I refer to the Feb. 20 Boulder Monitor that revealed some readers think it “leans left politically,” has “left-leaning views,” is “a little on the liberal side.” You observed that “contributors of columns and letters tend to take liberal positions” and you encouraged those holding “conservative positions” to write and submit more columns and letters.
Did you miss the points made in the letters and are you falling into a name-calling trap that can lead to a form of censorship in the name of being “fair and balanced?” Will you drum up one “conservative” column, so that you can print one of several “liberal” columns and will you then, discard the other “liberal” columns? I hope you will not take to labeling columns as liberal or conservative, but rather focus on issues.
Most of the letters I read were trying to discuss an issue. Should we delete the words compulsory and truancy from our public education laws as Rep. Greg DeVries of Jefferson County is proposing? Students will be able to avoid school attendance if they choose and pursue things that truly interest them? Teachers and principals will no longer be required to act as policemen seeking to restrain students not interested in what schools have to offer and will be able to devote their energies to pursuing “excellence?” Doesn’t that sound like what we usually think of as lenient, facilitating the development of differences, and liberal? But isn’t DeVries considered a right-wing conservative?
