October 17, 2011

SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News/Sheldon Fingerman "The Aspen money hole"

"Want to know where your tax money goes. Well, some of it is going into a hole in the ground thanks to Mick’s love of geothermal energy. You’ll also be pleased to know that in order to accomplish this, the city’s noise ordinance was increased to 80 decibels. Not terribly loud, but I wouldn’t want to be living near that site at 7 a.m. Yup. Let’s get rid of plastic bags and increase the noise.

And we’re also throwing money at attorneys. Mick seems so incensed that Marilyn Marks almost beat him he’s willing to take this ballot thing all the way to the Supreme Court on our dime. Mick, anybody who watched Grassroots TV already saw the ballots as they flashed by. I’m more concerned the mail-in ballot I just received has my name and address on the envelope. Whoever opens it can easily see who and what I voted for.

And Marks is right. What if the ballots had to be hand counted (remember Florida)? The money we’re spending on this is nuts. Anyway, you go girl.

We also lost money on the bicycle race, and now we’re prepared to spend more on the next one. As far as I’m concerned the episodes of the Bold and the Beautiful, featuring Aspen, did far more to help Aspen’s image than the bicycle races.

While I’m not a fan, I did watch some of the “Aspen” episodes and the town looked fantastic.

And speaking of bicycles: I can’t believe our money is also going to a bicycle-sharing program. According to the Aspen Daily News, the startup costs are going to be between $500,000 and $600,000. $600,000! That’s for eight kiosks and 100 bicycles. That’s $6000 per bike! You’ve got to be kidding! Can you say Solyndra?..."
(Sheldon Fingerman)

(Could Sheldon possibly have more to say?  Click title)
"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

4 comments:

Lee Mulcahy said...

$6000.00/bike!!!! The fact that I laughed at its ridiculousness is kind of sad.

There's an artistic and philosophical argument out there about entities where they become too big. Some of Western civilization's greatest achievements and works of art were not produced by giants, but small regional communities.

Aspen is small but the city's budget is big$. And Mick, he's a nice guy but what an ego!
As we say in TX, bless his heart.

I got an email from the City Attorney today [there are several on staff LOL}. Apparently, the freedom of expression went a little too far at the Occupy Aspen rally this weekend at my "casa de revolucion" going up 4 blocks from the Crowns. Hi Paula! Having another BBQ! Lots of fumes from the poor people in public housing. :)

The neighbors and other occupiers came over and spray painted all over the house. Someone complained about the "We are the 99%" with a photo of Paula [poster girl for the 1%] who just loves to ban singers, or newspapers, or whistleblowers from public lands.

Someone spray painted "Obama sucks" and "Obama is a traitor" to the people.

Gotta go run and deal with the Aspen sign police. Never ceasing!

sssungirl0 said...

Actually, Lee the fact that you laughed is pathetic. We read this article and laughed at the same time we cried.

This couple starting this business sure lucked out, didn't they? Talk about a great way to have an angel roll out the dough carte blanche to get you going!

$6,000 a bike. The thing will probably bust out within a couple years at the most and then where will Pitco's people be? Holding the bag on the whole thing. Or worse, they make it for 3 or 4 years and the bikes wear out, have to replaced and the local gov gets hit with $7,000 replacements because of inflation.

mack said...

Inquiring minds want to know.

Did Mulcahy get tossed in the slam for graffiti against the Crowns and severe violations against the sign police?

Lee Mulcahy said...

Mack,
LOL. Still a free man. The big govt. City of Aspen sign police never showed. But you never know, the City does close down BBQ stands across from the airport...because of the... fumes. Fumes? Across from the airport?

The complaint to the City about the 1% Crown / warmongers was from a banker at "community bank" ...

Another artist attending [not me, and without any direction, I did not know him---I just gave him a spray paint can] wrote "Stop the Warprofiteers."

How many wars are we in now?

As Johnny Boyd said in the Sun, Jim and Paula Crown's low ball poverty pay is low down on the list of all the destruction to innocent humans the Crown's weapons General Dynamics produces and pedals all over the world.

CoBrA, situationist art theory and the Frankfurt Theodore Adorno school believe that life should be art and vice versa. Et voila, the house as sculpture. With the neighbors, tea partiers, and occupiers as artists. :)

The house and sculpture piece pictured in the Daily News today heads Art Basel Miami Dec 1-4, before being exhibited in Berlin in 2012.

Sen. Reid's office got a response from the Crown lawyers in Chicago. Nanny, Look for the cr## to hit the fan in the next few weeks. Apparently, the advance word is that it's pretty ridiculous.