A Semi-Coherent Hodge .Podge Post

Denver’s Ugly Sister, Shoplifters, and Food Deserts

Aurora borders Denver’s east side. It is divided between two counties which complicates many government functions. The current mayor is Mike Coffman, one of a few politicians I admire. This is a recent Falsebook post.

 An Alternative to the Closure of Walmart's Neighborhood Market

Lots of handwringing going on about the upcoming June 7th closure of the Walmart Neighborhood Market, located at 10400 E. Colfax Avenue, in Northwest Aurora.

So-called community activists are complaining that the Walmart Neighborhood Market is the only option in the area and how the surrounding neighborhoods will now become a "food desert" without any fresh food options.

I went up to the area yesterday afternoon and that couldn't be further from the truth. Less than a block away, at 10777 E. Colfax Avenue, is "Lowe's Mercado" which is a much larger, welcoming, and a remarkably clean grocery store.

Lowe's Mercado was originally established to serve the Hispanic immigrant community but has since evolved to welcome everyone with an amazing selection of fresh vegetables, fruits, and meats. All of their signs and advertising are in both Spanish and English.

A key difference between Lowe's Mercado and Walmart's Neighborhood Market is that Walmart has a reputation for being tolerant of shop lifting while Lowe's Mercado's policies don't tolerate it. The difference is probably the biggest reason why Lowe's Mercado can be successful, and Walmart was not, while operating in the same area.

No doubt, there will be individuals who will be negatively impacted by the closure of the Walmart Neighborhood Market at Havana and Colfax, and they will be the shoppers who routinely fill their carts up and walk out of the Walmart store without paying. Good luck trying that at Lowe's Mercado.

In the photo are Lowe's Mercado Store Manager Luis Guereca and Assistant Manager Lupita Pinzon during my visit yesterday.

 

 If you are arrested for stealing a car in Denver you get released on a personal recognizance bond. Get arrested in Aurora and you go to jail, then bond out on a cash bond. Upon conviction, spend 180 days in jail. The incoming mayor is continuing Mike’s policies. Aurora’s city council was dominated by “wokes”. No longer. Aurora has a large legal immigrant population. Those who have obtained citizenship are not supporting (P)regressives anymore.

 Mike Coffman will make a great addition to President Trump’s Cabinet.

Bio

Choose your Petard

There is a current effort to put an initiative on the ballot to ban hunting mountain lions.

Lions

 In other news, it seems one of the wolves introduced in the state was killed by a mountain lion.

Wolves

Exercising Constitutional Rights, Vigorously, Pisses People Off

RINOs are annoyed. A long article about the influence some Deplorables have on public opinion.

Wyoming Politics

This long article is, to me, an example of good journalism all too rare today.

Should Have Used Taylor Swift Singing

Heavy Metal bear deterrent.

Snark

Lightning

From a Falsebook posting.

Lightning struck at a ranch in Jackson County Saturday, killing the rancher and 34 head of cattle. 51-year-old Mike Morgan had just finished branding his cattle and was starting to feed them when the lightning struck and killed him, according to Jackson County Coroner George Crocket.

Crocket said the storm blew in just northwest of Rand, and the lightning knocked 100 head of cattle off their feet, with 34 of them dying.

The call came in to Jackson County dispatch at 2:08 p.m.

Our condolences to the Morgan family.

We are also hearing of ranchers in the area and from neighboring counties gathering to help bury the cattle that died.

In my teens I worked the hay fields within a few miles of where this happened.

My mother was struck twice in her lifetime, likely near miss; not direct hits. Sisty’s American Saddle Bred horse was killed by lightning. He was found dead in a pasture. None of the other horses seemed to be harmed.

A Spot of Clear Thinking

The Law Dog blog author’s post, “Because We Are Here, Lad” is worth your time.

Don’t Be a Dude

Wearing a cowboy hat in the West is a serious matter. Per one ‘expert’.

“Black hats are for villains, white for good guys, grey for people who shoot the train robber but keep the money.”

Cowboy up

Memorial Day

Not a day I spend socializing or doing “things”. To me, a day of reflection. The picture is from today’s Memorial remembrance conducting by American Legion Post 44, Steamboat Springs, CO.

Organized in 1919-20 and named after Leo Hill, the first townsman killed in WWI, it survives. I’ve paid due for many years although never an active member. It clearly shows the schism between the ‘locals’ and the trust fund snots. Not too many trust fund snots present.

That scene was replayed thousands of times across the country.

 For those who might sneer at the gray beards and pot bellies of the honor guard, have no doubt they can still load, maneuver, and smoke your ass. Maybe not for long, but long enough to get the job done.

Chinese Products

When I first moved into my current place five+ years ago I bought two cheap nightlights at the Dollar Store. Other than power outages, they have been burning 24/7/365. While I might like to replace them with something more decorative, I’m too cheap to toss something that is still working.

True Believers

My neighbor down the hall is a fanatical Democrat true believer. A LA Chicano, he and his wife participated in Cesar Chavez’s farm worker marches back in the day. He is a retired high school principal. There is no dialogue with the man. Any opposing views he shouts down. What amazes me is he won’t accept any criticism  of Biden. Scary, an educated person who ignores reality. I asked him, “Do you have more money in your pocket now than three years ago?”  He was emphatic, “Yes”.  I didn’t ask him why his wife is a frequent visitor to our community food sharing table.

Another Good Idea with Evil Potential – SAR

MORE

Just because we are paranoid doesn’t mean we don’t have reasons to be.

As Always, YMMV

F**ck Joe Biden, but I repeat Myself

Hey Joe, kick rocks

Utah has started, and Wyoming may follow, taking state control of energy production away from the feds. It is complicated, I don’t understand all of it, but heartily approve.

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That will ruin more than just your day

Bear Spray

Anthony Fauci is not pleased – face mask edition

Surprisingly, this research is from Jolly Olde England. Face masks don’t work?

Oh, No

He is our homegrown Josef Mengele, along with his co-conspirator, Christine Grady.

Wolves – Not a good idea?

Tisk, tisk

Soon the wolves will turn their attention to feral horses. That will cause a shit storm.

Knees are Kaupt

Recent knee examination showed bone on bone on the inside of both knees. Not a surprise. Replacement at this time is not recommended. Weight loss will help. Steroid shot in each knee for now. Age is bitch. The doctor looks like he just graduated high school.

Damn, I must change my ways

Next year (Jan 1) no more holding a cell phone while driving goes into effect in Colorado. This old geezer will need to read instructions, learn how to use Bluetooth (whatever that is) to link the phone to an earpiece, buy and install a cell phone holder, etc. Yeah, I hear a bunch of you saying, “Oh, poor baby”. I will continue to bitch, regardless of what others may think.

Hail

Colorado had a bad hail storm that hit Yuma hard (5/20-5/21) overnight. Golf ball to baseball sized hail stripped vinyl siding off some buildings. Roofs everywhere destroyed. My sister’s sister by another mother lives in the area and is facing challenges.

Korf Motors in Yuma had one new car roof punctured, like shot by a bullet punctured, by hail per one of Sisty’s insurance adjuster friends.

Hail Broke Loose

Democracy is wonderful until it isn’t – Ballot initiatives

Wonderful, until your pet ox is being gored. A long article about efforts to place initiatives into law bypassing the legislative process and having voters decide. This has seen past success in Colorado (wolves, anyone). A recent successful initiative will put a constitutional amendment guarantying a right to abortion on the 2024 ballot.

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My last foray into the process was the Weld County, WY effort. That went nowhere.

Shrewd Hire

Deion Sanders, Coach Prime, as head coach of the University of Colorado football team. After many dismal years, all season tickets are sold out for the second year in a row. Sales of sports paraphernalia has soared. Interesting, he isn’t the highest paid coach in Colorado. That is the head coach in Ft Collins at CSU.

Rick George, the Athletic Director, has used all this new revenue to improve facilities for all sports. Lights for the soccer field as an example.

Disclaimer. I’m no CU fan. That said, I admire the way Coach Prime runs his program. He demands high standards in academics and behavior. Several high profile 5 star players have left because of those standards. He hasn’t wavered and I admire him for that.

Plus, my evil heart relishes the angst of the woke (P)regressives that invest Boulder County and CU. A God fearing and preaching black man in their midst who speaks his mind and damn the torpedoes? How do they attack him? How do they bring him back on the plantation? TeeHeeHee!

Oldie but goody

Always like this cover from a Leaning Tree Greeting Card.

Iranian Helicopter crash

Two other helicopters, per reports, were accompanying the bigwigs and didn’t have a problem. Further, it took ground crews to find the crash site. Now, LL may be correct about the Jesus nut. That is the simplest answer (Occam’s razor). All the political intrigue that permeates that part of the world along with the many Mossad successes, will we ever know (or, given the assholes who died, care)?

I feel so protected

My Colorado tax returned showed up in the mail. The accompanying explanation explained their effort to combat fraud. Democrats worried about fraud? Perhaps they are motivated to hang on as long as possible to the $800 TABOR refund every filer is entitled? Nah, couldn’t be that.

 To be clear I’ve loathed this department since 1968 when my wages were attached for taxes levied against my Army earnings even though I spent one day in Colorado after joining.

 As always, YMMV

 

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