Letter: Boebert is supposed to represent us all
I thought I would share a gem from a conversation with Lauren Boebert’s staff that might be appreciated here.
I asked what had she achieved in her term to date. The person on the call provided two answers. First, she’s advocating to keep the Bureau of Land Management in Grand Junction. I suppose that’s fine, but really, the credit for that, as hard as it is for me to say, goes to Cory Gardner. Second, she’s introduced a water bill.
Two things should be known about that bill. It was actually Scott Tipton’s. He must have left a copy on a desk somewhere, and Boebert crossed his name out and wrote hers in. Second, that bill, the Western Water Rights Security Act, prevents any federal agency from requiring water rights to be transferred to any federal agency as a condition of any lease agreement. This will have a direct adverse impact on any and all ski mountains on federal land. Including, but not limited to, the Aspen/Snowmass area, Steamboat, Vail, and, and many more.
Another thing about those ski mountains? They’re all in “Representative” Boebert’s district. When I pointed this out to her staffer, he dismissed the ski industry as being insignificant to Colorado’s 3rd District. Little more than a hobby compared to farming. “Extra-circular activities,” he said.
When I pointed out that those farmers largely depend on ski resorts as markets for their wares, he had no response. When I pointed out that the ski resorts are a vital part of her district’s economy and are directly responsible for many of the jobs her constituents depend on, he was silent.
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Farming and other agricultural industries are certainly important. But they should not be such a driving concern that so many other jobs and constituents are sacrificed for their benefit. According to the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, in 2019 the agricultural industry accounted for 12,218 jobs on the Western Slope. For comparison, the population of Vail alone is about 5,500.
Lauren Boebert thinks the farmers support her. And she may be right. But she is supposed to represent all of us in the 3rd Congressional District.
Sean Braisted
Snowmass Village
