It's Thunderstorm Tuesday with Chris Spears!

GET YOUR WEATHER QUESTIONS READY FOR OUR PERSONAL METEOROLOGIST CHRIS SPEARS Because he's in at 2 to answer all of them!

HERE IS A MOSTLY COMPLETE VERSION OF WHAT THE LEGISLATURE DID TO COLORADO THIS SESSION But what is remarkably absent is that Colorado Democrats paid off unions in a big way by bringing back Prevailing Wage under a bill allegedly about apprenticeships. I happen to think that CLEARLY violates Colorado's Single Subject rule but we'll see if any of the private builders who are about to have to pay a much higher labor rate decide to fight it. The rest of the things the Democrats unfurled are here.

HERE IS MY POST LAST WEEK ABOUT PREVAILING WAGE Democrats have officially brought prevailing wage to Colorado. What is prevailing wage? It's the requirement that any construction project the state is paying for must pay union wages. It's that simple. That means we the taxpayers are going to be paying wages that are not based on market forces and jacking up the cost of all construction projects just to placate the unions. Don't believe me? They why is EVERY PERSON who is listed as a lobbyist SUPPORTING THIS a union representative. EVERY SINGLE ONE.Here is a super long and nerdy economic analysis that takes apart the ONE STUDY used by labor unions to argue that repealing prevailing wage hurts workers. By the way, Colorado repealed it's prevailing wage in 1985. You think housing is unaffordable now? Wait until this kicks in full force.

MAYOR JOHN HICKENLOOPER FAILED AT ENDING HOMELESSNESS AND SPINNING IT LATER This is an interesting article from the Washington Free Beacon about then Mayor John Hickenlooper's ballyhooed promise to end homelessness in ten years. Ten years later, when asked about it, he said that was just marketing puffery and NO one expected Denver to end homelessness. Is that true? Because a lot of Denverites I've talked to were under the impression that was the plan.

LADY GAGA UNDERSTANDS WHAT A MOVIE STAR SHOULD BE And her appearance at the always over the top Met Gala proves it. She is bigger than life as she wore FOUR outfits to the Met. Seriously, she gets it.

THEY WON'T LET A WALMART IN ASPEN, BUT THEY WILL TAKE THEIR FREE LAND The heirs to the Walmart fortune are building trails that will be open to the public on land they own. Which is rich because Aspen will NOT allow the business that paid for all this in their area.

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS FIGHTING FOR US BUSINESSES IN IT'S NEGOTIATIONS WITH CHINA And the President upped the ante this week by imposing 25% tariffs on Chinese goods beginning this Friday. Why? From the Wall Street Journal:

The U.S. has worked to achieve concessions from China on the level of support for state-owned enterprises, alleged cyber theft from U.S. companies, increasing protection of intellectual property, rules to deter currency manipulation and the reduction of tariffs and nontariff barriers, among other areas. Any deal would likely result in Chinese pledges to purchase U.S. farm products and other goods, all in exchange for dropping tariffs.
In recent weeks officials and people following the talks have cited progress or completed understandings in most if not all areas of the talks. Attention has focused on the planned reduction or elimination of tariffs, the legal form of the final deal and an enforcement mechanism that the Trump administration hopes would ensure China follows through on its commitments.

And because our economy is sizzling right now, the President is pushing hard for all of these things. He's actually doing what he said he was going to do in the campaign. What a concept.

YOUNGER OBESE PEOPLE ARE DYING FROM HEART FAILURE So let's get serious about obesity and it's related diseases of high blood pressure and diabetes. We are killing ourselves because frankly we are too lazy to make the lifestyle changes we need to make. Yes, it's hard. Yes, it's not fun. But dang y'all, dying under the age of 65 is not cool. And that is what's happening right now. Go the doctor, get a physical and then commit to making real changes for yourself.

YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY BORDER PATROL IS USING DNA TEST NOW? Because of this right here.

JOE BIDEN IS RUNNING ON TAX INCREASES And I'm not even kidding. He said it in South Carolina. Ignorant old fool.

FLORIDA MAN, NOT BE OUTDONE BY FLORIDA MAN, PULL ALLIGATOR OUT OF HER PANTS If there was every a question about why I moved, this should answer it.

WE ARE BEING SPIED ON BY OUR DEVICES AND WE'RE LETTING IT HAPPEN There is a lot of spying going on, but we've all signed up for it. This article from the Washington Post is EXACTLY why I don't have any smart devices in my home. Alexa IS recording you. So is your Google Home Assistant, and your Siri and your Nest and your light bulbs and garage door opener. From the article:

When I’m up for a midnight snack, Google knows. My Nest thermostat, made by Google, reports back to its servers’ data in 15-minute increments about not only the climate in my house but also whether there’s anyone moving around (as determined by a presence sensor used to trigger the heat). You can delete your account, but otherwise Nest saves it indefinitely.
Then there are lights, which can reveal what time you go to bed and do almost anything else. My Philips Hue-connected lights track every time they’re switched on and off — data the company keeps forever if you connect to its cloud service (which is required to operate them with Alexa or Assistant).
Every kind of appliance now is becoming a data-collection device. My Chamberlain MyQ garage opener lets the company keep — again, indefinitely — a record of every time my door opens or closes. My Sonos speakers, by default, track what albums, playlists or stations I’ve listened to, and when I press play, pause, skip or pump up the volume. At least they hold on to my sonic history for only six months.
And now the craziest part: After quizzing these companies about data practices, I learned that most are sharing what’s happening in my home with Amazon, too. Our data is the price of entry for devices that want to integrate with Alexa. Amazon’s not only eavesdropping — it’s tracking everything happening in your home.

Amazon owns us all. I sure hope Jeff Bezos is a benevolent overlord.

PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO ABOUT SENATOR RAND PAUL'S PENNY PLAN TO CUT GOVERNMENT SPENDING

I WANT THIS IN OUR NEW OFFICE Because if a milk and cookie bar is good enough for BYU it's good enough for me!


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