Powertech, proposing to mine uranium using the in-situ (water injection) process near Nunn in Weld County. Uranium projects are also being considered in Park County and Fremont County.

 

View the rest of this article as it appeared on 03/31/08 in the Coloradoan.

   

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