Governor’s race: John Hickenlooper vs. Bob Beauprez

“A second term for Hickenlooper,” Oct. 5 endorsement.

Good thing for natural disasters; otherwise Gov. John Hickenlooper wouldn’t have anything to run on.

The Denver Post’s endorsement says Hickenlooper should be re-elected for his leadership role in crisis management. But showing up to the scene doesn’t count. You also cite Colorado’s economic success. Can you really say Hickenlooper had a part in that? You say there is “no reason for change.” There is every reason for change: Nathan Dunlap, gun rights, gay marriage, legislator recalls, the list goes on. How hasn’t this governor failed in his job?

“Going for governor,” Sept. 28 candidate profiles.

John Hickenlooper has stood tall when it has counted. He provided strong and consistent leadership during Colorado massive flooding, and also during the Aurora theater shootings. I would much rather have a governor who is almost always willing to find common ground than one who adheres to many of the principles of the Tea Party.

It’s alarming to me that gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez’s principles are based on God, community and patriotism, yet his words and actions prove otherwise. God’s law says “Thou shalt not kill,” yet Beauprez strongly favors the death penalty. He is against abortion, yet he’s OK with killing those on death row.

Community is another of Beauprez’s said principles, yet he favors gun rights with almost no restrictions in a community that has suffered two massmurders— Columbine and the Aurora theater shooting. Beauprez should be championing gun restrictions in our communities to prevent more tragedy.

Beauprez says he is a patriot. I ques- tion his blind, unquestioning, supposedly patriotic support of then-President GeorgeW. Bush’s rush into the fruitless, unnecessary and prolonged wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The naivete of Gov. John Hickenlooper is clearly revealed in his recent television campaign commercial. The dramatization shows the governor in his previous life as a restaurateur, and he is behind the counter preparing food without wearing any hair restraint. The next scene casts him as a waiter who is attempting to satisfy a picky customer.

Hickenlooper’s commercial is a refreshing break from monotonous attack ads, but it accurately conveys his general lack of strength and integrity. A more convincing scene which would indicate his ability to govern would have shown him delegating tasks to his employees, insisting that they follow health and safety codes, and firmly refusing to comply with customers who were complaining in an attempt to get a free meal.

I find it rather ironic that Bob Beauprez claims he can, if elected, “improve third-grade reading scores.” What qualifications does he have to teach reading? What training has he had in teaching reading?

I am a former school principal who specialized in teaching reading to elementary school children. My training was from college professors who knew how to teach reading. My staff and I worked hard to give each student the skill to read and our students scored among best in the district. We had few failures by the end of sixth grade.

If Beauprez can achieve his claim, he should share that knowledge with the educational community.

With the variety of students we have in school today, I do not think Beauprez’s claim is legitimate. It will take a lot more than “words.”