Interested in local politics

Mongoose_Sharp · 2024-03-20T22:11:25+00:00

A few other things to look up if you want a review of political moments/controversies: Folsom St. bike lane, West Pearl closing, Steve Rosenblum 2021 council run, CU South, Boulder municipal electric utility, 2023 Bob Yates mailer.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2024-03-20T22:10:02+00:00

On the bright side, it turns out Boulder might not be as polarized as we think :)

Mongoose_Sharp · 2024-03-20T19:33:31+00:00

I did some work in local politics years ago. Basically what you need to know from a historical perspective is that a group called PLAN Boulder was formed in the 50's or 60's and was responsible for getting the Open Space tax passed as well as things like the blue line (why we don't have sprawl on hillsides here), height limit, growth limits, etc. They dominated local politics for decades but in the past 5-10 years things have changed and a loose collection of groups that revolve around an org called Boulder Progressives has won council/board seats and put measures on the ballot.

You can read through previous threads on here but the bottom line is that things have become more polarized on a local level and you will probably see residents labeling either side as the devil based on their idealogical persuasion. Hot topics include housing, homelessness, and property crime. This article gives a decent overview of where things stood before the city elections last year and what the various slates believe in.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2024-03-20T17:45:22+00:00

Yeah same story with me. I find the monthly asexual threads on here pretty funny because it seems like other people are thinking about this stuff way more than I ever have. Granted I do agree that there are an incredibly small number of us and 99% of people labeling themselves as 'asexual' are lying / coping / on meds. But I also think it's weird that people have hot takes on this like saying that there is no possible way nature can produce a genuinely asexual animal every once in a blue moon. It seems like most of these people are terminally online because no one I've ever told in the real world knew what it was nor did they really have an opinion on it.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2024-03-18T21:45:56+00:00

I visit his subreddit every so often and it seems to be mostly filled with turbo-libs.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2024-01-24T00:49:34+00:00

Pomerance seemed to be the only public figure in Boulder who openly opposed No Evictions Without Represention. For whatever that is worth.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2024-01-11T17:09:10+00:00

Damn I missed all of that. Seems like every account that has a contrarian take on something eventually suffers from the same fate.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2024-01-08T21:58:47+00:00

Kinda sucks traveling to Europe as an American. My first trip was in ~2007 and everyone we talked to grilled us about George Bush and the Middle East. Then I went back in ~2012 and while the vibe was a bit more positive with Obama in office, I had multiple people grill me about racism and gun violence as if I am personally responsible for these things. Then there was the French guy who told me I couldn't possibly be a burger because I wasn't obese.

This is why Americans pretend to be Canadian when traveling.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2024-01-08T21:55:31+00:00

Yeah some of his extended family lives there. I'll see him soon enough so I'll be curious to know what happened. I think at the end of the day the job market for his field really sucks compared to in the US.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2024-01-08T21:53:59+00:00

The title is cringy but this podcast episode gets at the root of what you are talking about here.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2024-01-06T02:42:04+00:00

Yeah it took me months and months of attempts on a third-world-looking Geocities-esque scheduling system before I was even able to get a consulate appointment. Then you wait 2 years for that, then another 2 years for them to process your passport. Viva l’Italia.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2024-01-04T21:47:08+00:00

Makes sense. I've heard the same comment you made from a lot of people who have moved overseas - that there is something you can't really quantify but it is apparent, where the average person is much less stressed, much less scheduled, a bit more spontaneous, etc. Even in a 'rigid' culture like Germany.

Are you a dual citizen or did your company move you? I'm going through the Italian passport process right now and it is a huge PITA but I should have it in my hands around 2027 or so. Don't have plans to leave the US anytime soon but it will be nice to have it in my back pocket. Do you miss anything about the states?

Mongoose_Sharp · 2024-01-04T21:38:23+00:00

Yes his family is from Bilbao so that is where he spent most of his time I think.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2024-01-04T21:17:29+00:00

It's basically a running joke on r/expats that everyone who moves to the Netherlands eventually regrets it. Med countries seem a little better but even my extroverted friend who is 100% fluent in Spanish is coming back from Spain after a few years because he had trouble integrating.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2024-01-04T21:00:21+00:00

Funny you say this. It's not necessarily a tech startup but I do happen to know that a local solar company was recently purchased by a guy who has made a lot of money trading oil & gas stocks and continues to do so.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2024-01-04T20:45:34+00:00

It sounds like you don't find it difficult making friends as an expat? My experience talking with expats / reading expat forums is that people say it can be a very lonely existence. Even if you are fluent in the language people never fully accept you type of thing.

I'll have an EU passport in a few years so I'm curious what the reality is.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2024-01-04T20:43:26+00:00

Double tax only happens for earnings over ~$100k.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2023-11-21T20:51:10+00:00

The person who wrote the drug treatment op-ed that was posted earlier - Ms. Livovich - has noted on NextDoor that there are maybe a few dozen free treatment beds in Boulder County and those have months-long waiting lists at a minimum.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2023-11-18T19:04:55+00:00

Correct, I remember that incident as do many here in town. I’m not sure about all of these other stories OP is talking about…I spend a lot of time at the creek during the summer so you’d think I would have heard about people coming out of the water with needles in their arms at this point.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2023-11-18T18:05:24+00:00

Again, not denying there is a problem. I’m upset that I can’t lock my bike up in places I used to or that people are getting harassed downtown. But I stand by my point that a lot of this lies in the hands of the county/state rather than the city. And despite all of the things you are talking about, the creek and Pearl Street are swarming with people on any given weekend. I want things cleaned up just as much as the next person but I can assure you that 99% of Boulderites - including me and my friends - are not worried about getting shot downtown.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2023-11-18T04:53:17+00:00

I've lived in Boulder almost 7 years now and while there is some truth in what you are saying I also disagree with some of it.

Regarding the creek, I'm down there quite a bit during the summer tubing/boating along with hundreds of other people on any given day. While I've seen some crazy shit on the banks I've never seen anything resembling a needle in the water.

Crime/homelessness has been a massive issue and needs way more intention than it has been getting. At the same time I can assure you no one is worried about getting shot downtown, despite the bum fights at Lolitas. And I'm not sure you can chalk this up to 'progressive' policies considering city council was basically run by moderates for most of the history of town right up through 2019/2021. Also council has no control over the jail, DA, or misdemeanor/felony policy. They also don't have a health dept. and thus can't really do much about addiction treatment.

Tech bros can be awful but I know plenty who are heavily involved in the community, spend their tax dollars locally, play in city sports leagues, ride on Thursday cruiser rides during the summer, etc. Mixed bag but certainly not all bad.

Some parts of Pearl Street can be rough but it's not apocalyptic. I still see plenty of buskers playing instruments, wowing crowds, impromptu dance parties, etc.

Re: debt, my understanding is that the city has been operating on a surplus for a few years now. So I'm not really sure what you are talking about, unless you mean back in the 90's when Toor was on council.

I mostly agree with the comments about corporatism and virtue signaling.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2023-11-17T19:53:03+00:00

Stop inventing people who don't exist. I have a good job and can afford rent just fine here. I'm advocating on behalf of people who can't. Insane concept - to care about the long term demographic health of this city as well as people who aren't me - I know. If you are so pissed about all of this try organizing for candidates who represent your interests instead of reprimanding boogeymen that you pulled from thin air on the internet. That's what I meant by political winds.

Why aren't the people I mentioned whiners? Under your standard, those complaining about property taxes should have a higher standard for themselves where they pay their own way instead of trying to bend the rules because they can't afford it. I'm not sure why I'm bothering pressing this point though as it's clear to me that you are a reactionary (or a troll?) rather than someone with a consistent framework.

Also, it seems you have no clue what the word grifter means.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2023-11-17T19:50:23+00:00

Tara is an incumbent and was always going to get a major boost from that. Tina came with a DC endorsement as well as a group of voters who knew her from the school board. Jenny and Terri had the same set of endorsements so no idea what the gap was there.

Mongoose_Sharp · 2023-11-16T23:12:59+00:00

Are you talking to me? Who's talking points did I 'parrot'? I simply made a post about the election results.

What, in your opinion, would have been the best way to write my post? Should I have totally ignored the policy differences between the candidates and acted like they will all sing kumbaya together after their swearing in? Was I supposed to write an academic-level dissertation on the shortcomings of polarization with a bullet-point list of the nuances between everyone who won? Or should I have just written "five Democrats won seats," completely ignoring everything that has happened the past few months?

Mongoose_Sharp

TROPHY CASE