MIKE ROSEN AT THE MOVIES at 2 and I didn't see either film but one of them is a Billy Crystal flick called "Here Today" and the other one is "The Ice Road" with Liam Neesom. The second flick is on Netflix and the first is in theaters now.
IT'S FREE FOR ALL FRIDAY And this means anything goes, nothing is off limits but don't be stupid about it. This is a show long adventure.
LAKEWOOD'S CITY COUNCIL MAKES A SMART DECISION ABOUT A DUMB TAX Lakewood was trying to join bougie Aspen and Crested Butte by passing an insanely high cigarette tax that would have added about $4.50 to EACH PACK of smokes. They have been working on this for a long time now, but JUST NOW figured out they live in the metro area so people will simply drive down the road a bit and buy from about a billion OTHER places that aren't in Lakewood. I'm not sure what clued them in but good I guess? They killed the tax last night. Just for fun, here is a great article about how high cigarette taxes create a flourishing black market.
CAN I ASK A QUESTION ABOUT THE OLYMPIC TRAINING CENTER MUSEUM? I follow a blog called SpringsTaxpayer.com which follows spending by government in the Springs VERY closely. The El Paso County Commission gave a bunch of covid money to the OTC Museum from the covid relief money the feds sent. The Springs Taxpayer blog is calling this a boondoggle and seems to really hate the museum for some reason. Do people in the Springs hate the museum? What am I missing because it's an AMAZING museum and I recommend it to everyone visiting when it's open. I'm really just curious about how the natives feel about it.
XCEL IS INSTALLING SO-CALLED SMART METERS AND YOU'RE LOSING CONTROL OF YOUR ENERGY USE IF YOU HAVE IT Remember not too long ago when there were stories out of Texas where people were shocked to wake up sweating in their homes because their "smart thermostats" had turned up their AC? No? Well here it is. A "smart meter" allows the energy company to read your energy use in real time so they can charge you more during peak times. If this sounds oddly like the scheme in Texas where people ended up with insane energy bills, it is. Now why did I show you the story about the smart thermostats? Because many smart thermostats have a program that can be linked directly to the energy company so THEY can raise the temps IN YOUR HOUSE without asking. Does Xcel do this? Yep, it's called AC Rewards. Check it.
SO APPARENTLY WE ARE DONE IN AFGHANISTAN AS OF LAST NIGHT Because Bagram Airfield was handed over to the Afghan forces last night, allegedly without warning, though I don't believe that honestly. I am not impressed with Middle Eastern military troops for reasons I may share today, and the base was looted for a moment before the Afghan forces got things under control. I don't believe there was no warning and I believe they slacked off and got caught by looters and are trying to save face. But that's it. A two decade long adventure full of blood and treasure has ended with a whimper and the promise of $4 billion dollars a year until 2024. So that's it then.