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November 14, 2014 06:12 AM UTC

Friday Open Thread

  • 29 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

"Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother."

–Khalil Gibran

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29 thoughts on “Friday Open Thread”

  2. A classy nod from Josh Penry, a man with which, like Ralph, I often disagree.  

    DATELINE GRAND JUNCTION — Like so many others, I was saddened to learn of the passing of Ralph D’Andrea. The pioneer of the Junction Daily Blog and self-styled “curmudgeon” was an important voice in both Mesa County and statewide politics over the last decade.

    Judging by the volume of hard-hitting prose he aimed at me over the years, I would guess that D’Andrea disliked me and my politics more than just about anyone else, save maybe George W. Bush. He skewered me more times through the years than I care to recount

    But I always respected his voice. Politics isn’t beanbag, and Ralphie knew it. Disagree as I might with much of what he said, the man had wit and insight — that much was plain.

    In the market place of ideas, I have always believed that the more and stronger voices the better. In that rough-and-tumble arena, D’Andrea truly mattered. Our community and our politics will be poorer in his absence.

    Thanks Josh, and God Speed Ralph.

     

      1. Best blogger and rocker. Music selections at Ralphie's memorial service yesterday included Foxy Lady'' by Jimi Hendrix, Honky Tonk Woman'' by the Stones, and Hey Bartender'' recorded by The Tones, Ralphie's old band with himself on guitar. The preacher suffered through it like a champ.

        Godspeed, Ralphie.

         

  3. Nothing spells success like . . . Firing the Executive Director of the State Party

     

    The Colorado Dems pretended they did not get swept by a wave last week.  Losing the Senate seat must have been expected.  And the State Senate, too.  So how are things really going on the sinking ship?

    Yet, as reported by The Durango Herald’s Peter Marcus, it didn’t take long after Tuesday’s Elections for Palacio to fire his executive director:

    Frustration is building within the Colorado Democratic Party among some women who feel they should have more of a leadership voice.

    The party lost one woman in a leadership role after chairman Rick Palacio fired executive director Jennifer Koch shortly after the election last Tuesday. [the Peak’s emphasis]

    – See more at: http://coloradopeakpolitics.com/2014/11/11/actions-trump-words-co-dem-chair-celebrates-victory-firing/#sthash.3Nolv4Km.dpuf

  4. Reality bites . . . 

    "They need to cut $279 million, $239 million of which is attributable to lower-than-expected personal income tax collections. Those aren’t small numbers in a state budget of approximately $6 billion and where revenues have already declined sharply. Kansas state revenues dropped 11 percent in the fiscal year 2014 (which ended in June) after the tax cuts took effect.

    But that may not even be the whole picture. A close look at the state’s new revenue projections makes clear they are highly optimistic, even after this week’s cut in the forecast. Kansas says it expects to collect slightly more personal income tax this year than it did last year, even though, with four months of collections in, they are 11 percent behind last year’s pace."

    http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/upshot/kansas-announces-big-budget-gap-but-true-gap-may-be-even-larger.html?abt=0002&abg=0

    . . . maybe Brownback could rent-a-Chaps to exorcise the demon of abject asshatery that's occupying his state's Governor's manse??

    Laffering all the way to insolvency.

     

    2. Maybe they can make up some of their shortfall with all of those new same-gender marriage licenses people are queuing up to get; now that Brownback has figured out that continuing to fight it is throwing good money after bad.

  5. Here's your chance Senator [elect] . . . 

    "Here’s a story of utter irresponsibility: Aboutone-third of American girls become pregnant as teenagers.

    But it’s not just a story of heedless girls and boys who don’t take precautions. This is also a tale of national irresponsibility and political irresponsibility — of us as a country failing our kids by refusing to invest in comprehensive sex education and birth control because we, too, don’t plan ahead.

    . . . 

    A teenager who has a baby often derails her own education and puts the child on a troubled trajectory as well. In Oklahoma last year, I met one family where the matriarch had a baby at 13, her daughter had a baby at 15, and that child, in turn, gave birth at 13. That’s how poverty replicates.

    Medicaid spends an average of $12,770 for a birth. Yet we spend only $8 per teenage girl on programs to avoid pregnancy. In financial terms, that’s nuts. In human terms, it’s a tragedy."

    http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/opinion/nicholas-kristof-politicians-teens-and-birth-control.html

    . . . show us your priorities, Mr. Gardner —  Kochs' pipeline, nuzzling Paul Ryan's backside, or America's future generations?

    1. It's a great example of ideology versus results, and sadly ideology wins,

      Should we "pay to party" for the high quality birth control (which does not mean pills and condoms) of people who want to have sex, but aren't ready to be parents?  All the empirical evidence suggests that doing so reduces teen pregnancy and abortion and increases women's economic success, as well as saving gobs of money.

      Sadly, ideology, whether it's about makers v. takers or Jesus says, trumps in too much of our country.

       

      1. Here is her take:

        The disastrous rollout of the Affordable Care Act was the catalyst for my party’s midterm thumping.

        So who would say such a thing?  Must be someone who is really a Republican in disguise, like Mike Bennet, right?  

        I grew up in a Democratic family. I have been a registered Democrat since age 18, a Democratic candidate for statewide office in Colorado and a party precinct captain in that caucus state. I’ve volunteered for numerous Democratic candidates and contributed to party causes and campaigns. The 2014 election results were extremely disappointing for me, but hardly a surprise.

        I voted for Barack Obama in 2008, then lost my job in the Great Recession. I was lucky; my brother lost his job and his house. I survived on part-time jobs while paying out-of-pocket for my health insurance.

        I voted for President Obama again in 2012, then received a cancellation notice for my health insurance. This was due to ObamaCare, the so-called Affordable Care Act. However, I couldn’t afford anything else.

        OMG, Soon to be ex-Senator Udall did it again.

         

      2. Changes in my retiree health plan due to the affordable care act will save my family $382.15 a month starting Jan. 1.  How do you like them apples, AC?

         

          1. It's a stupendous improvement as well as, judging by the number of comments by the two assworms that have not been responded to today, also an overwhelming success.

            Next up, an i-phone app ????

            2. I'm not aware of either mobile Chrome or Safari on IOS including support for browser extensions.  They support application extensions, but those don't work on web pages as they're viewed like Stylish does, they take the information from the web browser and do "something else" with it.

  7. Pop question: If it's OK to put down the drain at home, does that mean it's OK to put directly into the environment?

    Doug Flanders says definitely "Yes". He's pleased as punch about the CU fracking chemical study.

    Someone more knowledgeable than I am about fracking please debunk this.

    1. I don't know the context, but…things going down a domestic drain travel in a closed piping system and wind up in a treatment facility designed to clean up the water….things spilled on the ground, don't.

          1. Water? Only the flammable kind that comes straight out of the faucet! 🙂   I'm pretty sure the sand in my toothpaste is coming from the fact the house pump is sitting at the bottom of the hole these days as the Ogallala dries up!

      2. Thanks, Duke. Below is one of the links to the CU study, which tested only the "surfactants" found in fracking fluid, and hence made the giant leap that fracking fluid is just as harmless  (and maybe yummy and keeps teeth whiter) as toothpaste and ice cream!

        Apparently, this is what passes for scientific scholarship at CU these days.

         

        http://www.colorado4x4.org/vbb/showthread.php?215025-Boulder-CU-tests-Fac-ing-fluid

        Sorry, I'm using crappy motel wifi, and sometimes things don't post well.

        1. Man, what a steaming pile that is….

          Who said it was the surfactants (soap) in the first place..? I would be inclined to study the biocides…you know those things that do what the name implies….?

          I will be satisfied when they are required to publish the complete list of ingredients in "Zeta-Flow"…not before.

  8. This is a great read.  If you're pro-life and interested in ending the grip of the Mexican cartels on everyday life in Mexico – and equally as interested in ending the stranglehold of the private prison industrial complex in the US – then perhaps you'd be interested in ending our miserably-failed War on Drugs in the US. 

    Legal Pot in the US is Crippling Mexican Cartels

    According to the Drug Policy Alliance, we spend $51 billion per year fighting illegal drugs. A 2010 study by Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron found that not only would the US save tremendous amounts of money were it to end drug prohibition, legalizing could bring in an additional $46.7 billion in yearly tax revenue.

    “We’ve spent 1.3 trillion since 1972 on the drug war. What have we gotten for that? Drugs are cheaper and easier to get than ever before,” Nelson told VICE News.

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