Airlines' delay policies should be regulated

All airlines should have the same delay policies for the same reason all of them should have the same safety requirements.

The traveling public should not have to wade through a million policies to choose a carrier that will deliver them to their destinations alive or prevent them from sitting on a runway for half a day.

Airlines need a law "to tell them to do something that ought to be basic customer service" because they don't do it.

They get away with not doing it because there are not that many alternatives when one wishes to get from Point A to Point B at a certain time.

Monopolies or near-monopolies need close regulation.

David Hakala, Denver

NASCAR is suckering taxpayers

International Speedway Corp. is NASCAR. The same monopolists that run taxi-cab racing also own the tracks.

Football, baseball, etc., build stadiums with the taxpayers' money because their "fans" won't pay the tab. They blackmail cities into building their facilities by monopolizing the franchises and threatening those that don't comply.

Unfortunately, no "sports journalist" has called these thieves on their decision to destroy Pikes Peak International Raceway. Surely, if people "drive 600 miles" for their events, they could have driven 70 to watch them in Fountain.

When the Fountain facility was destroyed, NASCAR did not acknowledge that it had refused a Cup date to the track.

It didn't because NASCAR expected the taxpayers in Denver to provide a brand new facility. The suckers have fallen for it.

Ed Arcuri, Pueblo

Simple, inexpensive ways to go 'green'

We were happy to read about the "near-zero" energy-use homes designed by John Keith and the green home-building by McStain Neighborhoods in the Feb. 17 Wall Street West section.

But like us, there are a lot of people who might like to "go green" but can't afford a $600,000 home.

We have made several lifestyle changes that are not only green but also inexpensive:

• As our light bulbs wear out, we replace them with compact fluorescents, which use two-thirds less energy and last 10 times as long.

• We started using old washcloths instead of paper towels for cleaning. You can throw them in the laundry when you're done.

• We stopped using bleach-based home-cleaning agents, which pollute the environment and the air we breathe, and started using nontoxic, biodegradable cleaners that actually work (like Simple Green, and check out care2.com/channels/lifestyle/ home).

• We installed a window swamp cooler instead of an air conditioner last summer. Xcel's rebate knocked $200 off our purchase price, and we use one-third less energy while also humidifying the dry Colorado air.

• We've discovered the library for free reading, instead of buying a book we'll read once.

• It's easy to enroll in Denver's recycling program (denvergov.org/ denverrecycles) - and it's free!

• When considering organic foods, we focus on the "dirty dozen" (produce containing the highest levels of pesticides) instead of tripling our grocery budget to go all organic.

While we wish we could afford a near-zero energy home, solar panels and a Prius, we'll do what little we can.

Ryan and Lisa Crane, Denver

Congress should support oil companies

Finding and producing domestic oil makes good sense for our country.

In 2006, the oil industry was able to increase oil production by 392,000 barrels, to a total of 5.4 million barrels per day.

This was done while operating with a shortage of drilling rigs, oil field services and personnel.

A new Congress has taken over, with threats sounding much like the Congress of the 1970s.

That Congress started with taxes, price controls and more taxes. In a short period of time, 70 percent of oil company revenues were diverted to federal, state and local governments, leaving 30 percent to find, produce, transport, refine, market and pay dividends to stockholders.

Today, what the oil industry would like to hear from the politicians in Congress would be, "We think your industry is important to the economy of our country and the standard of living of our people. We think what you are doing is vital to our national security. We pledge to do everything we can to foster a business climate that will keep you here and bring back those who have left. We want your investments here, to explore and develop the vast potential of this great nation and, hopefully, your success will provide much more domestic supply to meet the needs of our people."

If that is wishful thinking, it shouldn't be.

Energy should never have been allowed to become a political issue, as the exploration and development of domestic supply is essential to our national interest, which transcends the self interest of the nondevelopment groups in Congress.

Doyle Grogan, Denver

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