Reporting from right here in Glenwood Springs, The Atlantic's Linda Killian puts up a left-leaning but very detailed piece on Colorado's Independent/Unaffiliated voters.
Very well done and an interesting read.
You local followers may recognize a name or two.
There are four key states that hold the power for their independents to swing the 2012 election. Colorado, New Hampshire, Ohio and Virginia.
(Read the article? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
February 2, 2012
SandBox Comments: Commentary Magazine "Press Man: Why They Wept for Hitchens "
Press Man/Andrew Ferguson:
"One night, nearly 25 years ago, I was talking with Christopher Hitchens at a cocktail party—that this statement could be construed as name-dropping is actually the subject of this column, so please read on—when we were interrupted by the actor Richard Dreyfuss. Hitchens, then serving the Nation magazine as its Washington columnist, stood expressionless as Dreyfuss uncorked the most lavish praise for something he had recently written, and then for his entire body of work, and, indeed, for his very existence, considering the example he set for every person of conscience on the planet…When the effusion died down, Hitchens thanked Dreyfuss for it, and the movie star turned and walked away as lightly as a school girl after a backstage brush with Justin Bieber. Before I could express my amazement at this impressive display, Hitchens cut me off with a wave of his Rothman.
“Happens all the time,” he said.
He didn’t mean it to be funny, but it was. At the time Hitchens truly was semi-anonymous, which is much lower on the fame ladder than semi-famous. What renown he possessed in the United States in those days rested on a few C-SPAN appearances and a vague (and mistaken) reputation as the model for the character Peter Fallow in Tom Wolfe’s Bonfire of the Vanities...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"One night, nearly 25 years ago, I was talking with Christopher Hitchens at a cocktail party—that this statement could be construed as name-dropping is actually the subject of this column, so please read on—when we were interrupted by the actor Richard Dreyfuss. Hitchens, then serving the Nation magazine as its Washington columnist, stood expressionless as Dreyfuss uncorked the most lavish praise for something he had recently written, and then for his entire body of work, and, indeed, for his very existence, considering the example he set for every person of conscience on the planet…When the effusion died down, Hitchens thanked Dreyfuss for it, and the movie star turned and walked away as lightly as a school girl after a backstage brush with Justin Bieber. Before I could express my amazement at this impressive display, Hitchens cut me off with a wave of his Rothman.
“Happens all the time,” he said.
He didn’t mean it to be funny, but it was. At the time Hitchens truly was semi-anonymous, which is much lower on the fame ladder than semi-famous. What renown he possessed in the United States in those days rested on a few C-SPAN appearances and a vague (and mistaken) reputation as the model for the character Peter Fallow in Tom Wolfe’s Bonfire of the Vanities...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBox Comments: Town Hall "Democrats Love Taxes -- They Just Don't Want to Pay Them"
Larry Elder:
"Forgive Republican candidate Mitt Romney for his alleged failure to adequately explain why he paid "only" 14 percent of his income in taxes.
The honest answer -- "Well, because my accountants couldn't figure out how to get them any lower" -- does not work in this or very many other election years. Romney seemed flat-footed because, like most business people, he seeks to minimize costs and expenses.
This includes taxes.
A normal wealthy-and-proud-of-it guy would have said: "Let me get this straight, pal. I'm not supposed to take every legal advantage provided me by the tax laws to reduce my taxes?" For what it's worth, about 15 percent of Romney's last two years of income went to charity -- substantially higher than the percentage given by the Obamas or Joe Biden's $380 (not a typo) of his quarter-million dollar income in 2006.
"Tax savings" allows people more money to save, spend, invest, bequeath and donate. On some level, even Democrats understand this...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"Forgive Republican candidate Mitt Romney for his alleged failure to adequately explain why he paid "only" 14 percent of his income in taxes.
The honest answer -- "Well, because my accountants couldn't figure out how to get them any lower" -- does not work in this or very many other election years. Romney seemed flat-footed because, like most business people, he seeks to minimize costs and expenses.
This includes taxes.
A normal wealthy-and-proud-of-it guy would have said: "Let me get this straight, pal. I'm not supposed to take every legal advantage provided me by the tax laws to reduce my taxes?" For what it's worth, about 15 percent of Romney's last two years of income went to charity -- substantially higher than the percentage given by the Obamas or Joe Biden's $380 (not a typo) of his quarter-million dollar income in 2006.
"Tax savings" allows people more money to save, spend, invest, bequeath and donate. On some level, even Democrats understand this...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBox Comments: KKCO 11 News "Drug ring dismantled, 14 people are in custody"
Brian Schlonsky:
"A major bust puts an end to an operation that was delivering several pounds of illegal drugs to Grand Junction.
Wednesday, 11 News learned new details on how that drug operation worked, and how it was stopped.
There's 14 people in custody right now, 13 of them from right here in Mesa County.
The last arrest was made Wednesday in Denver, a final piece to an investigation that's been in the works for over six months.
"This is a ring we've been aware of for quite some time, they've been dealing fairly large amounts," Dan Rubinstein, the chief deputy district attorney for the drug division, said.
And by fairly large, we're talking around 1 kilo, or 2.2 pounds of cocaine into Mesa County every ten days. That's what Federico Lerma and his family are accused of bringing into Grand Junction.
On Sunday, Lerma was arrested after police say they found a kilo of cocaine in the air filter of his car, and another fourth of a pound back at his house.
"He was using his family members to distribute with him, doing things like bringing his 7 month old granddaughter along so as to appear like a family so they wouldn't get stopped," Rubinstein said...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"A major bust puts an end to an operation that was delivering several pounds of illegal drugs to Grand Junction.
Wednesday, 11 News learned new details on how that drug operation worked, and how it was stopped.
There's 14 people in custody right now, 13 of them from right here in Mesa County.
The last arrest was made Wednesday in Denver, a final piece to an investigation that's been in the works for over six months.
"This is a ring we've been aware of for quite some time, they've been dealing fairly large amounts," Dan Rubinstein, the chief deputy district attorney for the drug division, said.
And by fairly large, we're talking around 1 kilo, or 2.2 pounds of cocaine into Mesa County every ten days. That's what Federico Lerma and his family are accused of bringing into Grand Junction.
On Sunday, Lerma was arrested after police say they found a kilo of cocaine in the air filter of his car, and another fourth of a pound back at his house.
"He was using his family members to distribute with him, doing things like bringing his 7 month old granddaughter along so as to appear like a family so they wouldn't get stopped," Rubinstein said...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBox Comments: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Glenwood charter change to elect mayor to be discussed"
SandBox has a couple of comments to make on this piece by John Stroud off the Glenwood Springs Post Independent.
With regard to the proposals to change our charter to allow for public election of our Mayor...just say, YES!!
With regard to spending the money and resources to get councilman term limits upped...just say 'Absolutely NOT!'
The argument that we may fall into the same tar pitMayor Mick has put the City of Aspen into has both a pro and a con.
The pro on elected seats only is that it is always the public right to have a voice and the final say by the casting of their vote. Besides, do you really think anyone during the remainder of this century is ever going to allow another Mick Ireland to happen?? If a voting sector does set up such a scenario, there isn't any way to predict or control that free will which makes Mayor Matt's concerns without merit.
The con on upping the term limits, is that the public has a right to have a voice and when you allow the pushing of the envelope on the law itself when it comes to term limits (or) give an individual free license to become a near career local representative/authority (three terms is over a decade) you're no longer giving a true option of choice. You're giving a weighted selection in an arena that has serious effect on the folks day to day lives. Bottom line, is that any request to fudge a gray area of term limits should be put to a public vote and detailed public input process.
One of the questions SandBox raises today is what happened to the unconstitutionality problem of our city charter vs. state charter when it comes to local elections. Remember Dirk Myers ? Click here and here to refressh yourself. Let's get it all done at once.
With regard to the talks continuing on The Ghettos affordable housing, we're wondering if Mary Noone is pacing herself and watching from home tonight. Just say NO to the city taking over the infrastructure obligations for this developer. After all, we have sinking, cracking and not too distant future major problems in The Meadows development itself (and) a bus barn that is near being condemned when it's roughly only a decade old. These 'affordable' housing apartments are being built as cheap as cheap can get (we've reviewed the plans) on the same soils and will be in the same state within a decade or so.
With all that on our plate, why in the world should we take the infrastructure costs of the driveway/road oout of the developer's hands? Just say NO.
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
With regard to the proposals to change our charter to allow for public election of our Mayor...just say, YES!!
With regard to spending the money and resources to get councilman term limits upped...just say 'Absolutely NOT!'
The argument that we may fall into the same tar pitMayor Mick has put the City of Aspen into has both a pro and a con.
The pro on elected seats only is that it is always the public right to have a voice and the final say by the casting of their vote. Besides, do you really think anyone during the remainder of this century is ever going to allow another Mick Ireland to happen?? If a voting sector does set up such a scenario, there isn't any way to predict or control that free will which makes Mayor Matt's concerns without merit.
The con on upping the term limits, is that the public has a right to have a voice and when you allow the pushing of the envelope on the law itself when it comes to term limits (or) give an individual free license to become a near career local representative/authority (three terms is over a decade) you're no longer giving a true option of choice. You're giving a weighted selection in an arena that has serious effect on the folks day to day lives. Bottom line, is that any request to fudge a gray area of term limits should be put to a public vote and detailed public input process.
One of the questions SandBox raises today is what happened to the unconstitutionality problem of our city charter vs. state charter when it comes to local elections. Remember Dirk Myers ? Click here and here to refressh yourself. Let's get it all done at once.
With regard to the talks continuing on The Ghettos affordable housing, we're wondering if Mary Noone is pacing herself and watching from home tonight. Just say NO to the city taking over the infrastructure obligations for this developer. After all, we have sinking, cracking and not too distant future major problems in The Meadows development itself (and) a bus barn that is near being condemned when it's roughly only a decade old. These 'affordable' housing apartments are being built as cheap as cheap can get (we've reviewed the plans) on the same soils and will be in the same state within a decade or so.
With all that on our plate, why in the world should we take the infrastructure costs of the driveway/road oout of the developer's hands? Just say NO.
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "Fewer local tourism jobs than in 2000"
Or, maybe Lee Mulcahy doesn't have to build his own public stocks and place himself into them after all.
Maybe PitCo commissioners will lend a hand by retaining an intensive study into 'why' Aspen and Pitkin County are sliding so noticeably over the past decade from one of the most affluent and thriving on multiple levels counties in the nation to:
Andrew Travers:
"The travel and tourism piece is something that you do very well,” Ben Alexander, an economist from the Montana-based Headwaters Institute told the county commissioners by phone Wednesday. “But it’s something you haven’t grown in in some time — and that’s surprising to me.”
Commissioners noted that growth in jobs and the overall economy was fast paced here through the first two-thirds of the last decade, but quickly fell off with the recession.
The institute’s report, based largely on 2010 census data, found that travel and tourism jobs make up 53 percent of employment in the county, or roughly 8,700 jobs. But that number has declined by 560 jobs since 2000, Alexander found.
“To me the big story is that travel and tourism have not been a job creator for you over the last decade,” he said. “Travel and tourism has been a source of job loss.”
Over the same period, retail jobs shrank by 10 percent, from 912 to 819. Hotel and food services likewise shrank from 5,421 to 4,556 jobs — a 16 percent decrease.
However, jobs categorized in arts, entertainment and recreation grew from 2,728 to 3,148 here — a 15 percent increase, owing largely to ski- and sports-related business. That sector, Alexander reported, was the only part of the local economy that continued creating jobs through the onset of the recession in 2008 and 2009, when employment went up by 85 jobs.
Less surprising to county officials was that economic growth in the county was more gradual here over the go-go 2000s than in other ski resorts, owing largely to strict local land-use codes..."
(Read more? Click title)
Here's to the little guy.
Let freedom ring.
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Maybe PitCo commissioners will lend a hand by retaining an intensive study into 'why' Aspen and Pitkin County are sliding so noticeably over the past decade from one of the most affluent and thriving on multiple levels counties in the nation to:
Andrew Travers:
"The travel and tourism piece is something that you do very well,” Ben Alexander, an economist from the Montana-based Headwaters Institute told the county commissioners by phone Wednesday. “But it’s something you haven’t grown in in some time — and that’s surprising to me.”
Commissioners noted that growth in jobs and the overall economy was fast paced here through the first two-thirds of the last decade, but quickly fell off with the recession.
The institute’s report, based largely on 2010 census data, found that travel and tourism jobs make up 53 percent of employment in the county, or roughly 8,700 jobs. But that number has declined by 560 jobs since 2000, Alexander found.
“To me the big story is that travel and tourism have not been a job creator for you over the last decade,” he said. “Travel and tourism has been a source of job loss.”
Over the same period, retail jobs shrank by 10 percent, from 912 to 819. Hotel and food services likewise shrank from 5,421 to 4,556 jobs — a 16 percent decrease.
However, jobs categorized in arts, entertainment and recreation grew from 2,728 to 3,148 here — a 15 percent increase, owing largely to ski- and sports-related business. That sector, Alexander reported, was the only part of the local economy that continued creating jobs through the onset of the recession in 2008 and 2009, when employment went up by 85 jobs.
Less surprising to county officials was that economic growth in the county was more gradual here over the go-go 2000s than in other ski resorts, owing largely to strict local land-use codes..."
(Read more? Click title)
Here's to the little guy.
Let freedom ring.
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBox Comments: Aspen Times "One year later, Mulcahy still banned"
Let's see.
Very publicly exposed in a negative light on inner handling of employee operations. Loss of business, guests and most importantly, community and peer respect.
Deterioration of worker environment to the point that caustic email and dissolving of group relationships are thrust into the public eye, including gossip fodder of the day. Pretty much every day and anywhere.
And those are just the effects the Aspen Ski Corp. and Crown family go through and are responsible for as a result of this 'ban' 'on the infamous Lee Mulcahy'.
And then there's the small issue of literally being mocked in the public eye by their 'landlord':
Scott Condon:
"...Stark said he felt the dispute probably had a simple solution. He didn't see how Skico could prevent Mulcahy from having a friend purchase a day ticket, dress so he couldn't be easily identified then hit the slopes. Skico officials said if Mulcahy did that, they would eventually catch him, according to Stark.
The Forest Service also concluded that Mulcahy couldn't access public lands of the ski areas without crossing Skico's private property at the base areas and private lands mixed in on the slopes.
“I think it's within their rights” to ban Mulcahy, Stark said...." (Read more? Click title)
All this for the sake of bruised egos and continued power over one man who simply desires to ski in his local area.
One has to wonder how much more needs to be given up by Mulcahy. Maybe erecting a set of public stocks somewhere in downtown Aspen (that isn't Crown owned) and placing himself into them.
Maybe that will be enough.
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Very publicly exposed in a negative light on inner handling of employee operations. Loss of business, guests and most importantly, community and peer respect.
Deterioration of worker environment to the point that caustic email and dissolving of group relationships are thrust into the public eye, including gossip fodder of the day. Pretty much every day and anywhere.
And those are just the effects the Aspen Ski Corp. and Crown family go through and are responsible for as a result of this 'ban' 'on the infamous Lee Mulcahy'.
And then there's the small issue of literally being mocked in the public eye by their 'landlord':
Scott Condon:
"...Stark said he felt the dispute probably had a simple solution. He didn't see how Skico could prevent Mulcahy from having a friend purchase a day ticket, dress so he couldn't be easily identified then hit the slopes. Skico officials said if Mulcahy did that, they would eventually catch him, according to Stark.
The Forest Service also concluded that Mulcahy couldn't access public lands of the ski areas without crossing Skico's private property at the base areas and private lands mixed in on the slopes.
“I think it's within their rights” to ban Mulcahy, Stark said...." (Read more? Click title)
All this for the sake of bruised egos and continued power over one man who simply desires to ski in his local area.
One has to wonder how much more needs to be given up by Mulcahy. Maybe erecting a set of public stocks somewhere in downtown Aspen (that isn't Crown owned) and placing himself into them.
Maybe that will be enough.
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBox Comments: Aspen Times "Aspen resort officials join debate over travel visas"
Easing back the restrictions on international visitors is not the same issue as the controversy over H2B worker visas and J-1 exchange and worker visas.
Do not be led by Warren Klug, the Skico, ACRA or anyone else into allowing the lines to become blurred again. Easy to fall into that quagmire due to having little to no details given to readers by local press.
BTW, how's that probe into ski resorts use and alleged misuse of worker visas and ICE coming along?
Janet Urquhart:
"...It's a big issue in our industry,” said Warren Klug, chairman of the chamber board and general manager of the Aspen Square Condominium Hotel, on Wednesday. “The international business is a big part of the marketplace, certainly for this hotel but also for Aspen in general....” (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Do not be led by Warren Klug, the Skico, ACRA or anyone else into allowing the lines to become blurred again. Easy to fall into that quagmire due to having little to no details given to readers by local press.
BTW, how's that probe into ski resorts use and alleged misuse of worker visas and ICE coming along?
Janet Urquhart:
"...It's a big issue in our industry,” said Warren Klug, chairman of the chamber board and general manager of the Aspen Square Condominium Hotel, on Wednesday. “The international business is a big part of the marketplace, certainly for this hotel but also for Aspen in general....” (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBox Comments: Pueblo Chieftain "Status update: Facebook to go public, raise $5B"
via the Chieftain:
"...The IPO marks another major milestone for a Harvard-born startup that began as an online college hangout eight years ago. Since then, it has become a cultural touchstone that has transformed the way everyone from doting grandmas to sassy teenagers share information about their lives...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"...The IPO marks another major milestone for a Harvard-born startup that began as an online college hangout eight years ago. Since then, it has become a cultural touchstone that has transformed the way everyone from doting grandmas to sassy teenagers share information about their lives...."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBox Comments: Summit County Citizens Voice "Morning photo: Editor’s choice"
Oh, and what choices they are...
(All credit: Bob Berwyn)
(All credit: Bob Berwyn)
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