SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "Secrets in the city"

".....Most of my friends are pretty opinionated, and not one of them gives a damn whether anyone sees those ballots. The only people who do are those who work for the city, and I’m beginning to wonder what they trying to hide. Seems the city has better things to do with my money.

And as long as we are talking about money, I’m wondering how much it’s going to cost to prosecute our local (alleged) drug dealers. When you take into account how old these guys are it’s going to cost plenty. First we have the cost of incarceration, and then we have to add the cost of medical care for older folks, not to mention the cost of adult diapers.

Look, if these guys were hanging out at the elementary school force feeding drugs to our kids I’d be the first to say string them up, but all they were doing was filling a demand that this city has had for years and years. Assuming they did it, they are kinda like pharmacists.

Many years ago I came up with an idea that I thought would clear the courts of victimless crimes. The idea is that each member of the jury must write a check when they find someone guilty — put your money where your verdict is, so to speak. As a juror you are going to be asking yourself, “How much is this going to cost me?”

Now if you think about it, some people would go free and some laws would be found to be really stupid. On the other hand, some jurors would go to the bank and get a loan to put someone away. Rape, robbery, Bernie Madoff? Where’s my checkbook? Selling something to someone who asked for it? Mmm, not so fast.

Well, I think it’s a good idea. What do you think?..."
(Sheldon Fingerman)

(Great column from Fingerman.  Be sure to click the title and read the rest.  Comment to discuss)

SandBox Comments: Aspen Daily News "Winter driving"

Time to pull the annual 'Winter Driving' column of Sheldon Fingerman from the archives.

Up on the Aspen Daily News.

(Learn more?  Click title. Comment to start discussion)

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."