NoCoPolitics.com

Fort Collins Cuts: What Took You So Long?

Fort Collins is cutting $2.2 million from the general fund budget.

Take note of this curious quote:

Residents might not notice the cuts, which include money that was tabbed for travel, office supplies and advertising expenses, Freeman said. In some cases, equipment replacement and facility renovations have been put on hold.

"We tried to make cuts that would have minimal impact on residents and service levels," he said.

Quick question: If residents (i.e. taxpayers) might not notice the cuts, why weren't they made long ago?  

Isn't this a tacit admission that the government still has a lot of cutting still to do? 

During the campaign, Mayor Hutchinson talked about the 13 page "stop doing" list that he implemented during his first years in office, commenting that "in many cases, no one even noticed..."

My comment: If no one noticed that you cut 13 pages of programs, why did you stop at page 13?

Good Thing Someone's Worrying About What We Eat

Now it's PVHS:

As budgets tighten and families look for ways to pinch pennies, a wage cut or a lost job can change how people eat.

When a trip to the grocery store makes a big dent in the piggy bank, it's sometimes easy to reach for boxed and processed fruits that offer quantity but not quality while bypassing fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains, experts say.

Of all of the things to worry about in this world...

Now we're worrying that boxed and processed fruits are not up to the same quality as fresh fruit?  So we're somehow damaging our health by eating applesauce instead of fresh apples or canned tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes? 

And then there's this non sequitor:

A recent American Heart Association survey of 1,000 Americans found that 42 percent planned to make changes in the next six months that may impact their health, such as buying fewer fruits and vegetables.

Wait... weren't we talking about fruits versus fruits?  Let's jump to the obligatory hit on fast food:

"People may be eating out less, but on the other hand people tend to still eat highly processed, convenient foods," Morales said. "Fast foods are still a common behavior."

And, finally, pre-made meals:

People go for the boxed, all-in-one pasta bake rather than buying fresh peppers and broccoli for stir-fry.

So I guess my traditional summer diet of Spaghettios, hot dogs and Fla-Vor-Ice is out?

Don't Worry... These New Regulations Won't Hurt...

The oil and gas companies are having a hard time doing business in Colorado.

Up Next: Your Kid's Lemonade Stand

In Longmont, city councilmember Sarah Levinson is going after an estate sale for not paying sales taxes to the city.

How's this for being an activist for the tax collectors:

"I noticed that they were not collecting taxes for the city of Longmont," said Levison. "I wonder if there is any system to check on when there are professionally run estate sales to ensure that we are collecting taxes. I hate to think that we might have lost several hundred dollars of tax income that day. I'm also wondering whether or not we could connect with the state to find out if they reported the amount of state sales tax and if we could go back and try to collect it. We need every dime we can get these days."

Diggs Brown on Independence Day

READ THE WHOLE THING.

It takes less than a minute to be sworn into military service. It takes a lifetime of selfless sacrifice to uphold the duty sworn to within those 60 seconds.

The men and women with whom I have served understand that obligation. We are dedicated to preserving the union and defending the ideals instilled by our nation's founding fathers.

And, just as they did in Philadelphia 233 years ago, to this cause, we also mutually pledge our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.

God bless America and all she stands for.

It's a Freedom of Speech Issue

FreeColorado.com correctly calls out "Clear the Bench Colorado" for its response to the judicial injunction against Amendment 54.

"New Colorado auto fees stir shock, anger"

You don't say.

So say you're working on an old clunker in your garage, and it's a long way from being put back together.  You can either register it now, even though it's not even close to being ready to drive (and pay insurance)... or get hit by a major fine for being "late" when you register it later.

Scott Doyle has the right idea.  Give the people the contact information for the state legislators who voted for the new system:

Larimer County Clerk Scott Doyle had his staff hand out information sheets on the increases and contact numbers for state lawmakers. There is also a new security guard after two recent incidents.

Barack Obama Has Saved 90.5% of American Jobs!

(i.e. unemployment rate jumps to 9.5%)

What Markey Voted For

The costs of "cap-and-trade", explained by Robert Zubrin:

Here's the cheery intro:

While proponents of the bill have sought to argue that the costs of such a system would be negligible, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the bill proposes a massive and highly regressive tax on the U.S. economy, and could potentially cause not only extensive business failures, unemployment and privation within our borders, but starvation among poorer populations elsewhere.

Some specifics (or, just read the whole thing):

...at a rate of $15/ton fee for emission indulgences, the bill would impose a tax of $135 billion per year on the nation. Divided by the U.S. population of 300 million, that works out to a cost of $450 per year levied on every American man, woman or child, or $1,800 for a family of four.

...coal would therefore be taxed at a rate of almost 400 percent. Coal provides half of America’s electricity, so such extraordinary imposts could easily double the electric bills paid by consumers and businesses across half the nation.

...a $15/ton tax on CO2 emissions will also cause an increase in the price of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel on the order of $0.22/gallon. This will not only hit consumers’ pockets, but increase transport costs throughout the economy, thereby disabling businesses and increasing unemployment levels still more.

And:

If you tax carbon, you tax fertilizer and pesticides. If you tax these things, you tax food, and by no small amount. A $15/ton CO2 tax would increase fertilizer production costs directly by about $60/ton, with the cap-and-trade bill’s increased transport costs inflating the burden still more. That’s enough to make many farmers use less fertilizer, and less fertilizer means less food.

David May on the Health Care Debate

David May, president and CEO of the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce weighs in with a cautionary note for business.

Rising insurance premiums make it tempting for some businesses to toss the problem to the government and walk away. The unintended consequences of doing so are profound: A huge portion of the economy would shift from being somewhat market-driven to government-operated with all the inefficiencies and politics that implies, quality of care goes down, timely access to care goes down, your personal health-care choices go down and aggregate costs skyrocket.

Nationalized health care will become a massive unfunded obligation and an anchor on our country's economic prosperity. Business people need to become involved, learn the numbers and let Rep. Betsy Markey and Sens. Michael Bennet and Mark Udall know health is a personal matter too important to be socialized.

Taco Bell's Green Menu

Via the Onion, of course.

Taco Bell's New Green Menu Takes No Ingredients From Nature

Shocking News: College Sofas Might be Biohazards

CSU has ended the "Great Sofa Roundup" because of the fear of bedbugs.

Bedbugs?  Really?  That's the biohazard that they're worried about?  We're talking about free sofas dumped by college students.

Though the local and state health departments have not issued any warnings of increased bedbug infestations, there have been some nationwide reports of problems with bedbugs, said Melissa Emerson, community liaison for CSU and the city of Fort Collins."

It just gave us a reason to pause," Emerson said.

The "Great Sofa Roundup" was a sensible solution to the problem of college students dumping their sofas at the end of the year.  Instead of dumping your old sofa in the alley or paying to cart it off to the landfill, you just brought it to the free swap-lot:

The Great Sofa Roundup allowed people with old couches to bring them to a parking lot for others to take free of charge.

It matched a supply with a demand.  It was convenient, it saved people money, and it diverted a lot of solid waste from the landfill. 

Frankly, people knew what they were getting (and knew that sometimes it wasn't going to be pretty).

But CSU apparently thinks that students (and others) need to be protected from themselves.  So the "Great Sofa Roundup" is no more. 

The Tipping Point?

"Cap-and-trade" subsidizes "the shower Nazi"?

So let me get this straight:

1. I get a job and earn money.
2. Instead of spending the money on something that I may want or need, I send the money to someone in Washington.
3. After paying the salaries, benefits, overhead and rent for whatever bureaucratic department this is flushed through, the government takes whatever's left of my money and launches an advertising campaign to get me to apply for a shower head subsidy.
4. Once I apply for a shower head subsidy, someone else in Washington processes my paperwork (more salaries, benefits, overhead and rent) and mails me my money back in the form of a rebate coupon.
5. Finally, I take what's left over of the money I earned in the first place (i.e. the rebate coupon) and buy a shower head.
6. The shower head automatically shuts off the water flow when the government thinks my shower is done.

Gee.  That makes perfect sense.  How about this for an idea instead: I'll just turn off my shower when I'm confident all of the soap is rinsed out of my hair.  I'll use the money that I'm not spending on government salaries, benefits, overhead, rent, postage, advertising and paperwork to stimulate the economy.

(h/t Junkscience.com)

Markey Makes Herself a Target

According to Politico:

Those likely to find themselves with targets on their back after the 219-212 vote: freshman Reps. Harry Teague of New Mexico, Betsy Markey of Colorado, John Boccieri of Ohio, Thomas Perriello of Virginia and Alan Grayson of Florida and second-termer Zack Space of Ohio.

Here's the analysis of Markey:

Markey

Like Teague, Markey hails from a heavily rural interior West district that is traditionally friendly to Republicans and views environmental restrictions warily.

President George W. Bush received 58 percent of the vote in Markey’s 4th District in 2004.

But running against a weak incumbent, former Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, Markey rode President Barack Obama’s coattails to victory last year.

Despite lobbying from several agricultural and energy groups, Markey supported the bill — support that was notable as she had shown independence earlier this year by opposing the House Democratic budget.

Markey didn’t respond to a request for comment about her vote.

Not mentioned is the active lobbying by chambers of commerce and business groups.

The Uninsured

David Harsanyi takes the 46 million number apart, piece-by-piece.

One of the most persistent examples of modern-day statisticulation is the sufficiently true claim that 46 million (it becomes 50 million when senators really get keyed up) Americans are without health insurance.

Taking apart the different groups that make up the 46 million number, Harsanyi identifies:

The temporarily uninsured:

According to the CBO, 45 percent of the uninsured are uninsured for four months or less...

Those who already qualify for another government program but have not signed up:

The CBO estimates that as many as 15 percent of the chronically uninsured are already eligible for help. The Urban Institute (hardly advocates of free-market fundamentalism) found that 25 percent of the uninsured qualify for some program.

Those who might be able to afford insurance:

Turns out that 8.4 million uninsured Americans are making $50,000 to $74,999 and 9.1 million more are making more than $75,000.

The young:

Then again, 27 percent of all adults in their 20s (many, I presume, without offspring) choose not to have health insurance.

(Come to think of it, I've been part of the "uninsured" at a few different times in my life.)

It's the End of the Quarter!

(In other words, tomorrow the fundraising e-mails from candidates will slow down a bit.)

The National Nag

It's bad enough when overly-ambitious municipalities get in the business of spending your money to tell you all of the things you should have learned from your mother.  ("Turn off the light when you leave the room!  Do you think we have stock in the electric company?")

In England, the nannies control the federal government.

The "Climate Change Minister" just put out a nag list to tell you how to be a better Briton.

Here are the recommendations:

"Take a quick shower rather than a long bath."

... Of course, a long bath is presumably better than a long shower, right?  So if you're going to spend a lot of time in the bathroom, we'd probably rather have you soaking.  More clarity, please. 

"Don't waste food: Plan menus ahead, make shopping lists and use leftovers wisely."

... Clean your plate?  But... but... what about the "obesity epidemic"?  And does anyone find it kind of annoying that the government is now telling people to "make shopping lists"?  What's next: "Don't play golf in a thunderstorm"?

"Save on car fuel bills by chaning up a gear a little earlier and keeping your tyres correctly inflated."

... You mean you're still driving a car?  Shame on you.

"Don't use the tumble dryer in good weather - hang out your clothes instead."

... Unless, of course, your neighborhood has a nuisance ordinance against clotheslines.

"Turn the thermostat down by one degree Celsius."

... And if you live in California, the government will do it for you.  ("Celsius" is some sort of degree of temperature that foreigners use.  Substitute "Fahrenheit" and it makes sense.)

"Boil less water when making a cup of tea."

... Really?  We're going to save the world by boiling less water per cup?  What's next: "Use fewer candles on your child's birthday cake"?  ("Tea" is some sort of hot beverage that foreigners drink.  Substitute "coffee" and it makes sense.)

"Use energy efficient light bulbs."

... Just don't throw them away.

Cap-and-Trade Endgame

I like this summary:

Tonight, 50 Democrats lost their jobs and this bill is dead in the Senate.

(Including Betsy Markey.  You don't vote against every chamber of commerce, every farmer, every rancher, every small businessperson... heck, every ratepayer in the 4th CD and get re-elected.)

Knives Don't Cut People... People Cut People

(... thinking about a slogan for the upcoming fight against Obama's knife ban.)

Oh, yes.  You read that right.  Knife ban.

Hunters, whittlers and Boy Scouts, beware - your knives may soon be on the government's chopping block.

The Obama administration wants to expand the 50-year-old ban on importing "switchblades" to include folding knives that can be opened with one hand, stirring fears the government may on the path to outlawing most pocket knives.

Maybe they could just go with this:

The first “anti-stab” knife is to go on sale in Britain, designed to work as normal in the kitchen but to be ineffective as a weapon.

The knife has a rounded edge instead of a point and will snag on clothing and skin to make it more difficult to stab someone.

It was invented by industrial designer John Cornock, who was inspired by a documentary in which doctors advocated banning traditional knives.

I can see it now: New legislation that offers a government rebate when you trade in your stab-friendly knife for the new, nanny-approved model.

(h/t Instapundit)

It's Official: The Nannies Control the Left

File this as the ultimate "Dead Head sticker on a Cadillac" moment.

The Green Party fights against head shops on Haight Street in San Francisco.  (You couldn't make this stuff up if you tried.)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Lawmakers agreed unanimously Tuesday to snuff out new shops that sell pot-smoking paraphernalia in the heart of San Francisco's one-time hippie district.

The Board of Supervisors approved a three-year moratorium on new businesses in the Haight that sell the smoking equipment.

At least a dozen businesses sell rolling papers, roach clips and glass water pipes along Haight Street, a popular destination for tourists nostalgic for the Summer of Love.

...

Mayor Gavin Newsom will consider signing the bill, his spokesman said.

"When even the Green Party politicians are opposing head shops, you know it's a legitimate issue," Newsom spokesman Nathan Ballard said.

Can we now dispense with the notion that the left stands for anything other than government control?

The Pressure's On Markey

So... is she going to side with Colorado business or the White House?

Behind the scenes, the administration worked furiously to help the Democratic leadership garner support for the legislation. Obama, Energy Secretary Steven Chu and other administration officials have been calling skeptical lawmakers from both parties for weeks. Energy adviser Carol Browner met with several on-the-fence lawmakers Thursday.

Emanuel met Wednesday with Kratovil and a group of other Democratic freshmen: Reps. Bobby Bright of Alabama, Jim Himes of Connecticut, Larry Kissell of North Carolina, Betsy Markey of Colorado and Mark Schauer of Michigan. Minnesota Democrat Tim Walz was invited for a Thursday meeting.

"Cap and Trade Is a Tax. And It's a Great Big One."

Rep. John Dingell (D-MI):

The Threat to Business

The Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce is jumping into the fight over the trillion-dollar energy tax known as the Waxman-Markey "cap-and-trade" legislation.  

A vote is expected in Congress tomorrow.

From the Chamber's newsletter minutes ago:

Tomorrow, Friday June 26, the US House of Representatives will vote on the controversial "Cap and Trade" climate change proposal.  

 

This bill limits the amount of traditional energy needed to run our economy, increases the opportunity for lawsuit abuse, and creates new regulations and higher prices that will make it harder for the business community to prosper.

Please call 4th Congressional District Congresswoman Betsy Markey TODAY and ask her to vote NO!

 

Call Congresswoman Markey at 202-225-4676.

Or, use the US Chamber of Commerce's Action Center to send an email to Congresswoman Markey.  Click here to send your email.

The Post Agrees: Kill Amendment 54

Amendment 54 prohibits campaign contributions from anyone who works for a "sole source contractor" for the government (in excess of $100,000). 

Here's the problem:

• It applies to board members, not just employees. 
• It applies to non-profits (and board members of non-profits).
• It applies to the families of employees and board members of companies and non-profits.
• "Family" is so broadly defined that it includes brothers and sisters, parents and children.
• "Government" includes any level of government in any jurisdiction (except federal).

Taken all together, that means that if your brother sits on the volunteer board of a non-profit in Fort Collins which has a sole-source contract to provide a service to CSU, you're prohibited from making a contribution to any candidate for office in Colorado (except federal candidates).  You can't write a $50 check to someone running for Arapahoe County Coroner.  The whole thing is an unconstitutional mess.

Here's a Denver Post editorial today:

Amendment 54 was sold to voters as a "good government" measure, but from the outset it was clear it would overly restrict the rights of Coloradans to financially support their favorite political candidates.

We were glad to see that a Denver district judge viewed this overly broad constitutional amendment in the same light, issuing a temporary injunction Tuesday against its implementation.

The details of the case:

Daniel Ritchie — philanthropist, former businessman and college chancellor — is now chairman and chief executive officer of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

DCPA has a sole source government contract with the city of Denver that is in excess of $100,000. As a result, Amendment 54 would preclude Ritchie from contributing to campaigns or political parties.

It's a ludicrous reach and it's easy to see how Amendment 54 would violate his constitutional rights to free speech and free association.

The lawsuit provides other equally crazy examples of how the measure would restrict the basic rights of citizens by prohibiting what are really distant and tenuous connections between their political giving and government contracts.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Politics in Colorado

In one place.

Kudos to Randy.  That's a heckuva post.

It's Bike to Work Day

Bike to Work Day on Channel 7, just a moment ago:

Studio (talking to the remote reporter in Civic Center Park): "Hey, tell that couple to be careful of the lightning this afternoon..."

... and ...

Studio (throwing it over to the traffic guy): "... Bike to Work Day - a great reminder for both bicyclists and motorists: be careful out there!"

Traffic Guy: "That's right, we can show you a picture in just a second of an accident involving a bicyclist..."

Jobs? The Anti-Growth Extremists Don't Care About Jobs

This is absolutely mind-boggling:

The City and County of Denver recently waived fees for some building permits, with citizens clearing the way for over $6 million in construction spending. Meanwhile, a group of Aurora citizens are working to place an initiative on the November ballot that would triple a recently enacted impact fee assessed on new home construction.

How many construction crews are sitting idle around the state right now?  How many tradesmen are looking for work? 

That's the reality of this economy.  The anti-growth extremists simply don't care - they're looking to price even more construction jobs out of the market.

What If...?

Instapundit has a roundup of reviews of the President's press conference.

At the bottom:

MORE: Reader Michael Tubergen writes: “I can’t help but wonder why the President couldn’t just read from the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence. That pretty much says everything that needs to be said about the Iranian situation.”

Might start too many people thinking.

It got me thinking.  What if President Obama simply read this as his statement on Iran:

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it...

How Far We've Come

And to think that the Bow Memorial School Student Council raised money in the late-80's by selling coffee and Dunkin' Donuts at home basketball games.

It's for the children, you see...

The Boulder Valley School District board was discussing a draft Tuesday that says kindergartners through eighth graders wouldn't be involved in, or have access to, the sale of sweets and sodas at school-sponsored events or fundraisers. 

The Federal Government as Nanny

Joseph White compares the nannyism of previous administrations to the more overt and coercive nanny policies of the past. 

White fairly points out that:

Mr. Obama isn't the first president to see room for improvement in the way citizens conduct their lives. Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan told Americans to "Just Say No" to drugs. And Bill Clinton enacted a sweeping welfare overhaul that aimed, in part, to push recipients into the labor force.

Then he goes on to note the difference in today's nannyism.

But Mr. Obama's efforts go beyond exhortations to a wide-ranging series of policies ready to warn you off bad behavior and favor good choices.

"What's new here is the idea of 'nudging' and changing the choice architecture," says Eric Patashnik, associate professor of politics at the University of Virginia.

Still smoking? The Food and Drug Administration will clamp down on marketing practices designed to encourage the habit -- one that has had a hold on the president himself.

Mr. Obama says Americans should go for a run, or hit the gym. If that poke in the love handles from the presidential pulpit isn't enough, members of Congress are working on proposals to levy taxes on sugary drinks and to require that restaurants put calorie information on menus.

"Nudging," of course, means "taxing you more because we don't like how you choose to live your life."