I am writing to you in response to the situation in Park City and asking you to listen to these patrollers and work harder to meet their demands. 

Vail Resorts is a leader, some would argue, the leader, and rightfully so. It is beyond important that you recognize where you have gotten. Without the dedicated front line employees like the men and women of the Park City Ski Patrol, there would be no major acquisitions, or successful balance sheets or shareholder meetings. 

I am as much a capitalist as the next person. But I understand that capitalism works when people are paid what they are worth. These patrollers are asking for respect and a feeling of self worth. They are asking to be treated like humans and be treated with dignity and for you to understand that they deserve to be paid. This is a decision that goes beyond a balance sheet, and a set of numbers. I ask that you step outside the numbers and put your trust in human capital that the fine men and women of the Park City Ski patrol. 

There is no finer example of selflessness than ski patrol, these teams put themselves in harm’s way in unfavorable conditions so that winter enthusiasts and families alike can enjoy Park City and see that There is Only One. 

I don’t live in Park City or in Utah for that matter. I live in Breckenridge and I see everyday that ski patrollers are the reason, I along with many others are able to High Five thanks to the men and women of our ski patrol. Patrollers are neighbors, moms and dads, patrollers are humans just like you and me who want to live the mountain lifestyle. Patrollers stretch the bands of dedication in the lengths and efforts they go to serve others and so I ask today that you make it possible so they, just as I, are able to live the life as mountain town locals. 

Vail Resorts senior leadership I ask you to continue to lead with the right reasons in mind. Invest in the future of Vail Resorts by investing in the humans that have dedicated their time, efforts to Vail Resorts.

Tai Sposato, Breckenridge

Scientists Svante Arrhius and Guy Callendar warned of the effect of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere on global warming in the early 20^th century. In 1977, Exxon-Mobil scientists informed the board of directors of the detrimental ramifications of their products on the climate.

Did Big Oil tell the world? Did they make immediate plans to switch to renewable sources of energy? No, the oil tycoons kept it a secret. When the secret got out a decade later, they commenced a disinformation campaign to refute the scientific findings. That may have been the capitalistic move, but it hardly served the common good.

So here, a quarter of the way into the 21^st century, where are we? We’re dangerously close to crossing five of the eight climate tipping points established by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and predicted to exceed the other three by 2030. The world isn’t on track to achieve the emissions reductions required to keep us below 1.5 degrees C. of warming by 2030 and current cutback plans are insufficient to get there.

The United States has just elected a president who believes global warming is a Chinese hoax designed to ruin America’s economy, has vowed to “drill baby, drill,” and revoke President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the only significant piece of climate legislation ever passed nationally.

The way to see a path forward is often to examine the mistakes of the past. That’s why it’s prudent to view the film The White House Effect, a documentary about the battle to remediate the greenhouse effect during the George H.W. Bush administration in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. Spoiler alert: the climate lost

The lesson is capitalists won’t engage in the efforts to combat climate change until they’re convinced it’s profitable. We must persuade them there’s no long-term financial gain in destroying our planet’s climate.

350 Roaring Fork is presenting The White House Effect at the Carbondale library Tuesday, January 14 at 6 p.m. Come and see how our past can guide our future.

Fred Malo Jr., Carbondale

I was reading that Proposition 114 (reintroduction of wolves) into Colorado. Proposition 114 only by a slim vote 50.91% for and 49.09 against, personally I do not think it was enough to bring in wolves. The Post Independent had a survey about putting wolves in Garfield county. It didn’t surprise me that people said not Garfield county, put them somewhere else. 

The counties that have them are the counties that voted for wolves. The counties that voted for them were Adam, Araphoe, Boulder, Broomefield, Denver, El Paso, Jefferson, La Plata, Larimer, Pitkin, San Juan, San Miguel and Summit. Maybe the wolves should be put in Genesse Park and Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge so people can see them. 

Why do people in heavy populated counties think they should tell the less populated counties.

People need to learn the real truth wolves not the Disney version.

Steve Woolsey, Dinosaur

Per a President Eisenhower proclamation, President Biden ordered flags be displayed at half-staff for 30 days in honor of President Carter’s death. President-elect Trump reacted Friday to the U.S. flag being flown at half-staff during Coronation oops Inauguration Day, writing, “nobody wants to see this.” How petty. 

It’s not really fair to compare Carter and Trump. Trump led an insurrection to invalidate a fair election, and his troubled charity foundation agreed to close down amid allegations that he and others illegally misused its funds. In 1982, The Carter Center was founded by Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. It is still going.  The Carter Center monitors election integrity around the world. 

Trump paid a $25 million fine for his fake university. In 1997, The Carter Center established the Ethiopian Public Health Training Initiative to improve academic training for health care personnel in Ethiopia, and increase access to health care in rural communities throughout the country. 

Trump has nominated RFK Jr, an anti-vaccine, anti-pasteurization, anti-what-ever guy (who had a brain worm) as Secretary of Health, while millions of people in Africa and the Americas have been saved by The Carter Center’s work eradicating Guinea Worm Disease, River Blindness, Malaria, and numerous other health campaigns.

Trump was given millions of dollars by his father, was a “C” student at Wharton, and claimed “bone spurs” to avoid military service. Jimmy Carter grew up with no running water or electricity in his home. He worked, studied, and eventually attended and graduated in the upper 10% of his class at the Naval Academy. He served for 7 years. 

Trump has had 3 wives and played golf over 300 times while president, mostly on Sundays. He lives at his “resort”. Carter was married to Rosalynn for over 70 years, lived and worked from a small ranch house with Habitat for Humanity for over 40 years. He was a minister. He didn’t play golf on Sundays.

Trump bragged about winning his own golf course tournaments. Jimmy Carter humbly accepted the Nobel Peace Prize. Winner! I think flags may need to be at half-staff for America for the next 4 years.

Craig S. Chisesi, Rifle