Citizen CENTENNIAL 1.25.13
Centennial
Arapahoe County, Colorado • Volume 12, Issue 10
January 25, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourcentennialnews.com
Simpson urges action on debt Former senator addresses group in Centennial By Deborah Grigsby
dgrigsby@ourcoloradonews.com Pushing a plan to reduce the nation’s debt, former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming made an exclusive stop in Centennial, mobilizing business and grassroots support for his Fix the Debt campaign. Simpson spoke at the invitation of John Brackney, South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce president and co-chair of Fix the Debt’s Colorado chapter. More than 150 people turned out for a Jan. 21 reception at the chamber to hear the 81-year-old, 6-foot-7 curmudgeon discuss what his nonpartisan project can do to improve the country’s fiscal health. “It’s not an issue of how we got here, it’s
what do we do about it now,” said Simpson, a Republican. “You sent guys like me to Washington to bring home the bacon, and if we didn’t, we didn’t get re-elected ... and we all made promises we couldn’t keep, and that’s pretty much where we are today.” Simpson, along with former Clinton Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, chaired the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, commissioned by President Obama in 2010. The Simpson-Bowles plan — which garnered a number of highprofile supporters but didn’t gain congressional approval — pledged to reduce the federal deficit by $4 trillion, stabilize public debt by 2014, reduce debt 60 percent by 2023 and eventually eliminate it by 2035. Today, the national debt exceeds $16 trillion. Speaking without reserve, a salty Simpson insisted that when it comes to Social Security entitlements and their effect on the budget, the numbers speak for themselves, saying the program has a $900 billion negative cash flow. “When I was a freshman at the (UniverSimpson continues on Page 7
Former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming offers a warning to those who hesitate to engage their elected representatives, suggesting the nation’s continued “addiction to debt” and polarized positions on entitlement spending put the nation’s future at risk. Simpson spoke Jan. 21 at the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce, urging individuals and businesses to actively engage the government in fiscal responsibility. Photo by Deborah Grigsby
Employers can ban marijuana Amendment 64 doesn’t trump workplace rules By Glenn Wallace
gwallace@ourcoloradonews.com
At 87 years young, Yvonne Dowlen still hits the ice at Family Sports Center in Centennial with style. She is a member of the International Skating Institute and is the oldest figure skater still actively competing in the U.S. Photos by Deborah Grigsby
Ice, age, no problem Skater still competes after more than seven decades By Deborah Grigsby
dgrigsby@ourcoloradonews.com When Yvonne Dowlen laced up her first pair of skates in 1939, Franklin Roosevelt occupied the White House. And now, almost 75 years later, the former Ice Capades soloist still hits the ice with poise and grace — even skating competitively. “It’s just my thing,” Dowlen said. “I love to skate.” Dowlen began her career as a professional skater at 13 on a lake in Evergreen. By the time she was 18, the Lakewood
resident was skating on a 20-foot by 20-foot square of ice at the famous Adolphus Hotel in Dallas. She even performed with the Ice Capades. After Dowlen married and had kids of her own, she settled into motherhood, but wasn’t quite ready to shelve her skates permanently. “I took both my kids out on the ice and we made it a family thing,” she said. Her daughter, Sherry Dowlen, 49, also skates competitively and is a five-time U.S. Figure Skating adult champion with more than 500 medals and awards. The elder Dowlen said she’s lost track of her medals and has quit counting. The younger Dowlen said when it comes to exercise, her mother prefers the chill of the ice rink over “a sweaty gym.” Yvonne, who will turn 88 in July, still skates as much as five times a week, and enjoys watching the youngsters on the ice
Yvonne Dowlen stands with her daughter Sherry. Both women actively compete in figure skating. Yvonne, who is 87, laced up her first skates when Franklin Roosevelt was president. around her. “I’m just amazed at what the young kids Skater continues on Page 7
The passage of Amendment 64, legalizing recreational marijuana use — at least at the state level — may seem like a monumental shift in drug policy. But according to pot proponents as well as labor lawyers, not much will change in the workplace. “Amendment 64 clearly states that employers will be able to keep any enforcement policy that they’ve had,” said Mason Tvert, one of the co-directors of the amendment’s campaign. Tvert, now director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project, said that in the workplace, the pot status quo will remain. Employers who want to ban all drug use, including marijuana, would still be able to fire an employee who fails a drug test. “One thing that seems to be occurring is that some workers may not understand the scope of employers’ rights to continue to have drug-testing policies and procedures,” Denver labor lawyer Emily Hobbs-Wright said. Hobbs-Wright said there is a Colorado statute that protects employee rights to participate in legal activities outside of the workplace, which has been cited by some medical marijuana users to protest a firing. “The problem with the argument is it goes back again to federal law, where it’s still illegal,” Hobbs-Wright said. That is bad news for anyone at a drugfree workplace who was hoping to enjoy a little weekend weed. Unlike tests for alcohol that typically show levels of intoxication, marijuana tests usually indicate just that the drug has been used some time in the past. A standard employee drug urine test can be positive weeks after the last joint. Heavy users have reported positive tests even months after their last usage. “But quite frankly, I think employers will get away from firing and rehiring employees over off-the-job marijuana use,” Tvert Marijuana continues on Page 7
Printed on recycled newsprint. Please recycle this copy.