In the 3/29/2011 on-line edition of the Colorado Springs Gazette, Wayne Laugesen, editorial page editor, displays an incredible blind spot. The editorial in question involves the closure of the Fort Lyon Correctional Facility near Las Animas. (Read the article HERE) 

Obviously, reasonable arguments can be made for, or against, closing prisons. What is amazing is the blind spot and hypocrisy on display by Wayne Laugesen. The exact same arguments he makes can be applied to the military installations in Colorado Springs. The following statement of Wayne's illustrates this.

"We will never do away with the need for prisons, but let's be careful to never confuse a prison as something other than a cost. Prisons bring jobs and wealth to localities that host them, but the money is taken from other regions. This is necessary, but should not be confused as economic gain."

Another notable quote in the article is from State Representative Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs:

"The reality is that we just have too much government," said Gardner, as quoted in the Bent County Democrat. "Sometimes the most efficient thing is to shut something down, even if people will be impacted in the short term. The role of prison is not one of an economic development tool for a community."

The truth is, both correctional facilities and military installations are vital; but they are also an overhead cost on society, transferring capital from other uses. Supporters of expansion, such as Mr. Laugesen and Mr. Gardner see the expansion of the PCMS as economic insurance or development tool for Colorado Springs.  

Army's bold plan to acquire 10,000 square miles...  

(click on title for complete article)

  "Artillery ranges and tank maneuvers on fragile grasslands. Depopulated farm towns, suitable for urban warfare exercises for thousands of troops. A military installation the size of Massachusetts, sprawling across southern Colorado from Trinidad to the Kansas border. If you're going to plan, plan big. And the U.S. Army's plans for expansion of its Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site have an audacity that's hard to beat."

• The U.S. Army is still pursuing the acquisition of land to expand PCMS.
• Eminent domain has not been taken off of the table by the Army.
• The Army is currently targeting approximately 100,000 acres, termed parcel 1A. This is only the first parcel en route to eventually acquiring 6.9 million acres as detailed in the Army's analysis of alternatives study: http://www.pinoncanyon.com/documents/7million.pdf  
• A federal judge blocked the Army's plans to greatly increase their use of the existing Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site. The Army had planned to greatly increase frequency of use without accounting for increased environmental impact. The Army is attempting to circumvent this ruling.
• The five most prominent and vocal supporters of expanding the PCMS and nationalizing thousands, perhaps millions, of acres of privately owned land, include Congressman Doug Lamborn (El Paso County), Congressman Mike Coffman, Wayne Laugesen of the Colorado Springs Gazette, Sean Paige a Colorado Springs City Councilman, and former Colorado gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis.
• Colorado House Bill 09-1317 is law; this prevents the sale of state-owned land for expanding PCMS.
• Colorado House Bill 07-1069 is law; this withdraws Colorado's consent for the federal government to acquire lands, via eminent domain, that are sought for expansion of the PCMS.
• An annually renewable federal funding ban for expanding the PCMS is once again in place for one more year. The newest ban is for fiscal year 2012 (October 2011 - September 2012). This ban is included in the 2012 military construction budget. However, Army officials have contended that they could use funds from other Army budget accounts to expand the training site; this contention has been met with strong criticism from Colorado lawmakers who feel this move would be a defiance of congressional intent.