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Pike Place Memories

Thank you for the wonderful article by Pat Hanna Kuehl in the [May] issue of The Motorist. "Chefs, Foodies and Farmers Meet at Pike Place Market" hit a particular chord with me. I spent a wonderful day at the Pike Market last year, so it brought back many good memories and stirred my curiosity about some things I might have missed. I plan to be in the area this month so hopefully I can check them out.

Priscilla Arthur, Denver

Age Discrimination

While I usually find myself on the same side as AAA in most matters, I was deeply disappointed with AAA for not only supporting, but spearheading a campaign to pass graduated driver's licensing (GDL) laws.

The euphemistically named GDL laws amount to nothing more than age discrimination, and no matter what the reasoning behind it is, age discrimination is simply wrong. If there was a study which showed that senior citizens get into more accidents, I wonder if AAA would support legislation placing progressive restrictions on the driving privileges of seniors as they lose more of their faculties (in the name of protecting them, of course). The truth is that while it may very well be the case that seniors get into more accidents than average adult drivers (if calculated on a per-mile- driven basis), such legislation would never even get off the ground because seniors are a politically powerful constituency. But the fact that young people cannot vote does not make it morally right to mount a 50-state assault on their driving privileges. …

Moreover, I was dismayed at the way in which the issue was presented in The Motorist. To support your position you invited the perspective of one of the few teenagers who supports GDL laws, along with his father, a policeman. … I would hope that you would give your readers a chance to hear a different point of view.

Dr. E. Greg Kamin, Pueblo

Silverton Festival Overlooked

The "Music to Match the Mountains" article by Laurel Kallenbach [May] was good, but … the music festivals in the article show the writer's bias to music that is of the yuppie-wuppie variety, and not a true cross section of the kinds of music offered in Colorado. One of the festivals that was slighted is the "Great Western Rocky Mountain Brass Band Festival" held in Silverton on the third weekend in August. … The type of music played is brass band music of the John Philip Sousa era, and many others, with a few "modern" pieces thrown in. The concerts are free, with a donation can passed around at every performance.

Alice Hawes, via e-mail

Editor's reply: For more information on this festival, please see this month's Colorado Calendar.

Clarification

The May 2001 President's Message stated, "It took two years before Governor Owens signed the GDL bill into law in June 1999." More accurately, it took two years to get a GDL bill passed through the Colorado legislature. In June 1999, six months after taking office, Governor Owens signed the GDL bill into law.

We want to hear from you!

Reader comments and questions are welcome in The Motorist magazine. A reply or comment may be printed with your letter. Letters under 200 words are considered first and are printed most readily. Letters to The Motorist do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Auto Club and, due to space limitations, we reserve the right to edit for length and clarity. Send letters to the Editor, The Motorist, 4100 E. Arkansas Ave., Denver, CO 80222. Fax to: 303-300-7710. E-mail: keastlund@colorado.aaa.com. Letters become property of The Motorist and are not returned.

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