STOP XCEL'S RATE HIKE!!!
First, here are my new instructions on how to comment against Xcel Energy's proposed massive rate hike: How to comment to CO PUC against Xcel rate hike | KOA 850 AM & 94.1 FM | Ross Kaminsky (iheart.com)
Second, read this: Xcel makes money building plants, passing cost on to consumers (coloradosun.com)
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WSJ on Nuggets star Nikola Jokic
He’s the Best Player in the NBA. He’s Also the Bloodiest. - WSJ
A self-centered "Just One Thing"
I'm off this Thursday and Friday to attend the TALKERS Conference in New York (Long Island, not the city). It's my first time going to one of these and I'll be on a panel though I can't say I actually have any idea what I'll be asked about. I do know that I'll only be talking for a few minutes. It will be interesting and perhaps slightly intimidating to be addressing some of the most influential/important people in my industry, and I'm not talking primarily about other hosts but rather people in top management positions at iHeartMedia and elsewhere.
Believe it or not these are my first two vacation days of the year (not counting federal holidays, and I actually worked on one federal holiday) so I'm really looking forward to the short break.
Have a great Thursday and Friday and I'll talk with you again Monday!
One More Thing: A fun historical fact
You’ve probably seen a movie released by Columbia Pictures with the studio’s image of Miss Liberty holding a torch at the beginning of the film. There were much earlier versions of this image dating back to 1924, but since 1992 it has been a painting based on a photograph of a model named Jenny Joseph. The photographer who took the picture of Ms Joseph was working at the Times-Picayune newspaper in New Orleans. She was looking for a model and thought of Ms Joseph, who was working as a graphic artist at the newspaper. Jenny Joseph had never modeled before and yet is now a world-famous icon, having been draped in a white sheet and told to hold a small lamp with a light bulb sticking out of the top.
To this day, she has never modeled again.
Who is the woman holding a torch on the Columbia Pictures logo? (yahoo.com)
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Today's Guests
Rep Ken Buck (R-CO4) is a "hard no" on the debt limit bill. I'm not surprised, and he won't be alone. He'll explain his position when he joins the show at 9:14 AM MT.
Kevin McCarthy faces rebellion from House Freedom Caucus over debt deal (usatoday.com)
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Kelly Brough is a candidate for Mayor of Denver, with the runoff election to be held next Tuesday, June 6th. She'll join us for probably the final time before the election.
Kelly Brough for Mayor | Believe in the Promise of Denver
Denver's Mayoral Candidates Take on Burning Issues | Westword
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Other Stuff
Will Kevin McCarthy have enough votes to pass the debt ceiling bill? Probably, but he'll need a LOT of Democratic help.
On the one hand, I think this debt ceiling bill is bad. On the other hand, I think it's as good as we're gonna get and I think it should pass. And on the other other hand, I don't blame any @GOP Rep/Senator who votes "no"...as long as it passes. Politics is an ugly game.
I don't think of @NancyMace as a fire-breathing right-winger and she's not a member of the Freedom Caucus. Re the debt ceiling bill, she's a "no", saying "Republicans got outsmarted by a President who can’t find his pants". Wow.
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Now let's do the same with Colorado's insane PERA plan: Netherlands set to reform $1.6 trillion private pension sector (msn.com)
Senate approves new pension system; Important step, Minister says | NL Times
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I've been nudging my younger kid to get involved with the high school debate team. This is giving me second thoughts: At High School Debates, Debate Is No Longer Allowed | The Free Press
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I remember in the 1980s that Japan was going to eat the world. For the past decade or so, it's been China we are to fear. To be clear, China's relationship with the world has more parasitic elements to it than Japan's did (and does), but it was always unlikely that a centrally planned economy run by a Marxist-Maoist dictator would end up prevailing over the United States and free markets. At the moment, China's ascendancy looks very much on pause: China’s Fading Recovery Reveals Deeper Economic Struggles - WSJ
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It's the kind of headline that gets lots of attention in the non-economic press because it seems like it's saying something interesting, but I suspect it really isn't.
Rent or own? In Denver, it's an easy call.
More of the underlying data: It’s Cheaper to Buy a Home Than Rent In These 4 Major U.S. Metros (redfin.com)
But here's a basic sort of economic question: if it were really true that renting is dramatically cheaper than buying, then wouldn't a LOT more people be renting and a lot fewer be buying? The answer seems clear to me though I have emailed the Redfin folks some questions: The analysis ignores things like building equity, comparing properties of similar size, potential tax benefits of buying, etc.
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I just don't see how this could work out well: Mexico’s president says he would support peace agreement with cartels | Mexico | The Guardian
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I owe you these next two from yesterday:
Nobody’s buyin’ it: United Airlines CEO: Biden administration's travel compensation plan is 'bad public policy,' poses safety risk | Fox Business
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And I have an update on this one because I got a reply to an email I sent to Gallup about some of this data, namely what percentage of the "B" (bisexual) folks are women and what % are men. Will tell you about it during the show. (It's not in the article so you have to listen to get the info!)
I keep seeing numbers saying that the % of Americans who are LGBT is much higher than I think is right...and then I read that actually a big percentage is in the "B" category that we don't really think about all that much.
U.S. LGBT Identification Steady at 7.2% (gallup.com)
Related to this: Sometimes Dennis Prager is just too much of a social conservative for my taste, but I think his fundamental point here is right and relates to why the Bud Light fiasco with Dylan Mulvaney and the episodes with Adidas and Target and Kohls are really rubbing a lot of folks the wrong way: This 'Pride' Stuff Isn't Healthy
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I don't think this trend will stop soon. College is too expensive and a degree simply isn't worth what it used to be in many situations. And, as the article notes, folks can make a VERY good living without a degree and get into real life 4 years sooner and without all that expense and/or debt. More High-School Grads Forgo College in Hot Labor Market - WSJ
More: Americans Are Losing Faith in College Education, WSJ-NORC Poll Finds - WSJ
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Today's Videos
Nick solved the "train tracks" ethical dilemma
My Tesla is out of gas