I lock myself in my office for 11-months and what happens? The country goes freaking nuts!
From the beginning though: As I explained to Peoplenomics readers this past weekend, there are some serious economic aspects of our current trip up to Seattle.
We write this morning from Ft. Collins, Co., where – I am pleased to report – I won the north-south lottery.
You see, from Texas there are two ways to get here from Amarillo, where we departed Sunday morning: One way is up US 287 which is a trucker kind of road. The other way is to cut over from Dumas and pick I-25 up south of Trinidad. We regret missing our friends in the castle north of Weston, Colorado, but time was of the essence.
A good bit of time can be saved by listening to your “inner voice.” On Sunday morning, mine was telling me “Don’t take I-25 – there will be accidents.”
Sure enough, as we were listening to the AM radio, on comes the news advisory about a 3- mile backup – at a dead stop -on I-25. I just had a feeling…
On the way up from Amarillo, we came through the pan handle of Oklahoma, too. US 287 is in relatively sorry condition there, as Elaine reminded me at every bump.
The other problem with Oklahoma is that the state police they have granted themselves “highwayman rights.” That is to say, if they think – absent any arrest, charges, and nothing more than suspicion – that you have anything to do with the drug trade, they have scanners that can take money out of your bank account if you have a prepaid credit card. Gifts for the grand kids? So sorry.
As a result, Elaine and I always travel with RFID resistant wallets and – when in Oklahoma – I carry my license in my shirt pocket. How much money, prepaid cards or not, let alone where in came from to get there in my bank accounts – is none of the State of Oklaholdup’s GD business.
The only workable solution we have found is to fly in the plane and travel with our friends who are locals.
Moving on up into Colorado, the crops all looked pretty good. Corn is almost head-high and it looks like the dry wheat is mostly in. Feed lots are full, so beef prices look promising.
People in Colorado may have smoked a lot more dope than I had expected, however.
The lefty liberals are going whole hog into the tax trough with something called Amendment 69. It would impose a 10% payroll tax, among other things. And – you’ll love this – a whopping pend-over 10% Income Tax.
What is happening is a group governmental empire builders are trying to genetically modify Obamacare into a Colorado State Health empire (ColoradoCare) which would basically tax the hell out of everything in the state. Fact is (source) it would generate $25-billion worth of healthcare – DOUBLE THE CURRENT STATE BUDGET. Military retirement? Oh sure, grab that over a low threshold – ditto Social Security. And it goes on and on.
Most sane analysis – which doesn’t take much – figures business will flee Colorado in the boatloads if this kind of highwaymen disease passes.
Ya’ll are welcome in Texas, by the way.
Which gets me to making a generalization this morning, which I know can’t be true, but it really IS something to think about:
Is there a correlation between smoking too much dope and lefty BS politics of the free lunch (and free Angela and Bobby while we’re at it) variety that we forgot we learned in the 1960’s?
Don’t get me wrong: Some of my best friends are liberals, but I give them a simple math test. If they fail at math for simple things (quick, whats is 15% TIP on a $33.33 meal?)… then anything they say about politics is just tripe. Liberals are great people, except in the details. And appointed overseers? Why shit, brother and sisters, Colorado’s gonna be our own version of the Ure-a-pee’in Union.
And that’s what is going on here in the People’s Republic of Colorado – which used to be a moderate place. Yet is is quickly turning into the “pass dee duchy” haven of the financial-government conspiracy to turn a melting pot into a socialist cesspool. You did notice that Russia had to give up on communism as unworkable, right? No lessons learned?
Don’t get me wrong: It has nothing to do with having a smoke. EXCEPT people come in two flavors: The “smoke gets in your eyes” variety who turn into Che Guevara”. (I would be riding a motorcycle around South America, but my Spanish sucks.) The more sensible just enjoy some music, and don’t waste a good smoke on trying to overturn Reality which comes back at sunrise, smoke or not. By the dawns early light, there is a mountain of debt about to come crashing down.
The latter-day free lunch revolutionaries have made it this far and amazingly they don’t have to speak Spanish – yet. But give it time. That will be “cause de celeb” for another tax hike in time. Move over Republik of Kalifornia…
This area west will probably be part of the “Negotiated States of America and Mexico” before today’s toddlers sleep in the deep six.
It’s a dandy example of why I like to get out and travel. Previous to now, I would have argued America is still a sane place, but ol’ Bruce down in Ecuador’s point is coming clearer, if slowly.
So two takeaways from our media exposure to life here in the Rockies:
The first is an open question about economics. We are already living in a shop-keeper economy (thanks to all our manufacturing or the vast majority) going offshore to lands of lessor cost labor.
The proponents of “no limits on government: are earnest in their belief that “government” is a product just like anything else…but folks like me look at the bloated budget and wonder when does it all blow up?
The second point is that I did a miserable job packing for this trip:
When I get around large crowds of people who believe the “more government is better and total government is the answer” crap, I really want to lay a bloody squeeze on my arm.
But I forgot the ViseGrips.
As I’ve Been Saying
A sharp-eyed reader spied this article on how the Turkey coup shows how shortwave radio is still relevant. Not that many people will notice…
Write when you get Rich,
Not sure how you misread Colorado but I think you did. Nearly all of Colorado except Denver is against Taxes. We do pony up when it comes to education and a few other things. But Taxes get voted down real regular. And the State has built into the State Constitution if the collect to much they have to give it back. I would say we are Liberal on a lot of things but when it comes to money quite conservative.
I think that the building boom in Denver is designed to a degree to pack as many as possible into the metro area. The more voters the Liberals can register the more it will look like a City/State and the politicians can concentrate all their efforts in 5 counties.
Regarding the Single Payer ballot amendment ,it appears that as I read through it every source of income including 401K,IRA’s pensions,Social Security and earned income all pay a 10% tax in addition to regular State income tax. I also believe that a retiree who is now paying Medicare Part B will have to continue paying that premium as well. If your current Senior Advantage or Medi-Gap plan costs more than 10% of your income possibly there will be some advantage .There is no cap on this tax either so it can be raised at will and the board of governors will not answer to any other State entity or the voters as they will be appointed. How long will it take for regular medical insurance,big pharma and any related medical providers to take control of the board which as George said is a second stand alone government ?
FYI GU,
Gov. Mary Fallon here in OK has ordered the suspension of the use of scanners by the OHP to access bank info/and debit card accounts. On or abt 6/17/16.
so you only have to concern yourself with our atrocious roads!
Just how far can you trust the OHP? once corruption starts it is impossible to stop.
Question is, was anyone punished/terminated for even starting this process of highway robbery? If not, those folks are still in your government plotting something even more nefarious against the public.
Civilization ends when bad things do not happen to bad people.
That’s how it looks from Ecuador.
George
You always give me a good laugh. “Oklaholdup” LOL !! Anyhoo, we no doubt will see a break up of the USA into 5 regions due to the level of greed that has taken hold of the world. And that is all that any of this stems from, just sheer , unadulterated, unabashed GREED! Even the government expansion crowd is only concerned with their the money, reward, or hand out from an entity they do not have to work for.
I fled the Peoples Republic of Maryland 6 years ago. Most of the counties are conservative. But Baltimore county and Prince George’s county (DC suburbs) are very liberal and they outvote the rest of the state. At various times there have been succession movements for the both the eastern and western counties but without the big 2 agreeing it is a lost cause.
James Johnson, ex-nuke
Have to agree with Goz. Been here in CO for about 14 years (CA refugee in some respects) and every election year there’s some crazy proposition like the one you saw. Though I have to say I’ve never heard of that one – but I cut the cable a year ago so I’m spared most of that stuff.
Every election some new crazy tax is proposed and rarely passes – except for education. The crazies that keep trying to pass this stuff get ad money from someplace, flood the airwaves with them, wish really really hard for it to pass, then get all bummed out when no one except a select few from Denver, Boulder, or Aspen votes in favor. Sort of a cycle here. We love our outdoors and all things fun, but place a tax hike on the ballot that’s not education and you find who the true Coloradans are – they’re the ones that politely show the dumb idea how to get onto I-70 west toward CA.
Hmmm Who is the one who says too much taxes?
I just ordered 20 credit card RFID protector sleeves from china for less than $2.00 and free shipping. Thanks for the reminder. I just got a new RFID credit card. I figure I can give some away to family.
Colorado is an illegal free for all zone, and that itself INCREASES taxes on the CITIZENRY. But the citizenry is so flummoxed with being called bigots and racists they don’t even know that their homeland is being sold out to the lowest bidder ON THEIR DIME!!! The whole fact that illegal and supposedly legal immigration (brought to you courtesy of the UN via Pres Obama and his administration – enough hope and change for ya yet?) is being used as a battering ram across this country with hardly a peep from the fluoridated, flu vaccinated citizens, it makes one wonder if they will EVER wake up!!!
When I consider different options it sometimes helps me to look at who stands on each side of the argument.
I’d suggest looking at who opposes the ColoradoCares bill. I’d guess it is for profit medicine, big insurance and big pharma.
BTW universal single payer is a done deal. It’s just a question of when and how much of a fight the moneyed interests will put up to resist losing their stake.