WHEN WILL WE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE HOUTHIS? My guest today at 2:30 is Brandon Weichert, who has a very compelling book on Iran's desire for world domination. We're talking about what it's going to take to get Saudi Arabia and Egypt to join us in our fight against the Iranian backed Houthis. This Politico article asks when Joe Biden is going to do anything about the Houthis, who are attacking ships very aggressively with no response from the US. Buy Brandon's book by clicking here.
I LOVE TALKIN TIA I found her on Instagram where she preaches facts about what teachers are dealing with as she simultaneously calls parents out for having no clue that their children are disrespectful wild children who are grade levels behind. I wish a teacher in every Colorado school district would do this but I doubt they would be as entertaining as she is. Find her Instagram page here and today she pops in at 1pm to talk about the challenges teachers face in the classroom with the new "empowered" generation.
A GOP LEADER QUITS THE EXECUTIVE PARTY A former chairman of the Arapahoe County Republican Party resigned on Thursday from the state GOP's executive committee because David Williams is using his post as Chair like a petty tyrant to exact revenge against all Republicans he sees as not Trumpy enough. That's not EXACTLY what Rich Sokol said in his resignation letter, but he did say this:
You have used your position to demean and denigrate fellow Republicans. As State GOP Chair, you of all people should adhere to Ronald Reagan’s 11th Commandment: “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican”. You should be empowering and lifting up our elected GOP officials, not tearing them down. There are plenty of Democrats willing to denounce our fellow Republicans; you should not be aiding them in their actions. To cite just one example, the email referenced above that you sent about the Debt Ceiling was titled “Fake Conservatives Sold You Out”. You then lambasted US Representative Doug Lamborn for his vote. No matter what your personal policy position was on the Debt Ceiling compromise, you greatly overstepped your role’s professional bounds with your inflammatory rhetoric. As State Party Chair, you need to remember the advice that all our moms gave us when we were little: “If you have nothing good to say, then say nothing”.
He also points out that from his perspective Williams has the support of the majority of the Executive Committee which is completely. Read his letter here.
A COLUMN TOUTING THE VALUE OF HIGHER ED I get why the President of MSU wrote this column, but it does seem a bit out of touch with how some are feeling right now about degrees they got they don't translate to actual money. I would have been more impressed if she made the argument that MSU was concentrating their efforts on practical degrees with good paying jobs which they mostly seem to do. She does do that when mentioning health care jobs, but MSU still offers a minor in Gender Studies, which is a completely useless endeavor. Until universities stop letting people rack up debt on programs with no real value in the real world it's hard to take them seriously.
BUT WHO ARE THEY LEASING IT FROM? The Denver City Council is getting ready to lease another hotel to house the homeless and I've got a question. Who are they leasing it from? Do Better Denver has been digging into the deal around the Embassy Suites and you need to see this. From what it looks like the Urban Land Conservancy, an organization with a long history with Mayor Mike Johnston, was going to buy the Embassy Suites for $20 million but then "assigned" the sale agreement to the City of Denver for $10 million MORE. I sure wish someone in our media would dig into this. Now we see that Denver is going to buy a Radisson hotel for $17.2 million and I'd like to know from whom? A lot of stuff gets by when things are done in the name of an emergency.
POLIS WANTS TO CONTROL WHERE WE LIVE And rather than persuasively make the argument to local communities about opening up zoning restrictions to allow more high density building, he's planning on using his "visionary" land-use and transportation plan to do it. Randal O'Toole dismantles the entire thing here. Don't let the argument that if we just build close to transit people will use it. Read this part:
Since 1992, the Denver region has spent more than $10 billion (adjusted for inflation to today’s money) planning and building 60 miles of light-rail lines and 50 miles of commuter-rail lines. The region has also used hundreds of millions of dollars of tax-increment financing and affordable housing funds to subsidize the construction of scores if not hundreds of so-called transit-oriented developments in the Denver metro area.
Transit boosters claim these programs are a great success. The numbers say different. Census data show that 4.68 percent of the region’s workers commuted by transit in 1990 before any rail transit existed. As of 2019, this had increased to 4.79 percent. A tenth of a percent increase in transit’s share of commuting hardly constitutes a great success for a program that cost well over $10 billion.
It's all a lie, it's all been a lie and it will continue to be a lie.
COLORADO BEGINS THE MOVE TO TAKE YOUR GAS POWERED LAWN TOOLS This is how it starts.
After three days of tense debate, the Air Quality Control Commission, an eight-member panel appointed by the governor, gave its initial blessing to rules to restrict public entities from using smaller gas-powered tools — like lawnmowers, leaf blowers, trimmers and chainsaws — during the summer starting in 2025. The new rules apply to local governments and school districts along the Front Range and all state-owned properties. The state will now make line edits ahead of a final vote in February.
Further down in the CPR article it says the commission narrowly voted down banning the sale of gas powered lawn equipment entirely and forcing these regulations onto commercial landscapers but said they will "revisit" that in the near future. If I owned a landscaping company I'd be doing some math on what it would cost to replace all the equipment I had now plus the number of batteries I'd have to buy and then explain to all my customers how much costs would go up if they passed this. Or maybe I find out that it makes sense at some point. It's coming either way so I'd want to be ready.
DO WE BELIEVE ALL WOMEN WHEN A PROMINENT FEMALE DEMOCRAT IS ACCUSED? I honestly don't care much about this story because all it is now is a Twitter post.
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However this is from the Vice Chair of the Colorado Democratic Party so I'm guessing she has some juice here. Right now it's all a behind the scenes soap opera but Leslie Herod has been accused of treating staff poorly in the past so this might be on brand for her.
THE FRESH HELL THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION COULD BRING FOR EMPLOYERS We know that the hard left wing of the Democratic party hates business and wants to make it as hard as possible for them to operate here. It's why we've lost our competitive edge but they may not be done. This editorial gives a peak at what business can expect in this upcoming session and it's not pretty.
A TESLA TRUCK HAS TO BE RESCUED By a Superduty Ford no less. Check out this embarrassing development.
Those tires do not look equipped for true off roading to me, how about you guys? The Forest Service took the opportunity to dunk by offering to partner with Tesla to "educate" their new truck owners about Motor Vehicle Use Maps so they don't end up like this dude. Heh.
WEIGHT WATCHERS GOES ALL IN ON WEIGHT LOSS DRUGS And I'm not mad about this. I think if you use weight loss drugs doing a program at the same time to help you rethink and relearn your bad relationship with food would be a natural fit. I would recommend SOTA but Weight Watchers now has a program specifically using these drugs so there you go. I'm also not mad about Oprah admitting she uses these drugs RIGHT BEFORE the company she owns part of launched the program. It's called marketing, people. And let's be real, if you lose a bunch of weight on these drugs eating crap and then stop taking the drugs you're going to get fat again. Period.
NOW WE'RE GETTING SYNAGOGUE BOMB THREATS And this makes me feel hatred in my heart for those who call these in and probably high five their comrades. A bomb threat cancelled Shabad services at a temple in Boulder, though no bomb was found. This is not okay. Also not okay but good to see people fighting back, there is a new "soup Nazi" in New York and she's been outed.
WHY ISN'T ANYONE MAD ABOUT EGYPT'S GAZA WALL? A wall that is being made MUCH bigger and MUCH stronger.
Where are the cries of apartheid and prison and occupation? Oh right, they aren't a Jewish state.
MORE BIDEN FAMILY FUN AND CORRUPTION First off there's the fact that daughter Ashley Biden didn't pay $5000 in income taxes and now the State of Pennsylvania has put a lien on her property. Then there is the new disclosure of shady ass brother of Joe Jim Biden selling influence back in the day. The Washington Post did a piece about some deep connections to a corrupt attorney in Mississippi who was eventually brought down in a fraud case. The long and short of the story is Joe Biden's family has been getting rich by selling perceived access to him for decades. At least that's how I read it.
THINKING OF MOVING OVERSEAS? Here is a list of the best...and worst cities for ex pats and the worst cities aren't surprising because who wants to move to Tripoli, Libya?
NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY A HOUSE Because the Fed is going to cut rates next year, at least according to Goldman Sachs. When that happens the feeding frenzy in real estate will begin. Buy now, refi later.
MARK ME DOWN AS A YES FOR MOVIE INTERMISSIONS Movie theaters are mulling over bringing back intermissions during some of today's incredibly long movies and I'm a firm yes. Read it here. This is a great idea and studios are stupid for fighting it.
THE GAYLORD HAS MADE BETTER ICE SLIDES! At their extremely fun Christmas at the Gaylord even that is always amazing. Now the slides are even better! Watch below or click here.
A NEW MOVIE ABOUT MAGICAL NEGROES And I'm not using that word out of context. This movie gets points for creativity and I want to see it.
REINDEER CLAW MACHINE ANYONE? This is adorable! Watch below or click here.
THIS IS DIFFERENT AT A BASKETBALL GAME
WHY I DON'T HAVE CATS AT CHRISTMAS Or any other time.
WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST WATCH And here it is so you can say that too. Watch below or click here.
THIS LADY IS A BOSS OF THE ONE TRIP GROCERY LOAD Watch below or click here.