There is crazy, and then there is Liberal Crazy

Jon Caldera and the Independence Institute

A Colorado conservative treasure, he skews (P)regressives on a regular basis with facts and humor. You can find him here.

https://i2i.org/

A brave man, he continues to live in Boulder and admits to being University of Colorado alumni. An example.

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There should be a law

During my mortgage delinquency work I often find a renter at the address where I’m sent. Said renter has no idea their landlord is in default. I think there should be criminal, not just civil, consequences for property owners who use rental income for purposes other than paying mortgages and taxes. Profits, yes, do what you want.

 In 2009 Congress passed the Mortgage Re-form and Predatory Lending Act after the sub-prime collapse. Some modifications have been made since but conflicts exist with state laws. I doubt many renters have the means to hire lawyers and get into protracted legal battles.

This is why I believe there is a need for criminal penalties. Perhaps someone with legal expertise can explain what can be done.

Every Blade of Grass Gift

This past Christmas Dr Jim and SLW invited Sisty and I to dinner at their home. Jim gave me three train posters that I finally got around to framing and putting up. Much appreciated.

 My apartment has a chest high half wall separating the living room from the kitchen with a blank gray wall on the living room side. I think the posters look good in that location.

I confess to being a train “nut”, especially the old steam engines.

 For the OCD among you, the picture is somewhat distorted. The space between the posters is within ¼” of being equal. Close enough for me.

As always, YMMV

Cry Wolf

 

Colorado Wolf Pack

The environazis have successfully made introducing wolves in Colorado law and policy. Wyoming has a different take on the matter. Seems Colorado wolfs are showing up dead in Wyoming. Surely, no Colorado rancher would kill one then take a short drive across the state line and dump the carcass? Heavens no! Long article here. MORE

Will cracking down on this be a priority for the Jackson and Moffat County Sheriffs? Will average January temperatures reach 90°? Routt County is different in there is only one road to Wyoming, closed in winter, and high clearance vehicles recommended.

40°56’14.79”N 107°00’04.59W

Short geography explanation. From the Utah line across the Wyoming line are, in order, Moffat, Routt, and Jackson counties. Moffat and Jackson counties are impacted more by wolf reintroduction. As the wolf population grows, Rio Blanco and Grand Counties will be impacted.

But what wolves will be introduced? The wolves once common in the Rocky Mountains were about the size of Mexican wolves. The wolves to be introduced are Canadian wolves which are much larger.

What? No Masks!!

A study validating common sense for protection against colds. Face diapers not needed. MORE

 Broken Window Policing

A long article on how focusing on property crimes helps curtail car theft crimes. All have a degree of commonality. MORE

What I find telling is this practice originated in the conservative areas of Colorado and is grudgingly being started in the (P)regressive Front Range areas.

Electric Vehicle Trap

This has been floating around Falsebook for a few days. Authentic? Who knows? Sobering if true.

I Hear A Train A’coming

Brace yourself! WSF finds a public transportation scheme that makes sense.

Housing in Steamboat Springs, CO is so expensive only trust fund snots can afford it. Workers are squeezed. Many live to the West in Hayden or Craig, 25 to 45 miles away. Other live South in Oak Creek or even Phippsburg and Yampa, more miles away. All are served by two lane highways with very few passing lanes.

The Union Pacific rail line is well maintained with coal trains running constantly. Some sort of commuter train service along the Yampa Valley River corridor makes sense. MORE

In a earlier blog I wrote about the Yampa Valley Mail.

https://wellseasonedfool.blogspot.com/search?q=yampa+valley+mail

Would reviving the Yampa Valley Mail be financially viable? For Denver area residents wanting to do “The Boat”, avoiding a four hour+  drive over two mountain passes might draw a lot of passengers.

Colorado College Football

Disclaimer. I’m  a lukewarm football fan. As a player I never rose above mediocre. What gets my attention is Coach Prime Time Deion Sanders and his impact on the University of Colorado, aka Birkenstock U, and the (P)regressive sinkhole of Boulder, CO. Christian man, starts every meeting with a prayer, and exudes traditional values. In Boulder? Well, if you bring in the big bucks all is ignored. Estimates are last weekend $17,000,000 was spent in Boulder businesses. CU merchandise sales and ticket sales are over the top.

Lost in the excitement are other Colorado teams. Last year Division II runner up Colorado School of Mines is 2-0 as is the Air Force Academy.

 Up the road my mother’s Alma Matter, Wyoming is 2-0.

Sorry, Donkey, aka Broncos fans. 0-1. Yeah, yeah Sisty, the Seasucks are 0-1.

Good News – Fast Food

With seven locations now Along the Front Range, three more are being added. One will be four miles from me, another in Brighton where I lived for several years and one about fifteen minutes from DrJim’s abode.

DrJim and SLW are outstanding examples of the California refugees we welcome.

 Colorado Politics

Too much shit going on to burden you residents of other states. If you are a masochists you can read it here. MORE

As always, YMMV  

Attention Getting Headline I Can't Think Of

 

Politics

Colorado is a vote by mail state. Unaffiliated voters for the primary election receive two ballots, one for each party. Only one can be returned and there is no provision for splitting your vote. Should you try to game the system and return both ballots separately or together, both will be rejected.

At the county level elections are run by the elected County Clerk and Recorder. In my county ours is straight arrow when it comes to elections. Statewide? With 64 counties who knows. Mesa County’s (Grand Junction) Tina Peterson may or may not be straight arrow but the (P)regessives are after her hammer and tongs. Metro Denver and Pueblo have a “history”.

Harry Truman, who once said he wasn’t in an organized political party because he was a Democrat, wouldn’t recognize Colorado’s party. Only one contested race and that is for University of Colorado Regent. Might be important; that is where Emperor Polis started.

Slo Joe is so weak Emperor Polis has Presidential fever. According to the Colorado Peak Politics site, Polis is trying to portray himself as some kind of libertarian champion. That might sell in other parts of the country.

The Republicans have many contested races. As usual, several polished Country Club loyal opposition (yawn) candidates and a handful of mavericks. There are even a few damn decent people sticking their necks out.

I’m in the newly formed 8^th District where Sister Kink is a candidate for the new Congressional seat.

Gardening

Those residents into gardening seem to be doing well. The way things are going in our country they may end up feeding the resident in our building. Before.

Sisty

She stepped up and bought a new Kia Sorento. In her work she needs the reliability and her old one was, surprise, getting old. She used Kia of Cheyenne. The owners and General Manager I worked with for years. They know her well as she did many things for all of us over the years. I didn’t ask how long it took her to shift all her “stuff” out of the old Kia. Hope she didn’t forget the NAA derringer I lost in Horsetooth Reservoir many years ago.

A Fool and His Money

While on the subject of vehicles I continue to dump money into my 1986 Mitsubishi Mighty Max. Two reasons. First, I know what is wrong and what is right about this truck. Second, there is nothing I can buy with the same money that might be reliable. As LL points out, two is one and one is none. I need two vehicles.

Next month, assuming I make it, I will have been a licensed driver for 64 years. My wants in a vehicle have devolved. When I turn the key it starts. When I let out the clutch it goes. It goes down the road at legal speeds. In my adult life I have personally owned more vehicles than I can remember. As to the impression others may have of me and/or what I drive, I don’t care.

Micro Economic Indicator

Most readers know I am an agent for what is legally a collection agency. I go to residences where the owners are behind on their strokes. They get a letter and the visit is documented. I’m getting slammed. It will get even busier with the Fed raising interest rates. I sense the residential real estate market will shrink rapidly because new mortgages will be much harder to obtain. Those folks thinking they can sell at a big profit and save their asses are, IMO, wrong.

Will it be as bad as 2008 with the subprime collapse? We should be so lucky that it doesn’t get much worse.

Veterans Administration

I have never tried to hide my negative attitude towards the VA. Slowly, I’m changing my attitude because the people I’m dealing with at the patient level in this area are good people with a good attitude. Next month I will be trying their physical therapy program. Age is sapping my leg strength and falling, and not being able to get up without help, is a concern.

Steam Locomotives

An interest of mine, I am disappointed the Union Pacific’s summer program is in a state of flux. A Northwest tour was planned but is now on hold.

The various tourist trains in Colorado are up and running. All, IMO, are worth a try.

https://www.colorado.com/articles/complete-guide-colorado-train-trips

Sisty’s birthday present last year was the cog railroad train to the top of Pike’s Peak. For various reasons, medical, it didn’t happen until later. Wonderful experience!

Banner

I’m so glad I adopted this dog three years ago.

Things Are Bigger in Texas

Back home after a week on the road with no computer. Much catching up to do tomorrow.
Past this train in North Texas. From the crossing where the pictures were taken to the grain elevator in the distance is 1.9 miles.

Maybe Milepost 154 can identify the type of locomotives. Sory for the duplicate photo. Someday I will learn how to do all this (Yea, right).

Coal Trains

Two BNSF coal trains waiting for a clear track. The steam clouds are from the generating plant they serve. Standardized at 110 cars and two locomotives at each end, they run from near Gillette, WY to where the coal is needed. They can be seen at every hour. Not very "green" but lots of jobs and lots of electricity being provided.

Yampa Valley Mail

The Yampa Valley Mail and a rambling Colorado Railroad story. Colorado once had scores of railroad companies but the two that survived the longest were the Denver & Salt Lake and the Denver & Rio Grande. Both focused on routes West of the Front Range.

The D&SL, aka the Moffat line, was the builder/owner of the Moffat Tunnel. As part of the bond financing, a property tax, the Moffat Tunnel Tax, was imposed on portions of Colorado along the original route. The D&SL made it from Denver to Craig, CO before running out of money.

The D&RG was the most successful railroad and did reach Salt Lake City. Many smaller railroads, including the D&SL, were acquired. The financial maneuvers involved probably wouldn’t withstand close scrutiny. When the D&RG got control of the Moffat Tunnel, they acquired the debts and obligations. One obligation was to provide daily passenger service from Denver to Craig. No service, no Moffat Tunnel Tax.

Passenger service was a money loser and the D&RG tried to get out. There were three trains, the D&RG portion of the California Zephyr (now operated by Amtrak, the Prospector, an overnight train to Salt Lake City, and the Yampa Valley Mail. The dastardly Western Slope residents wouldn’t let the D&RG out of the passenger train service unless the Moffat Tunnel Tax was rescinded. Hence, the Yampa Valley Mail continued. The train usually consisted of a ALCO PA1 locomotive with a unique square nose profile, a mail/baggage car, and one passenger car. The ALCOs could haul. Even with numerous stops, the train averaged 60 mph over a roadbed that was kept to freight, not passenger, standards. At some point the mail subsidy went away; then the tunnel bonds were paid off, and around 1968 the service stopped.

In Colorado, the railroads are responsible for fencing their right of ways and are liable for any livestock they kill. In the Yampa Valley area, annual snowfall can exceed 30 feet making for steep snow banks along side the tracks.

Along about March each year, a certain rancher would run out of “drinking money”. His solution was to kick one of his culls onto the track just before the mail train was due. The claim was always for his best prime breeder.

A sound business plan and proper marketing could have made the train profitable. Today, the Union Pacific owns the D&RG and has closed several of the routes. The Craig route has been built up to handle heavy coal traffic. The roadbed is in excellent condition,

The UP could probably build a profitable business running a train catering to skiers with a stop in Winter Park, Bond, and Steamboat Springs. From Bond, shuttle buses could easily serve Vail and Beaver Creek.

My father was a section foreman for the D&RG for ten years. We used the Yampa Valley Mail to visit Denver. Often we were the only passengers. Some of the route is nearly wilderness as no roads go into some of the canyons.

Hope some of you will enjoy this as a break from the current crap (TSA, Congress, the One, etc.).

Train Pictures

I've always liked trains and have tried many times to take a decent train photo. I like this one, The Cheyenne Frontier Days Special, just North of Platteville, CO at Mile 37.