A Day Too Late

 

A major prairie fire yesterday devastated parts of Boulder County.

https://coloradosun.com/2021/12/30/boulder-grass-fire-evacuations/

We have had an extremely dry fall with no snowfall along the Front Range until today

 

We didn’t get much but enough to lessen fire danger. I doubt we will get much more this week.

 My heart goes out to the people who have lost everything. While I recently wrote in my blob titled “Sprawl” about all the housing developments, the devastation isn’t something I wish on anyone.

As Sisty pointed out to me, that area is near Coal Creek Canyon, a natural funnel out of the Foothills and notorious for high winds. The highway from Golden to Boulder is frequently closed, year around, for high winds.

Housing is going to be a big issue. There are few homes for sale in this hot real estate market and as many as eight applicants are in line for area apartments.

When a whole neighborhood was lost in Colorado Springs a few years ago, people were commuting from as far away as Walsenburg, 100 miles away. One son was involved in managing a motel there at the time.

 Timing

 This morning I proved PPPPP. All this past week I planned on visiting my offsite storage unit. Today I went during the snow storm. Luck?  Walking to my unit, I noticed a Murphy Special wiring job. While rummaging in the unit, I heard a “pop” behind me. Turning, I saw the wiring on fire. A few tugs and the burning part of the wiring was on the ground. That still left an exposed live electrical box.

I was able to contact the owners and alert them. I suspect some renter will soon get an eviction notice.

Banner

Banner isn’t pleased with the change in weather. As winter progresses (hopefully with a lot of snow) he will adjust. I need to make sure of my footgear. A 80 lb lab hitting the end of the leash can cause an old man to fall.

ADDENDUM: Maybe Every Blade of Grass will get to use his new snowblower.

Overcharging Part II

 My account wasn't the most accurate thing I've written. Here is a better explanation from a veteran Colorado native truck driver.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9zZQlguCCQ&ab_channel=RidingShotgun

A bit long but he puts everything into context. I like his rant at the end. Doubt he is a Democrat.

ADDENDUM:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/truck-driver-sentence-reduced-110-years-10-years-colorado-governor-fat-rcna10494

Policy Violence

Along with “systemic racism” the lunatic left uses “policy violence” as a verbal club.

 Wanting to understand just what the hell they mean, I came across this.

 https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/the-poor-peoples-campaign-calls-out-policy-violence/

 Two things stood out to me. First, the shouters aren’t themselves poor. They are making a fine living as “advocates”. Second, this is a fine excuse for not putting in the effort to raise yourself out of poverty. Equality of outcome with equality of effort.

 Now we have that fine example of a patriot running her mouth.

 Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley said student debt is “policy violence” in a tweet Friday.

She, and her fellow travelers, saying simply disagreeing with them is “policy violence”. Robust public discourse is violence? Apparently it is, according to these valiant defenders of “democracy.

As always, YMMV.

Overcharging as a Political Stunt

Recently a young man was sentenced to 110 years in prison for a traffic accident that killed four people. This has promoted national outrage including truckers calling for a boycott of Colorado.

That the driver used poor judgment is beyond question. Is the sentence outrageous? IMO, beyond question.  A summary is here.

https://www.greeleytribune.com/2021/12/23/colorado-truck-crash-rogel-aguilera-mederos-protest-rally/

Interstate 70 Eastbound down what is known as Floyd Hill is as dangerous as any section you might drive. 7% grade with little letup (if you don’t count the 5% grade section) means lots of braking. Trucks must, repeat must, gear down and come down with engine compression and exhaust brake. He failed to do that. Add curves and it gets “interesting”. There are two truck runaway ramps. He failed to use them. Once you clear the last curve the road straightens out but is still 5% grade. Home free? No, traffic coming off I -405 merging onto I-70 creates stop and go conditions.

Enter the local DA in an election year. She grossly overcharged the driver to leverage a guilty plea to lesser charges. The driver elected to risk a jury trial. He was found guilty. Due to the charges she brought and the permutations of Colorado laws, the judge (“My hands are tied”) imposed the 110 year sentence.

Westbound up Floyd Hill you go under a bridge and see a magnificent vista. You are not home free. Further along you climb another steep section then descend into Clear Creek canyon. Five miles of 7% grade with zero letup. There are two truck runaway ramps. At the bottom there is a wicked 45 mph curve as you go over US 6.

I’ve traveled I-70 Denver to Grand Junction more times than I care to remember in all types of vehicles. While I won’t drive a semi, I’ve pulled trailers behind ¾ and one ton pickups over the route. One common sight that boggles the mind is drivers using the truck runaway exits as rest stops.

My personal feeling is this young man should pay for his poor judgment. What is appropriate I cannot say?

I do hope his employer gets sued out of business. Putting an employee, poorly trained if at all, in a substandard maintained truck loose on public highways is an outrage. Alas, it happens all the time.

ADDENDUM:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=tab

ADDENDUM II: Hard to get facts straight but here is another opinion. https://coloradopeakpolitics.com/2021/12/22/what-are-four-lives-worth-less-than-three-years-in-jail-if-polis-grants-clemency-to-truck-driver/

If it is true he came off Berthoud Pass with bad brakes that is very hard to believe. The East side ofUS 40 Berthoud Pass makes Floyd Hill look like a level city street.

A Win for the People of Colorado

In a win for the people, Colorado’s Taxpayers Bill of Rights was upheld in Federal Courts. It has been the dike holding off the californication of Colorado since 1992.

As explained by an editorial in the Colorado Springs rag.

 You might say the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights is a victim of its own success.

Its landmark taxing and spending limits on government in our state have been in effect for so long, many Coloradans might have forgotten what it once was like to live at the whim of tax-hiking politicians. That ended when voters added TABOR — its better-known acronym — to the state’s constitution in 1992.

Nearly three decades later, it is easy to take it for granted. A lot of newer Coloradans probably never even have heard of it — and don’t realize how much they continue to benefit from it.

Yet, it has remained a tempting target for those who were forced to cede their power to it. Its decades long effectiveness in keeping state and local government on a diet has invited a succession of court challenges.

Lawsuits have been mounted by narrow interests bent on prying open the floodgates of public spending — rather than seeking the public’s permission as TABOR requires. The measure withstood another such court challenge just this week.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver ruled Monday that the plaintiffs — this time, a number of local governments — had failed to show how TABOR violated the act of Congress that had granted Colorado statehood and assured it a republican form of government. Monday’s decision brought a decade-old lawsuit to a close.

It was a complicated case invoking a novel argument — that requiring a popular vote on tax hikes somehow flouts republican democracy — and the plaintiffs arguably merit a pat on the back if only for their creativity. Taxpayers might prefer to give the plaintiffs a swift kick, instead, for their underlying presumption that they know best how to spend our tax dollars.

To recap, then, for those who don’t recall or never knew: TABOR, aka Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution, requires a vote of the people on any tax increase and bonded debt. Even more consequential to our state’s relative fiscal health: TABOR limits annual increases in tax revenue to population growth plus inflation. Any additional revenue taken in over that combined percentage must be returned to taxpayers unless they say otherwise at the polls. And those guardrails apply to government at all levels in Colorado, from the state on down to each county, city and school district.

TABOR has kept budgets in line and government growth in check. Its safeguard against runaway tax hikes also has contributed fundamentally to the prosperity of Colorado’s economy — the creator of jobs, investment opportunities and other bounty that benefit us all.

All of which has helped draw successive waves of refugees from other states where government grew beyond the people’s means to support it — and exacted ever more tribute.

Of course, TABOR hasn’t survived unscathed. It has lost some of its teeth in some legal dustups before unsympathetic judges over the years.

That’s why it’s all the more refreshing when a federal appellate court sides with the taxpayer as happened this week. After all these years, TABOR continues to serve the taxpayer — long after so many elected officials seem to forget who sent them to office in the first place.

— The Gazette editorial board, Dec. 16

 

TABOR was a concept born in the late 1980’s and pushed in many states. Colorado is the only state where it was adopted.

As with any legislation, it is not perfect and has harmed a few while benefiting many.

The (P)regressives hate it. Thwarts all their utopian plans. They are always trying to find ways to nullify it. Their latest scam is “fees” instead of taxes. That is now being challenged in the courts.

Pass the popcorn, please.

Sprawl

A recent exchange of comments with Every Blade of Grass involved the spread of ticky- tacky houses in the farm fields North of Denver. I’m now being sent to developments like this 40-60 miles East of Denver.

Observations.

 Thornton, a suburb North of Denver, started buying water rights from farmers to the North of Thornton in the 1980’s. They allowed the farms to go fallow. Around 2000 speculators started buying the farm land. The various small towns started annexing large swaths without the means to provide services. Came winter, Weld County stopped plowing snow and not maintaining the roads year around that were in the newly incorporated towns. The car dealership I worked out of was in one of these towns. Luckily, we were on an I-25 frontage road; state maintained. My twenty two mile commute was often a challenge.

In recent years houses are being built on this land in the $250,000 to $800,000 range on small lots jammed together. A large part of that cost is utility hookup fees. People commute to metro Denver and the Peoples Republic of Boulder for jobs. There is little in the isolated patches of housing developments to make a community. Little to nothing is there to engage kids except for some “parks” with child safe equipment. Is it any surprise their electronic devices are their focus?

The roads in the area, if paved, are narrow two lane farm roads with no shoulders intersecting with two lane arterials. During peak travel times, traffic is a nightmare. In the winter, far worse traffic jams.

Schools, grocery stores, medical clinics and other infrastructure are catching up today. Mid 2000’s, residents had to drive for miles to the towns in the area that were, themselves, not big enough for the demands.

The local energy monopoly, Xcel is hell bent on “renewable” energy. Want to bet those “woke” elites at the top of the Xcel ladder are depending on renewable for their personal dwellings and vacation homes?

Part of the blight is the political affiliation of these new residents. When the shit hits the fan, they will be voting for whoever promises to save them. They will turn a blind eye to the reality their plight was caused by those same promise makers.

When Xiden and fellow thieves collapse the economy and we are in a major depression, those people are screwed. $1,000+++ a month mortgage payments and driving leased cars will leave them with no housing and no transportation. Their two family incomes will become no family income.

As we emerge from our COVID snooze, the mortgage payment forbearance chickens are coming home to roost. My part time job delivering dun notices and refinance offers is picking up. Many of the “customers” to whom I deliver documents are $26,000 to $50,000 in arrears.

Rabble Rousing.

This excerpt from RedState.Com was part of an opinion piece about school board and municipal elections around the country.

This is what happens when the right stops playing failure theater and starts fighting fire with fire. We can win these battles if we are willing to fight them, and there’s a direct correlation between these newfound victories and many in the GOP ditching the old-guard consultant class who would rather lose in style.

“Lose in style”

Colorado’s 3^rd District Congresswoman is good at stirring the pot.

Trust Fund Snots

Trust fund snots are among the first to shout, “Not in my backyard”.

The CORE act would make most of Federal land “wilderness” starting at the city limits of Vail and Aspen.

https://coloradopeakpolitics.com/2021/12/10/media-goes-mum-after-colorado-dems-suffer-humiliating-defeat-on-core-act/

Back in the day.

I’ve blogged in the past about buying mid 80’s diesel import pickups and cars, storing them in my backyard, and selling them to a Siberian (don’t call me a Russian!!!) who brought his 500’ fish processing vessel into Seattle a few times a year. He would load them on his deck and take them home to Vladivostok. This picture captures what my neighbors saw.

I’m still driving a 1985 Mitsubishi Mighty Max, my third Mitsu pickup. While not my daily driver, with a small shot of starting fluid, it will start at any temperature. I need to make it more rodent resistant by mixing some peppermint into rubbing alcohol and spraying the cabin and all the wiring under the hood. Given the worsening state of the world, a simple EMP protection kit might be worthwhile.

Flat tire.

The local tire stores fix flats for free. My daily driver had a slow leak. The nearest shop pulled it off and informed me a nail had penetrated the sidewall, the tire couldn’t be fixed, and I needed a new tire. I declined and have been adding air every other day. My sister steered me to the shop she uses. The manager once ran a different store and I did some business with him. His wife developed cancer and he left to devote his time to her. She died, and he went back to running a different store for the same owners. My sister’s advice was sound. His shop fixed my tire, for free, and told me the small sidewall damage was no big deal. Now, Sisty is one up on me. In truth, she is now so far ahead I’ll never catch up.

Why didn’t I get a tire from the first shop? Old car salesmen can smell the slightest whiff of smoke.

Speaking of Sisty, she lets Banner stay with her when I have road trips. I don’t think he fits a toy schnauzer sized bed.

Sears, Roebuck & Co.

Ever wonder how local merchants must have hated the Sears catalog? Today it is Amazon. I make a determined effort to buy locally, even at a higher price, but am often frustrated. Ten minutes on the Amazon site and I’ve found it, ordered it, and have it the next day. While I dislike their “wokeness” I admire their efficiency. Best part, not having the Wal-Mart experience.

Inflation.

Prices are going up, we all feel that. I go through about two reams of letter sized paper a week. The price seems to double every time I buy a case.

Can’t Go Home Again – the book.

I don’t do Kindle being a Latter Day Luddite. I received my paperback recently and am slowly reading my way through it. Powerful stories that stir my very soul are rare in my life but not while reading this book.

Drought

We still haven’t received any significant snowfall; just strong winds to suck out what little the soil contains. Picture from 12/16/2020 blog post taken just South of Harriman, WY.

DRJIM

That was the road to see Big Boy.

Lower Crime Rate

Living in a small city with a fairly low crime rate is a blessing. Serious crimes do occur but the “woke” mob hasn’t been able to diminish police funding. The courts are not lenient  with any crimes involving violence.

Crimes this week as reported by the local rag.

https://www.greeleytribune.com/2021/12/09/greeley-cop-log-8-teens-wreak-havoc-at-home-depot-man-looks-up-directions-after-buying-dead-rats/

Both the county sheriff department and the city police department use Falsebook to get information out. “Warrant Wednesday” is a regular feature resulting in a nearly 100% capture rate.

Where I live is a blue dot in a sea of red, principally due to the 100 year+ old Teachers College, excuse me, Northern Colorado University.

Two gripes about the local police. First, they are damn good at catching me speeding! Second, they ignore all the “lifted” vehicles whose headlights haven’t been adjusted. Driving at night is like having many vehicles driving around with high beams on.

Like anyplace with people, crime occurs. So far, shoplifting isn’t tolerated. In many ways the area is still in earlier years; a good thing IMO.

The Stalwart GOP Prevails

Biden’s poll number dropping. 14+ Democrat Representatives won’t run for re-election. Pundits crowing about a midterm GOP victory. Good news? Not to the Republicans, IMO. They are very comfortable being the “loyal opposition”; just not too oppositional.  

Being in charge means being responsible. Means becoming a target. Oh, WSF, you are delusional.  OK, what were the “Never Trumpers”? Why wasn’t a National Concealed Reciprocity Act passed? (Break the NRA’s Rice Bowl?) Much more comfortable to sit back, criticize, raise money and deliver enough financial bennies to your buddies to keep being re-elected. Nice cushy life with immense financial rewards.

At the Colorado State level, I fully expect the GOP to find ways to fuck up and leave us with p.o.s. like this one still in office. She isn't up for reelection for another two years giving the Democrats ample opportunity to corrupt elections.

https://coloradopeakpolitics.com/2021/12/09/secretary-of-state-griswold-wants-money-to-track-political-critics-on-social-media/

The header is from Day to Day, check him out if you haven’t already.

Enough, already. How about a little humor from a favorite cartoon strip?

Restaurants

Memories of small out of the way family restaurants was sparked by a recent Lone Star Parson post. 

https://lonestarparson.blogspot.com/2021/12/well-well-what-have-we-here.html

At the end of 1969, as newly married, my wife and I enjoyed a family owned Thai restaurant in a sketchy part of Denver. It was located across from a city park, now a dog park, known then as “Needle Park”. Today the area is gentrification central.The motherly type who owned it seated you at a table and brought a rolling menu board. You selected a price level and that determined the number of courses you were served. The food was fantastic. She didn’t have a liquor license. We dined there at least once a month.

The 1980’s found us living in Renton, WA. A family operated the restaurant portion of a downtown bar. In the years ahead  they bought out the bar and now have a chain of restaurants.

http://www.toreros-mexicanrestaurants.com/

Parking on 3^rd Avenue was hit or miss so we always parked in the rear. Exiting, we usually went out through the bar. One night as we exited one of three drunk bar patrons reached out and grabbed my wife’s breasts asking,

 “Are those real?”

I broke a chair over his head. His buddies decided to get into the fray. The chair was still somewhat intact so they got to experience the same fate as their buddy. Glass was broken, tables overturned, etc. As we left I put two $20 bills on the bar (a fair amount in 1980).

We didn’t go back for awhile but when we did we entered from the street. When our margaritas arrived, Mr. Rodriquez was the server. After putting the drinks down, he put some money on the table.

“The drinks are on the house. The change is from your last visit”.

Successful car salesmen develop contacts that refer customers. They are rewarded, in those days, $50 (out of my pocket), and the owner of a Chinese restaurant  referred many other Chinese buyers to me. I rarely made much of a commission on these transaction, usually a $50 minimum, but bonuses were based on volume and these sales helped my monthly numbers.

I often took my family to his restaurant. It was a price point menu, with various price points determining the number of courses. At one visit, he came over to take our order instead of his server.

“What will you have, he asked”.

“John, we like the $12 dinner for four but your price is too high! You want too much money”.

He gave me a “look” and went away. After the meal when the server brought me the check, he came over and picked up the check and put it in his pocket.  Wifey was surprised to see her cheap spouse leave a $20 tip.

Now I rarely eat out. Food has become fuel. When I do eat out, it is usually breakfast with family and friends. What is becoming a favorite is the local VFW breakfast buffet every third Sunday for $9 a head.  Yeah, I’m still cheap.

 

#2,000 YGTBSM

 As near as I can tell I started blogging in December 2008. Dumfounded, I am, that I still blog. This will be post #2,000.

It deserves something “epic”. My “epic” tank is running on fumes.

Those bloggers who post daily, or even several times a week, blow me away.

There is always something of interest on the political scene.

https://www.greeleytribune.com/2021/12/01/johnny-humphrey-cd8-congress-campaign/

Another “woke” candidate. Just what we need, no?

Changing times and morals? I was surprised to find this article in our local rag.

  https://www.greeleytribune.com/2021/12/01/best-hookup-sites/

 Water

To date, we have had just a skiff of snow. Winter snow is not here and not yet on the horizon. This is bad news for the region and for those depending on the Colorado River.

https://www.greeleytribune.com/2021/11/30/colorado-snowpack-dry-water-supply-denver/

Speaking of winter.

Last week, driving to McCook, NE, I didn’t see any “green” in the planted winter wheat fields. This year’s crops were decent, even record high, in some areas. Most of the small town grain elevators were operating, even on a Saturday, and railcars were lined up for loading.  Next year?

Farmers are the biggest gamblers. Next in line are farm implement dealers. The sales yards I passed seemed to be low on inventory. Someone more knowledgeable than me needs to draw conclusions from that observation.

The used car lots I passed seemed to have a decent inventory. Prices? Unknown; I didn’t have time to stop and check.

Preaching to the Choir – will the sinners take head?

https://www.greeleytribune.com/2021/12/01/carol-walters-we-must-do-all-we-can-to-ensure-election-security/

The auto repair shop I prefer is busy but I have an appointment on the 10^th for a minor tune up. What I suspect will be their recommendations.

The neighbor across the hall got these for Banner. He wears them with aplomb, much to the delight of others in the building. The strobe effect lights are hard to capture in a snap.

He was moping this morning. Instead of my usual bacon and eggs, I had a bowl of blueberries. He kept pushing into the desk well.

"Where is my bacon grease?"

After an hour of this, I cooked some bacon in the microwaves. After the plate cooled, he got his bacon grease fix. Then he went to the couch to catch up on his napping. I forced myself to eat the bacon. After all, waste not; want not.