Just One Thing: The Denver Capitol Walkway - cast your vote!
Gov Polis wants to know if you support or oppose a proposed walkway downtown. It's gotten a lot more negative press than positive press, but the site with the survey questions has plenty of pro-bridge propaganda to offset that. :-)
FYI: There would be about $8.5 million of taxpayer funds used and the rest, at least of the initial $18 million, would be raised from private donors.
In last-ditch plea, Polis asks public to back his $29 million bridge at the state Capitol
Do you want an $18 million bridge for Colorado's 150th birthday? Take Gov. Jared Polis's survey
(Some people quote the price about $10 million higher. On Colorado's Morning News on KOA this morning, the governor said that was for various improvements over the next 5 years or so)
Historic Denver opposes proposed Lincoln Street walkway | News | denvergazette.com
Cast your vote here: Feedback — Colorado 150 Walkway
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Today's Guests
Quite a range of guests on the show today...
Kelly Caufield is Executive Director of the Common Sense Institute
We'll talk about Denver's economic and population struggles, in something of a contrast to the sunny optimism we got from Mayor Johnston yesterday. (By the way, it doesn't mean the mayor is wrong to be optimistic; just that Denver would have to see some significant changes in trends for him to end up being right to be that positive about the city.)
Denver Metro Area: Jobs, Retail Sales, Population Growth
Fewer Movers, Bigger Problems: Migration Declines in Colorado
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Katie Heineman works with the San Diego Zoo and is a Program officer with IUCN Species Survival Commission Center. We'll talk about the fascinating "Frozen Zoo".
Katie Heineman, Ph.D. | San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
First Plants Introduced to San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's Frozen Zoo® (What kinds of plants can’t be preserved in a seed bank?)
Frozen Zoo | San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
How San Diego's Frozen Zoo is saving endangered species - Axios San Diego
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Doomberg is a green chicken and has the most successful Substack in the finance category. Their particular focus is usually on energy policy but they go outside of that from time to time. Today we'll talk about Doomberg's claim that sanctions such as those that some Republicans want to impose on Russia (and Trump seems to be considering) are a bad idea. Here's the exact quote: "Sanctions not only never work, but they always backfire. It is odd that as evidence in support of this statement rolls in unabated, it is always viewed as proof of the need to do more sanctions."
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My friend and morning show partner Ed Prather is a real estate agent with whom I have a wager about median real estate prices in the Denver Metro Area for this calendar year. I said they'd be down; he said they'd be up. So far, he's winning even though I think I've actually been right. Will explain on the show. (Hint: unfortunately for me, the measure is median realized sale price so thought experiment for you is: what happens if less expensive houses have a bigger reduction in transaction volume than more expensive houses do?)
Home Page - Ed Prather Real Estate
Statewide housing report shows swelling inventory, but prices still hold | Business | denvergazette.com
As I see an unlimited amount of residential construction going on, especially in the exurbs like Elbert County east of Parker, I wonder if we will soon go from undersupply of housing to adequate or even oversupply.
Colorado population growth and demographics | 9news.com
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Other Stuff
Interesting...does that last name look familiar? Justice Department Fires Maurene Comey, Prosecutor Who Handled 'Diddy,' Epstein Cases | National Review
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It's not much but it's a start: Senate passes Trump bid to claw back $9 billion | AP News
If cutting a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the budget is this difficult, how the heck are they going to do the big things? This is why almost without exception the growth of government is a ratchet and not a pendulum. It will take MASSIVE force to truly shrink government. At least the current crop of Republicans, including Trump, seems like they might care a little.
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This is interesting, and it's bad for Democrats...but is it bad enough to actually get Republican victories in this state in swing districts, or even one statewide race? I don't think so. At least not while Donald Trump is president: Coloradans say politics is state's top problem in new Pulse poll
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This is interesting and important: The Broken Marketplace Study
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Time to get started: Denver’s huge sidewalk rebuild set to begin with $75M contracts
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Straight to hell for the people who did this...and I'm so glad the dogs are safe now: 165 Colorado dogs rescued from ‘heartbreaking’ conditions
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How many songs about Colorado can you name other than John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High"?
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Imagine the damage to brands from stories like these:
Are Diamonds Even a Luxury Anymore? De Beers Reckons With Price Plunge - WSJ
Inside the Underground Business of Selling $5,000 Counterfeit ‘Superfake’ Luxury Handbags - WSJ
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It's very unfortunate that this, or any other, president gets away with such nonsense. Seriously, I think this is borderline impeachable and certainly disgusting: The Tomato Trade Racket - WSJ
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This is a strange story. And why the heck would the Trump administration spend the money to send illegal immigrants to Africa, especially a place this hard to get to? (I've actually been there, but when it was still called Swaziland.)
Eswatini says it is holding U.S. deportees in prisons, aims to repatriate them | Reuters
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This is a very weird story: Surrogacy scandal in SoCal: 21 kids removed
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Today's Videos
See, the problem with having a grandpa who is the official voice of Winnie the Pooh is that then you have to hear Winnie the Pooh stories.
She's raised an awesomely nerdy kid