Some 225 people stood along Cortez’s Main Street for an hour Monday evening to express support for workers and criticism of the Trump administration. It was one of many “Workers over Billionaires” rallies that took place on Labor Day. They carried signs with messages such as “People over Profit” and “Unions – Yes.”
During Tuesday’s meeting of the Montezuma County Commission, Chair Jim Candelaria spoke out against what he called misinformation on social media. Apparently in reaction to comments on the county’s Facebook page, Candelaria said, “All you guys do is create misinformation, hate and discontent.” He said the commission operates with great transparency, holding traveling town halls as well as “Coffee with the County” events. He said too few people do any research before they go to their computers. Calling the commenters “keyboard warriors,” he said, “Fire it up and get it going because you are ignorant, absolutely ignorant.” Candelaria said he believes “most people do not have even a rudimentary understanding of our government structure” and urged people to come to meetings if they want to understand the county’s decisions. But he said unfortunately, people prefer living in an “echo chamber of confirmation of bias.” He said this is why it’s so difficult finding anyone willing to serve on local boards. “That’s why we can’t get people to serve on any boards anywhere because people out there are just throwing daggers,” Candelaria said.
