THAT WAS THE TIPPING POINT WE JUST WHIZZED PAST.

opinion by Gerald Trumbule

I just paid $1.83/gal for gasoline. That was the tipping point we just whizzed past. Oil-based derivatives on the wrong side of this bet will default. All major institutions (pension, municipalities, etc.) have billions in these now-toxic instruments. Dollar is starting to go parabolic (predicted to start the crack-up). Major global depression, we are on our way. Best turn your attention to practical matters of survival.

BANKING ON COLORADO

Bringing Our Money Home
When the Great Recession of 2008 hit, small and medium sized businesses suffered a sharp reduction in borrowing ability as the large banks, which have come to dominate our credit markets over the past two decades, sharply reduced their lending to these businesses. Instead, the large banks used the government bail-out money — given them for the purpose of stimulating of the economy through lending — to invest in the more lucrative but riskier derivative market, or to simply to take bad subprime mortgages off their books. Without access to affordable credit, small and medium sized businesses across the country laid off workers, stopped buying from suppliers, and went out of business. This deepened the crisis, pushing community banks’ loan portfolios into distress and state and local government budgets into deficit.

In Colorado, as in most other states, falling tax receipts have forced our state and and local governments to cut back on public services at the precise moment when their residents and local businesses needed them most. This damaging cycle has not abated in most of the country, and only partially in Colorado, despite the recovery of the handful of Wall Street financial firms, who set off this crisis in the first place.

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SE COLORADO IS NOW A MILITARY PLAYGROUND AND THE DRONES ARE COMING

via email: Not 1 More Acre! PO Box 773 Trinidad, Colorado 81082
January 2, 2015

Jabba the Hutt

Star Wars' most powerful, bloated, gluttonous gangster with far reaching influence in politics and criminal spending.
Just as many people around the world were preparing to celebrate the Night Before Christmas, December 24, 2014, Jabba's bagman, Department of Army delivered yet another 'environmental' study, this one disclosing that Gray Eagle drones -- Army's version of Killer Predator drones -- are coming to southeastern Colorado.

Gray Eagle UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ) are part of the standard configuration of Fort Carson's new $3.5 billion Heavy Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB). Four Shadow UAV's accompany each Gray Eagle and AH-64 ('Apache') attack helicopter. Shadow drones have already been added to Fort Carson's illegal training and operations at 236,000-acre Joint Force Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site.

According to its own documents, Department of Defense (DOD) will maneuver Fort Carson's new Heavy CAB between 4,960 and 7,652 hours per year at Piñon Canyon. But DOD's Christmas Eve environmental assessment says Gray Eagle drones will NOT operate at PCMS. These are the same gangsters who repeatedly deny military expansion is happening.

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BLACK LIVES MATTER (DIE-IN AT DENVER MAYOR'S OFFICE)

WALKABOUT - CITY PARK - Dec. 23. 2014

Opinion by Gerald Trumbule

I drove down to 23rd and York and entered City Park. After winding around past the circle and tennis courts, I came upon this wall of various fences, one of which is an "art work" called Avian Front. It looks pretty much like a rusted iron machine fashioned into a fence with tall grass in front of it. It keeps you from seeing the western portion of the Zoo's acreage. It is not aesthetically pleasing, despite the attempt to "artify" it.

Looks like the entrance to an abandoned junk yard

Around the corner looking east toward Duck Lake

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Civic organizations that exist that you can participate/communicate with regarding City Park West

(From Ean Tafoya on FB)
Happy Holidays Everyone,
I have been following the conversations regarding CPFAN and I wanted to take a moment and list a few other civic organizations that exist that you can participate/communicate with regarding our lovely neighborhood rather then starting another group. I suggest visiting them all included CPFAN before you decide which one you would like to dedicate your time too. You can also voice park opinions monthly at the Denver Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. There is open public comment at the beginning of each meeting on the second Thursday of each month at 5:30.

CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS
City Park West Neighborhood Organization- I understand that Elizabeth Pearlman is still interested in gathering people to make CPWNO a reality again. I can say that after working to get it off the ground in the past with Liz and neighbors that I it is take a lot of work from committed neighbors to get all the outreach and organizational pieces together. i.e. regular meeting spaces, website, email distribution of content, plus agenda building. I highly encourage people to work towards this with Liz.
If you like to participate on smaller committees or projects with organization that are more established and cover the same boundaries I would suggest:
Uptown on the Hill, Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods (CHUN), or the City Park Alliance.
Uptown on the Hill has a board and several committees that are working on annual block parties, park beautification, and other community projects. Uptown also tracks zoning and other issues that the City informs RNO's about. Frank Silady Locantore is the President of the Board and I am sure he would love to talk to potential members about City Park and Uptown.
CHUN - is one of Denver's first Neighborhood groups. It covers a large area including CPW, South City Park, Congress Park, Chessmen Park, Cherry Creek and Capitol Hill. It two follows city issues and zoning, liquour, park issues, in addition to running the People's Fair and other civic issues. I am currently a member of this board and would lover to talk to people about our organization chunddenver.org
City Park Alliance - was formed in 1999 with a vision of restoring City Park. The bring together community, corporate and government resources to support park improvement projects. City Park Alliance gathers and engages the community, and mobilizes partners and resources for capital improvements, programs and events, and advocates for and communicates with all stakeholders on issues affecting City Park.
The City Park Alliance is run by a volunteer board of directors. Representatives from Denver Parks and Recreation, the Denver Zoo, and the Museum of Nature and Science sit on this board as well as several community members with a particular interest and commitment to City Park. Contact them directly at cityparkalliance@gmail.com
I am available to answer questions on the thread regarding my suggestions.

Between 17th Ave and 16th Ave, the alley between High St & Race St.

(From Nextdoor - City Park West)
Hello everyone. I have been in touch with Albus Brooks, our town councilman. We are planning to discuss the problems with drug dealers, gangs, and other problems that are not being addressed by the Property Managers of the Low Income Housing, Section 8, etc.
While the vast majority of those residents are good people and need this assistance, we are trying to get the owners/property managers to do a better job with regard to the bad tenants that are making our neighborhood littered and unsafe. We see a LOT of drug use in the alley that connects 2 of these Low Income Apartment Bldgs.,
If anyone out there is having problems with tenants in the Section 8/ Low Income Housing, please contact me. We have had quite a bit of trouble with violent drug dealers in the apartments on E 17th Ave. (while shooting at rival gang members driving by on 17th Ave, on a Friday evening, 4 bullets went into our building, 2 went thru the front door of our neighbors and were lodged in their wall). We worked closely with the police and were able to get them evicted last April. We also just helped the Property Manager get rid of another tenant that is part of this same gang.
Lets work together to keep City Park West safe and beautiful.
Chris Kahlmeyer
UPDATE 12/23/2014

Chris Kahlmeyer, City Park West
Hello everyone,
I just received an email confirming an appointment with our City Councilman, Albus Brooks on December 31st.
If you are having trouble with the tenants in the Low Income Housing, please send me as much information as you can, I want to share as much information as possible with Mr. Brooks when we meet.
In a 1 block radius from my house alone, I estimate close to 300 Low Income Housing units, compared to only about 15 -20 townhouse/apartments/duplexes in the same area.
We want to work with our Councilman and the Property Managers to keep the crime and criminals out of the Low Income Housing in our neighborhood.
Please share any information regarding issues with the Low Income Housing in City Park West.
Thanks so much!
Chris

DENVER AUDITOR GALLAGHER ENCOUNTERS "FOOT-DRAGGING" AT SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT

DEFLECTION FROM POLICE BRUTALITY ISSUE?

See also here

Photo Radar and Photo Red light program, by Dennis Gallagher, Denver Auditor

On Monday night, the Denver City Council passed a six-month extension on the contract for the Photo Radar and Photo Red light program.  The intention is, apparently, to use the six months to prepare a new contract that likely will expand the program.
During Council remarks on the extension, I heard a lot of talk about promoting public safety.  I never heard any talk about proving that these two programs actually improve public safety.
In 2011, we conducted an audit of the Photo Radar and Photo Red Light Program.  The audit found that the Denver Police Department had not shown the public safety impact of either program.
It is critically important that both programs be supported with solid Denver-based data, so we do not maintain public policy on the basis of wishes and hope and anecdotal evidence that may not accurately represent Denver driver behavior. To that end, we recommended that it was important to conduct objective analysis and study of both programs to determine their actual impact on improving public safety.
Among the recommendations we made in our original audit, three dealt with study or analysis of the safety impact of the Photo Radar Program and three dealt with study or analysis of the safety impact of the Photo Red Light Program.
Our follow-up work through 2014 indicates that those studies have never taken place.  The Denver Police Department still cannot demonstrate that either program has had a tangible impact on improving public safety.
If they are not having a tangible impact on improving public safety then perhaps other options for that improvement need to be investigated and implemented that might be better at improving public safety.
We also noted that these two programs are generating over $7 Million combined annually.  Because these programs were sold as public safety enhancements but are widely viewed as a ‘cash grab’ by the public, it undermines public trust to maintain photo enforcement programs that are profitable but whose safety impact has not been conclusively shown.
We are all concerned with reducing accidents; protecting the safety of our children in around our public streets; and ensuring that pedestrians are not at risk when they step off the curb and into the street.  However we need to ensure that any program we undertake, does indeed do that.  As I have said, without verifiable and objective data we cannot confirm these programs do that.
It is interesting to note that it is very likely that the Police Department will want to expand each program.   Among our recommendations we stated that the Manager of Safety should not expand either the photo radar of photo stoplight programs until the program’s safety benefits are adequately demonstrated through objective analysis.  The department agreed with the recommendations but did not do either study.  They stated that they would not expand either program.

Dennis