COMEDIAN COLIN QUINN IS COMING TO TOWN And I'm talking to him at 12:35 about it and more. Buy tickets to see him at Comedy Works Larimer by clicking here.
YOU'VE GOT QUESTIONS, WE'VE GOT ANSWERS It's an Ask Us Anything Day so get your questions about literally anything today at 2.
LET'S TALK ABOUT "TOUGHER BACKGROUND CHECKS" FOR A MINUTE Because the reality of what we have now, versus what non gun owners think we have, is much different. Here is the reality of what that looks like when it comes to background checks and assault weapon bans.
ONE MEASURE PROVEN TO HAVE STOPPED SCHOOL SHOOTINGS And if you've got a kid in Denver Public Schools, you don't have this measure. It is School Resource Officers. Here is a column with many examples of when SROs stopped shootings and saved lives. This is important.
DENVER'S FAIR ELECTION FUND DOESN'T KNOW WHO IS GIVING THEM MONEY This would be comical if it weren't so serious. Denver set up a fund that provides matching dollars to candidates who meet certain standards and it's intention is to help underfunded candidates compete against richer ones. However a recent audit says they don't know WHO is giving them money, making it ripe for abuse. Like I said, funny if it weren't so serious.
THE STATE SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS ARE VASTLY IMPROVED And this is a great example of people getting involved to affect change. The initial proposed standards were loaded with identity politics with a special emphasis on certain classes but the new standards are more general in nature but still have the desired effect of making sure that kids get the whole picture when it comes to our history and all its ups and downs. I want kids to learn about all the accomplishments of all people whether they be white, black, brown, gay or straight, but not only because they fit into some favored category decided by current political whims. Read more here.
WE MUST HARDEN SCHOOLS AS A TARGET And I can't believe we are still even talking about this, but one has to wonder if nineteen children and three teachers would be alive today if the shooter in Texas has merely encountered a locked school door. This editorial from the Denver Gazette is correct about this and it needs to happen now.
THIS AS WE HAVE TO CLEAR HEADED ABOUT THE REALITY OF HOW SAFE SCHOOLS REALLY ARE Please don't take this article to mean that the murder of nineteen school children is no big deal. The reason I share this is because if you or your kids are frightened about going to school, you need perspective. Schools are incredibly safe places. Cold comfort to the families who have lost kids, but maybe for the rest of us it can help.
ONE COLORADO DISTRICT IS ALLOWING ARMED TEACHERS And not just any idiot who wants to carry, they have to do extensive training to have a weapon in this rural district. The district says because of their remote location, relying on police isn't an option. They are not wrong.
THE MICHAEL SUSSMAN TRIAL HAS EXPOSED CORRUPTION AT SO MANY FEDERAL AGENCIES And it's not the sort of corruption where people are paying to get away with things (yet) but the kind of corruption that lead the FBI to investigate ties between Russia and Trump when they KNEW there was nothing there because their own techs had already determined that. It's the kind of stuff that happens in a banana republic only it's happening here and a complicit media is helping them cover it up. Read it here.
INTEREST ON OUR NATIONAL DEBT IS AN EMERGENCY AS OF NOW And I have been talking about this since the TARP bailouts of 2009. When inflation hits like it is now and interest rates rise, they don't just rise for us, they rise for the US Debt. Read this horrifying analysis:
Between 2011-2018, interest on debt held by the public averaged $272 billion annually. Between 2019-2021, annual interest on the debt averaged $389 billion, an increase of $117 billion, or 43 percent. The president’s fiscal 2022 budget, which is the first to project deficits of more than $1 trillion for 10 consecutive years, estimates that FY 2022 interest on debt of $26.3 trillion will be $305 billion and reach $941 billion in FY 2031, or more than triple the amount for the current fiscal year. By that time, interest payments will account for 59 percent of the projected $1.6 trillion deficit.
The projected interest payments in the budget were made with the assumption that 10-year Treasury interest rates would be 1.4 percent in FY 2022, then average 2.2 percent for the next four years and average 2.8 percent for the following five years. But the 10-year Treasury interest rate is already 2.8 percent and likely to go higher given the Federal Reserve Bank’s plan to continue raising interest rates.
An increase in interest rates of 1 percentage point above projected rates, according to Brian Riedl of the Manhattan Institute, would raise interest payments by $30 trillion through 2051, and at that time the payments would be equal to 70 percent of all tax revenue. An increase of 2 percentage points would mean that interest payments would equal 100 percent of all tax revenue in 2051.
This years military budget is about $722 billion just for perspective, so in nine years the cost of interest payments will exceed our entire defense budget. This is how countries and empires fall.
CHECK OUT THESE ITEMS FROM GRANDMA'S HOUSE
AN HIV DRUG MAY HELP STAVE OFF DEMENTIA But we are in the super early stages of study so don't get excited just yet. It seems that a certain drug used for HIV prevents a breakdown in our memory connection circuits. They are just doing studies on mice, but will start in human subjects soon. Because the drug is already an approved drug safety wise, here's hoping it works for this and done quickly.
A CERTAIN POSTBIOTIC SUPPLEMENT CAN UP YOUR STRENGTH IN MIDDLE AGE AND BEYOND I read about this product some time ago and it's expensive as hell so I didn't order it, but with this study, I may change my mind. The supplement is called MitoPure and it contains urolithin A which has been found to be a really important part of maintaining muscle strength as we age. A new study by the company that makes it shows that it can increase muscle strength, reduce inflammation (which is why I wanted it) and increase mitochondrial function. Again, it's expensive as hell but if you want to buy it, it's here.
THE FIRST ROBOT COMPANION FOR OLD PEOPLE IS HERE And this is super cool but I'm guessing in a few years when we have more lifelike droids who can actually help with physical tasks this will seem quaint and silly. ElliQ is the table top robot who can do all kinds of things for people who may be lonely and living alone. From guided workouts to small talk, this little thing is super cool. It's a subscription service because the equipment is incredibly expensive otherwise, but I like this a lot. I wish I'd been able to get this for my mother-in-law.
THAT TRANSITORY INFLATION ISN'T SO TRANSITORY And this is more bad news for Democrats in the mid terms, as the CBO is now projecting that inflation will be around well into next year. Not as bad as what we've seen lately, but still not good. Republicans should capitalize on this, but frankly, I don't trust them anymore than Democrats to shrink out debt and spending. This as GDP for the first quarter has been revised down to -1.5% from the previously disappointing -1.4%. Thanks, Joe!
AND NOW, DUMB STUFF FROM THE INTERNET
THE NEW ELVIS FLICK GOT A HUGE OVATION AT CANNES And I am really looking forward to this one. Read about it here.
YES, EXCESS SUGAR CAN AFFECT A CHILD'S DEVELOPMENT And this article covers a lot of ground about kids and sugar, including that recent research on ADHD and sugar consumption show a clear connection. I've been saying this for YEARS. It also covers how detrimental to emotional and physical development excess sugar and childhood obesity can be. Nothing surprising here but great info.
THE TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS IN CORPORATE AMERICA This is an interesting article about the Woke Corporate Dogma that has damaged Disney's brand in this country. In it the author refers to a The Tragedy of the Commons which is a concept about how people misuse resources even when they know it's bad. He applies it to corporate governance in today's hyper political age and it's a good analogy. Read it here.
FISHER-PRICE INTRODUCES "MY FIRST GENDER TRANSITION" PLAYSET And only the Babylon Bee has it.