Coyote Gulch

Saturday, August 28, 2004

2004 Presidential Election
Here's a pre-Republican National Convention article from the Rocky Mountain News [August 28, 2004, "Big Apple awaits GOP core"]. From the article, "The setting and timing have for months seemed scripted for maximum drama: blocks from ground zero, days before Sept. 11, with war dividing the nation and a presidential election running hot and tight with two months to go. But few expected when the year began that the convention drama would spill back to Colorado, which suddenly has an open seat that could tip the balance in the U.S. Senate and where recent polls show President Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry dead even. High stakes at home and inside Madison Square Garden will draw scores of Coloradans to New York this week: candidates seeking a leg up, conservatives struggling with their place among an array of centrist prime-time speakers, protesters with big complaints and big plans to vent them, party loyalists young and old on whose shoulders Bush's re-election chances may rest."
TalkLeft: "If you see an injustice, record it. Pen and paper are fine. Cell phones are better."
TalkLeft: "New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is starting off Convention week with a light-hearted humor. How long will he keep it up? We'll track his comments periodically as the week progresses to see."
Is it time to move off of the Vietnam War this election cycle? Here's a link to a film clip of former Texas Lieutenant Govenor, Ben Barnes, apologizing for getting President Bush into the National Guard during the war. Thanks to Adding Understanding for the link. The 'Ol Coyote would rather that the candidates discuss the War in Iraq, the War on Terror, the War on Drugs, the War on Poverty, Healthcare, unemployment, water, gay rights, the ... well you get the idea.
Electoral-vote.com: "CNN had a story about the electoral college yesterday. They put the score at Kerry 264, Bush, 274. We agree on 46 states but differ on four states. CNN gives Wisconsin to Kerry; I have it currently for Bush. Personally, I think they are right, but the last poll puts Bush ahead. CNN awards Nevada and Tennessee to Bush; I have them for Kerry at the moment. Both are close. It is premature to call Nevada for Bush. It has gone back and forth several times. It is really a tossup. Tennessee should be an easy win for Bush, but the polls say otherwise and the many emails I have had from people in Tennessee also suggest otherwise. Finally, there is Colorado. In recent years it has gone Republican, but the polls say it is a tie now. The conventional wisdom would paint it red, but the data paints it white right now. It is interesting to note that if CNN is right except for Nevada, it is an exact tie, 269 to 269."
Update: Taegan Goddard: "New Polls. According to a new Time magazine poll, President Bush is supported by 46% of likely voters, Sen. John Kerry by 44% and Ralph Nader by 5%. In the two-way race, it's dead even: Kerry 46%, Bush 46%. Here are the latest state polls: Minnesota - Kerry 48%, Bush 44% (Rasmussen)."
8:55:03 AM

Colorado Water
Denver Water's rates are low compared with other water districts according to the Rocky Mountain News [August 28, 2004, "Water rates still a steal"]. From the article, "An industry rate comparison conducted in 2001 shows Denver Water in the bottom one-third of major cities, including places far wetter than Denver. Seattle, Miami and Portland, for example, all had rates markedly higher than Denver Water's...The Seattle City Council, which oversees the water agency, grew so weary of hearing from angry customers who perceived they were being punished for conserving that it undertook a new strategy: raising rates, then setting aside the extra money in a pool to cover revenue shortfalls during droughts...The costs break down like this: The first 22,000 gallons over a two-month period cost a Denver Water customer $1.63 per 1,000 gallons. The next 16,000 gallons cost $1.96 per 1,000 gallons and everything over 60,000 gallons costs $2.45 per 1,000 gallons - or about 50 cents extra per 1,000 gallons." Coyote Gulch pays $2.50 per 1,000 gallons for my house in Dolores (Montezuma Valley Water).
8:41:39 AM

Denver November 2004 Election
The Denver Post is reporting that Coors (the company) has cut more jobs than they've added since Peter Coors took the reigns of the company [August 27, 2004, "Candidate Coors cut jobs as brewer"]. From the article, "The company's employment peaked for the decade in 1994, when Coors reported that it had 6,300 workers in its North American division. By 2003, the company reported that it had 5,400 workers in that division - the lowest employment level of the decade." Oops
The Denver Post editorial staff sounds off on Peter Coors and job creation [August 28, 2004, "Coors telling wrong story on jobs"]. From the editorial, "Yet Coors Brewing Co.'s North American division has shed a net 900 jobs in the decade since Coors became chairman. What jobs Coors Brewing did add came by buying another company overseas. Those facts don't square with TV ads that label him as a job creator or with campaign speeches in which he often has made the claim. Coors is making his political debut in this race, and he can properly take credit for keeping his company profitable in a tough, competitive industry. But he should retire his self-image as a job creator." Ouch.
Mark Udall and Lola Spradley were on the road asking voters to approve Amendment 37 according to the Denver Post [August 27, 2004, "Udall, Spradley campaign for renewable-energy vote"]. From the article, "Amendment 37 will be the country's first statewide vote on renewable energy, but one Xcel Energy official said it's a costly gift to special interests, namely the solar energy industry. In Minnesota, the company estimated net savings at $760 million, Udall said, adding: 'My sense is Xcel is having difficulty developing an argument on cost that holds up to scrutiny.'" The Ol' Coyote saw part of the Xcel wind farm in Minnesota this summer. Very impressive.
House Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi, was in town stumping for Dave Thomas, according to the Denver Post [August 29, 2004, "State viewed as vital to Democrats' vision"]. From the article, "Pelosi was on a four-state swing, stumping for Democratic candidates in Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and Colorado. While in Denver, she made political appearances for Colorado Democratic congressional candidates Thomas, Mark Udall, John Salazar and Stan Matsunaka." Here's the coverage from the Rocky Mountain News [August 28, 2004, "Dems get help from on high"].
The Rocky, Post, and the Salazar campaign have all tried to set the record straight regarding the Summitville mine and the Attorney General's involvement. Here's an opinion piece written by Stuart A. Sanderson is the president of the Colorado Mining Association in today's Rocky Mountain News [August 28, 2004, "Speakout: Anti-Salazar ad besmirches more than just a candidate"]. Mr. Sanderson writes, "If you've seen a sleazy TV ad attacking Ken Salazar for his alleged role in the debacle at the Summitville gold mine near Wolf Creek Pass, you've been lied to. You've been lied to about what happened at Summitville, and you've been lied to about who was responsible. And, just as offensive to the 5,500 miners who work today in Colorado's mining industry, you've been lied to about their commitment to safe operations. What makes it worse is that no one - other than the Salazar campaign - wants to take responsibility for setting the record straight. Not the shadowy Virginia-based group responsible for the ad, Americans for Job Security, and not the Colorado TV stations that stand to reap nearly $700,000 from this tawdry campaign - all of whom refuse to take it off the air. (And none of whom bothered to verify with any industry source, to my knowledge, the allegations contained therein)...Some will say outrageous allegations are simply part of the rough-and-tumble Colorado political process - something to be expected. If that's the case, then we've lost something precious here. Our ability to make informed decisions about our elected leaders, our respect for the truth and our admiration for hard-working men and women in government and industry who, in this case, have labored to make a bright and safe future for Colorado's mining industry." Go home "Americans for Job Security."
8:12:42 AM

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