ROCKIES OPEN TODAY AT THE TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS And I know, I know they dropped the Devil a long time ago but I'm a crotchety old Devil Rays fan. I gave up my allegiance the Rays to become a Rockies fan, though record wise there was very little change. the game takes over at 1:30 today. Here are a few columns about the Rockies this year, starting with one that gives five things to watch, and Mike Kiszla basically slamming the quality of the players here. I'm very excited for Opening Day next week, but we'll see what the season is really like.
I WILL BE DOING A LITTLE FACEBOOK LIVE WITH MY FRIEND DEB TODAY at about 4:30 this afternoon. Why? We need some feedback and input and I've got the time! Find it here.
COLORADO LEGISLATORS FIXED THE BUDGET HOLE THEY CREATED Do not think for ONE SECOND that the Colorado government doesn't have enough money. They have PLENTY of money but they spend it like crap, which is why we've been hearing about the big "shortfall". A shortfall happens when you take one time federal dollars and use it to make government bigger. Period. That is exactly what Colorado Democrats have done since they took over. CBS writes here about what was "spared". Mark Hillman writes a clearer indictment of government spending here. This part on TABOR is especially worth your time:
Some lawmakers claim constitutional spending limits, collectively known as the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), are the problem.
But the budget mess would be uglier without TABOR. In 2022 and 2023, economic growth generated over $1 billion more than the legislature was able to spend; that money was refunded to taxpayers. Had legislators instead spent that money as freely as they spent federal funds, the current budget hole would be much deeper.
TABOR recognizes that voters have a right to limit how much money their government takes from them. TABOR then acts as a brake on government spending in good times by forcing legislators to seek efficiencies in the same way competition forces businesses to be lean. In hard times, TABOR doesn’t affect government spending.
TABOR isn't the problem. Exploding the size of government is. And what have Democrats done in this Legislative session? Proposed even MORE spending and MORE growth in government. It's like they don't understand that they have to pay for things.
STEALING IS STEALING NO MATTER HOW YOU JUSTIFY IT TO YOURSELF I've been told by a man who went to sniper school that they were told early on that you can do anything if you can justify it to yourself. Now that seems to include stealing from the stores that are owned by billionaires like Whole Foods. This rather sympathetic story is about people who have justified stealing NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE DESPERATE AND STARVING but because they don't like the people who own the stores. Thou shalt not steal is in the ten commandments for a reason. Stealing is wrong, even if you ARE starving but at least that is a valid reason. I hope these people get caught. I do not like stealing from anyone.
WHY WERE THESE COACHES FIRED IN FORT COLLINS? Two education stories out of Fort Collins this week. First a teacher was arrested for a relationship with a student. But now ten track and field coaches have been fired from one high school for unspecified policy violations. The district says that no students were involved in the second case but I'd still love to know why. Anyone got a tip on this? Email it to mandyconnell@iheartmedia.com
A GREAT POST ON DEPORTATIONS AND MORE I've been very conflicted about some of the deportations happening right now. Even though I believe it is fair to kick out people who don't have permanent citizenship when they advocate for our enemies, the lack of due process that seems to be happening is very disconcerting to me. I saw this post last night and it perfectly encapsulates how I feel about all this.
COLORADO'S GREEN DREAMS AREN'T FEASIBLE And you don't need to take my word for it, ask the utility companies who are tasked with reducing carbon emissions by 80% by 2030, who now say they can't meet those standards. Why not? At least in good part because they are so expensive. Read this bit:
Meanwhile, Colorado Springs Utilities is demanding policy flexibility from the state after skyrocketing costs and construction timelines for new wind and solar projects proved too much to foist onto the city’s residents.
“Recent developments related to power purchase agreements (PPAs) for renewable energy and transmission line capacity are shifting our energy transition strategies moving forward,” wrote CEO Travas Deal in a February post on CSU’s website. “Since issuing the RFPs, we have received over 200 proposals. Many of the PPA prices are at least 60% higher than expected for wind and 50% higher for solar. With customers already facing rising energy costs, we cannot ask you to also pay for these inflated contracts, many of which are 20-year-plus agreements, or the projects envisioned to support them.”
Of course our Democratic overlords don't care how much something costs, as evidenced by everything costing way more since they took over. Even Xcel says they worry about being able to produce energy reliably under the scheme. I seem to remember someone saying that a few years ago. Oh, that was me.
BRITAIN AND FRANCE ARE GOING IT ALONE And sending Military personnel to Ukraine as a "reassurance force" even though the rest of Europe is like "nah". They didn't ask the United States for permission, which shows they are actually trying to stand on their own two feet. Bless their hearts I hope it works.
COLORADO HAS SCREWED UP FAMILY LEAVE AND UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE In such a big way that an audit used the harshest terms possible to describe their screw ups. Read it here, but nothing ever happens from these audits that I can tell.
BOOK YOUR HOTEL NOW FOR SUNDANCE 2027 If you want a good one that is. Rooms are already being booked for the festival, which will come to Boulder in 2027! Read more here. Here is a longer article about it if you're interested.
COLORADO BEARS ARE WAKING FROM THEIR SLUMBER And here is a story about what to do to prevent an unpleasant encounter that could get a bear killed.
DO REAL WOMEN ROCK? That is what the tshirt of a school board member said and it has caused a HUGE kerfuffle. Why? Because we are not supposed to ever celebrate women again I guess. Read more here. For the record, it WAS a provocative move by this member.
ANOTHER TESLA VANDAL IS ARRESTED But because she ONLY keyed the car of someone she didn't know so she could have a moment of feeling important and that she mattered she's now facing criminal tampering. I hope she feels great today.
THE UNIONS LOVE TRUMP NOW As UAW President Sean Fain sent out a statement lauding the President's tariffs on automobiles. He also went on to talk about the need for a more friendly Labor Relations Board and other stuff, so the "switch" is not complete just yet. Read it here.
ABOUT DEFUNDING PUBLIC BROADCASTING If you missed the testimony of NPR CEO Katherine Maher, OH BOY did you miss it. Watch it here.
If you don't have time to watch the whole thing (and you should, it's GLORIOUS) you can watch the "highlights" here.
Some of the most damning evidence of the bias at NPR and PBS is the polling data of who wants to save it versus unfund it. From the Pew survey:
The survey finds a third (32%) of Democrats say they regularly get news from NPR. That compares to 9% of Republicans. And nearly a third (31%) of Democrats regularly get news from PBS. That’s nearly three-times the 11% of Republicans who turn to PBS for news.
The survey also reveals that Democrats are also more likely than Republicans to trust NPR and PBS as sources of news by wide margins. While 47% of Democrats trust NPR as a news source, just 12% of Republicans agreed. In fact, one in four (26%) Republicans say they distrust NPR.
The numbers aren’t much better for PBS. Six in ten (59%) Democrats say they trust PBS as a source of news. That is more than double the 23% of Republicans who say that.
Democrats can continue to fund NPR and PBS through their donations, I'm tired of subsidizing the competition.
THE ROCKIES OPENING DAY LINEUP IS SET
SO IT TIK TOK BANNED OR NOT? President Trump gives an update. Watch below or click here.
WILL TARIFFS BE GOOD FOR TESLA? The short answer is yes because Tesla builds most of their cars here. Watch Trump address it here.
WHY GOVERNMENT SUCKS If you've wondered why NO broadband has been laid in rural areas, watch this.
DON'T DEADNAME THE DEAD In Colorado legislators are wasting time giving another designation on death certificates.