Thursday, April 14, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Thank You For Your Visits
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| Traffic Stats |
I started Grand County Scoop two months ago Friday, and since then have began to receive quite a following. Nearly 32 percent of my visitors have spent between 20 minutes to over an hour, and a full 25 percent have spent more than an hour reading the various posts.
Thank you!
Got Milk? It Might Be Prudent To Limit Your Intake
Arnie Gunderson was an expert witness for the Three Mile Island accident; meaning he's not some crackpot. When he says it can't hurt to limit your milk intake right now, you might want to take him seriously.
But don't take his word for it... Physicist Dr. Michio Kaku also has this to say about Fukushima:
School Solutions | Fraser Valley Charter School
I've been giving a lot of thought to what the 'Ad Hoc' school committee is trying to plan, and have come up with a few ideas of what might come out of their tax-storming sessions.
Given the current climate in Grand County--especially after Kremmling declined a committee invite--there are few options the committee may realistically consider. Until recently, I believe the organizations that make up the committee thought a tax question on the November ballot would be a done deal, and the school problem would be solved. This group think came after decades of voter buy-in, and did not take into account the obvious economic factors affecting our citizens. If given today, a sales tax initiative--wether an increase or a diversion of existing funds--would most surely fail.
I would hope the committee is considering other options, because if they throw a Hail Mary on taxes, they will look like complete fools if they don't get the votes. Not having a backup plan will ensure every elected official partaking of this charade will be forcefully ejected at the ballot box, if that's not already the case.
As it stands, the school district is not well positioned to weather another year under the current budget. The committee will most certainly come out with some considerable cuts to things that are politically unsavory in a ploy to get voter buy-in, but not long-term solutions. If they do what you would expect a political body of this nature to do, they'll set themselves up for a crisis coming into the 2012-2013 school year; which is next spring from a budgetary planning standpoint. No amount of 'community support' will be able to help at that point.
So, as my headline suggests, I have a possible solution that would work for both the Fraser Valley and Grand Lake Elementary schools should the "long-term" funding be turned down by voters.
School infrastructure is paid for separately from the East Grand School District general fund, so even when the schools are closed after next year, the buildings will continue to be taken care of. Empty buildings aren't necessarily a bad thing.
By law, the school district is required to allow charter schools to take over unused buildings. One plan I've heard tossed around is to bring the unused elementaries under the umbrella of the Indian Peaks Charter School charter. This could avoid months or years of red tape and get those buildings back in use teaching kids as quickly as possible. Indian Peaks Charter School has been in operation for nearly a decade, and has the expertise to make this work.
With three schools operating on a strict budget, there will be greater pressure on the district to shape up. Heck, with the great performance we're already getting out of the charter school, the community may even decide to do away with the school district altogether and have charter schools from K-12!
Given the current climate in Grand County--especially after Kremmling declined a committee invite--there are few options the committee may realistically consider. Until recently, I believe the organizations that make up the committee thought a tax question on the November ballot would be a done deal, and the school problem would be solved. This group think came after decades of voter buy-in, and did not take into account the obvious economic factors affecting our citizens. If given today, a sales tax initiative--wether an increase or a diversion of existing funds--would most surely fail.
I would hope the committee is considering other options, because if they throw a Hail Mary on taxes, they will look like complete fools if they don't get the votes. Not having a backup plan will ensure every elected official partaking of this charade will be forcefully ejected at the ballot box, if that's not already the case.
As it stands, the school district is not well positioned to weather another year under the current budget. The committee will most certainly come out with some considerable cuts to things that are politically unsavory in a ploy to get voter buy-in, but not long-term solutions. If they do what you would expect a political body of this nature to do, they'll set themselves up for a crisis coming into the 2012-2013 school year; which is next spring from a budgetary planning standpoint. No amount of 'community support' will be able to help at that point.
So, as my headline suggests, I have a possible solution that would work for both the Fraser Valley and Grand Lake Elementary schools should the "long-term" funding be turned down by voters.
School infrastructure is paid for separately from the East Grand School District general fund, so even when the schools are closed after next year, the buildings will continue to be taken care of. Empty buildings aren't necessarily a bad thing.
By law, the school district is required to allow charter schools to take over unused buildings. One plan I've heard tossed around is to bring the unused elementaries under the umbrella of the Indian Peaks Charter School charter. This could avoid months or years of red tape and get those buildings back in use teaching kids as quickly as possible. Indian Peaks Charter School has been in operation for nearly a decade, and has the expertise to make this work.
With three schools operating on a strict budget, there will be greater pressure on the district to shape up. Heck, with the great performance we're already getting out of the charter school, the community may even decide to do away with the school district altogether and have charter schools from K-12!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Fraser Valley Center (Alco) Apologizes For Sign
After posting earlier about the obnoxious new LED sign at the Alco shopping center, their management has issued an apology:
We wish to sincerely apologize for the new LED panel being left on Friday night. This was done accidentally through an error in judgment and will not happen again.
The sign is now on a timer and will be off at dusk every night. We are waiting on a photoelectric dimmer to be installed on the sign which will make it be no brighter then the existing signage already in place during the evening hours. This will allow the sign to remain on during the business hours of the plaza tenants.
Our hope is to promote the local businesses to the numerous out of town visitors that may not be familiar with what services are offered here. It also will be available for community groups to use to promote various events. As with any new technology, we are learning exactly what the capabilities of the sign are and how to best use it.
Again, please accept our apology for any inconvenience this may have created. We would also like you to know that it is extremely important to us that this sign in no way impacts the environment or the lifestyle of our friends and neighbors here in Fraser.
Sincerely,
The Fraser Valley Center Management"
"To all Residents and guests of Fraser,
We wish to sincerely apologize for the new LED panel being left on Friday night. This was done accidentally through an error in judgment and will not happen again.
The sign is now on a timer and will be off at dusk every night. We are waiting on a photoelectric dimmer to be installed on the sign which will make it be no brighter then the existing signage already in place during the evening hours. This will allow the sign to remain on during the business hours of the plaza tenants.
Our hope is to promote the local businesses to the numerous out of town visitors that may not be familiar with what services are offered here. It also will be available for community groups to use to promote various events. As with any new technology, we are learning exactly what the capabilities of the sign are and how to best use it.
Again, please accept our apology for any inconvenience this may have created. We would also like you to know that it is extremely important to us that this sign in no way impacts the environment or the lifestyle of our friends and neighbors here in Fraser.
Sincerely,
The Fraser Valley Center Management"
Hey, that seems like a plan to me. It looks like the the sign went rogue and they have since brought it under control. I didn't think that was a normal situation.
The Government IS The Economy
Today, the U.S. Federal Government is literally borrowing every dime, at interest, of supposed growth to U.S. gross domestic product (GDP).
Take a look at this chart:
The green line represents U.S. GDP after accounting for government borrowing to 'stimulate' the economy. Remove government borrowing today (blue line), and we immediately fall into a depression as represented by the red line.
What they've been hoping is that private growth would take over and replace government spending. That hasn't happened because the people that got us into this mess have all been bailed out and are still doing the same things that put us here. Until you see people going to jail; the bailouts stopped; and a gigantic contraction in the housing sector, nothing is going to improve.
Wonder how long this can continue? Longer than most people's attention spans, but not years.
Take a look at this chart:
| Market-Ticker |
The green line represents U.S. GDP after accounting for government borrowing to 'stimulate' the economy. Remove government borrowing today (blue line), and we immediately fall into a depression as represented by the red line.
What they've been hoping is that private growth would take over and replace government spending. That hasn't happened because the people that got us into this mess have all been bailed out and are still doing the same things that put us here. Until you see people going to jail; the bailouts stopped; and a gigantic contraction in the housing sector, nothing is going to improve.
Wonder how long this can continue? Longer than most people's attention spans, but not years.
Thanks For The Free Carriage House!
File this under the unf#@*ing believable category:
" Just two months before the Macks bought their fancy carriage house in Manhattan, Christy and her pal Susan launched their investment initiative called Waterfall TALF. Neither seems to have any experience whatsoever in finance, beyond Susan's penchant for dabbling in thoroughbred racehorses. But with an upfront investment of $15 million, they quickly received $220 million in cash from the Fed, most of which they used to purchase student loans and commercial mortgages. The loans were set up so that Christy and Susan would keep 100 percent of any gains on the deals, while the Fed and the Treasury (read: the taxpayer) would eat 90 percent of the losses. Given out as part of a bailout program ostensibly designed to help ordinary people by kick-starting consumer lending, the deals were a classic heads-I-win, tails-you-lose investment."(Rolling Stones Magazine)
Almost every American is complicit in the continued pillaging of our public coffers. Each and every one of us who goes about our daily business without so much as a peep is reaping the bounty we are sewing for ourselves and our posterity. The pain and suffering from deals like those above is not even being felt yet. Rest assured, it will be felt and it will hurt.
" Just two months before the Macks bought their fancy carriage house in Manhattan, Christy and her pal Susan launched their investment initiative called Waterfall TALF. Neither seems to have any experience whatsoever in finance, beyond Susan's penchant for dabbling in thoroughbred racehorses. But with an upfront investment of $15 million, they quickly received $220 million in cash from the Fed, most of which they used to purchase student loans and commercial mortgages. The loans were set up so that Christy and Susan would keep 100 percent of any gains on the deals, while the Fed and the Treasury (read: the taxpayer) would eat 90 percent of the losses. Given out as part of a bailout program ostensibly designed to help ordinary people by kick-starting consumer lending, the deals were a classic heads-I-win, tails-you-lose investment."(Rolling Stones Magazine)
Almost every American is complicit in the continued pillaging of our public coffers. Each and every one of us who goes about our daily business without so much as a peep is reaping the bounty we are sewing for ourselves and our posterity. The pain and suffering from deals like those above is not even being felt yet. Rest assured, it will be felt and it will hurt.
Who Could Have Seen It Coming?
These people did--five months before the economy collapsed:
For those who think the economy is in recovery, nearing a recovery or coming back some day; I'm sorry to say you are misinformed.
For those who think the economy is in recovery, nearing a recovery or coming back some day; I'm sorry to say you are misinformed.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Chernobyl; Meet Fukushima
"Japan has decided to raise the severity level of the accident at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to the maximum 7 on an international scale, up from the current 5 and matching that of the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe, government sources said Tuesday.
The current provisional evaluation of 5 on the International Nuclear Event Scale by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, a body under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, is at the same level as the Three Mile Island accident in the United States in 1979.
The decision comes after the release of a preliminary calculation on Monday by the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan, which said the crippled nuclear plant was releasing up to 10,000 terabecquerels of radioactive materials per hour at one point after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit northeastern Japan on March 11."(Kyodo News)
Did you pick that yellow highlight up? That's 10,000 trillion disintegrations per hour, or about 40 million times more radiation than given off by the average human body. (Radiation and Life)
The world is trying to ignore Fukushima, but it is going to affect every single one of us, economically at least, in the coming months and years.
The current provisional evaluation of 5 on the International Nuclear Event Scale by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, a body under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, is at the same level as the Three Mile Island accident in the United States in 1979.
The decision comes after the release of a preliminary calculation on Monday by the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan, which said the crippled nuclear plant was releasing up to 10,000 terabecquerels of radioactive materials per hour at one point after a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit northeastern Japan on March 11."(Kyodo News)
Did you pick that yellow highlight up? That's 10,000 trillion disintegrations per hour, or about 40 million times more radiation than given off by the average human body. (Radiation and Life)
The world is trying to ignore Fukushima, but it is going to affect every single one of us, economically at least, in the coming months and years.
Update | Alco Shamed Into Being Good Neighbor
Just yesterday, I wrote about the obnoxious new animated sign Alco installed some time last week. Somebody must have been paying attention, because I went out at midnight last night to take some photos and videos to post and it was turned off!
As I was driving my kids to school this morning, I was surprised to see the sign was still off as we rounded the corner above Fraser. That thing must have caused quite a stink!
As I was driving my kids to school this morning, I was surprised to see the sign was still off as we rounded the corner above Fraser. That thing must have caused quite a stink!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Like A Bad Neighbor, Alco Is There!
UPDATE: They apologized
I had a morning meeting in Denver yesterday, so I had to leave before the sun rose to make it on time. I live in Meadow Ridge, above the town of Fraser, and as I drove around the corner toward Fraser, my eyes were immediately assaulted by the most obnoxious light sign ever!
Sometime over the last few days, the Alco shopping center installed an animated color light sign. If you've ever been to Las Vegas, you'll get an idea of what this sign looks like in miniature form. If I were the owners of the La Azteca Mexican restaurant or the Rocky Mountain Chalet next door, I'd be up in arms--especially the Chalet.
Imagine traveling to Fraser after a long day of airport security and airplane food, checking into your room at the Chalet, pulling the covers back on your bed and getting ready for a peaceful night's--Crap! What is that? You throw open the curtains to see what that incessant multi-colored laser beam outside your room is. Fully expecting a UFO encounter, your disappointment turns to anger when you realize Alco is trying to sell you Coca Cola at midnight; after all of the businesses in the shopping center are already closed.
I don't know who on the Fraser town council approved this sign, but I'd expect they've already received a flood of legitimate complaints over it. Businesses should be left to their own devices in my opinion, but when their activities adversely affect the public, they've overstepped.
If you'd like a good laugh, stand on the top of Meadow Ridge before sunrise some morning. But be warned--you'll need your sunglasses!
I had a morning meeting in Denver yesterday, so I had to leave before the sun rose to make it on time. I live in Meadow Ridge, above the town of Fraser, and as I drove around the corner toward Fraser, my eyes were immediately assaulted by the most obnoxious light sign ever!
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| Reggie On The Fraser Strip |
Sometime over the last few days, the Alco shopping center installed an animated color light sign. If you've ever been to Las Vegas, you'll get an idea of what this sign looks like in miniature form. If I were the owners of the La Azteca Mexican restaurant or the Rocky Mountain Chalet next door, I'd be up in arms--especially the Chalet.
Imagine traveling to Fraser after a long day of airport security and airplane food, checking into your room at the Chalet, pulling the covers back on your bed and getting ready for a peaceful night's--Crap! What is that? You throw open the curtains to see what that incessant multi-colored laser beam outside your room is. Fully expecting a UFO encounter, your disappointment turns to anger when you realize Alco is trying to sell you Coca Cola at midnight; after all of the businesses in the shopping center are already closed.
I don't know who on the Fraser town council approved this sign, but I'd expect they've already received a flood of legitimate complaints over it. Businesses should be left to their own devices in my opinion, but when their activities adversely affect the public, they've overstepped.
If you'd like a good laugh, stand on the top of Meadow Ridge before sunrise some morning. But be warned--you'll need your sunglasses!
Tube Wars In Fraser
Did anyone catch the story on 9News regarding the tube wars in Fraser?
I was at the Fraser planning meeting for the Byers Peak Ranch annexation, and I think it's clear that the Colorado Adventure Park is synonymous with Grand Park, which is managed by Mr. Clark Lipscomb. The owner of the Fraser Tubing hill, Rod Rodgers, had some pretty vitriolic comments regarding Mr. Lipscomb's business dealings.
Not that I agree with doing business this way, but the Colorado Adventure park operates much like a big box store. Come into a small town, undercut prices until you've killed the local businesses, and then raise prices to sustain your business. That's the Wal-Mart model so if you've shopped at a Wal-Mart and complain about the Adventure Park, not only are you a hypocrite; you are responsible for killing small businesses across America. You'd think Wal-Mart was the only big bad guy out there, but Target is actually competing quite well against them. Competition is a good thing.
I was at the Fraser planning meeting for the Byers Peak Ranch annexation, and I think it's clear that the Colorado Adventure Park is synonymous with Grand Park, which is managed by Mr. Clark Lipscomb. The owner of the Fraser Tubing hill, Rod Rodgers, had some pretty vitriolic comments regarding Mr. Lipscomb's business dealings.
Not that I agree with doing business this way, but the Colorado Adventure park operates much like a big box store. Come into a small town, undercut prices until you've killed the local businesses, and then raise prices to sustain your business. That's the Wal-Mart model so if you've shopped at a Wal-Mart and complain about the Adventure Park, not only are you a hypocrite; you are responsible for killing small businesses across America. You'd think Wal-Mart was the only big bad guy out there, but Target is actually competing quite well against them. Competition is a good thing.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
2008 | A Repeat
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| From cnbc.com |
In September of 2008, with crude prices hovering near $150 a barrel, Lehman Brothers collapsed. During the ensuing market crash, the U.S. experienced an electronic run on the banks that was on track to bring the banking system to its knees:
"On Thursday (Sept 18), at 11am the Federal Reserve noticed a tremendous draw-down of money market accounts in the U.S., to the tune of $550 billion was being drawn out in the matter of an hour or two. The Treasury opened up its window to help and pumped $105 billion in the system and quickly realized that they could not stem the tide. We were having an electronic run on the banks. They decided to close the operation, close down the money accounts and announce a guarantee of $250,000 per account so there wouldn't be further panic out there.
If they had not done that, their estimation is that by 2pm that afternoon, $5.5 trillion would have been drawn out of the money market system of the U.S., would have collapsed the entire economy of the U.S., and within 24 hours the world economy would have collapsed. It would have been the end of our economic system and our political system as we know it."(Zero Hedge)
For the last two and a half years, the Federal Accounting Standards Board (FASB), FDIC, Congress, the President, big banks and Federal Reserve have been breaking the law and changing the rules in order to cover up the true cause of the depression we now find ourselves in.
We are very likely headed for another large crash. This time though, the bazooka in Hank Paulson's pocket has already gone off. Stagflation is raging, with the prices of everything needed to survive heading through the roof. Food, gasoline and clothing are all headed higher while the things people own---real-estate and other assets--are headed though the floor.
How long can they keep this charade up? I don't know, but time is definitely running out.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Get Ready For $4 Gas
Check out the price of crude oil today:
A little over a month ago, I posted a chart showing the correlation of crude price to the final price at the pump:
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| From CNBC |
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| Click For Story |
Back then, crude was trading under $100 per barrel. Gasoline demand is at its lowest point at this time of year, so look for pump prices to soar into the summer months. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
60 Minutes On Mortgage Fraud | Better Late Than Never I Guess
It's pretty sad that it's taken 60 Minutes this long to address the issue of the rampant mortgage fraud that brought our nation to its knees and continues to threaten its very existence. I've known about this fraud for two years, and have been harping on our local county officials since last October over this very issue. Watch the 60 Minutes clip, and then look at the evidence I sent the Sheriff and Grand County Commissioners regarding just this issue from bogus assignments in Grand County. If you'd like them to address this issue, I'd at least paste the link to this post in an e-mail to them to let them know you are concerned.
Below are five mortgage assignments found in the Grand County database. Please note the four signatures of the notary public in addition to one that's missing. Do they look the same to you? Click on the photos to enlarge.
Teach A Man To Fish | Grand County Community Garden
No special districts; no mill levies; no tax increases; no wasteful spending. Finally, a community project I can get behind!
The Grand County Community Garden (GCCG) project was recently featured in the SkyHi News. I rarely agree with the way messages in the paper come across, but the GCCG embodies many of the values that help make communities stronger.
The GCCG website describes itself as, "...a part of Grand County's Colorado State University Extension office."(GCCG Website) It's an organization with education as its main focus. Teaching people how to grow their own food in the environment they inhabit is about as basic a necessity as you can provide.
This video shows what GCCB is all about:
This spring, the project will be giving free classes on three dates: April 9th, 16th and May 14th. They will be held in both Fraser and Granby. I know I will be attending at least one.(Link)
Currently, there are community gardens in Kremmling, Hot Sulphur and Granby. Fraser is now on the list to participate in this effort, and I can only say that I am happy to see this kind of resource in our community. Having individual control over food supply is one of the most important elements of a free people, and this effort is a step in the right direction.
The Grand County Community Garden (GCCG) project was recently featured in the SkyHi News. I rarely agree with the way messages in the paper come across, but the GCCG embodies many of the values that help make communities stronger.
The GCCG website describes itself as, "...a part of Grand County's Colorado State University Extension office."(GCCG Website) It's an organization with education as its main focus. Teaching people how to grow their own food in the environment they inhabit is about as basic a necessity as you can provide.
This video shows what GCCB is all about:
This spring, the project will be giving free classes on three dates: April 9th, 16th and May 14th. They will be held in both Fraser and Granby. I know I will be attending at least one.(Link)
Currently, there are community gardens in Kremmling, Hot Sulphur and Granby. Fraser is now on the list to participate in this effort, and I can only say that I am happy to see this kind of resource in our community. Having individual control over food supply is one of the most important elements of a free people, and this effort is a step in the right direction.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Bridging The Gap
Watch this video and meet me below:
This video is from a company that produces a skate board that behaves much like a snowboard. The young adults shown in the video don't care about government finance, elections or government. They realize their voices don't matter, and don't care about the process. They are just enjoying the present.
Ask most young adults about the issues, and they'll tell you they don't pay attention. They realize it's a rigged game, and it's a waste of time to even participate. Government in the United States is fundamentally broken. From town councils to the Presidency, ineptitude to outright fraud and corruption rule the day.
We now have a full-blown kleptocracy, which is defined as, "... a government subject to control fraud that takes advantage of governmental corruption to extend the personal wealth and political power of government officials and the ruling class (collectively, kleptocrats), via the embezzlement of state funds at the expense of the wider population, sometimes without even the pretense of honest service."(Wikipedia)
How else could you define our county government, who've managed to skim $14 million dollars off of their citizens without taking any steps to eliminate the tax? How else can you define a school district who holds property owners hostage to mill levies, gets into self-induced fiscal trouble, and has the gall to ask for more money? How else can you define a town council (Grand Lake) that illegally pledges $20,000 dollars to schools and then votes to increase water rates against the advice of their own experts? It is easy to see why young people don't give a shit. No matter what box you check at the ballot box, you get the exact same criminal element coming to steal ever more of the fruits of your labor.
This video is from a company that produces a skate board that behaves much like a snowboard. The young adults shown in the video don't care about government finance, elections or government. They realize their voices don't matter, and don't care about the process. They are just enjoying the present.
Ask most young adults about the issues, and they'll tell you they don't pay attention. They realize it's a rigged game, and it's a waste of time to even participate. Government in the United States is fundamentally broken. From town councils to the Presidency, ineptitude to outright fraud and corruption rule the day.
We now have a full-blown kleptocracy, which is defined as, "... a government subject to control fraud that takes advantage of governmental corruption to extend the personal wealth and political power of government officials and the ruling class (collectively, kleptocrats), via the embezzlement of state funds at the expense of the wider population, sometimes without even the pretense of honest service."(Wikipedia)
How else could you define our county government, who've managed to skim $14 million dollars off of their citizens without taking any steps to eliminate the tax? How else can you define a school district who holds property owners hostage to mill levies, gets into self-induced fiscal trouble, and has the gall to ask for more money? How else can you define a town council (Grand Lake) that illegally pledges $20,000 dollars to schools and then votes to increase water rates against the advice of their own experts? It is easy to see why young people don't give a shit. No matter what box you check at the ballot box, you get the exact same criminal element coming to steal ever more of the fruits of your labor.
Eat The Rich
Do you want to see just how bad the fiscal problem facing the United States really is? Watch this video to put some perspective on the issue.
P.S. Bill Whittle doesn't mention the financial oligarchs. Michael Moore is actually correct about a heist being perpetrated on the American public; the transfer is happening as we speak. Read this post to see how.
P.S. Bill Whittle doesn't mention the financial oligarchs. Michael Moore is actually correct about a heist being perpetrated on the American public; the transfer is happening as we speak. Read this post to see how.
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