THE MAYOR IS ON AT 1 We're going to talk about the big push for safety downtown and what that actually means and when we can expect to see results, plus I'm asking him about Aurora's new planned homeless campus and whether or not Denver will participate or support it. Then we're going to talk about all the cool stuff going on downtown for the holidays.
GOVERNMENT SUCKS AT SAVING YOU MONEY As we can clearly see from this column on the failures of the Office of Saving People Money on Healthcare in Colorado. Yes, that's a real office, and if this were a free market they'd already be out of business because they failed so badly at their mission. The issue is that politicians, who love to say they are fighting for you, don't make the connection between ridiculous mandates that most people don't need in their health insurance coverage and rising health insurance premiums. In Colorado our Democrat controlled Legislature has piled on so many mandates that they are now driving insurers out of the individual market and driving up costs for everyone in the process. The lie of government driving down costs in an industry they clearly don't understand is proven again to be a lie.
I MISSED RECOGNIZING THIS HERO YESTERDAY And thanks to a texter for alerting me so I could go back and make sure that U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Thomas James is recognized by me as he's being recognized by law enforcement for his heroic actions in bringing the Club Q shooter down. Read more here.
BROOMFIELD IS SET TO GET SUED OVER NEW GUN RESTRICTIONS And I hope it costs them a small fortune. No other right requires the kind of nonsense Broomfield is trying to require before it can be used. They are proposing a firearms training course BEFORE you buy your weapon, which is idiotic. The best training is WITH the weapon you own. I am a huge proponent of training, but this adds a hefty price tag that will make it more difficult for people with no money to be able to protect themselves. Broomfield is proposing the same sort of garbage that New York City just had to get rid of. And they aren't just demanding you take a firearms course like the many I have taken, it looks like this:
The “training” requirement can be met with a certificate proving competency in the following topics:
Firearm safe handling techniques including but not limited to firearm function, parts of a firearm, range etiquette, loading/unloading a firearm, grip, and trigger finger control;
Firearm and ammunition safe storage and developing a plan for safe storage;
Mental health resources;
Situational awareness, de-escalation techniques;
State and local laws including but not limited to Colorado Extreme Risk Protection Orders, secure storage requirements, reporting lost/stolen firearms requirement, and local firearm laws as found in the City and County of Broomfield Municipal Code.
And that's not all. They are trying to make it damn near impossible to buy a gun in Broomfield, which is stupid because you can drive 15 minutes and buy it somewhere else. This is an attack on the 2nd Amendment that will do NOTHING to stop gun crime, all made possible by the "crime reform" bill passed by Democrats years ago. That's not all, by the way, they are considering a whole slew of new laws to limit your ability to own a gun. If you live in Broomfield you better pay attention. You really need to read it all here. I'm sure this will go as well as Oregon's new gun laws will, which you can read about here.
CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE OUTPERFORMING TRADITIONAL SCHOOLS BUT NOT BY MUCH We are doing a lousy job educating our students in Colorado if you look at how many students can't do basic math or English. Charter schools do a better job overall, but not by much. Why are we failing to educate our kids? I think it's because the math curriculums we use are terrible (Go Math I'm looking at you) and we've eliminated phonics from our English lessons. What I find fascinating is that people who are supposed to know more about this than I do can write a huge story on potential reasons for these failures and not talk about curriculum or the load of stupid social and emotional learning garbage we're focusing on instead of learning the basics. We need to look back to when our kids were learning at a high level (maybe the 70s?), find out what curriculums we used and go back to them, because what we're doing now is not working. Did I hate phonics when I was a kid? Yes I did, but I can spell and write properly with no effort (save the occasional typing mistake) and likely so can you.
VOLCANO ERUPTING? BUSINESS AS USUAL IN HAWAII Hawaii was hit hard by the complete shutdown of their tourist economy during covid. I'm sure that's why Big Island Mayor Mitch Ross is poo-pooing the impact of an erupting volcano for tourists, which he does here with this breezy statement:
“It will be spectacular where it is, but the chances of it really interrupting the visitor industry — very, very slim,” he said.
Not for nothing I would totally go to see an erupting volcano but it's interesting to see them shrug and just go about their business. I guess you get used to the risk of a potential fiery death and decide it's worth it?
STEROID INJECTIONS MAKE ARTHRITIS WORSE! This is a shocking development in the world of getting older. Many people get corticosteroid injections in their painful joints because it relieves the pain. Two recent long term studies show that the shots may reduce the pain, but they ADVANCE the deterioration in the joint leading to the need for a joint replacement much faster than doing nothing. Hyaluronic acid injections were shown to slow the worsening arthritis however. This is why I recommend and endorse Downtown's Healthcare instead of steroid shots. Get a free evaluation by calling 303-292-9992.
WHERE DID THIS KID LEARN THIS? This is a horrible story about a teen hockey player who got out of control during a hockey game this past weekend. One kid is banned before further investigation and the cops were called when during a kids hockey tournament when a kid kicked a kid over and over again with his skates. This is awful.
HOW STUPID DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO FILE THIS LAWSUIT? A woman, who is an idiot, found an attorney, who is a money grubber and now we have this. The woman is suing Velveeta because she says they lie on their mac and cheese cups when they say it's ready in 3.5 minutes because they don't take into account how long it takes to PUT WATER IN THE DAMN CUP. I'm not kidding and I hate her. Read more here.
THE MOST USED SUBWAY SYSTEM IN THE COUNTRY IS A MONEY SUCKING VENTURE When you think of New York you probably think of the subway system. Many progressives look to NYC as the shining example of how to cram a bunch of people into mass transit successfully. What they don't tell you is that the subway system there is HEAVILY subsidized and $40 BILLION in debt with no relief in site. Fares used to cover 44% of operating expenses before covid, but now ridership is down and they are only covering 32% of costs, so the bills are piling up as the city prepares to raise fares again to try to stem the bleeding. They can't raise them fast enough to cover the lost revenue, so cuts in routes and service should be coming along too. Remember this when we are told if we just build out our mass transit people will use it. No, they won't.
BIDEN'S MOST FLAMBOYANT APPOINTEE GETS ARRESTED FOR STEALING And it's such a ridiculous thing to do. Sam Brinton, the deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition at the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy, stole a Vera Bradley suitcase from baggage claim at the Minnesota airport, took the tags off and then lied to investigators about doing so. Brinton, who I'm sure had some sort of high level security clearance, had been placed on leave since the accusations were made and the only reason I'm even sharing this story is this non-binary person was pushed out over the entire media as an example of the diversity of the Biden team. This is what a quota hire gets you.
YOU BETTER UP YOUR AVALANCHE PREP FOR THIS YEAR Before I moved to Colorado I had no clue how many people died every year skiing. Now I know that lots die when they trigger an avalanche. Our snowpack seems to be especially vulnerable to avalanches this year, so pay attention and read this to prepare properly.
THE ECONOMY HAS CHANGED DATING DRAMATICALLY And as one who hasn't been out on the dating scene for decades, I don't think this is a bad thing. Now people are opting for coffee or walks for first dates, just to save money when you may have no connection with someone. I'd love to know what you daters do these days.
OLDER PEOPLE ARE STILL DYING OF COVID This is not surprising as they have been the most adversely affected during the entire pandemic. The most recent stats look like this:
Last month, people 85 and older represented 41.4 percent of deaths, those 75 to 84 were 30 percent of deaths, and those 65 to 74 were 17.5 percent of deaths, according to a Post analysis. All told, the 65-plus age group accounted for nearly 90 percent of covid deaths in the United States despite being only 16 percent of the population.
If someone is over 65 and has considerable other co-morbidities they are far more likely to die of covid than those who are otherwise healthy. What does this mean? We've got to let older people know of the risks and let them decide their risk tolerance for moving freely about society. One part of this story infuriated me, and that is the inclusion of a link to a "study" that purports to show masks work when if you read that study, you see they clearly don't. I'm super sick of the Bangladesh study being used to justify anything. It's a garbage study that doesn't say what they keep saying it says.
IS IT CHEAPER TO EAT OUT RIGHT NOW? That's the question asked in this story and the answer is sometimes, if you want to eat not-so-great for you food. Read it here.
WHAT THREE DOG BREEDS THIS DOG TRAINER WOULD NEVER OWN Two of these surprised me but one did not. Click here if it doesn't load.
THIS IS WHY YOU MUST TALK ABOUT GUN SAFETY WITH YOUR KIDS Even if you don't have guns in your house. A twelve year old boy killed himself playing Russian roulette with two other kids in an abandoned house.
FANS ARE WORRIED ABOUT A CLEVELAND CAVALIER Because they say his blood was yellow after he got fouled hard. Anyone with a dog who pukes knows that was stomach acid because he probably puked a little bit when he hit he floor. Just saying. Read more here.
IRANIAN SOCCER PLAYERS ARE PLAYING IN A VERY HIGH PRESSURE SITUATION Because the Iranian members of the team have " “been threatened with imprisonment and torture if the players fail to “behave” in the lead-up to Tuesday’s game against the United States." according to CNN via the New York Post story here. The team came out in support of the protesters who have been causing problems in Iran since Iranian forces killed a young woman for not wearing a head scarf properly.
YOUR WEDDING, YOUR DRESS Things like this story about a bride whose mother-in-law got super angry when she didn't change her dress to fit into some nebulous "family tradition" makes me roll my eyes. Brides, it's your day, pick your dress. I say that with one caveat, which is don't go into debt over your wedding dress or any other aspect of your wedding. Stay within your means and you will never have a single thing to regret about your wedding, and if you want a fancy redo later a vow renewal is just the ticket when finances improve. No one will care if you wear the fancy dress then, trust me.
WHY ARE SUNSETS TO PRETTY IN THE WINTER? It's not your imagination, it's true and there are meteorological reasons for this. I'm going to ask Dave Fraser to expand on this tomorrow.
AND NOW, A CHRISTMAS HORROR MOVIE STARRING THE GRINCH And I just can't even.