Cyclists as pedestrians

Posted on May 16, 2009 by ChrisA

Andrea Sedlmayr remarks on cyclists ability to morph between being a driver or a pedestrian. It seems there’s a certain percentage of cyclists that ignore the rules of the road, no matter what road they’re on.

Andrea concludes…

They may be improving their bodies and the environment, but it seems many of them have forgotten how to use their heads! Good thing they wear helmets!


Gotta love it.

I had a cyclists graze me on the sidewalk mother’s day morning near the Pearl Street mall. I yelled after her, but she conveniently elected to ignore me. I’m sure the resulting collision would have been my fault if I had taken one step to the right.

I wonder if this letter will make it from the letters to the editor blog to an actual published LTE?

Posted in stoopid boulder cyclists | Leave a comment

Posted on May 16, 2009 by ChrisA

TGIF

Here’s a few more…

February 13th

Sept 27th, 2008

Posted in the weekend | Leave a comment

Who won Miss USA?

Posted on May 15, 2009 by ChrisA

Don’t know, but I sure know who the runner up is. Wonder who the real winner was?

Carrie Prejean (runner up)

Posted in the weekend | Leave a comment

You can’t make this stuff up

Posted on May 15, 2009 by ChrisA

Dead People Get Stimulus Checks

This week, thousands of people are getting stimulus checks in the mail. The problem is that a lot of them are dead. A Long Island woman was shocked when she checked the mail and received a letter from the U.S. Treasury — but it wasn’t for her.


And we want the government running health care?

Posted in stoopid government, you can't make this stuff up | Leave a comment

Fiscal responsibility

Posted on May 15, 2009 by ChrisA

Good thing Obama’s in charge.

Bring on more Tea Parties!

Posted in Obamanomics | Leave a comment

Pelosi: Two interesting polls

Posted on May 15, 2009 by ChrisA

From Instapundit…

From Power Line…

I voted with the majority in both polls as no one is better at circling the wagons than the Democrats.

Power Lines John Hinderaker disagrees. In his take down of Pelosi, mostly from todays news conference he concludes…

I don’t suppose anyone imagines that the CIA was foolish enough to lie to Pelosi and others about the use of waterboarding. On the contrary, it seems obvious that everyone in the chain of command was covering himself or herself by disseminating information about the harsh interrogations of three al Qaeda leaders. Pelosi has now opened the lid on a box that she will not be able to close. The CIA has no choice but to defend itself by demonstrating that she, not the Agency, is lying. Possibly Leon Panetta can save her, but at the moment, it is hard to see how this affair can end with Pelosi remaining as Speaker of the House.


He makes a good case, but since when did that matter to the Dem’s?

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Death of the GOP?

Posted on May 14, 2009 by ChrisA

The impending death of the GOP has been getting a lot of press lately. It may surprise readers of this blog, which there aren’t many, that I’ve never been a registered Republican. I’ve primarily been non-affiliated, but I do register as a Democrat at the polling location to vote for the least of all evils in the local primaries. Then I quickly change back to non-affiliated.

Oh well, getting back to the point. The Democrats have lots larger problems then whatever the GOP is up to. Powerline sums it up in their recent GOP, RIP post…

It’s worth noting that little or none of this shift is due to anything Republicans have done; rather, it is a function of voters’ observations of the Democrats in power. When the Republicans were in power, the Democrats were “the other guys.” Now that the Democrats are in power, they are being transformed, in the public’s view, into “the power-crazed guys who are amazingly liberal, spend money like water, don’t care about national security and are laying the foundation for massive tax increases and destruction of the free enterprise system.” Small wonder that their appeal is rapidly diminishing.


Hey hey hey, keep up the good work. You can’t keep blaming it on Bush forever.

Posted in big government, idiocy, stoopid Democrats | Leave a comment

Bicycle law

Posted on May 14, 2009 by ChrisA

The Daily Camera weighs in and concludes…

In the near-term the laws will result in harsher punishments for willful lawbreakers, which is a good thing, and could increase road safety, which is a better thing.


I don’t get out much and when I do, I apparently see cyclists that the applauders of this law never see.

I can’t say that I have much of a problem with the law in concept, except I believe the 3′ is excessive. Also, I’m not much bothered by the numorous bikers on Hwy 36 on the weekends. I do think they are out for a good ride and it’s certainly a health activity.

That said, the main issue that troubles me is the cyclists disrespect for traffic laws. For example:

a). Running stop signs

b). Switching between pretending to be pedestrians or road vehicles (I’m sure this can be stated better) depending on which is more convenient. This is more of a problem in the city

c). Insufficient lighting and markings when driving at dusk and in darkness.

It’s very easy to find examples of all these infractions. Yet, I seriously doubt these issues are ever enforced. So now the cyclists have a special set of laws to protect them, but they can’t obey the rules of the road that protect everyone. It would be my wish that the local law enforcement agencies start enforcing the rules of the road when it comes to cyclists. Just set yourself up on Hwy 36 at dusk and it should be easy pickings.

I ask again (and again and again), at dusk/night, how is a driver supposed to stay 3′ away from a cyclists he can’t see? Don’t worry cyclists, you don’t have to worry about me. Despite my frustration with the current state of affairs, I don’t carry this grudge with me when I drive. I want nothing to do with the local court system and any infractions between a cyclist and a vehicle driver.

Posted in stoopid boulder cyclists | Leave a comment

Social Security and Medicare

Posted on May 13, 2009 by ChrisA

Read the Trustee’s report on the health of Social Security and Medicare.

Don’t worry, it’s all Bush’s fault as Nancy Pelosi is so eager to tell us. It would be borderline funny if it wasn’t so pathetic.

Posted in idiocy, Obamanomics, social security | Leave a comment

Seagate layoffs today

Posted on May 13, 2009 by ChrisA

Looks like around 190 in Longmont according to the Yahoo message board. That’s a bummer.

Added 23:24. Longmont Times Call reports on the layoffs.

Posted in Seagate | Leave a comment

An Obama reversal

Posted on May 13, 2009 by ChrisA

Obama seeks to block release of abuse photos

How many reversals does this make? I’m sure someone’s counting somewhere. Boulder must be in mourning. Lower the flags to half mast.

added 23:08:

Powerline observes… The limits of Obama’s willingness to attack America’s honor

added 23:30:

ACLU sharply critical of Obama decision
What a surprise!

Posted in Obama | Leave a comment

Coming soon to a newspaper near you

Posted on May 13, 2009 by ChrisA

In Washington state, tax cuts for newspapers, printers and publishers.

Also, Daily Camera will soon start charging for some web content.

h/t to Erika, although the link on her twitter site no longer works.

Posted in taxes | Leave a comment

LOL!

Posted on May 13, 2009 by ChrisA

Our view on the federal budget: Obama, Congress go AWOL on fiscal responsibility

When it comes to federal spending, there’s a pattern emerging with President Obama, and it’s not a flattering one. The president says all the right things about the importance of getting the deficit under control, but his actions don’t come close to matching his rhetoric.


Yea, Sh..!

Posted in Obamanomics, stoopid government | Leave a comment

Hwy 36, 8:30pm

Posted on May 13, 2009 by ChrisA

Once again a cyclist coming up the hill on Hwy 36 towards Broadway (bustop) at night. To his credit he did have a (weak)light on the front. There was a reflector under his seat on the back. No active light.

How do you stay 3′ away from someone you can’t see? Now that bikes have this “bubble” that protects them, not to mention no way to “ID” them, it’s paramount that law enforcement start enforcing laws on the books against cyclists.

yea, right.

Posted in stoopid boulder cyclists, you can't make this stuff up | Leave a comment

Levitating magic trick

Posted on May 12, 2009 by ChrisA

GM stock that is.

Posted in auto bailout | Leave a comment

Stereotyping Tea partiers

Posted on May 12, 2009 by ChrisA

Something Boulderites love to do. It’s wonderful how accepting they are of alternative points of view, as long as they agree with them. If you can open your mind a little bit, you’ll find a diverse group. A Democratic strategist even believes there’s an opportunity for his party in the movement.

…the on-the-scene reports by citizen journalists…suggest that probably the largest single group within the tea parties were neither corporate Republicans, single-issue protestors nor conspiracy theorists. Writing in the Washington Examiner, Byron York offered a particularly empathetic view of their attitudes which he portrayed as a mixture of bewildered patriotism, fear of the unknown and nostalgia for traditional, “old-fashioned” economic values and attitudes. For Democrats, the key to understanding the outlook of this “small-town traditional” group is to recognize that it is not the expression of the standard, “institutional” conservative ideology of the Heritage Foundation and University of Chicago. On the contrary, it is an authentically “grass roots” perspective rooted in a “common sense” understanding of economic affairs that arises from practical experience in the world of small business.


The there are five dominant themes eminating from the Tea Parties….

1. Government spending to create jobs simply does not work. It can only create phony “make work” or “leaf raking” jobs and not “real” jobs that need to be done….

2. Government simply should not go into debt; it should maintain a permanently balanced budget. This idea, which in previous generations was called fiscal responsibility or “sound finance,” is based on making an analogy between an individual household and the government….

3. Banks are visualized as essentially profit-seeking businesses like any other and not as an abstract “credit system” that provides “finance” or “liquidity” to the economy. In this view, the fact that banks’ particular business happens to be taking deposits and lending money does not entitle them to any special treatment…..

4. Government regulation is seen from the perspective of a small businessman. As such it appears as a maze of annoying paperwork, licenses, permits, inspections, and so on….

5. Taxes are seen….as money that is simply taken away from individuals by the government — and not visualized as part of a larger circular flow…The “common sense” notion simply is that “Taxes are my money, not the government’s money”.


I can easily see that Boulderites have trouble with #1 and probably #5 as well, but none of these ideas seem extremely radical once you get out of the 25 square miles surrounded my reality. Do they?

Bring on July 4th!

Posted in Tea Party, the weekend | Leave a comment

Drivers: “Be careful out there”

Posted on May 12, 2009 by ChrisA

The cyclists will be out in full force exercising their rights under Colorado Senate Bill 148. Technically the bill becomes effective August 5th, but if you haven’t already, it’s time to start driving like it’s already in effect.

The way I read it, on a 2 lane road, as long as there isn’t oncoming traffic, they can ride two abreast, especially if there’s a bike lane for one of the riders. They no longer need to pull over single file (although they rarely did anyway).

It would be nice if they had license plates too.

Why didn’t this bill outline some responsibilities for cyclists, like under what conditions headlights and reflectors are required? Probably a good thing as it would have been left up to the cyclists judgement.

Posted in stoopid boulder cyclists, the weekend | Leave a comment

Intervention and structural imbalance

Posted on May 12, 2009 by ChrisA

Spending money they don’t have.

The two key words in that sentence are “structural imbalance.” Sounds like something beyond the ability of mere mortals to change, doesn’t it? Part of the natural order, kind of like the swine flu. It just happens. Out in the real world beyond Washington, “structural imbalance” means: Washington politicians are on a spending rampage the likes of which has never before been seen anywhere in human history. The spenders include President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, plus a supporting cast of bureaucrats like Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and his predecessor, Henry Paulson, and the Democratic majorities in the Senate and House (joined by a few Senate Republicans). These officials are terminally afflicted with what Sen. Tom Coburn, R-OK, calls “federal spending disease” (FSD) an incurable addiction in which the sufferer is utterly unable to stop spending other people’s money. An intervention by voters is the only effective treatment.


The allure of power overides common sense every time.

Posted in stoopid government, taxes | Leave a comment

What the government can do for you

Posted on May 12, 2009 by ChrisA

Annual report due for Social Security and Medicare

A year ago, the trustees projected that the Social Security trust fund would start paying out more in benefits than it collects in taxes in 2017 and that the trust fund would be depleted in 2041.

For the Medicare trust fund, which pays for hospital care, the situation was more urgent. It was projected to start paying more in benefits than it collects in taxes within a year, and the trustees forecast that it would be depleted by 2019.

But many analysts said the worst recession in decades will produce a bleaker forecast for both Social Security and Medicare in the new trustees’ report. The downturn has resulted in a loss of 5.7 million payroll jobs since it began in December 2007 and an unemployment rate that hit a 25-year high of 8.9 percent in April.


The one thing the government can do beter than the banks if borrow or print money. Some people think that’s a good thing. My word of warning is “be careful what you wish for”.

Posted in big government, Boulder is stoopid, social security | Leave a comment

Boulderites tax payments at all time high

Posted on May 11, 2009 by ChrisA

Following Dr. Helen’s logic, Boulderites should have paid out record amounts to the Federal government this tax season!

Posted in taxes | Leave a comment