Boulder DA gives County Commissioners a reality check, and more

By Max R. Weller

Boulder County, CO a.k.a. the Boulder Bubble

Read the story in the Daily Camera. Quoting from it below:

As the Boulder County commissioners test the community’s temperature toward a new tax to pay for sustainability programs, District Attorney Stan Garnett says he’ll encourage them to scrap that conversation and focus on “real world” issues he feels threaten the basic functionality of several county offices.

“In good budget times, I think (a sustainability tax) would be fine. I’d probably even vote for it,” Garnett said. “But we should be going on essential core service issues. Sustainability is an issue that’s kind of fluffy, kind of a luxury.

“It’s important, but it’s not a core issue of the county.”

Utopia is not sustainable? Who knew? Continuing excerpt:

The potential tax is still in its infancy, and is far from a sure thing. But previous discussions have yielded a slew of areas it might address, including water conservation programs, recycling and composting facilities, improvements to the local organic food system, and renewable, efficient energy services such as EnergySmart, among others.

The county commissioners must decide by Aug. 12 whether to place any measures on the November ballot

“We listen to the community, and our community asks us to act on its values,” Commissioner Cindy Domenico said. “There are things that matter to people here around energy efficiency and climate change. Those are on people’s minds.”

Certainly on the minds of wealthy white elites who form the PLAN-Boulder County cabal and their stooges holding elective office in both the city and county of Boulder, but most people are more interested in the day-to-day basic services government is supposed to provide.

Other elected officials are concerned, too:

Potential ballot language isn’t finalized but, according to the commissioners’ staff, a 0.15 percent sales tax could generate a projected $4.5 million annually, while a 0.75-mill property tax, about $5.5 million a year.

That’s money, Garnett said, that would go a long way toward fixing the county’s jail overcrowding problem, or offering better pay.

“Staff compensation continues to be a real challenge,” he said. “I’ve had trouble keeping pace with what other district attorneys’ offices are able to pay their staff, and I know other county offices have that problem as well.”

Garnett said his senior staffers often make about 20 percent less than what they’d be offered in other counties.

Boulder County Coroner Emma Hall said that compensation is an issue for her staff as well. On top of that, she’s trying to make do with about the same amount of funding for a caseload that’s gone from 186 autopsies in 2012 to 244 in 2013.

“I think that’s where there can certainly be some frustration — when there’s an idea to start a sales tax for other programs, when we’ve already got things that we’re struggling to do,” Hall said.

Additionally, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle has been vocal about the need for funding to relieve severe jail overcrowding, whether through an auxiliary facility or otherwise. 

And consider this letter-to-the-editor of the DC. Online comment by “donwrege” is copied below:

Boulder County’s Road Fund has been reduced by 59 percent, diminishing from $2.6 million in 2000 to $1.1 million in 2010. However, social services expenditures have increased by over 200 percent during this same period

2000 Boulder County Budget:
– Road Fund = $2,620,709
– Social Services Fund = $2,325,001

2011 Boulder County Budget:
– Road and Bridge Fund = $1,075,955
– Social Services Fund = $6,536,717

So, for many years now, Boulder County Commissioners have shortchanged basic services in favor of social engineering — good for transients from Denver and elsewhere, NOT good for residents here.

Cindy Domenico

Closing comment by DA Garnett from the DC article:

“We think the commissioners are great folks,” Garnett said. “We just want to make sure they remember there’s core services that have been short-changed for many budget cycles now, and we want to make sure those are funded before we ask for taxpayer money for non-essential services.”

—————————————————————————————————————–

This just in, Supreme Court: Employers with religious objections can refuse to pay for contraception from the Associated Press via the DC. Quoting from the report:

The court stressed that its ruling applies only to corporations that are under the control of just a few people in which there is no essential difference between the business and its owners.

Alito also said the decision is limited to contraceptives under the health care law. “Our decision should not be understood to hold that an insurance-coverage mandate must necessarily fall if it conflicts with an employer’s religious beliefs,” Alito said.

It should be noted that local homeless shelter/services providers in Boulder, CO have made free condoms available for years, so why should anybody else pay for your preferred method of birth control?

I understand that Boulder Outreach for Homeless Overflow, which operates emergency warming centers at a network of churches and a synagogue here in Boulder, CO during the wintertime, has opened a new summertime women’s shelter just recently. The interesting thing to me is that it has a residency requirement and is limited to just 18 women. It’s staffed by women, exclusively. Bad actors are not welcome, and that is determined by the would-be client’s history of behavior at BOHO, Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, and Bridge House. When I’m able to find a link which spells it out in detail, I’ll be sure to post it; the info above comes from a flyer I saw posted at BSH.

That’s all for now, folks.

Great patriotic music, and more

By Max R. Weller

Give a listen to two of my favorites:

Battle Hymn of the Republic

The Stars and Stripes Forever

I was gratified once again yesterday by the show of support from passersby and neighbors in north Boulder. Thanks to all!

I’m sorry that motorists driving by the corner of N. Broadway & U.S. 36 were subjected to the spectacle of Denver King yelling and cursing as he panhandled there, simply because folks didn’t feel like giving him money for cigarettes and marijuana. He was there continuously from about 11:30AM, when I arrived to sit on the wall nearby and read a book, until about 3:30PM; as he left, he bitterly complained to me that he’d made only $2 during those four hours. I spent just one hour playing the role of humble beggar after King left, making $18 in that time, and during the course of the day a couple of people stopped by my shady spot to give me a $10 Subway cash card, a cold bottle of Coke, a $20 bill, and a giant Hershey bar.

Oddly enough, during a brief thunderstorm around 5PM, King returned to the corner to try his luck again. WTF? Passersby continued to ignore him. What’s more, one of the transients who has been in Boulder the past month went out there to inquire about “flying a sign” when King was done; this led to a verbal altercation between the two losers which would have resulted in blows being traded or worse, had it occurred in Kansas City, MO. What in blazes were they arguing about? $2 in four hours? God (if there is a god) gave more brains to a turnip than He did to these two clowns.

Read Binge drinking leads to one in 10 early adult deaths, CDC says from the Washington Post via the Denver Post. No doubt at all that a much higher proportion of homeless deaths are caused by booze.

I think I’ll buy a really trashy novel at King Soopers today, maybe something by Jackie Collins, just so I can appreciate better quality writing in the future.

Tonight at my campsite: Chester’s fried chicken and V-8 juice.

Max’s Journal 6/26/2014

By Max R. Weller

The Homeless Philosopher in 2011

The Homeless Philosopher ca. 350 BC*

It would be refreshing for the debate in re homelessness here in Boulder if all of the critics would remember my very first blog post, way back around October of 2009 on the Daily Camera website (since exported to my own website), in which I laid all of the cards on the table: A brief bio of Max R. Weller. Later, I expanded upon that: Caring for my mom . . .

If it makes you feel better about yourself to announce a “revelation” about my past — which has been widely known about here in Boulder, CO for years now — then I’m happy for you. Really! But, how about returning your focus to the issue of homelessness? Unless, of course, you have nothing at all which is sensible to add to the discussion.

LOL! Read Xcel and PUC agree: Boulder overstepping bounds in utility case in the DC. My online comment is copied below:

The City of Boulder should stick to what it does best: providing a haven for the worst-behaved transients from Denver and elsewhere.

I’m a little disappointed that only a few sprinkles of rain fell at my campsite overnight. Now that I have a new tarp to waterproof my own burrow, I’m hoping for a rainfall sufficient to drown the invading prairie dogs in their new burrows in my area near N. Broadway & U.S. 36. Has anyone living in the Dakota Ridge neighborhood seen these filthy varmints there? Flea-bitten, plague-carrying pests! Kill ’em all, I say . . .

Announcing a new venue for transients, conveniently located right next to Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, as reported in this DC puff piece: Developers propose housing, brewpub, arts spaces for armory site in north Boulder. Brewpub? Well, the alcoholics residing in the new Housing First project being built at 1175 Lee Hill won’t have far to stagger:

This artist’s rendering of the proposed redevelopment of the Colorado National Guard Armory site in north Boulder is a view of the proposed community plaza looking northwest with the arts pavilion in the distance. (Courtesy Circle D Companies and Loftus Developments)

What the artist failed to show is any of the drunks passed out or urinating in full view of everyone, including kids. This neighborhood has seen all too much of such misbehavior from the bums.

Many thanks to all those who stop by my spot in north Boulder to say hello and/or donate to the cause. Without folks like you, I couldn’t keep working on this blog. Have a good day!

*Diogenes of Sinope

I told you so, Broom-Hilda settles in, and more

By Max R. Weller

Read Sex offender Zachary Meints facing false-reporting charges over claims he was stabbed twice in the Daily Camera. Quoting from the report below:

A Boulder sex offender who reported being stabbed twice in two weeks this spring was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of false reporting after investigators became convinced he inflicted the wounds himself.

Zachary Meints, a former Boulder youth hockey coach convicted in 2012 of Internet sexual exploitation, turned himself in to the Boulder County Jail on Tuesday morning after a judge issued an arrest warrant last week.

“What’s very clear from the detectives and the investigators is that they concluded that (Meints’) reports of having been attacked and stabbed by a stranger were false,” Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett said.

Meints, 26, is facing four counts of false reporting to authorities, Class 3 misdemeanors, and one count of attempting to influence a public servant, a Class 4 felony.

Since late March, Meints has reported a burglary at his home, threatening letters and two stabbings by unknown assailants, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit prepared by Boulder County sheriff’s Detective Chris Fiegel.

Inconsistent statements, Meints’ fingerprints on one of the threatening letters, his DNA on the handle of one of the knives that he said he was stabbed with and other evidence led Boulder County Judge Patrick Butler to issue an arrest warrant Friday.

“… there is reason to believe that Zachary Meints falsely reported the burglary at his residence, the threatening letters and both attempted stabbings to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office and Boulder Police Department,” Fiegel wrote in the affidavit.

It’s no surprise to me that many Boulderites took Meints’ ridiculous claims at face value, and these are the same idiots who are sympathetic to sexual predators in general. Fie on them!

A lot of time and money has been spent investigating this bull****, and I hope the authorities are looking into ways to make Mr. Meints pay restitution.

Zach is a waste of good oxygen.

The homeless chick I call Broom-Hilda, who has been in and out of the Transition Program at Boulder Shelter for the Homeless several times in recent years, has set up camp right in front of a well-known business in the 4900 block of N. Broadway. About a month ago, paramedics came and took her away from this spot to detox, after she urinated right out in the open and the business owner called 9-1-1. I spoke to the owner, a British lady with a wonderful accent I enjoy listening to, during Broom-Hilda’s brief absence yesterday morning. I offered to pick up this drunk’s trash and toss it into the nearby dumpster, but the business owner surprised me by declining. British Lady remarked that Broom-Hilda was a sorry case, and I agree. But, mark my words — this homeless drunk chick may become another fatality in the near future, and people who ought to know better are now unwilling to intervene, not even to the extent of calling for paramedics and/or law enforcement officers to take her to detox (I don’t own a phone, or I’d have done so myself). What Broom-Hilda needs is a swift kick in the ass, not more coddling; at this point, it’s the only approach that might save her life.

Consider the implications of this Daily Camera article, since the identity of the person found is still unknown as of this writing: Unidentified body found in Boulder Creek . . . :

Members of the Boulder Fire Rescue dive team extract a body found floating in Boulder Creek on Tuesday near 49th Street and Pearl Parkway. (Jeremy Papasso / Daily Camera)

In the past week or so, I’ve seen prairie dogs near my campsite, and one of the plague-carrying varmints even came out to the median at N. Broadway & U.S. 36 as I was playing the role of humble beggar. It appeared to be confused, before it headed off into the Dakota Ridge neighborhood. There are fresh-dug holes in the path where I walk to get to my overnight spot, but none of these have dirt mounded up around the entrances — not yet, anyway. There’s little doubt the vermin have come from the Colorado National Guard property at the southeast corner of N. Broadway & Lee Hill. Time to bring out the Rodenator.

I’m now prepared for heavy rains and hail in my burrow, with a new tarp from Wal-Mart courtesy of a friend. She also brought me healthy and nutritious V-8 juice yesterday, because of my commitment to junk food. I’ll be warm and dry as I eat cheeseburgers!

‘Boulder homeless woman . . . died of multiple drug intoxication’

By Max R. Weller

Read the brief report in the Daily Camera. My online comment is copied below:

Look at all of the services offered to homeless people in Boulder, CO — the majority of whom are transients with no ties to this city: https://homelessphilosopher.wordpress.com/resource…

This inappropriate compassion enables alcoholics/drug addicts to spend their disposable income on booze and dope (not to mention cigarettes), since ALL of the necessities of life are provided for FREE. A homeless person can make a whole lot more money from Colorado AND and Social Security disability benefits than from panhandling, and where do you suppose the boozers/dopers spend that money? In theory, addicts should have a third party payee to supervise how monthly disability benefits are spent; as a practical matter, it doesn’t happen.

Don’t you get it? If panhandling ceased tomorrow, the problem would remain.

Require valid photo IDs showing a Boulder County address and proof of residency for at least one year before providing sheltering/services to any homeless single adult. Here’s the model, which is apparently working as it was intended in San Antonio, TX: http://www.havenforhope.org/new/gethelp.aspx

Then require some sort of community service in exchange for the resources one is given: https://homelessphilosopher.wordpress.com/2014/06/…

OF COURSE, the “nonprofits” oppose this common sense approach; their creed is More Homeless People = More Money, but their do-gooding is killing the homeless: https://homelessphilosopher.wordpress.com/2014/06/…

That’s all for today, folks.

Max’s Journal 6/23/2014

By Max R. Weller

A powerful thunderstorm with heavy rain and hail passed through my north Boulder neighborhood yesterday afternoon around 4PM. I retreated into my burrow, covered up by wool-blend “homeless disaster blankets” and my tarp (which is not as waterproof now as it once was, and needs to be replaced ASAP). Never before have I heard such a prolonged noise of thunder, which continued without a break for several minutes as the storm moved eastward.

More of the same is forecast for today, but I hope to have a chance to spread my gear out to dry before the next storm hits.

Is acting out by lunatics a reliable predictor of nasty weather in the immediate future? If so, when may be in for a rough time later on today if the behavior of the homeless nutcases waiting outside of Boulder Shelter for the Homeless this morning can be trusted. One of ’em was a guy I’ll call Cupid, who was tossed out of the Transition Program a few months ago, and also banned from the facility for a period, for sending a Valentine’s Day card to a BSH staff member. This character couldn’t shut up about how well he’s doing now — with his own place to stay, steady work with a good income, etc. — but he shows up at the homeless shelter not knowing what time it was, and looking forward to both a free shower and a free breakfast. A couple of other Froot Loops started talking about how the unidentified “they” are controlling our weather in the ionosphere (BTW, God is going to punish me for laughing at this). You get the idea: this is what your donations to BSH support, and these poor souls aren’t being helped to get back in touch with reality.

Read this editorial from the Washington Post via the Daily Camera. My online comment is copied below:

A victory of political correctness over substance — and it won’t do a darn thing to improve the wretched living conditions of so many Native Americans.

But, fools will Feel Good about it.

As one of the Lakota prison inmates I tutored in Missouri DOC might say: “Stupid wasichus! Who do they think they’re kidding?”

It reminds me of a recent post here, Boulder, CO’s do-gooders enable misery and death of the homeless.

Poor Denver King! He just doesn’t understand why it is that I don’t have to panhandle for three or more hours every single day, as he does. It’s because generous passersby and my neighbors around the corner of N. Broadway & U.S. 36 actually like me. From last Thursday through Saturday, I played the role of humble beggar for a total of five hours, making $85 plus change. That’s $17 per hour, which rates as excellent in my experience. Of course, it helps that I don’t spend all of my cash on cigarettes and marijuana, as does the “Homeless Vet Dying of Lung Cancer” pictured here:

(Boulder County Sheriff’s Office)

Tonight at my campsite: more $1 frozen cheeseburgers from King Soopers. As long as they remain on sale, I’ll keep eating ’em.

Stonewall Jackson slept here, and more

By Max R. Weller

This morning when I left my campsite shortly after 5AM, on my way over to Boulder Shelter for the Homeless which opens at 6, I saw another new homeless guy asleep in the CDOT lot next to N. Broadway. He was visible to passersby on that well-traveled street; what’s more, both city police and county deputies often park their vehicles there to finish writing reports, eat a sandwich, etc. The CDOT lot is clearly posted NO TRESPASSING on all sides. When this benighted transient came over to wait at BSH with the rest of us, I could see his remarkable resemblance to the famous Confederate general pictured above, and New Homeless Guy was wearing a hat with the Confederate battle flag stitched to the front. He spoke with an accent that could only have come from the Deep South.

The real Stonewall Jackson managed to get accidentally shot by his own troops, and died from complications after an arm was amputated. New Homeless Guy will probably manage to get into ongoing trouble with local law enforcement, unless he suddenly gets a whole lot smarter.

No, I didn’t offer our latter-day Stonewall Jackson any advice to help him avoid being ticketed/arrested. Live and learn . . .

Please feel free to copy and paste the link to this blog anywhere it suits you: https://homelessphilosopher.wordpress.com/ Others have done so, and I appreciate your help to spread the word about homelessness as it truly is:

I need to retrieve my hair clippers from my friends’ basement storage closet over in Longmont, judging by this photo, and will do so as soon as I can figure out how to get electricity at my campsite. I’m not about to use clippers in the men’s lavatory at BSH because some filthy, lice-ridden character would certainly ask to borrow them.

Tonight at my campsite: $1 frozen cheeseburgers from King Soopers, which are fully cooked and will thaw out in a couple of hours, and instant mashed potatoes on the side.

Homeless people should give back to society, right here in Boulder, CO

By Max R. Weller

It starts with having respect for yourself, respect for others, and respect for our fair city.

Staying clean and sober (it’s a personal choice, one you can make at the start of each day); practicing good hygiene (free showers with free soap, free shampoo, free deodorant, etc. are available every morning year-round at Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, 4869 N. Broadway); being kind and courteous to those around you; showing consideration for the welfare of the broader community; picking up after yourself (the amount of litter in areas frequented by the homeless in Boulder is off the charts); volunteering in some capacity to make life better for another person; setting a positive example in everything you do and say. And, the list goes on . . . Use your common sense (it increases remarkably when one is sober).

It would also be of great benefit to everyone if those who claim to be “homeless advocates” would encourage their protégés to follow the course of conduct outlined above.

Projecting this sort of negative attitude gets you nowhere fast:

Likewise, attempting to mislead the press, public, and those in authority by playing the VICTIM card is counterproductive — as we’ve seen here in Boulder recently. Most people don’t buy being poor and/or homeless as a legitimate excuse for bad behavior, and a few uncouth souls like the Homeless Philosopher call such rationalizations fertilizer:

Getting the scoop from Bridge House’s Isabel McDevitt 

Compassion is NOT the same as enabling, something we all need to bear in mind as we continue to be bombarded with propaganda in support of the worst-behaved transients.

No question, there is a lot of room for improvement in the attitudes and behaviors of some homeless people: April, 2014: Transients in Boulder, CO.

Max’s Journal 6/18/2014

By Max R. Weller

A homeless man sleeps next to Boulder Creek near the Boulder Public Library Main Branch on Friday, May 9, 2014. (Mark Leffingwell / Daily Camera)

Read the latest silliness in re homelessness in the Daily Camera, Councilman: Year-round shelter for Boulder’s homeless should be on table. Quoting from the article below:

Offering year-round shelter to Boulder’s homeless residents should be part of the city’s broader discussion on homelessness, Boulder Councilman Sam Weaver said Tuesday night.

As they have for several months now, advocates for the homeless addressed the Boulder City Council during the elected leaders’ open comment period, calling for year-round shelter and for the city to back off of increased enforcement on the municipal campus and in Central Park.

My online comments are copied here:

Boulder City Councilman Sam Weaver apparently doesn’t understand that THE WORST-BEHAVED TRANSIENTS AND THEIR APOLOGISTS/ENABLERS ARE ALREADY THE TAIL WAGGING THE DOG in our fair city.

BTW, the media has ignored this story: https://homelessphilosopher.wordpress.com/2014/06/…

The “homeless advocates” can’t even come up with a ballpark figure for the number of homeless people in Boulder, CO. Does anybody really believe there was a 41% reduction in the homeless population from January, 2013 to January, 2014? I discount the new category they’ve contrived of people “at-risk” of becoming homeless. Compare the data for yourself:

2013: http://mdhi.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/PITBou…

2014: http://mdhi.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2014-C…

Why believe anything that comes out of the mouths of advocates who can’t get their story straight?

See a news story about my old hometown, Health inspector enters home where 3 kids lived amidst roaches, flies, feces and urine. But, looking on the bright side, the wealthy white upper crust led by Mayor Jerry Brown continues to be fat and happy.

Mayor Jerry Brown of Lexington, MO

It’s very quiet and peaceful on the corner of N. Broadway & U.S. 36 these days, since Shouting Joe from St. Louis was arrested and taken away to Boulder County Jail a week ago. Joe has been charged with three felony counts of Sexual Assault, and he remains in custody.

BTW, I found out what happened to Filthy Phil, the bum had been living on the RTD bus stop bench at University Hill last year. Boulder County Jail records show that he was arrested back in December for Indecent Exposure, and he also remains in custody. What’s with all of the homeless perverts in Boulder, CO?

True, Denver King is still attempting to panhandle on the corner. Yesterday, he complained to me because he’d only made $5 in four hours, as I was reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel in my shady spot nearby. King also was angry because none of the passersby gave him any water to drink as he stood in the hot sun. LOL! Good work, people — maybe we can get rid of him, too.

Tonight at my campsite: unhealthy food. Yum!

Is it any wonder I’d rather live as a hermit?

By Max R. Weller

Abandoned mine somewhere in Colorado

A natural cave would also be good. I can see myself laying in a 5-year supply of canned goods, toilet paper, and other necessities — like books. I’d want a source for fresh water nearby.

What would drive me to this extreme state of withdrawal, you wonder? It’s the terminal stupidity of those running Boulder, CO’s homeless shelter/services industry, and the sheer laziness of Daily Camera reporters who never ask the hard questions.

Questions like: “Could we interview several of your former clients who have successfully completed your program (whether it’s at Boulder Shelter for the Homeless or at Bridge House) and gone on to live independently for at least five years? We’ll give them different names in the story to maintain confidentiality, of course.”

NOT going to happen . . . I doubt there is such an individual here in Boulder, CO.

The whole approach, it seems to me, is to infantilize the homeless and keep them helpless forever:

“The do-gooders have made me what I am today!”

Sheesh! I’d rather live with the wild critters than read one more inane quote from Isabel McDevitt, Joy Eckstine Redstone, Greg Harms, Betsey Martens, et al.

Seriously.