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Thursday, September 17, 2009

Northern Colorado Mimics Los Angeles Basin

For a time now, as I drive around Northern Colorado (usually lost), I have pondered the region's seemingly insatiable desire to become the Rockies version of the Los Angeles basin. Sprawling developments plopped in the middle of fields of corn, aquifers seemingly unthought of as raging boom town populations dispersed across the region, economic development agencies actively promoting specialized futures for some cities, and seemingly irrational (or complete lack thereof) zoning regulations.

Colorado will be the ultimate parody of the Los Angeles basin. Minus of course the critical environmental factor will most likely be water rather than bad, cough, air trapped into a basin. Boulder can play Beverly Hills 90210. Fort Collins can be the new blended good-side of Hollywood and Granada Hills. Loveland as Simi Valley with Greeley as Newhall and Neanderthal land. I'm just not quite sure where to stereotype Denver in yet. I haven't spent enough time in town I guess.

What puzzles me however is why the voters and citizens of Colorado are sitting back and watching it sprawl. I've picked up on the whole "We are the Libertarians" thing. I've recognized the whole neanderthallic "Tea Party" concepts. But for years I have heard my ninety-five year-ol ranching uncle talking about ways to tie all his properties up in a land trust so "the blankity-blank develops won't get their hands on it once I die." This from the most die hard conservative bastion of fiscal, social, and emotional constraint I've ever heard tell of. My uncle tells stories of watching men hang in "hangtown" California. Strung up for their color, for looking wrong at the right citizen, or because someone just plain didn't like them. "They let 'em swing from the porch of the hardware store."

Okay so environmentalist attitudes and progressive politics do not necessarily have to go hand in hand. But yet the area ranchers and farmers seem quite subdued in Northern Colorado. Where I come from the farmers, the ranchers, and the citizens would be armed with hayforks and pitchforks and demanding their own bizarro show called the "Town Hall".

My tour guides suggest this complacency is due to the fact the farmers and ranchers are struggling so hard that they may yet need the developers and their money if the big farm subsidies sink the small Mom and Pop ship any further. In my view a few more monopolistic-megalithlic-snail-snotter corporations controlling the markets--like our not so beloved JBS Swift and the bell will be tolling for those small Mom and Pops.

Another suggestion that has come my way is that "..so what... that's what's going to happen and we'll just have to live with it...".

I never buy into the idea that development can't be organized and planned. If you are working class or fixed residents of the area it is a prudent thing to keep a watchful eye out for what the future is developing for your quality of life. I do however buy into the notion it takes a lot of political clout, political power, economic power, or in lieu of these things, voter outrage and collective interest to create change.

Today, which brings me a few belated paragraphs later to my point, I have picked up another potential clue about the historic tendencies in Colorado that clear some of the fuzz off my puzzle. President Bush's Interior Cabinet Secretary is being investigated by Congress for potentially being in bed, and obviously enjoying it, with big corporate energy interests. The investigators of the very same Department of the Interior which she led turned her over to the Justice Department. That is NOT a good sign. Same said Secretary, Ms. Norton, previously served as Colorado's Attorney General.

I am just shocked. Aren't you? Who'd guess? The idea that such a conservative area would have the same elemental types of corrupt influences in government as the liberal state I just left behind. The players are different. The issues are different. But the motives stay the same.

Maybe we are all much more culpable, together, for the nation's spiral into gross special-interests than we would like to acknowledge. At least on the surface.

Here's a clip from the main article from the Los Angeles Times.

Interior Department investigators referred the case to the Justice Department after concluding that there was sufficient evidence of potential illegal conduct, according to federal law enforcement and Interior officials. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive and confidential nature of the case.

Those officials said the referral was based on an already comprehensive Interior Department investigation that included interviews with numerous Interior employees. The Justice Department has assigned prosecutors from its public integrity section and the U.S. attorney's office in Washington to the case.

Norton, 55, was President Bush's first Interior secretary. She had worked as an Interior Department attorney before being elected Colorado's attorney general. Later, as a private lawyer, she represented mining, timber and oil companies.

As Interior secretary, she embraced an industry-friendly approach to environmental regulation that she called "cooperative conservation" and pushed the department to open more public land for energy production.

Comments :

8 comments to “Northern Colorado Mimics Los Angeles Basin”

mowdy5gs said...
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To appreciate the trun for the worst Northern Colorado has taken especially Greeley I guess you have had to have been raised here. We have touched this subject togeather have we not? Jane I must say that farmers, farm land, water rights and government do not seem like they should be uttered in the same breath. I find it obscene that farmers have such a hard time being treated fairly when food is obviously more of a need and more important then energy as it even makes its own energy and drives the most important resource, people. Yet strangely enough money holds weight against such a basic fundemental good such as food. Now as for land, well Greeley is just about thee ugliest designed city in the whole of Colorado and I blame city leaders, Roche and Tointon for the misdeed of ugliyness pervayed on the city as it sits in blunder. Ever wonder how St. Michales sits in all of its glory yet it matches not one other area in town? As you move from buisness to buisness it is almost as different as Michigan and Mexico? As tenth street becomes the colfax of G town the western slope of Greeley if you will becomes that much more dibilitated as every one building built by every one man is unto himself and his own beauty as it is seen in the eye of the beholder and that is simply not cutting the cake. I am constantly seen in Versachi frames as Greeley is a constant eye sore for any and all who dare look upon it in any form. I do not understand the lack of accountability at all in government but I especially find it culpable for the asthetics or lack of them as much as thier neglagence in matters of water, farming, law and property rights. Such as the debate on Powertech. How do conservatives on one side of their mouth quote morals and ethics and God and on the other pillage the coffers, rape the fields and kill the women? I must say it is amazing the actual lack thereof as the last 8 has shown that they in fact stand for the opposite of everything they claim to be holy as actions speak louder then words. Is it not ironic it is the Democrats that will bring about smaller government? The Republicans brought about endless spending giant government stolen freedoms, coruption of government lawlessness as well as now acting as if they are children in a quarell with their mothers as they disobey at every rung of the finger? As Seinfeld says its bizzaro world.
Bush did more to destroy America and all it stands for in the name of greed, money and Cheney then anyone in history all in the lie of capitalism. Even Cheney in his own book talks of his displeasure with Bush as he drifted from what he, Cheney wanted. How he drifted from the vision for America Cheney had. So Cheney is admitting that Bush worked for him, and he is now out with it. Out with the fact that Bush was always his puppet. It should be the President disapointed with you Cheney not the other way around. The vice is not the pres, you are supposed to be his subordinant yet Cheney repremanded him as if he was the boss. And here we are, today in flux due to desicions that have not yet played out in their entirety leaving us all broke and unable to hold this country to any kind of accounting of its coruption. Just ask AIG or fred and fanni. Sterns, But its late and I needed to vent.

mowdy5gs said...
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This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Magpie said...
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This comment has been removed by the author.

mowdy5gs said...
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"Mowdy5gs Comment Above Has Not Been Removed But It Has Been Edited to Public Figures Only" Pardon my intrusion Jane but I would like to write about me and another for a moment if you do not mind. First I would like you to know I now know we have a mutual friend in Mr. Marlo. I still am waiting to have coffee with you however. So back to me and who I once was on the Trib. As you know I was mowdy5000, I was one of the first posters on the trib when it created its new web site. Recently their has been talk of me again on the site as it seems I am missed a bit. I would not give much credence to a few comments but I would like to state why I was removed to let readers know what kind of ******* ********* truly is. I was allowed to get away with much more then the average poster as I brought in readership to the online portion of the paper. I created dialouge, original ideas, I gave leads and broke storys as well, as I have become fed up with the coruption by **********, Clark, *********, *********, ********, *******, ********, ********* and all those who are "leaders " in the city. All of them fact, all of them solid and followed up on. Bangert and some on his staff are posters too. Some play charactors, some are themselves but all are encouraged to do this by the editor. ********** was offended by two posts I made directed towards him and someone who is close to him. He says he sent me an E-mail warning me to stop but there in fact was no E-mail. We even checked with MSN and there was simply no E-mail it was made up. He then kicked me off for reasons known only to him and I. But now I will give you a glimpse into the reasons, one or the first, is the E-mail that doesent exist, he used it as a reson to get rid of me by saying I never responded but it never existed. What I hear from ******* neighbor is he was asked by a couple of his afore mentioned friends to do away with me as they believe it is my fault for all of the attention to the scandals in this city. [not to mention my harrassment by law enforcement I told you about Jane] I must mention I have my conversation on tape with *******. On the tape he attempts to repremand me as an employee which I have never been, he proceeds to tell me how he repremanded his staff for not getting rid of me long ago,and was dumbfounded I was allowed to post for so long and he belittled his staff a such. He also proceeds to blame me for the coruption in this city, the attacks and the vitriol on the trib site, the hate and basically everything else that is wrong with Greeley. He blames me alone for all of this. Also on tape he then assumes to tell me I can still post if I choose to come back as someone else, someone annoynimous. This is just a glimpse into the convo I had with ********** that AGAIN, I have on tape. So journalism, free speech, ideas, thoughts, opinion, they are not allowed in Greeley unless they coincide with what the folks in charge deem worthy of print because remember, on the trib they are not rules, only guidelines. Which leaves them open and subjective to interpratation. I will toot my own horn a bit and say that trib postings and on line readership is crap without me excluding a few who I do find likeable and entertaining. The numbers do not lie and that, ********* is whay I was kept around so long scince you seemed unable to comprehend what I know you now know. A small bit in the big picture of an ******* who is friends with those who his staff reports on. Like *********, who he gives free print to further his campaign for senate. But I digress.

mowdy5gs said...
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A shame, so I will tell you the names removed are that of the local editor of the tribune, the sherriff, the police chief, a police officer the ditrict attorney, the local 1310 talk show host who are all by the way public figures voted on, and voted in exceot two of them. This also bring me to the round about point of who you are Jane? Also it is interesting to note that the trib while doing this same kind of thing is knowhere to be found when real storys come to the forefront of attention. They are a squad of amature writers hoping for a big break in journalism yet not one of them could carry my water, well, unless I asked them to. The tribs stoorys are knowhere near in depth, no follow through with reporting, no investigative prowess,no real investigating whatsoever it is almost as they continue to walk the same road as Cobbler and his lax way of reporting or re writing. There are many storys to be had here in town, many scandals to break, many people to expose yet did you look at the paper today? This week? Have you noticed how short the storys are? It is almost like they are told to make them 500 hundread words or less. Or maybe they are unable to make a thought last that long I do not know? Anyhooo, thought I'd clear up whos names were censored as they are all but two of them public officials and its all fact, it all happened and you can check As all of there scandals have made the paper and they are all in at least one.

mowdy5gs said...
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Clark is the mayor, Buckaroo is the D.A. Cooke is the sherriff, Garner is the chief, Amy is a local news talent so I'd appreaciate these names being put back up. I am suprised you consider the editor of the local paper to be a private name that does not make journalism scence but what in Greeley does? Just wanted to make a couple more posts to make it look important. But were good,...

Magpie said...
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Mowdy's original text: Pardon my intrusion Jane but I would like to write about me and another for a moment if you do not mind. First I would like you to know I now know we have a mutual friend in Mr. Marlo. I still am waiting to have coffee with you however. So back to me and who I once was on the Trib. As you know I was mowdy5000, I was one of the first posters on the trib when it created its new web site. Recently their has been talk of me again on the site as it seems I am missed a bit. I would not give much credence to a few comments but I would like to state why I was removed to let readers know what kind of editor Bangetr truly is. I was allowed to get away with much more then the average poster as I brought in readership to the online portion of the paper. I created dialouge, original ideas, I gave leads and broke storys as well, as I have become fed up with the coruption by Bucko-roo, Clark, Cooke, Amy Oliver, Roche, Tointon, Garner, Hulsey and all those who are "leaders " in the city. All of them fact, all of them solid and followed up on. Bangert and some on his staff are posters too. Some play charactors, some are themselves but all are encouraged to do this by the editor. Bangert was offended by two posts I made directed towards him and someone who is close to him. He says he sent me an E-mail warning me to stop but there in fact was no E-mail. We even checked with MSN and there was simply no E-mail it was made up. He then kicked me off for reasons known only to him and I. But now I will give you a glimpse into the reasons, one or the first, is the E-mail that doesent exist, he used it as a reson to get rid of me by saying I never responded but it never existed. What I hear from Bangerts neighbor is he was asked by a couple of his afore mentioned friends to do away with me as they believe it is my fault for all of the attention to the scandals in this city. [not to mention my harrassment by law enforcement I told you about Jane] I must mention I have my conversation on tape with Bangert. On the tape he attempts to repremand me as an employee which I have never been, he proceeds to tell me how he repremanded his staff for not getting rid of me long ago,and was dumbfounded I was allowed to post for so long and he belittled his staff a such. He also proceeds to blame me for the coruption in this city, the attacks and the vitriol on the trib site, the hate and basically everything else that is wrong with Greeley. He blames me alone for all of this. Also on tape he then assumes to tell me I can still post if I choose to come back as someone else, someone annoynimous. This is just a glimpse into the convo I had with Bangert that AGAIN, I have on tape. So journalism, free speech, ideas, thoughts, opinion, they are not allowed in Greeley unless they coincide with what the folks in charge deem worthy of print because remember, on the trib they are not rules, only guidelines. Which leaves them open and subjective to interpratation. I will toot my own horn a bit and say that trib postings and on line readership is crap without me excluding a few who I do find likeable and entertaining. The numbers do not lie and that, Bangert is whay I was kept around so long scince you seemed unable to comprehend what I know you now know. A small bit in the big picture of an editor who is friends with those who his staff reports on. Like bucko-roo, who he gives free print to further his campaign for senate. But I digress.

Magpie said...
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I have replaced your original text on the basis these are public figures and your verification of your version of the story. As to your question whom am I Mowdy. I am simply someone who doesn't care for labels, stickers, or teams. i have no connections or history with anyone. TJ is a good honest man I met not long after I arrived in Greeley. His sincerity reminds me of the story of Diogenes looking for an honest man or Mr. Smith goes to Washington. I write my observations and give my critiques based on the best information I have. I will always be discrete where nonpublic figures are concerned--including if someone posted about you or anyone else.

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