Do I Need a Life?

“You need to get a life”, my sister tells me often. She may be right. If I had a life, my interest in politics, especially Colorado politics, wouldn’t occupy my time (and this blog). If you have no interest in Colorado politics, hit one of the bloggers in the sidebar. They are more interesting anyway.

Our senior Senator, an empty barrel, recently introduced a “gun control” bill that duplicates one passed a few years ago by the Democrats in Colorado when they had control of both houses and the Governorship. The only result of that was the departure of the Magpul jobs to Wyoming and Texas. Hasn’t had any measurable impact on crime. Guess in his circle of syncopates this is a bold ‘doing something’ move.

The congressman from the Peoples Republic of Boulder is now running for Governor. Recently, he held a rally in Craig, CO, a conservative coal mining town in Northwest Colorado. Drew a crowd of twenty.

In much of Colorado, the worse thing you can say about a politician is, “They’ve gone Denver”.

Since around 2000 I’ve had a msn.com mail address. Back then I was involved politically ‘in the trenches’ until I walked because I loathe the (P)regressives. I’ve long since moved my business to gmail.com  but still get lots of political stuff at the msn.com address. One, from a campaign manager, had every word in four paragraphs underlined. Oh, how urgent and important that message was (maybe, I didn’t bother to read it).

Colorado has a political gadfly, Tom Tancredo, who was a congressman and sometimes Presidential candidate, the (P)regressives love to hate. Many of their political emails use him as a bogeyman for their fund raising appeals. Soon to come, a trifecta of Trump, Tancredo, and Bannon. That should shake loose some campaign dollars.

The opposition, the Jeb! RINOs, are still wandering around. I haven’t heard any coherent message from any of them.

The Congresscritters of both parties sitting in their comfortable gerrymandered districts are doing what incumbents do (not much). DeGeete is still a drunk. Polis is running for governor. Permutter doesn’t seem to know what he wants. First he is running for Governor. Now he is back running for his current office. Tipton, Buck and Lamborn are faithfully serving the Jeb! wing of the RINOs.

My favorite, Mike Coffman (R) CO 6^th continues to piss off everyone but his constituents. Damn it, all those diverse ethnic groups are supposed to vote Democrat. It is a rule or something. He is the only politician who gets any money from me. Mainly because he continues to hold the entrenched VA drones feet to the fire. He and his wife are divorcing. She is the current Colorado Attorney General and a potential candidate for Governor.

My mail in ballot for the upcoming city and county election is sitting on my desk. Still haven’t decided who to vote for. There are some I won’t vote for. There are ballot issues that need careful consideration.  Will discuss these with my sister. While we rarely agree, I respect her insight and knowledge of local matters.

For now it is time to pursue a life. There is laundry to fold and preparations for work tomorrow calling.

Great First Day On Job

Monday started job with the new employer doing what I did for the old employer.

The 184,000+  miles Yaris assigned had body damage. Between Cheyenne and Wheatland, WY, the 50+ mph crosswinds took off a section of the plastic fascia Toyota uses.

The other driver on the route, another recycled driver from the old job, had driven the Yaris for three days prior, and had noted the body damage on his drivers report.

This particular car has loose fascia on the other three corners. 

Between his report and my past employment by the owner and manager my credibility wasn't questioned. Still, I hope this is the last issue I have with them.

Out and about I see vehicles that interest me or catch my eye such as  these two.

Impressions of the Yaris? Big improvement over a Prius, not that the bar is that high. 

Confusion

A client recently took his 87 year old mother on a two week guided tour of Japan. They are of Japanese decent, her second generation and he third, Neither speaks Japanese although his mother did as a young child.

He said people kept speaking to them in Japanese, especially his mother. Much confusion and hilarity would ensue. He did say he learned to bow properly and say "thank you". 

It would have been fun to be on that trip.

Same Old, Same Old

Tomorrow is the first day on my old route with the new company.

Wyoming hasn't changed.

Poor Wyoming, a victim of geography. Nebraska sucks and Utah blows.

Financial Intervention Needed?

Those who know me know I am a cheapskate. For the past eight years my computer desk chair is one I salvaged. The right arm support had broken plastic covered with bubble wrap and duct tape. The duct tape was wearing out.

Yesterday found me in an office building where a tenant was selling off chairs and computer monitors.

The first chair selected didn’t fit. The office manager was kneeling trying to make the various levers work. Her low cut peasant style top didn’t cover her ample assets well and I had time to do a good check out.

Another chair did fit (pictured above) and I tried to negotiate. The quoted price was $40. Doing my best Fred Sanford imitation I clutched my chest. The ladies called me on my bullshit so I showed them my pacemaker scar.

Had them all laughing, usually a prelude to getting the price down. No go.

Bought the damned chair for the asking price. Perhaps a bit of little head thinking? Again, nice assets and my sex life has me feeling married.

I’m soooo ashamed!

First World Problems

Their annoying commercials blaring from the pump like some wholesome BYU pep rally I can tolerate.

Last week they shrunk all three coffee cup sizes and raised the price - same day. This week they changed the Original Cappuccino flavor to Pumpkin Fucking Spice. Aarg.

Such vexations I face!   

Visiting Our Heritage

My sister and I today went to the Wheatridge, CO. Historical Park for Apple Cider Days, an annual event located on what was once our paternal Great Grandfather’s holdings. A cousin is the custodian/caretaker/manager, etc.

When our paternal Great Grandfather moved West from Kansas, he bought an existing sod house and acreage in what is now Wheatridge, CO., West of Denver.

 In later years the city acquired some of the land for a park. The soddy was plastered to preserve it.

He then built a modern, for the times, brick house adjacent to the soddy.  The property was a base for his operations into Northwest Colorado.

The soddy continued to be occupied. Our Grandfather and his family lived there from time to time.

The water table in the area is high, and the area was long grass prairie. The ground was fertile and vegetables for the Denver market were grown.

Some historical buildings have been moved to the site and a shed to store various artifacts of the early days. The place operates on a shoestring and the efforts of dedicated volunteers.

So nice to do something family linked that doesn’t include a visit to the family cemetery. 

Climate Change, Climate Deniers, and Climate Collectivists

Idle hands create mischief and idle minds of partially “educated” senior citizens with computer access maybe more.

Am I the only one suspicious of the motives of those pushing the “climate change” hysteria? The message I receive, to save us from ourselves, is world collectivist government. We, the masses, are simply too ignorant to know what is in our best interest. It follows that those who understand our best interest need to be properly compensated for their wisdom and the burden of governing the masses. Is it probable that I am wrong in my thinking?

Following along the meme of idle senior minds, consider this dated gem from 1978.

https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/what-socialists-would-do-in-america-if-they-could

A long slog to go through all of it, to be sure and not all the points of the author are clear, at least to me.

The constant theme of the climate change alarmists is increased carbon dioxide “trapped” in the atmosphere. We read of studies of ice cores from Antarctica and Greenland being linked to our situation today. Maybe the data is accurate. Maybe it is being interpreted correctly. And, maybe it isn’t. There has been so much bullshit from the “scientific” communities that any truth is obscured. Consider a foremost proponent, Albert Gore, whose personal carbon footprint is that of a small city.

We hear all the time about, “clean renewable energy”. Colorado supposedly gets 360 days of sunshine a year. It also gets 365 nights a year. There doesn’t seem to be any economical way to store solar energy. Does that mean we shut down at night and during blizzards? Wind power? We are the Saudi Arabia of wind (except when it doesn’t blow). Oh yes, there is the “not in my backyard” syndrome.

Hydro?  Requires dams, doesn’t it? No environmental impact there, right?  Perhaps tidal power?  Perhaps for some coastal areas. Remember, the loss of energy in the transmission process needs to be considered. Plus, the structures will be built in someone’s back yard. Correct me if I am wrong but, in California, isn’t there always an uproar, by the rich, about the public using “their” beachfront?

There is emerging technology to capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it in rock formations.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/09/co2-turned-into-stone-in-iceland-in-climate-change-breakthrough

Takes a lot of water and lacks any economic incentive. Opps. Back to collectivist government. We’ll demand it done, cost be damned.

To me, the least disruptive way to power is nuclear. Instant hysteria. Yet France gets 80% of their electricity from nuclear and I don’t see them glowing from radiation. Uranium isn’t all that plentiful and Shillary sold 20% of what we have to the Russians. Still, it is a proven technology.

Under the headings of figures don’t lie, liars figure in tandem with, “Don’t let a good crisis go to waste”, our local near monopoly, Xcel Energy, needs to raise rates to ???????? well, climate change, blah blah, blah.

http://www.denverpost.com/2017/10/03/xcel-energy-may-increase-customer-bills-2-percent-fund-development/

They operate in other states.

Coal continues to be our best option, IMO. YMMV

Twatwaffle Hissy Fit

A Colorado specific post.  First, a few background paragraphs.

Colorado is unique in having added to the  Constitution the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR) in 1992 only to suspend it for five years in 2005. Fighting for and against TABOR has kept scores of lawyers gainfully employed along with the lobbyist and special interests folks funding lawsuits.

The basic principal of TABOR is all levels of government in Colorado are restricted in spending (and raising taxes) by a formula involving inflation, population growth, and tax revenues. The goal is balanced budgets and curbs on unnecessary spending. Increases must be voted on by the public, not elected officials. There is even a mechanism for refunding excess tax revenues back to the taxpayers (seldom happens).

The (P)regressives loath TABOR and are ever trying to circumvent it. Seriously curtails their ability to spend other people’s money for their pet projects.

An unfortunate side effect is the harm to necessary programs and projects. As in, there are no perfect answers, only intelligent choices (ha, faint hope there).

May I introduce Dave Perry, Editor of the Aurora Sentinel, a shopper ‘newspaper’ from a Denver suburb, trying to compete with the Denver Post for relevancy. He is extremely fluent in (P)regressive speak. Reading his editorials makes me wonder if we inhabit the same planet.

Concerning the just past Special Session of the Legislature that accomplished nothing, here are a few quotes from his editorial as he hits many (P)regressive talking points.

Obstructionist Republican lawmakers

 critical state services hurt by the Great Recession and a dangerous GOP obsession with the so-called TABOR amendment.

 These misled and misleading fans of infamous and felonious tax-protester Douglas Bruce, who authored the broken Colorado Taxpayer Bill of Rights Amendment, hold the majority of the state GOP hostage by threatening to invoke a vengeful base unless they get NRA-like compliance.

 but their puerile, anarchistic view of TABOR continues to hurt every corner of the state. We frequently remind readers that not one, single state has ever created its own TABOR, seeing how fatally flawed it is.

Lawmakers will return in January and voters will closely watch them and decide next November who runs the state. Unless these GOP partisan bullies change their ways, Colorado can’t tolerate any more of their scams.

One GOP representative I know says the Democrat leadership defines bi-partnership as letting the GOP members take their seats.

The horrific event in Las Vegas has let Mr. Perry run full throttle on his favorite anti-gun train.

 I am sick of it. I’m sick of seeing these bullies dare America to stop them from toting weapons meant to stop military armadas to Walmart in case some other gun-freak loses it in the express lane. 

Isn’t it wonderful we have the 1^st Amendment?

Bad Day For A Car Guy

A trip down memory lane.

Salt Lake City, 1974, an acquaintance was the local district sales manager for American Motors (AMC).

The Salt Lake City Car Show was opening and AMC had shipped in by rail one of the first AMC Pacers. AMC  sent one West  just for the show.

My friend picked it up and had it toughly cleaned and polished then drove  to the Salt Palace for the show. Three blocks from the Salt Palace he was t-boned by a red light runner.

An omen for what was to come?

Say what you will about the Pacer but know it was an innovative design for the times. Designed to be powered by the Wankel rotary engine that never saw production, the car was designed for urban environments. The doors tilted out from the top for easier exits in cramped parking spots. The passenger door was wider than the driver’s door for easier back seat access. All that glass was to minimize blind spots.  It was built to a much higher safety standard than was required at the time.  

Business Moral Quandary

Having known for some time a competitor has been after my employer's clients, I've held my own counsel. These things have a life of their own. I'm, by choice, a lowly part time driver at the very bottom of the food chain. Four stress relieving words. Not My Fucking Problem.

The competitor wants to hire me. Why not, I know the route and have all the certificates and completed tests. These are the people who first hired me. Then a medium sized company bought them out. Within weeks an international logistics company bought the medium sized company. 

The competitor has won the contract and my current employer will have no need for me in  less than two weeks.

The quandary is, do I give my current employer any notice I'm leaving? They haven't bothered to tell me my job is going away. Loyalty up, loyalty down? Don't think so.

Fuck'em.