Bravo! Bravo! Long live the Kingmaker, Erick Erickson. Somewhere out there with his Red State.
Erick Erickson:
"Late last evening came word that House Republicans intend to keep parts of Obamacare. Even if the United States Supreme Court throws the whole law out, House Republicans intend to resurrect portions of Obamacare. House Republicans publicly say the story is wrong. I’ve talked to several House Republicans who tell me the story is actually on the money and the Republicans now denying it are really playing at semantics.
These House Republicans tell me these denials about the accuracy of the story are equivalent to the House GOP semantically arguing it was living up to its Pledge to Nowhere requirement for $100 billion in cuts that actually amounted to something like $34 billion. Conservatives in the House of Representatives tell me explicitly to go with Politico on this and be very wary of the House GOP Leadership when it comes to repeal.
It is a sad time for the Republican Party. The base must treat its leaders as if they are Soviets — trust but verify their statements. And lately, it is harder and harder to verify their statements. The work of the Tea Party must continue or within a decade I honestly do not believe the GOP will be one political party.
In both Indiana and Nebraska, the Tea Party has continued to make gains. People have flat out rejected the establishment favorites for U.S. Senate – Dick Lugar and Jon Bruning, respectively – in favor of candidates who offer a challenge to the status quo.
Will Texans prove what they’re made of and do the same?
I love Texas. But let’s face it – the Texas congressional delegation is mediocre at best and leaves much to be desired.
Now, Texas has the chance to get it right – by sending Ted Cruz to the U.S. Senate. But will they? Maybe. But we have a lot to do and the Republican Primary in Texas is only 2 weeks from today.
But the payoff would be worth it – this is Texas for crying out loud. We’ve been given the opportunity to replace long time thorn in our side, Kay Bailey Hutchison, with an actual honest-to-goodness conservative. Ted Cruz is that conservative. David Dewhurst is not......"
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
May 17, 2012
SandBoxBlogs: Newsmax "14 Congresswomen Blast Obama in 'War on Women'"
Here's to the ladies of the Grand Old Party. God bless my America.
Newsmax wires:
"Democrats’ attempts to paint themselves as defenders of women and Republicans as insensitive to female concerns has no basis in reality, 14 GOP congresswomen write on Politico.
“Democrats have been accusing Republicans of waging a ‘war on women,’ as if some honest disagreements between the parties — over matters like how an Obamacare mandate should affect religious institutions or the proper scope of federal law on tribal land — constitute a deliberate GOP campaign to take away women’s rights,” the women say.
“Nothing could be further from the truth, and Republican women have been at the forefront exposing these myths. Let’s face it: Republican women — like us — would never be part of a party that didn’t believe in women’s rights, equal pay for equal work, and strong laws against sexual violence. The Republican Party believes in all of those things.”
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state, vice chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, launched the campaign on Monday, with appearances on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews and CNN’s John King, USA.
“The Democrats are creating a controversy where it doesn’t exist,” McMorris Rodgers said on Hardball.
“It’s a myth to say that we are waging this ‘War on Women.’ The Violence Against Women Act – I am confident that it will be reauthorized. There are women like me – Republican women – who are committed to it; it’s a very important program."
She said President Barack Obama was the one who sparked the issue of who pays for contraception funding, through the Department of Health and Human Services. "It wasn’t the Republicans, it was the president, McMorris Rodgers said.
"They’re creating distractions. They’re trying to divide America. And they’re really trying to distract women from the real issues that face this country. Women are concerned about the economy. They’re concerned about the debt.” She told CNN's King, “What the Democrats recognize – and why they’ve calculated and put together this ‘War on Women’ is because they know it was the Republicans who won the women’s vote in 2010." That year, Republicans earned a majority of female votes for the first time since Ronald Reagan was president.
In the letter, the congresswomen said that what women really want is empowerment, independence, and equal opportunities without special favors. And it’s Republican policies rather than Democrats’ big government that can fulfill those ideals....."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Newsmax wires:
"Democrats’ attempts to paint themselves as defenders of women and Republicans as insensitive to female concerns has no basis in reality, 14 GOP congresswomen write on Politico.
“Democrats have been accusing Republicans of waging a ‘war on women,’ as if some honest disagreements between the parties — over matters like how an Obamacare mandate should affect religious institutions or the proper scope of federal law on tribal land — constitute a deliberate GOP campaign to take away women’s rights,” the women say.
“Nothing could be further from the truth, and Republican women have been at the forefront exposing these myths. Let’s face it: Republican women — like us — would never be part of a party that didn’t believe in women’s rights, equal pay for equal work, and strong laws against sexual violence. The Republican Party believes in all of those things.”
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state, vice chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, launched the campaign on Monday, with appearances on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews and CNN’s John King, USA.
“The Democrats are creating a controversy where it doesn’t exist,” McMorris Rodgers said on Hardball.
“It’s a myth to say that we are waging this ‘War on Women.’ The Violence Against Women Act – I am confident that it will be reauthorized. There are women like me – Republican women – who are committed to it; it’s a very important program."
She said President Barack Obama was the one who sparked the issue of who pays for contraception funding, through the Department of Health and Human Services. "It wasn’t the Republicans, it was the president, McMorris Rodgers said.
"They’re creating distractions. They’re trying to divide America. And they’re really trying to distract women from the real issues that face this country. Women are concerned about the economy. They’re concerned about the debt.” She told CNN's King, “What the Democrats recognize – and why they’ve calculated and put together this ‘War on Women’ is because they know it was the Republicans who won the women’s vote in 2010." That year, Republicans earned a majority of female votes for the first time since Ronald Reagan was president.
In the letter, the congresswomen said that what women really want is empowerment, independence, and equal opportunities without special favors. And it’s Republican policies rather than Democrats’ big government that can fulfill those ideals....."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Town Hall/Chuck Norris "The Feds' Intrusions Into American Farms and Families"
Rick Perry. 2016.
Chuck Norris:
"After a national decry by American farmers (and all of us who support them), the Obama administration has just shelved its plan to severely restrict kids younger than 16 from working on family farms. But mark my words. As the feds often do, they merely are regrouping to march again on those great American homesteads.
Part of the very words of the U.S. Department of Labor's "withdrawal" statement: "The Department of Labor is announcing today the withdrawal of the proposed rule dealing with children under the age of 16 who work in agricultural vocations. ... To be clear, this regulation will not be pursued for the duration of the Obama administration."
"Will not be pursued for the duration of the Obama administration"?
So, until Jan. 20, 2013, right?
Kudos to the bipartisan group of 98 members of Congress who sent a letter to Labor Secretary Hilda Solis protesting this rule, which would have severely limited teenagers and younger children from learning the family trade, not to mention undermined the very business fabric of rural America. It might sound legislatively crazy if it weren't coming from one of the most overextended federal governments in the history of the U.S.
According to The Raleigh Telegram, "the rule would have prevented children younger than 16 from doing 'agricultural work with animals and in pesticide handling, timber operations, manure pits and storage bins' while also forbidding them from using 'power-driven equipment' and working in the 'cultivation, harvesting and curing of tobacco.'"
Can you imagine? What's next? The feds' crackdown making it illegal for kids to wash dishes, because a knife might cut them? No grinding up food, because the garbage disposer might malfunction and start suddenly while their hand is in it? No more cooking or ironing, because their hands might get burned? No more housecleaning, because the Environmental Protection Agency has designated the mixture of certain cleaning chemicals as hazardous to touch or breathe in?
Let's get real, folks! How far do the feds have to mingle in our manure before we say enough is enough? How far do we have to slide down the slippery slope of socialism before the descent becomes irreversible, before we say, "Welcome to Greece"?..." (Read more? Clickt title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Chuck Norris:
"After a national decry by American farmers (and all of us who support them), the Obama administration has just shelved its plan to severely restrict kids younger than 16 from working on family farms. But mark my words. As the feds often do, they merely are regrouping to march again on those great American homesteads.
Part of the very words of the U.S. Department of Labor's "withdrawal" statement: "The Department of Labor is announcing today the withdrawal of the proposed rule dealing with children under the age of 16 who work in agricultural vocations. ... To be clear, this regulation will not be pursued for the duration of the Obama administration."
"Will not be pursued for the duration of the Obama administration"?
So, until Jan. 20, 2013, right?
Kudos to the bipartisan group of 98 members of Congress who sent a letter to Labor Secretary Hilda Solis protesting this rule, which would have severely limited teenagers and younger children from learning the family trade, not to mention undermined the very business fabric of rural America. It might sound legislatively crazy if it weren't coming from one of the most overextended federal governments in the history of the U.S.
According to The Raleigh Telegram, "the rule would have prevented children younger than 16 from doing 'agricultural work with animals and in pesticide handling, timber operations, manure pits and storage bins' while also forbidding them from using 'power-driven equipment' and working in the 'cultivation, harvesting and curing of tobacco.'"
Can you imagine? What's next? The feds' crackdown making it illegal for kids to wash dishes, because a knife might cut them? No grinding up food, because the garbage disposer might malfunction and start suddenly while their hand is in it? No more cooking or ironing, because their hands might get burned? No more housecleaning, because the Environmental Protection Agency has designated the mixture of certain cleaning chemicals as hazardous to touch or breathe in?
Let's get real, folks! How far do the feds have to mingle in our manure before we say enough is enough? How far do we have to slide down the slippery slope of socialism before the descent becomes irreversible, before we say, "Welcome to Greece"?..." (Read more? Clickt title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: National Journal "Romney raises $40.1 million in April"
That's a lot of love, at $250 per or less from the little guys.
Jonathan Miller:
"Romney’s campaign reported $61.4 million cash on hand as of the end of April. The campaign says that 95 percent of the donations in April were $250 or less." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Jonathan Miller:
"Romney’s campaign reported $61.4 million cash on hand as of the end of April. The campaign says that 95 percent of the donations in April were $250 or less." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times "Their freedom is your freedom"
Wonderful op-ed column out of Maurice Emmer today. Up on the Aspen Times.
"Do you understand federal election finance law? If so, you are ahead of most Americans. You are ahead of most news readers and commentators, and you are way ahead of President Obama. (See his distortion of the Citizens United decision in his January 2010 State of the Union address.)
Why is this relevant almost 30 months later? Because this year's important elections will be enlivened by outraged and mostly misinformed criticisms of big-money spending on political speech. However one feels about it, one ought to be informed about what the rules really are and why before deciding what should or shouldn't — or indeed can and cannot — be done about such spending.
The U.S. Supreme Court has decided cases dealing with campaign finance for more than 45 years, since Congress started passing restrictions on contributions and spending in the 1970s. The problem with the restrictions was that spreading a political message requires money, so limits on contributions and spending are limits on political speech. Courts analogize the level of political spending to the size of a person's megaphone (or loudspeaker). The First Amendment proclaims that “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech.” This prohibits limits on the size of the megaphone. A law that limits contributions or spending does limit the size of the megaphone, abridging the freedom of speech.
Given the fundamental importance of free political speech, the Supreme Court has struck down many campaign finance and spending-law restrictions that it found abridged the freedom of political speech....."
(Read more? You should. Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"Do you understand federal election finance law? If so, you are ahead of most Americans. You are ahead of most news readers and commentators, and you are way ahead of President Obama. (See his distortion of the Citizens United decision in his January 2010 State of the Union address.)
Why is this relevant almost 30 months later? Because this year's important elections will be enlivened by outraged and mostly misinformed criticisms of big-money spending on political speech. However one feels about it, one ought to be informed about what the rules really are and why before deciding what should or shouldn't — or indeed can and cannot — be done about such spending.
The U.S. Supreme Court has decided cases dealing with campaign finance for more than 45 years, since Congress started passing restrictions on contributions and spending in the 1970s. The problem with the restrictions was that spreading a political message requires money, so limits on contributions and spending are limits on political speech. Courts analogize the level of political spending to the size of a person's megaphone (or loudspeaker). The First Amendment proclaims that “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech.” This prohibits limits on the size of the megaphone. A law that limits contributions or spending does limit the size of the megaphone, abridging the freedom of speech.
Given the fundamental importance of free political speech, the Supreme Court has struck down many campaign finance and spending-law restrictions that it found abridged the freedom of political speech....."
(Read more? You should. Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Glenwood Springs Post Independent "Reasons to leave the Democrats"
This Letter to the Editor from liberal Chad Klinger feels like manna from heaven.
Thank you, Chad!
Chad Klinger:
"In his letter “Reasons for Leaving the Republican Party” on May 12, Thomas Rutledge describes his “awakening,” after 45 years, to the realization that the “Tea Party, Paul Ryan, Ayn Rand, Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, fundamentalist Christian” party has no place for him.
I've had a rather different epiphany. Having voted for Johnson, Carter and Clinton (twice), I now find myself viewing Democrats as the party of Saul Alinsky, Frances Fox Piven, Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayres, Van Jones, ACORN, anarcho-communist Occupiers, atheists, abortionists, shameless corruption (The Chicago Way), fiscal insanity (The Sacramento Way), Big Brother (in every way Orwell imagined), racism (the anti-white Justice Department way), class envy and class warfare.
Not only does this party have no place for me, I feel that it despises me because I'm white, Catholic, and an advocate of individual freedom as underwritten by the United States Constitution. Most of all, because I believe in America — what's left of it.
I remember the days when people complained that there were no real differences between the two parties and their candidates. To be sure, whomever we elect, it's always greatly about money and power, but factoring out such human constants, there sure are differences now."
(Read the original letter? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Thank you, Chad!
Chad Klinger:
"In his letter “Reasons for Leaving the Republican Party” on May 12, Thomas Rutledge describes his “awakening,” after 45 years, to the realization that the “Tea Party, Paul Ryan, Ayn Rand, Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, fundamentalist Christian” party has no place for him.
I've had a rather different epiphany. Having voted for Johnson, Carter and Clinton (twice), I now find myself viewing Democrats as the party of Saul Alinsky, Frances Fox Piven, Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayres, Van Jones, ACORN, anarcho-communist Occupiers, atheists, abortionists, shameless corruption (The Chicago Way), fiscal insanity (The Sacramento Way), Big Brother (in every way Orwell imagined), racism (the anti-white Justice Department way), class envy and class warfare.
Not only does this party have no place for me, I feel that it despises me because I'm white, Catholic, and an advocate of individual freedom as underwritten by the United States Constitution. Most of all, because I believe in America — what's left of it.
I remember the days when people complained that there were no real differences between the two parties and their candidates. To be sure, whomever we elect, it's always greatly about money and power, but factoring out such human constants, there sure are differences now."
(Read the original letter? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Steamboat Today "Fire mitigation efforts restart in Stagecoach"
(See related investigative report from Bob Berwyn off the Summit Voice here)
Matt Stensland:
"Steamboat Springs — For the second summer, grant money is allowing firefighters in South Routt County to help residents protect their homes from wildfires.
“We’re going to create some good fire breaks up there with these projects,” Oak Creek Fire Protection District Chief Chuck Wisecup said Wednesday while firefighters were completing their annual physical fitness test.
The $173,000 project includes the cost of equipment and for three firefighters to work in the Stagecoach area this summer. Another firefighter will join the project later to help burn slash piles once the snow begins to fall. Wisecup said the fire district is contributing $15,000 in cash for the project and $87,000 in other services, including use of equipment, administrative costs and housing. The Colorado State Forest Service is providing $71,000 for the salaries of the firefighters.
The work of the fire mitigation crew will help supplement the efforts by homeowners in the Stagecoach area, where miles of county roads meander through forests filled with dead lodgepole pines. Wisecup estimated the mountain pine beetle epidemic killed 75 percent of the lodgepole pines in the Stagecoach area, leaving behind a tinderbox that continually threatens homes in nearby subdivisions....."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
Matt Stensland:
"Steamboat Springs — For the second summer, grant money is allowing firefighters in South Routt County to help residents protect their homes from wildfires.
“We’re going to create some good fire breaks up there with these projects,” Oak Creek Fire Protection District Chief Chuck Wisecup said Wednesday while firefighters were completing their annual physical fitness test.
The $173,000 project includes the cost of equipment and for three firefighters to work in the Stagecoach area this summer. Another firefighter will join the project later to help burn slash piles once the snow begins to fall. Wisecup said the fire district is contributing $15,000 in cash for the project and $87,000 in other services, including use of equipment, administrative costs and housing. The Colorado State Forest Service is providing $71,000 for the salaries of the firefighters.
The work of the fire mitigation crew will help supplement the efforts by homeowners in the Stagecoach area, where miles of county roads meander through forests filled with dead lodgepole pines. Wisecup estimated the mountain pine beetle epidemic killed 75 percent of the lodgepole pines in the Stagecoach area, leaving behind a tinderbox that continually threatens homes in nearby subdivisions....."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Summit Daily News "Scott Turner: Don't let victims' rights fall to partisan bickering"
Scott Turner:
"...As is usually the case, both sides have some valid points. However, whatever merit either party's position may have will be lost in the partisan rhetoric of an election year. Regardless of your position on these amendments or your political affiliation, the fact remains that failure of Congress to renew this legislation in some form could endanger victims and extinguish many of the gains that have been made in the past 18 years.
It is fitting that such an important victims' issue was heard during National Crime Victims' Week. I urge you to contact your representative in Washington and tell them to pass the Violence Against Women Act, whether it be in the original form or with amendments. The only way the vision of victims' rights can be extended to everybody is if they can set aside politics and do what must be done.
Scott Turner is an assistant district attorney and candidate for district attorney in the Fifth Judicial District, which includes Summit County."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"...As is usually the case, both sides have some valid points. However, whatever merit either party's position may have will be lost in the partisan rhetoric of an election year. Regardless of your position on these amendments or your political affiliation, the fact remains that failure of Congress to renew this legislation in some form could endanger victims and extinguish many of the gains that have been made in the past 18 years.
It is fitting that such an important victims' issue was heard during National Crime Victims' Week. I urge you to contact your representative in Washington and tell them to pass the Violence Against Women Act, whether it be in the original form or with amendments. The only way the vision of victims' rights can be extended to everybody is if they can set aside politics and do what must be done.
Scott Turner is an assistant district attorney and candidate for district attorney in the Fifth Judicial District, which includes Summit County."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Steamboat Today "Hummer joins Routt County Sheriff's Office fleet"
Matt Stensland:
"A Hummer transport vehicle has been added to Routt County’s fleet to help the SWAT team with its tactical operations.
“The price was right,” Sheriff Garrett Wiggins said. “It was free. All we had to do was go down and get it.”
The Hummer is essentially being loaned indefinitely to the county by the U.S. military, which is replacing its Hummer fleet with vehicles that are armored. There are hundreds of them being made available to law enforcement agencies across the country. Routt County’s 1996 Hummer has about 6,000 miles on it and was picked up from the Front Range.
“It runs good,” Wiggins said....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"A Hummer transport vehicle has been added to Routt County’s fleet to help the SWAT team with its tactical operations.
“The price was right,” Sheriff Garrett Wiggins said. “It was free. All we had to do was go down and get it.”
The Hummer is essentially being loaned indefinitely to the county by the U.S. military, which is replacing its Hummer fleet with vehicles that are armored. There are hundreds of them being made available to law enforcement agencies across the country. Routt County’s 1996 Hummer has about 6,000 miles on it and was picked up from the Front Range.
“It runs good,” Wiggins said....." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Customs and Border Protection "CBP Seizes Cocaine Hidden in Refrigerated Container at Red Hook Terminal"
"New York, N.Y. — U. S. Customs and Border Protection officers from the Port of New York/New Jersey discovered cocaine hidden within a refrigerated container at the Brooklyn terminal.
On May 7, CBP officers from the Port of NY/NJ conducted an inspection with U. S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents of containers at the Red Hook Container Terminal, destined for Antwerp, Belgium. While examining a refrigeration unit, CBP and HSI discovered 11 brick shaped objects concealed within the container. The contents of the packages tested positive for cocaine and contained approximately 24.6 lbs. (11.2 kg) of cocaine.
Cocaine is a dangerous narcotic and CBP does its part in keeping these drugs off the streets,” said Robert E. Perez, Director of CBP’s New York Field Operations. “Our officers work alongside HSI agents daily in protecting the American people from these illicit substances.”
This case is still under investigation and no arrests have been made yet.
All defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws."
SandBoxBlogs: Newsmax "Autopsy: Trayvon Martin Had Knuckle Injuries"
Newsmax:
"Autopsy results show that Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old whose shooting death in Florida has turned into a national controversy, had injuries to his knuckles when he died, Orlando TV station WFTV reports.
That evidence could back up George Zimmerman's claim that Martin beat him up before Zimmerman shot and killed him. Zimmerman said that Martin broke his nose and slammed his head on the sidewalk before Zimmerman opened fire.
The autopsy found that Martin had broken skin on his knuckles. Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O’Mara declined to comment on that evidence.
But WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said it helps the defense, as Martin’s knuckle injury appears much less serious than Zimmerman's bloody head wounds. “It goes along with Zimmerman's story that he acted in self-defense, because he was getting beaten up by Trayvon Martin,” Sheaffer said....."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"Autopsy results show that Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old whose shooting death in Florida has turned into a national controversy, had injuries to his knuckles when he died, Orlando TV station WFTV reports.
That evidence could back up George Zimmerman's claim that Martin beat him up before Zimmerman shot and killed him. Zimmerman said that Martin broke his nose and slammed his head on the sidewalk before Zimmerman opened fire.
The autopsy found that Martin had broken skin on his knuckles. Zimmerman's attorney, Mark O’Mara declined to comment on that evidence.
But WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said it helps the defense, as Martin’s knuckle injury appears much less serious than Zimmerman's bloody head wounds. “It goes along with Zimmerman's story that he acted in self-defense, because he was getting beaten up by Trayvon Martin,” Sheaffer said....."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Snowmass Sun "Questions pile up about Base Village"
Update on May 19, 2012:
How much is Pat Smith of Related Cos and the same Pat Smith as a human being, "worth"?
"Worth" more than say....Scott DeGraff?
"Worth" more than say....Tom DiVenere?
How important is it to track the real money path?
Not just the surface money.
But every dime of late fees, charges, interest fluctuations as against cash flow, cash flow that is literally hijacked for years but then ending up right back at the same point of ownership as there was prior to the hijacking?
The money path of the collateral damage to everyone involved, including the communities, workers, vendors, suppliers and every dotted i and crossed t in-between?
Whose job is it? The job of figuring out if harm has been done to someone with the former power of Pat Smith and all he touches? The job of a reporter? The job of voices in the shadows? Or is it the duty of authorities to find out the real money trail and what happened?
Who decides whose job it is? Is there really anyone in control of the laws? Or do we even have law that covers this growing pattern of corrosive and systemic financial destruction of a powerful entity?
Personally, I am very sorry to hear Pat Smith is not involved in the present rebirth of Base Village.
After all, a person of such talent, vision and moxy to create such a wonderful concept and vision for a community he cares for and who now has a birdseye view from the sidelines of how far off course having not an authority in sight or his voice being listened to for years, Snowmass Village and the world of Aspen, Colorado really is. It is a loss to not have Smith on board and should be of serious concern that success is going to be possible at all in the end.
I personally hope that view from the sidelines, as he watches the fruits of giving everyone what they asked for as an outcome come to pass, is a view that eventually holds the success of his original creation.
The best absolution, vindication and protection for those one leads through crisis is to forgive and live a happy life.
Here's to the outrageously profitable success (eventually) of the Base Village project.
On a side note, I also personally think Johnny Boyd's idea of an ultra high end casino (think Monte Carlo) is a fantastic idea...
__________________________________________________
Original post on 5/17/12:
I'm having a very busy day today and will come back to this post with some commentary later on today or tomorrow.
Brent Gardner-Smith:
"SNOWMASS VILLAGE — When Related Cos. announced May 1 that it had reached an agreement to buy its Base Village back from four European banks and settle ongoing litigation with those banks, executives at the private real estate company characteristically left many questions unanswered.
But after talking with a number of sources close to the deal, a few blanks can be filled in.
.......The $96 million figure, however, might have been put forward by the banks for tax purposes, and might not have been the banks' desired selling price.
Related originally took out a $520 million acquisition and construction loan from Hypo Real Estate Capital Corp. and other banks in 2007, which was enough to build most, but not all, of the project.
In early 2009, Related defaulted on its loan package and was sued by Hypo Real Estate Capital on behalf of the lending consortium.
By 2011, the banks said Related owed them $399 million in principal, $90 million in interest, $3 million in attorney's fees, $2.7 million to pay for the receivership during foreclosure and other expenses. In all, the banks were seeking $507 million from Related.
In a foreclosure sale in November 2011, the banks put forward a credit bid of $138 million to take possession of the asset.
Related had earlier countersued the banks for failing to keep lending it money to build the project. The company told the court it had lost $213 million in investment funds in Base Village, as well as the chance to make $193 million in profits on the sale of $1.3 billion worth of real estate.
Once the deal closes, the transaction price will be disclosed, but it is not clear if the transaction price will be a clear indicator of the true market value of the project, as it might have been had a new developer stepped in to buy the project...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
How much is Pat Smith of Related Cos and the same Pat Smith as a human being, "worth"?
"Worth" more than say....Scott DeGraff?
"Worth" more than say....Tom DiVenere?
How important is it to track the real money path?
Not just the surface money.
But every dime of late fees, charges, interest fluctuations as against cash flow, cash flow that is literally hijacked for years but then ending up right back at the same point of ownership as there was prior to the hijacking?
The money path of the collateral damage to everyone involved, including the communities, workers, vendors, suppliers and every dotted i and crossed t in-between?
Whose job is it? The job of figuring out if harm has been done to someone with the former power of Pat Smith and all he touches? The job of a reporter? The job of voices in the shadows? Or is it the duty of authorities to find out the real money trail and what happened?
Who decides whose job it is? Is there really anyone in control of the laws? Or do we even have law that covers this growing pattern of corrosive and systemic financial destruction of a powerful entity?
Personally, I am very sorry to hear Pat Smith is not involved in the present rebirth of Base Village.
After all, a person of such talent, vision and moxy to create such a wonderful concept and vision for a community he cares for and who now has a birdseye view from the sidelines of how far off course having not an authority in sight or his voice being listened to for years, Snowmass Village and the world of Aspen, Colorado really is. It is a loss to not have Smith on board and should be of serious concern that success is going to be possible at all in the end.
I personally hope that view from the sidelines, as he watches the fruits of giving everyone what they asked for as an outcome come to pass, is a view that eventually holds the success of his original creation.
The best absolution, vindication and protection for those one leads through crisis is to forgive and live a happy life.
Here's to the outrageously profitable success (eventually) of the Base Village project.
On a side note, I also personally think Johnny Boyd's idea of an ultra high end casino (think Monte Carlo) is a fantastic idea...
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Original post on 5/17/12:
I'm having a very busy day today and will come back to this post with some commentary later on today or tomorrow.
Brent Gardner-Smith:
"SNOWMASS VILLAGE — When Related Cos. announced May 1 that it had reached an agreement to buy its Base Village back from four European banks and settle ongoing litigation with those banks, executives at the private real estate company characteristically left many questions unanswered.
But after talking with a number of sources close to the deal, a few blanks can be filled in.
Is Related alone in the deal to acquire Base Village?
Yes, and no.
There are no other development partners besides Related, but there is a new financial lender involved who has not been disclosed, according to Snowmass Village Town Manager Russ Forrest.
Forrest was briefed on the deal earlier this month along with Snowmass Village Mayor Bill Boineau by representatives from Related, the banking consortium and Lowe Enterprises, which has been managing the asset for the lenders during and after foreclosure.
Pat Smith has no role in the new deal for Base Village, according to Forrest.
Smith, a developer from California, brought Related to Snowmass Village. He served as the first local point person for Related WestPac, the joint venture entity formed by Smith and Related Cos. to buy and develop Base Village and redevelop a long list of other property in Snowmass as part of a $2 billion project. Smith did not respond to requests for comment.
Aspen Skiing Co. is not in the deal either.
“We are not a financial partner with Related in any way on the Base Village project,” said Skico spokesman Jeff Hanle.......
There are no other development partners besides Related, but there is a new financial lender involved who has not been disclosed, according to Snowmass Village Town Manager Russ Forrest.
Forrest was briefed on the deal earlier this month along with Snowmass Village Mayor Bill Boineau by representatives from Related, the banking consortium and Lowe Enterprises, which has been managing the asset for the lenders during and after foreclosure.
Pat Smith has no role in the new deal for Base Village, according to Forrest.
Smith, a developer from California, brought Related to Snowmass Village. He served as the first local point person for Related WestPac, the joint venture entity formed by Smith and Related Cos. to buy and develop Base Village and redevelop a long list of other property in Snowmass as part of a $2 billion project. Smith did not respond to requests for comment.
Aspen Skiing Co. is not in the deal either.
“We are not a financial partner with Related in any way on the Base Village project,” said Skico spokesman Jeff Hanle.......
.......The $96 million figure, however, might have been put forward by the banks for tax purposes, and might not have been the banks' desired selling price.
Related originally took out a $520 million acquisition and construction loan from Hypo Real Estate Capital Corp. and other banks in 2007, which was enough to build most, but not all, of the project.
In early 2009, Related defaulted on its loan package and was sued by Hypo Real Estate Capital on behalf of the lending consortium.
By 2011, the banks said Related owed them $399 million in principal, $90 million in interest, $3 million in attorney's fees, $2.7 million to pay for the receivership during foreclosure and other expenses. In all, the banks were seeking $507 million from Related.
In a foreclosure sale in November 2011, the banks put forward a credit bid of $138 million to take possession of the asset.
Related had earlier countersued the banks for failing to keep lending it money to build the project. The company told the court it had lost $213 million in investment funds in Base Village, as well as the chance to make $193 million in profits on the sale of $1.3 billion worth of real estate.
Once the deal closes, the transaction price will be disclosed, but it is not clear if the transaction price will be a clear indicator of the true market value of the project, as it might have been had a new developer stepped in to buy the project...." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Citizen Telegram "CMC moves to buy land next to Rifle campus"
This is terrific news! Thank you to the Clough Family Foundation and congrats to CMC!
John Colson:
"Colorado Mountain College is working out the final details to buy 25 acres of land adjacent to the school's Rifle campus, near the Garfield County Regional Airport.
The college's board of trustees, at its May 14 meeting in Glenwood Springs, authorized the administration to move ahead with a plan to pay $500,000 for the land.
The property, located behind the existing campus building, is owned by the Airport Land Partners development group and was appraised in 2011 at $2.23 million, according to CMC spokeswoman Debra Crawford.
The school, however, will only pay $300,000 of the purchase price, thanks to a $200,000 charitable donation from the Clough Family Foundation. The foundation is linked to the same family that, through the Genevieve Clough Fellowship, has awarded grants to provide scholarships to more than 200 recent graduates of Rifle, Coal Ridge and Grand Valley High Schools, Crawford said in an email....."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
John Colson:
"Colorado Mountain College is working out the final details to buy 25 acres of land adjacent to the school's Rifle campus, near the Garfield County Regional Airport.
The college's board of trustees, at its May 14 meeting in Glenwood Springs, authorized the administration to move ahead with a plan to pay $500,000 for the land.
The property, located behind the existing campus building, is owned by the Airport Land Partners development group and was appraised in 2011 at $2.23 million, according to CMC spokeswoman Debra Crawford.
The school, however, will only pay $300,000 of the purchase price, thanks to a $200,000 charitable donation from the Clough Family Foundation. The foundation is linked to the same family that, through the Genevieve Clough Fellowship, has awarded grants to provide scholarships to more than 200 recent graduates of Rifle, Coal Ridge and Grand Valley High Schools, Crawford said in an email....."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: KCSG "Common Sense Approach to Oil Shale Development"
Just take a look at the signatures on this letter. When are Glenwood Springs City Councilman Stephen Bersheyni and Leo McKinney up for election?
I have no problem at all if they wish to sign something like this as individuals but unless it was authorized by the city and council for them to sign on our behalf as a community then they are acting inappropriately. They are not in office to make personal political statements.
Click title.
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
I have no problem at all if they wish to sign something like this as individuals but unless it was authorized by the city and council for them to sign on our behalf as a community then they are acting inappropriately. They are not in office to make personal political statements.
Click title.
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Study suggests Southwest fires driven by year-to-year weather cycles rather than long-term climate variations"
Bob Berwyn:
"SUMMIT COUNTY — A detailed analysis of historic fire-scar records and tree-ring data going back centuries offers more evidence that recent mega-fires in the Southwest are unprecedented and likely a result of widespread fire suppression.
While many of today’s southwestern forests haven’t seen a fire in more than 100 years, historical records show that, in the pre-suppression era, they rarely went as long as 40 or 50 years without a low-intensity ground fire.
To reach their conclusions, researchers at Southern Methodist University used a statistical model that encompassed 1,500 years of climate and fire patterns. They wanted to test if today’s dry, hot climate alone is causing the megafires that routinely destroy millions of acres of forest.
The results were striking. Year-to-year weather patterns that drive fire activity seemed to stay the same against the backdrop of larger climate cycles, according to SMU fire anthropologist Christopher I. Roos.
“The U.S. would not be experiencing massive large-canopy-killing crown fires today if human activities had not begun to suppress the low-severity surface fires that were so common more than a century ago,” said Roos, an assistant professor in the SMU Department of Anthropology....."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
"SUMMIT COUNTY — A detailed analysis of historic fire-scar records and tree-ring data going back centuries offers more evidence that recent mega-fires in the Southwest are unprecedented and likely a result of widespread fire suppression.
While many of today’s southwestern forests haven’t seen a fire in more than 100 years, historical records show that, in the pre-suppression era, they rarely went as long as 40 or 50 years without a low-intensity ground fire.
To reach their conclusions, researchers at Southern Methodist University used a statistical model that encompassed 1,500 years of climate and fire patterns. They wanted to test if today’s dry, hot climate alone is causing the megafires that routinely destroy millions of acres of forest.
The results were striking. Year-to-year weather patterns that drive fire activity seemed to stay the same against the backdrop of larger climate cycles, according to SMU fire anthropologist Christopher I. Roos.
“The U.S. would not be experiencing massive large-canopy-killing crown fires today if human activities had not begun to suppress the low-severity surface fires that were so common more than a century ago,” said Roos, an assistant professor in the SMU Department of Anthropology....."
(Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: KREX News 5 "Pictures Show Healthy Cubs Adjusting to New Home"
Remember these two 'little' orphans? Very nice to see that they are healthy, happy and alive. Thank you to our wildlife guys out there that fostered them and keep an eye on them.
See the cub babies wake up from a long winter nap? Click title.
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
See the cub babies wake up from a long winter nap? Click title.
"Unapologetic pursuit and tracking of patterns within the news others make since 2010."
SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Morning photo: Camera doodles …"
All credit Bob Berwyn (Click title):
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