The idea that there are no borders, no countries, no wars…you get the idea. So, so much of our conflicts in this world are based on barriers. Our property, street, neighborhood, city, county, state, country, continent, sure, physical barriers. But they are a completely man-made construct that we have become habituated to.

after a stressful city council meeting, I’m awake for another couple hours trying to “decompress”. I think the message is, A quiet mind is untroubled.

“I never realized I was homeless when I lost my housing, only when I lost my family and friends”.

I neither created this picture, nor wrote this post. AI is getting crazy good and accessible. Click for the picture to read the full post.

Updated with Post Election Ruminations too. I do tend to ruminate a bit…

What I ultimately learned on my vacation?

• My wife Carol is the best and I am so lucky to have her in my life (I knew this but was reminded of it ALL the time just being in her presence).

Our circulator bus for special events, summer tourists, and commuters has noticeably cut traffic and opened up parking for residents. Paid for by a lodging tax, the bus is used by many, and continues to gain riders.

Yes to food trucks, in the ROW, but in limited locations and properly licensed. Read more and see the data here.

I reached out to the City Streets supervisor, Steve Kurtz, and the director of public works Anne Bierle. Steve said he would add it to the work plan. THE NEXT DAY, the concrete and the corner were torn up and framed in. The ADA ramp, which was not there, was installed immediately after. That’s it!

I need no more data telling me that vapes are less harmful than cigarettes.  It will make no difference to me if someone finds another source to back that up.  Many speakers asked us to do more research between first and second reading.  I did so, but if I care more about the additive behavior of nicotine and I look at the decades long history of the tobacco industry to create that addiction and continue to find new customers for their products, it is NOT going to get me into the pro-tobacco camp.

A very powerful read about how social media is hurting relationships, and media in general is taking away so much of what we value in life. Does creating safe spaces make room for conversation? Or stifle it?

The land use bill died on the last day of the 2023 legislative session. Nothing really to report here.

I can’t summarize a book in a sentence, but basically the idea is that by suppressing wages, corporations gain greater benefits for their shareholders. Raising wages gives landlords leverage to raise rents, so wage gains don’t really “help”. The best predictor of success is sadly your zip code. The best way to improve your lot in life is to live in a better neighborhood. Period. Let me repeat that, “The best way to improve your lot in life is to live in a better neighborhood”

The city is rolling out a whole bunch of changes to the zoning code. Here is a very brief look at my thoughts on the commercial zoning overlay and it’s impact.

…as long as we continue to ask of the government things that used to be done by the citizens, we have to face the messiness of government engagement.

Homophily - the tendency for people to seek out or be attracted to those who are similar to themselves. Think of the old trope, “birds of a feather flock together”.

Golden has limited resources, cannot grow forever, and if it does nothing STILL has unsustainable pressures that impact the quality of life for the current residents. It is completely unreasonable to just bar the door as many of our current residents are rent/cost burdened and their quality of life is impacted. So yes to more CSM housing, and yes to more housing that fits our character. In my opinion doing nothing is a dereliction in duty, and it doesn't help keep Golden awesome. Click for the picture to read the full post.

There are definitely people opposed to dropping the speed limit. And they rightly point out that road design is likely the controlling factor on the speed at which people drive. I have previously written about Stroads. And Ford is very much a Stroad. It is neither a well designed street, nor a well designed road. As such, it feels unsafe for most users. Ford needs a serious redesign so that all users have a better experience, and it is not going to be easy or cheap given the constraints. Click for the picture to read the full post.

Have an issue you want fixed? Click here to see who to call. Hint…it’s unlikely to be me!

I recently borrowed and read some of a book called The High Cost of Free Parking, by Donald Shoup. But at over 700 pages I must say I focused on the highlights. I’ll share my takeaways in this post. Click for the picture to read the full post.