Happy New Year from squarestate

by: KathrynCWallace

Sun Jan 01, 2012 at 12:44:06 PM MST

Conservative . . . Really?

by: boomerjohn

Sun Jan 01, 2012 at 11:48:58 AM MST

The 99 percent: Income Inequality by the numbers

by: Jason Salzman

Fri Dec 30, 2011 at 09:17:23 AM MST

So, here's a crib sheet for anyone writing about Occupy in 2012.

Income Inequality:  Occupy by the Numbers

Percentage of our nation's wealth owned by the top 1% of earners:  33.8%

Percentage of U.S. wealth owned by the bottom 50% of Americans:  2.5%.

Percentage of investment assets (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc.) owned by top 1%:  over 50%

Percentage of investment assets owned by the bottom half:  0.5%

October, November 2011 (Scripps) CO2 Concentrations: 388.92ppm, 390.31ppm

by: WeatherDem

Thu Dec 29, 2011 at 11:23:25 AM MST

That value is the highest value for October and November in recorded history. Last year's 387.15 and 388.62 were the previous highest respective values ever recorded.  This year's readings are 1.77ppm and 1.69ppm higher than last year's.  While under 2ppm per year, these two increases are significant.  Of course, more significant is the unending trend toward higher concentrations with time, no matter the month.

The yearly maximum monthly value normally occurs during May. This year was no different: the 394.34 concentration (value updated since my last post) is the highest value reported both this year and all time.

Wind Power Advancements Translates To More Competitive Energy Source

by: WeatherDem

Wed Dec 28, 2011 at 08:05:42 AM MST

The result is that instead of 7.4-8.4 m/s wind speeds, new turbines can capture 8.5-10 m/s winds (see map below (gif source & pdf).  This translates to a 1.2 cent reduction per kilowatt-hour of wind energy: 10.8 cents, down from 12.0 cents.  My utility currently charges 4.6 cents per kilowatt-hour of energy.  The utility's energy mix as of 2010 was: 61.31% coal, 26.88% natural gas, 10.26% wind, ~1% rest).  They are also filing for a 5.99% increase in electricity charges.

One less Democratic Wimp in the Senate

by: Zappatero

Tue Dec 27, 2011 at 19:57:03 PM MST

During the few months when his party had 60 votes in the Senate, he was the proverbial 60th vote, and with Republicans unwilling to negotiate on health-care reform he held enormous sway. He held out the longest, and he could have used his vote to demand almost anything. He could have asked for malpractice reform, tougher cost controls, or any other concession that pushed the bill to the right. What he chose to use it for was a parochial demand to give his home state a special Medicaid subsidy.

The maneuver may ultimately haunt Democrats, Mr. Collegio added. "By trying to be clever in helping Nelson," he said, "they may be opening up a can of worms they may not have wanted to open up."

Ben Nelson made the right call today. If he really desired to continue serving the people for another six years he could have actually started listening to them again. That shouldn't be so difficult. But many Democrats still have a hard time doing what's right for the people while in the thrall of staffers and media whose priorities are far different than ours.

Michael Bennet, who rightly criticizes the work ethic of his peers in Washington, still can't seem to grasp the basics of Populism 101. His spokesman recently touted the number of votes he made in concurrence with Joe Lieberman. Really? Lieberman? Bennet could learn a thing or two from Nelson's early departure. He might also pass off some of this wisdom to Barack Obama if the opportunity presents itself.

Or he could keep pursuing the path of bipartisanship with the same results he's already achieved - few to none.

On Christmas 2.0, Or, Who Might Be The New Santa?

by: fake consultant

Mon Dec 26, 2011 at 08:31:28 AM MST

Peace and good will, of course, and cookies and candy canes, and happy kids - and this is also the time we think the most about those less fortunate, as do Jews and Muslims, who also have holiday celebrations this time of the year that include a component of charity.

But if there is anything that I could change about the modern practice of Christmas, it would be the installation of Santa Claus as an icon of consumer spending, more or less to the exclusion of everything else.

As an intellectual exercise, I started thinking about what a different Santa might be like; today's story lays out who a few candidates might be for "Santa 2.0" and why.

So go grab a cookie, and, perhaps, a refreshing beverage...and let's have some post-Christmas fun.

A Political Christmas Carol

by: Steve Harvey

Sat Dec 24, 2011 at 11:09:59 AM MST

Extreme Individualism was dead. Even Economics, the most individualistic of Social Sciences, knew that it was dead. But Abandoner Screwage didn't. ("Abandoner´s" real name was "Abner," a Tea Partier who attended Sarah Palin rallies in a Medicare-supplied "Hoverround," along with hundreds of others similarly equipped, like a confused geriatric biker gang).

Abandoner saw the ghost of Extreme Individualism everywhere, as if it were alive and well. He saw it in a century-old non-empirical Austrian economic philosophy and in a century-old poorly written and conceived novel expressing an adolescent superiority complex. He saw it in his caricature of the American Constitution, and in fabricated economic principles that no living economist actually adhered to. He saw it in his door knocker, heard it ringing all his bells (like a drunken hunchback defecting from another novel of the same era), filling his dreams with the slack-jawed stupidity of blind fanaticism.

Why I no longer #OccupyDenver

by: xxxxxxxx

Thu Dec 22, 2011 at 20:29:54 PM MST

Looking back I'm not sure which component of the Occupy movement first seduced me. Seeing images and reading reports of people standing up for their rights and beliefs inspired me. This broken system is begging for revolution, and Occupy made something resembling that seem very real and tangible. There's an infectious energy in this type of possibility, we all felt it with Obama; this David v Goliath-style triumphing over all the world's collective ills, hero saves the daY for the little guy. Also the idea of solidarity is very romantic, and to be equal and collective parallels my own handmade ideals, but I was struggling a lot with what that all meant, for me, as an individual.

See it's no secret that I'm not a huge fan of people. I view my interactions with people as an ROI equation- my time in this earth is too valuable to me to waste. As a whole, people are a heartbreaking disappointment, and I've spent most of life doing a really good job of insulating myself from them, especially from the general public at large. My comfort zone is really comfy. It's also important to note here that while I see the obvious economic injustice and corporate greed prevalent in our once-great nation, it largely doesn't affect me. I don't care about my credit score, it is foolish to live off of credit, so it is irrelevant to me. I frequently barter for goods and services, shop locally, and pay cash for everything else, involving as little taxation as possible. I don't consider myself a victim of economic inequality, though I know its victims are many.

Why does Coffman think soldiers know who's gay, and plus, who cares?

by: Jason Salzman

Thu Dec 22, 2011 at 12:15:36 PM MST

Of course, the low-hanging fruit is on local talk radio, where questions about Coffman pile up in your head so quickly you start forgetting good ones unless you write them down.

So I'm going to roll out a series of these interviews over the holiday season, to lay out some questions that linger about him.

Coffman has made no secret of his opposition to repealing the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, for example, at least for combat troops, who are, as he puts it, "at the tip of the spear."

He's argued, "Interjecting sexuality into a ground combat team potentially creates an emotional divide between Marines that undermines confidence and prevents that interdependent bond from forming, ultimately compromising the combat effectiveness of the unit."

That may sound extreme, but on the radio, mostly with, you-go-dude style enthusiasm from hosts, Coffman has gone further, arguing that combat troops can "just tell" when a fellow fighter is gay.

He dumps the qualifiers, like gays could "potentially" create problems, and goes straight to declarative assertions about the destructive impact of putting gay men in combat situations.

Below, former Bob Beauprez, subbing on the Caplis and Silverman show Dec. 21, 2009, got into the topic with Coffman:

Beauprez: You brought up something that I think is often forgotten. Outward displays of sexuality, however we want to, I guess, let our mind figure out what that really means, whether they be heterosexual or homosexual, they create a problem on the battlefield.

Coffman: Well they really do. And I think it's hard for people to understand that. But it's young people. And it's not you punch out and go home at 5 o'clock. And even if it is no overt sexuality, there is an emotional tension there where people can tell.

Beauprez: Yeah, and that is not a good place for emotional tension.

Coffman: No it's not.

Beauprez: You have enough of that going on.

And if they think they do, how is that any different from them believing something else about a fellow soldier, like his race, class, or what have you? I mean, soldiers could suspect anything and everything, positive or negative, about  fellow soldiers, and either they'd get over it or they'd get disciplined, end of story.

Length of payroll tax cut extension didn't seem to matter much to Gardner before this week

by: Jason Salzman

Wed Dec 21, 2011 at 13:58:14 PM MST

Unless they are asked right questions.

The Denver Post's Allison Sherry dialed into a call with Rep. Cory Gardner Dec. 14, and asked a really good follow-up question raising doubts about Gardner's subsequent explanation that he opposed a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut because two months was too short.

The Colorado GOP organized the news conference call last week to tout passage of a House bill that extended the payroll tax cut, but the House bill also included riders, which would, among other things, have paved the way for the Keystone oil pipeline.

This House passed this bill before the Senate passed its bill this week extending the payroll tax cut for two months.

On the call, Sherry, along with 9News' Brandon Rittiman, wondered about the inclusion of the Keystone rider in the House bill. And the de-funding of some of Obamacare. Why was that stuff on the bill?

Sherry put the question to Gardner like this. (at the 10-minute 40-second mark in the recording here).

Sherry: I think what one of the other Democratic members of the Colorado delegation said last night was, look, we do all agree on one thing, which is that we want the payroll tax cut to extend, and so why can't we focus on that, and why are these other policy riders lumped into the House bill. And I'm not even talking about the Keystone pipeline. I think they were talking about the EPA regulations, the defending of some of the Obamacare stuff. Why would the House go and pass something that probably won't pass the Senate and the President would veto, if we all do agree on wanting to pass the payroll tax cut.

Gardner didn't answer the question.

So Sherry calmly put it another way, that got to the heart of the matter.

Sherry: And you said to me yesterday, and I want to make sure you still agree with this, that you don't believe that this is a make-or-break deal for you. If there is something that you had to vote on that didn't have the Keystone pipeline on it, that didn't have some of the EPA provisions, you would still likely vote yes, because you believe in extending the payroll tax cut?

No actual factual proof of misogyny offered in Post article

by: Jason Salzman

Mon Dec 19, 2011 at 21:53:58 PM MST

No solid evidence was produced to support the Republican allegation, which was refuted by Democrats.

And no proof was offered for the other GOP allegation in the article, namely that there's also a "very, very small" segment within the Colorado Republican Party whose "misogynistic attitude" hurts GOP women.

This charge came from Rep. Amy Stephens, according to The Post:

Stephens said she researched the word "misogynistic" - a hatred or distrust of women - earlier this year after the attacks on her started.

"It's an attitude of 'We know better. You don't get it. You wouldn't understand,' " Stephens said.

"As long as you're mothering the caucus, you're fine. But by God, raise money, recruit women candidates, train them, no, oh no, oh no. And then have the audacity to win the majority? Then, it's threatening. Then, it's 'How dare you? Now you're a RINO.' "

I thought I'd see if another critic of Stephens could shed more light on the origin of the "mysogynistic attitude" mentioned by Stephens.

In response to my email, former Secretary of the El Paso GOP Sarah Anderson wrote:

Mme. Majority Leader Stephens appears to be applying the "misogynist" label to anyone with whom she has a difference of opinion, much as she previous had with the "anarchist" label.  It's exactly that kind of response that furthers her reputation as a "RINO"... last time I checked, you only pull out the ad hominem attacks when you are losing an argument and have nothing of substance or value left to say.  Frankly, it's a very Alinskyite tactic, which is antithetical to being a Republican.

#OccupyDenver Fact Check

by: Fong

Mon Dec 19, 2011 at 20:17:57 PM MST

Don't understand how that's hilarious? Well, here's more about internationally renowned con-man:

BREAKING: Newt says arrest Scalia, Thomas

by: Zappatero

Sun Dec 18, 2011 at 12:54:37 PM MST

The former House Speaker held a half-hour phone call on Saturday during which he pledged to abolish courts (how Kenyan and anti-colonial of him.) and eliminated activist judges he believed were either outside the mainstream or infringing too deeply on the commander in chief's authority.

On Sunday, he followed that up by saying he would be willing to arrest a judge who he thought was out of line.

"If you had to," he said on CBS's "Face the Nation" when asked if he would send a Capitol Hill police officer to round up a judge, "or you would instruct the Justice Department to send the U.S. Marshal."

Coffman says U.S. military should be purged of radical Islam sympathizers

by: Jason Salzman

Fri Dec 16, 2011 at 09:11:08 AM MST

Coffman told Brown, who was filling in for Mike Rosen on KOA, that the United States has "got to do a vetting of people, a counter-intelligence, the same that we did during the Cold War and an acknowledgement that we are at war today with an ideology, and it's cloaked in a religion called radical Islam."

"We need that same mentality today, to have that active counter-intelligence effort, to make sure that our ranks are not infiltrated by those sympathetic to radical Islam, like Major Hasan [Fort Hood], like Private First Class Abdo. And I think that is very important. And I think that it would also help Muslim Americans who are serving, because then those soldiers, Marines, and airmen, serving alongside of them would understand that they have been vetted and that they can be trusted," Coffman told Brown.

I had a inkling that vetting members of the armed forces, based on their religious affiliation, didn't sound kosher in terms of the U.S. Constitution. Criminal activities I can see, but religious?

The Ugly Truth About #OccupyDenver

by: Fong

Wed Dec 14, 2011 at 08:17:00 AM MST

At the December 3rd rally, Corey Donahue, who sexually assaulted a photographer, gave a speech in support of his Walmart blockade he managed to pass through the General Assembly he frequently renounces as illegitimate and ineffective. He spoke about the need for people to put their "bodies on the line" for the action. I pulled him aside and he tells me that the goal of his action is "bring out hundreds of police to show the world that the police are defending corporate america and not the protestors." In the midst of my shock about the stupidity and lack of transparency of his motivation, he reminds me that he is under legal advice to not get arrested again because he has too many prior offenses, so he won't be participating in his call to put bodies on the line.

How he has a shred of credibility after hiding behind his priors while telling people to put their lives on the line, I can only attribute to his feeding the homeless (and then encouraging them into being fodder??).

Can you say David Koresh?

Republicans to Tie Unemployment Benefits to Keystone XL Pipeline

by: Fong

Wed Dec 14, 2011 at 16:04:01 PM MST

In the lowest thing I've ever seen in my life, House Republicans are tying unemployment benefits to the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Watch the video at the website where they have issues embedding video. It's at the end.

And that's me in the frog hat.

And yes, Colorado Wants To Work RULES!

State of the Poles - Dec 2011: Arctic Ice Continues Low; Antarctic Ice Above Average

by: WeatherDem

Wed Dec 14, 2011 at 10:36:46 AM MST

The state of global polar sea ice area in early December 2011 has temporarily returned to near climatologically normal conditions (1979-2009).  Arctic sea ice has recovered very quickly after starting the freeze season slowly and Antarctic sea ice is benefiting from weather conditions preventing extensive melt at the edges in much the same way as it did last year at the same time.  Since my last post (covering August conditions), polar sea ice has generally recovered from an extensive deficit of negative 2 million sq. km.  The long time that sea ice area spent near this dramatic condition is unprecedented in the modern era.  Poor conditions established this development across the Arctic this year.

Setting The Record Straight on Romanoff v. Bennet, and why Obama Should Listen

by: peacemonger

Tue Dec 13, 2011 at 14:26:27 PM MST

Last week, before Andrew Romanoff endorsed Joe Miklosi in CD6, there was a diary comment on Pols which stated "Romanoff's Senate campaign was a disaster". That comment got under my skin, so I will set the record straight, for the sake of the tens of thousands of his supporters, as well as for the 2012 elections in Colorado. That may sound incongruous coming from one of Senator Bennet's earliest and most ardent supporters -- please hear me out.

First, a fast review of what happened, for those living under a rock, or out-of-state, from 2009-2010. Romanoff's Senate campaign was a study in contrasts. There were epic mistakes made, but in many ways, it was wildly successful considering  its tiny fraction of financial resources. The vast majority of activists and staffers who worked on it have every reason to be proud of what they accomplished.