Wyoming Poachers

 

Wyoming Poachers

A recent headline.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is planning to cut $45 million from city agencies including the police to help fund a program to deal with a recent influx of migrants

Seeing an opportunity to solve staffing issues, The Laramie (Cheyenne) County Sheriff bought a billboard in Denver.

This coming shortly after Denver is launching some unicorn fart plan to stop crime that will require staffing with some police.

Crime

Surprisingly, the Denver Mayor isn’t pleased.

Umbrage

Californicating Colorado

Colorado ranks 21st in the country by population and 13th in the country in state debt. As I’ve written many times the only reason the debt isn’t higher is, in part, because of TABOR, a 1992 voter passed amendment to the Colorado Constitution. In simple terms, the Taxpayers Bill of Rights severely restricts all government entities, from the Colorado Legislators to a local water district in the way taxes can be raised. Further, all surpluses must be returned to the taxpayers as a refund.

 Checking the Revenuer's  site, my refund check is, “In the mail”, but may take up to thirty days to arrive. Huh?

Every since Colorado turned blue politically, the (P)regressives have been seeking ways around TABOR. In the last session, they have passed some TABOR ‘reforms’. Just what they passed is hard to learn but should keep some lawyers busy.

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In the pasts, they have not done due diligence (surprise) and now there is another mess. 

Where are the auditors?

This one has me totally confused and, it seems, I’m not alone. Perhaps it is, Figures don’t lie, liars figure”.

But, but californication is falling behind. Not to worry, their gas prices are coming to the Front Range soon. 

That will leave a mark

I Want the Out the Door Price

While retired from the car biz, I still have an interest. Before the internet I bought nearly every book on, “How to buy a car”, that I came across. Now I browse YouTube, etc. and watch the talking heads telling people how do save thousands by following their advice (oh, you can subscribe for a modest amount).

Reality check. If your credit is so shitty you need a co-signer for cash, if you owe more on your trade than the wholesale value, and you don’t have a cash down payment, save your time. You are not in a strong bargaining position.

If you are a solid citizen, or dripping in Krugerrands like one blogger we know, your situation is different. You still won’t walk into a dealership and dictate how they will do business with you.

Back in the day you would get ten minutes of my time. That is how long it would take me to write down the M.S.R.P., add Dealer handling and hand write plus taxes and license fees the state mandates we collect. In my mind I know you want a hunting license to take to Down The Road Motors and see if they will beat the deal. Fuck you! Your one purchase won’t make or break our dealership and there is always an ass for every seat.

“Can’t you do better” was the usual question asked in a peeved tone of voice?

“What is your offer”, would be my response?

What most customers don’t know, and YouTube pontificators won’t tell, is something called Consumer Satisfaction Index. The buyer gets a survey from the manufacturer and can rate the dealer and sales person. The manufacturer uses this as a club tying things like inventory allocation, hidden rebates, etc. to the CSI. The buyer who comes in with the above attitude almost never gives the dealership a good rating. Why would a dealership want that sale?

Now we come to the much maligned 4 square. It is nothing more than a communication enabler. You may not like it. Be assured in that back room where the managers are evaluating a sale, some variation of that is on their computer screen. What you won’t see, that the manager sees, is proprietary information.

One last thing, the words of Honest Art Kinsman, the Working Man’s Friend, who I’ve mentioned in previous posts.

“I’ll take a $300 deal if I have to. It is all iron and I can get more iron than customers. Before I take a $300 deal, I will grind the tits off the customer”. Art's time was before C.S.I.

Point. If you want that super deal, be prepared for an hour or two of having your tits ground off.

Bad News

Brianna Klass, a granddaughter, was in a terrible automobile accident and severely injured. She was a passenger when the driver had a seizure. She was turned sideways trying to steer the car when they collided with another car. As my grandson Connor put it, she ended up being an airbag for the driver. Her Facebook post. https://www.facebook.com/bri.klass

She is a great human being, a hard worker, and doesn’t know the word quit. Eternal question. Why does bad things happen to the really good people?

Figures don’t lie, liars figure EV news

Long story about EV sales in Colorado. 

Shambles

Key points are the huge subsidies now offered ($21K). Dealers speak well of the ‘progress’ now that they can get all that inventory off their books before the cars have more birthdays (monthly curtailments on flooring). Econazies seldom let facts get in their way.

Want a sober truth? Nationwide two year old used EVs are selling for two thirds of their original M.S.R.P.

Wary consumers will do well to check that shinny gas free ride qualifies for those incentives and/or tax credits. Often hidden is a requirement for a certain percentage must be of UAW, oppsie, USA source.

As always, YMMV.

Combat Fatigue Respite

 

Alfred E Neuman state

My personal life, for the moment, is improving and my usual umbrage about the state of the world is merely at a simmer. Undoubtedly that will change. For the moment, my focus is inward.

Surveillance State

With 46 balconies facing the open hillside where Banner does his business, eyes are always on us. Further, many doing the surveillance are not shy with their opinions on how Banner is cared for by his guardian.

Coal and Electricity

Craig, CO, located in Northwest Colorado, has always been a boom or bust town. Railroad, cattle, sheep, uranium and coal have had their day. The TriState power plant is literally adjacent to the Trapper mine. Now both are being shut down. Headed south on Hwy 13 there are other open pit coal mines. All are in danger of closing.

David Moffat’s Denver, Salt Lake, and Pacific railroad reached Craig in 1913. He ran out of investor money. The Denver and Rio Grande acquired the company and later the Union Pacific acquired the D&RG (fuck you Fred Anschutz).

Now, 40 miles to the west a mammoth power line is under construction that will send solar and wind generated electricity, in Wyoming, to Las Vegas and California.

Who supplies electricity (and natural gas) to the region is a hodgepodge of co-ops, for profit companies, and local independent operations all tied into the regional grid. Xcel, a Minnesota headquartered company established in 1903 wants to dominate the system. Being woke and green (and arrogant), constant re-alignments by other ‘stakeholders’ who are not in agreement keep lawyers and reporters busy.

I will say the Xcel ‘boots on the ground’ employees are as good as you will find.

About 4% of electricity produced in Colorado is by hydro. There is a lot of potential. That won’t happen with the environazies calling the shots. Add the unofficial Colorado motto, “Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting”, and you have political gridlock.

Of passing interest, Boulder, CO receives electricity from hydro built in 1906. You don’t hear any proposals to “free” Boulder Creek by tearing down the dam.

Television

I haven’t owned a television going on ten years. This past weekend in the motel room, watching,  I found myself just flipping thru channels. Sports were the only thing I found interesting. I loathe six to ten commercials in a row. Yes I know there are ways around them but that would require reading instructions to achieve a goal that I have no real personal interest.

One channel had some talking head proclaiming, in a sky is falling tone of voice, that if Trump is elected, he will never leave office and will cancel future elections. If only.

Cheyenne + Facebook?

Big plans afoot and everyone involved has signed NDA’s. I didn’t know elected officials can sign NDAs. 

Meta

Personal Relief

My oldest son, 51, is autistic and has lived for several years in a chaotic mental health complex located in the Seattle Wallingford/Fremont district (about eight blocks from the Troll). The area has become increasingly dangerous and staffing issues at the complex has compounded the problem. He has now moved to an adult family (group) home in SE Renton. How this will work out is, of course, unknown. The area is much safer and, hopefully, people on site to assist him with problems. I’m relieved he is finally out of Keystone and the city of Seattle.

Alignment Scam

The one man shop that works on my cars doesn’t do alignments. He tells me a good alignment rack is six figures. Recently he replaced all four struts on my 2002 Ford Taurus (a four figure ouch!) which changed the alignment. Two local shops wouldn’t do an alignment without doing approximately $700 in repairs. Total bullshit! If the car needed a lower control arm, or had a wheel bearing making noise, etc., my mechanic would have told me.

The tire store I use recommended a small shop. Busy, I had to wait two weeks for an appointment. Arrived, one hour and $150 later, I drove away with a proper alignment. As a bonus, Banner got a treat!

This will be the last time the car will meet specs. While the mileage is 81,000, age is always a factor.

Because of my background I knew I was being scammed. I have left proper Goggle reviews, for what that is worth, on the two scam shop sites. Their response is, “We have reached out to him”. Yeah, go fuck yourselves.

As always, YMMV

After Action Report - Horse Drive

Good trip to “Where the Hell is Maybell, CO” for the Sombrero Horse Drive.

The header photo is some of my cousins talking to a Maybell area rancher they knew growing up in Maybell. He is a real cowboy that passes out taffy to the crowds and keeps a bottle of blackberry brandy in a saddle bag.

 The weather was great but winter came in again Sunday night. The first 150 miles back to the Front Range was a challenge. Sisty had it much worse as she left this morning from Steamboat Springs to investigate a fatally accident in Canon City. Horrible roads all the way there.

Stopped to see old rancher friends in Steamboat Springs. My age, and damned they look old. They are the kind of friends you don’t see for years and when you get together it was like we saw each other last week. As ranchers, wolves were on their minds.

 Their son and daughter-in-law now run the ranch and raise Kargal Sheppard Dogs as a sideline. One is 200 lbs. My friends are grateful for these dogs. One has kept a 400 lb bear away from the ranch. The bear responded by taking a dump in the driveway.

 Banner spent the four days at my sister’s home. He seemed pleased to see me.

 As always, YMMV

So You Want to be a Cowboy?

 Cowboy Up!

This weekend is the Sombrero Horse Drive. 2-500 horses moved from Browns Park to west of Craig, CO. Too late this year but if you have $5,000 or so to spare you can do it next year.

Ride'em

On Sunday the drive goes past Maybell, CO. Our paternal family has a multi-generation history in that corner of Colorado and adjacent parts of Wyoming and Utah. We have a family gathering around that date each year. On Saturday we visit the private family cemetery on land homesteaded around 1913 that is still in the hands of family members, approximately 20 miles west of Maybell.

Side note: Maybell has the distinction as the coldest recorded temperature in the state, -61°F.

(Browns Park          40° 48’ 25.01” N  108° 54’ 27024” W

  Sombrero Ranch  40° 32’ 25.50” W  107° 46’ 13.74” W)

Want a 2^nd Home in Wyoming?

Wretched excess

Wyoming has many isolated, out of the way, places. Bedford may be as isolated as any. Lying in the Star Valley between two mountain ranges and served by one highway, the few Star Valley residents are mainly LDS (Mormon) followers. The Jackson Hole pustule is a hard 69 mile drive away along the Snake River.

Given the financial means, would I buy the place? Hell no! I would rather live in a sheep wagon.

No S**t, Sherlock

Soros Legacy

Colorado 8^th Congressional District

Created after the last census, the Republicans nasty primary fight resulted in an establishment wingnut candidate that independent voters found distasteful. The Democrat winner is a decent person that votes party line and tends “woke”. Polling suggests she might have trouble getting re-elected.

CO 8th

This is the district I live in. The probable Republican candidate is a solid conservative.

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Of interest, but not important, both the current office holder and her presumed opponent are Latino.

Bad Drivers – We are third in the nation, Colorado!

#1 is within reach with just a few more transplants moving here.

Watch out!

The infrastructure isn’t adequate for the amount of traffic.

US 50 Blue Mesa Reservoir Bridge

Closed due to structural cracks. The detour is over 300 miles. My first thought was a temporary float bridge. Seems CDOT has approached the Army for help. No answer yet.

Something for the local residents.

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nCZXZbVWTUwPl7jMSSOio-q9xo_D2liEw

Wolves doing what wolves do, duh!

Emperor Polis to ranchers? “Tough shit”. 

Middle finger

What warms my evil heart is wolves expanding their range and are now appearing along the Front Range. What will happen when a golden doddle gets eaten in Boulder County?

Another sign Biden isn’t running the Executive Branch

The new harebrained scheme is to move the Air National Guard into the Space Force. Biden, with decades of swimming in the swamp, would know this is a sure way to piss of all the Governors. Further, do this in an election year?

I’ve never understood the need for a Space Force in the first place.

Plain Talk

A car selling memory. My sales manager was doing a thirty day alcohol rehab and the corporate trainer ran the store for a month. Honest Art Kinsman (The Working Man’s Friend). A decorated Korean War Marine, he played two seasons as an offensive guard for the Green Bay Packers. He was a foul mouthed hard ass’s hard ass.

 One night I was working a deal with a man with bad credit. After the third pencil (offer), he roared out, “You go up there and tell that banko fag we are the only place that can get him financed and that is the payment!”

Going behind my desk I started, “Jeff, we…” when he cut me off. “I heard”, he said. “Where do I sign”.

Australian Invasion

Many blog posts have to do with Wyoming rare earth deposits. Most are being developed by Australian companies. The latest news involves one of Australia’s wealthiest person. For those interested.

Rare Earth

 There are other players and wannabe players. China is lurking in the background with some of the players. Surprise?

TABOR – The (P)regressive’s never quit

The biggest impediment to the leftist effort to make Colorado California lite is the Taxpayers Bill of rights, a state Constitutional amendment. Their latest effort is to spend more while promising lower taxes. 

Taxes

The Democrats are determined to move Colorado from #13 among state debt at $67 billion toward #1 California $520 billion.

Pesky thing, Constitutions. Lawsuits to follow.

Soylent Green news

Gushing article on advances in better synthetic food,  if you have an interest.

Plant Based "Meat"

Look forward to changes in labeling rules so that the consumer won’t know what they are eating.

Banner’s new tack

What he was using was over four years old and starting to fray. He doesn’t care but the ladies in the building are making a fuss over the new gear and he does enjoy the attention. For me, I went with a new 6’ leash instead of the old 4’.  

 Out of battery 5/4 to 5/7. Will have a laptop but the motel connection is poor. Unless things have changed from last year, little to no cell phone service in Maybell with my carrier.

 As always, YMMV