DENVER | Transportation Thread

[bunt_q]

Originally Posted by Sam Hill

That was a pointless exercise. The two versions are not equivalent.

In the first version, the most powerful nation on earth gets swept up in a wave of ethnic and religious nationalism and elects a demagogue who espouses deranged conspiracy theories and can't speak in complete sentences without the use of a teleprompter. The world has trouble sleeping at night knowing he has the launch codes.

In the second version, the most powerful nation on earth gets swept up in a wave of unicorns and rainbows and elects an impractically liberal politician who fails to deliver on any of his unrealistic promises. The world is slightly more annoyed by America's politics than usual.

America may not be America anymore, but it's still America enough that you can't get elected president going around calling yourself a socialist. We don't have to worry about Bernie.

Damn, I wish you wouldn't have brought up Trump and I wish I had not taken the bait, because this conversation can't go anywhere good. It's destined to end up like the comments section of a news article. I quit, lol.

I don’t agree that Bernie is more benign (many in the world sleep more comfortably not having a peacenik in charge of the US military), any less radical, or any less opposite the fundamentals of what America stands for (free stuff for all? personal responsibility is no less fundamental an American value than personal liberty). You feel that way because you more closely align with him than the other guy. I view Bernie as the same; the Trump of the left. I only point it out because folks on here are every bit as myopic as the Fox News crowd when it comes to “we are right, they are wrong.” Personally, I disagree with you both.

[SnyderBock]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Not that I necessarily disagree but that's a totally liberal take.

Reality is that most everyday Americans don't have the time to obsess over every silly or stupid thing that's tweeted. They have lives to lead and kids that need this, that and so on.

The majority mostly care about the big picture and their own personal circumstances. Am I better or worse off today than 4 years ago? That's the challenge for Dems. What's your plan for my family's needs; don't tell me about all your silly complaints. Even when Trump is wrong the visual is that he 'puts America first' and why should voters dislike that?

Not interested in getting into specific issues; I'm merely trying to reflect the big picture as seen through the eyes of the body politic.

Trump's visual is that he puts the wealthy and specifically himself ahead of America and average Americans. Where is the disconnect here? His actions are clear. Nothing he has ever said or done indicates he puts America first, other than his obvious attempts to manipulate public opinion with obvious misinformation. He specifically appeals to the greedy who care more about themselves and their families financial wellbeing than America as a nation. So he specifically does not put America first, he puts greed first.

[SnyderBock]

Traditional Republicans:
1. God
2. Country
3. Family

Trump Republicans:
1. Self
2. God
3. Country

Democrats:
1. Country
2. The vulnerable
3. Family

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by SnyderBock

Trump's visual is that he puts the wealthy and specifically himself ahead of America and average Americans. Where is the disconnect here? His actions are clear. Nothing he has ever said or done indicates he puts America first, other than his obvious attempts to manipulate public opinion with obvious misinformation. He specifically appeals to the greedy who care more about themselves and their families financial wellbeing than America as a nation. So he specifically does not put America first, he puts greed first.

Is Trump a conman and a narcissist? Yes, and ~40% of the population agrees with you. You can pretty much count on whoever is the Dem nominee already has 45% of the vote. In politics perception is reality and clearly the country is deeply divided.

But look at an electoral map. Trump has 'fought' hard enough for jobs in Ohio that Ohio will stay red. Florida, always close will almost assuredly stay in the red column. I'll put MI in the blue column. Their 16 electoral votes gives Dems 248 electoral votes. The election therefor will come down to PA, IA and WI. Even if Dems are able to turn PA blue that's a total of 268 electoral votes, 2 shy of what's needed. If Dems lose PA, they're dead in the water.

Something interesting I've noticed. Left end of Dems likes to attack Big Tech. In way they're an easy target. They're also biting the hand that has been feeding them.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

Fixed it for you.

My current 2020 ballot preferences are:
Biden>Trump
Harris>Trump
Trump>Bernie
Trump>Warren
Trump>Pete B (if only because he’s 12 years old and should have a real job in politics once first).
Trump>Beto (I want to vote for winners).
If that makes me an unintelligent bigot, so be it; at least I’m not a cyclist!

1st priority of a whole lot of Dems is less about issues and all about whoever can beat Trump. That's Biden's appeal which assumes he can appeal to the broadest spectrum of voters.

I personally like Pete but I'd agree with you. He may cut into Biden's type of voter though.

My dark horse candidate is Elizabeth Warren. I think she'll supplant Bernie's populist but shallow appeal. Elizabeth is more purposeful and determined; she has her own passion style. So far she's doing all the right things.

Kamala could claim the inside track but I need to see more. Fortunately, Obama already smashed that barrier but he also had an amazing team behind him. They had a special candidate but did a superb job of keeping him on track. I need to see if Kamala can articulate her own vision and ignite people's imagination.

[Sam Hill]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

I don’t agree that Bernie is more benign (many in the world sleep more comfortably not having a peacenik in charge of the US military), any less radical, or any less opposite the fundamentals of what America stands for (free stuff for all? personal responsibility is no less fundamental an American value than personal liberty). You feel that way because you more closely align with him than the other guy. I view Bernie as the same; the Trump of the left. I only point it out because folks on here are every bit as myopic as the Fox News crowd when it comes to “we are right, they are wrong.” Personally, I disagree with you both.

Okay, I get that. And if it comes down to Trump vs Bernie, I'll totally understand your reasoning and certainly not assume you're a bigot.

Back when the world still made sense, I understood why liberals didn't like Bush or why conservatives didn't like Obama. But my hatred of Trump (and I'll go ahead and admit that I do indeed hate him) doesn't feel at all like a left-vs-right/conservative-vs-liberal thing. It is. The polls show it. It's the liberals who hate him and the conservatives who love him. But it doesn't feel like that to me. It feels like the world has gone mad. Can conservatives not see that he's a pathological liar and raging narcissist? Do they not cringe every day as I do when another tweet-storm reveals a horrifying level of poor mental health and stunted intellect coming from the President of the United States of America? Are they not aware that he's a climate-change denier and birther?

I don't understand it. I don't understand what's happening.

[Sam Hill]

I keep coming back to the same thing: They're bigots. They want to make America Christian again. They want to make America white again. That's the only way it makes sense.

[mhays]

The guy is the raging douche at a party and an obvious pathological liar...someone most of us would never want to be around or work with. I don't get why some people like that, other than what you're saying above.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by Sam Hill

I don't understand it. I don't understand what's happening.

I have a cousin, retired attorney from Sioux City IA, lifelong Republican. At a get-together last summer I asked him about Trump. He's not at all a traditional Republican? Does his narcissism bother you? Politics is a lot like sports; you see and hear what you want, disregard the rest. Opposing fans at a football game will 'see' an interference call with opposite opinions and politics is the dumbest sport there is.

Originally Posted by bunt_q

Trump>Pete B (if only because he’s 12 years old and should have a real job in politics once first).

I see where Pete got a standing O at the end of his Fox News Town Hall.

[Curtis Park]

Originally Posted by bunt_q

Which urban liberals do every day when it’s about the President and his supporters. But when it’s millennials and cyclists it is somehow different. The hypocrisy is real.

The hypocrisy I see is that this even a topic of discussion. A biker did something bad! Who cares? Bikers, like all people, do bad things. But when they do, it makes the news and people start to complain about them hogging the road, blocking traffic or how bike lanes are a waste of space and money.
What I don't see is these same people being outraged that pedestrian deaths continue to climb. We just accept more fatalities each year. And there are very few stories on the news each day compared to the number of crashes.

[SnyderBock]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Is Trump a conman and a narcissist? Yes, and ~40% of the population agrees with you. You can pretty much count on whoever is the Dem nominee already has 45% of the vote. In politics perception is reality and clearly the country is deeply divided.

But look at an electoral map. Trump has 'fought' hard enough for jobs in Ohio that Ohio will stay red. Florida, always close will almost assuredly stay in the red column. I'll put MI in the blue column. Their 16 electoral votes gives Dems 248 electoral votes. The election therefor will come down to PA, IA and WI. Even if Dems are able to turn PA blue that's a total of 268 electoral votes, 2 shy of what's needed. If Dems lose PA, they're dead in the water.

Something interesting I've noticed. Left end of Dems likes to attack Big Tech. In way they're an easy target. They're also bithe hand that has been feeding them.

So Florida just added 3.5 million formerly disenfranchised voters to their voting pool now that felons can vote. Most Florida presidental elections have been decided by only a few tens of thousands of voters. Do you feel like a majority of formerly disenfranchised voters who were disenfranchised by Republican policies, will vote for Republicans?

[Brainpathology]

Originally Posted by SnyderBock

So Florida just added 3.5 million formerly disenfranchised voters to their voting pool now that felons can vote. Most Florida presidental elections have been decided by only a few tens of thousands of voters. Do you feel like a majority of formerly disenfranchised voters who were disenfranchised by Republican policies, will vote for Republicans?

We were also supposed to get 500k-1000k Puerto Rican voters supposedly livid at the way the administration treated them after Hurricane Maria. What we got was senator red tide and a Trump clone for governor.

Also we're a conservative state by majorities at the capital, so regardless of what voters want the legislature has decided that all felons who would otherwise be allowed to vote must satisfy "all" financial obligations related to their sentences. It's only a matter of time before we, through our state representatives, decide that includes paying the whole, actual cost of the incarceration.

And even if they all plan to vote blue, the example of the complete no show of the livid Puerto Rican voter suggests that either there are a lot more conservatives in this state than close elections seem to suggest, or a lot of my fellow liberal voters are exactly as lazy as Bernie's popularity seems to suggest.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by SnyderBock

So Florida just added 3.5 million formerly disenfranchised voters to their voting pool now that felons can vote. Most Florida presidental elections have been decided by only a few tens of thousands of voters. Do you feel like a majority of formerly disenfranchised voters who were disenfranchised by Republican policies, will vote for Republicans?

I had to do some research. Point well taken though.

NPR says an additional million plus are now eligible to vote; how many have actually registered is unknown; how many of those that actually register will actually vote is anybody's guess.

In 2016 there were over 9.1 million voters when Trump won by a slim ~110,000. In 2018, 8.1 million voters turned out to elect Republican governor by 33,000.

On paper, it would appear this could make a difference. Therefor... it would be reasonable to move Florida to the 'tossup' column. Obviously 29 electoral votes would be Big. Thanks for the Hot Take.

Originally Posted by Brainpathology

We were also supposed to get 500k-1000k Puerto Rican voters supposedly livid at the way the administration treated them after Hurricane Maria. What we got was senator red tide and a Trump clone for governor.

Also we're a conservative state by majorities at the capital, so regardless of what voters want the legislature has decided that all felons who would otherwise be allowed to vote must satisfy "all" financial obligations related to their sentences. It's only a matter of time before we, through our state representatives, decide that includes paying the whole, actual cost of the incarceration.

And even if they all plan to vote blue, the example of the complete no show of the livid Puerto Rican voter suggests that either there are a lot more conservatives in this state than close elections seem to suggest, or a lot of my fellow liberal voters are exactly as lazy as Bernie's popularity seems to suggest.

Brainpathology... Good to see you!! Thanks for your insight; nothing like 'on the ground' feedback.
Financial obligations being satisfied is quite the curve ball. Back to the drawing board.

[TakeFive]

Conservative or Liberal, it's just a matter of taste
Forget national politics; who cares? State government is much more relevant.

State of Colorado had $821 million in discretionary funding this year. Gov Polis, like Hickenlooper, mitigated against some of the most liberal dreams (for now) to spread love around to many worthy causes. It includes $30.5 million for transportation. A proposal for adding $90 million to the existing $675 million rainy day fund was ignored.

Arizona had $1 billion in discretionary funding to allocate. $542 million went to their rainy day fund, bringing it up to $1 billion to fulfill the Governors campaign promise (which the legislature ignored previously). Education will get an increase of $136 million. $325 million will go for tax cuts. This goes to the Governors promise to make AZ more business/tax friendly. Easy, quick, simple.
Note: According to Wallet Hub Colorado currently has a lower tax burden at 8.15% to Arizona's 8.26%. With respect to corporate taxes Colorado and Arizona are currently 16th and 17th best according to the Tax Foundation. But AZ's unemployment tax is 13th lowest while Colorado's is 40th. Ouch!

Fortunately, Metro Phoenix has their own dedicated transportation funding. The new 8-lane, 22-mile South Mountain Freeway is opening later this year. They started expanding 10 miles of the L101/Pima Freeway in NE Phoenix-Scottsdale (that I use) from 8 to 10 lanes in March with completion scheduled for early 2021.

[TakeFive]

https://twitter.com/RideRTD

RTD and Denver Transit Partners are installing updated positive train control (PTC) software. Some trains will need to sound their horns on the University of Colorado A Line and G Line from today through Wednesday night.

[SnyderBock]

Originally Posted by TakeFive

I had to do some research. Point well taken though.

NPR says an additional million plus are now eligible to vote; how many have actually registered is unknown; how many of those that actually register will actually vote is anybody's guess.

In 2016 there were over 9.1 million voters when Trump won by a slim ~110,000. In 2018, 8.1 million voters turned out to elect Republican governor by 33,000.

On paper, it would appear this could make a difference. Therefor... it would be reasonable to move Florida to the 'tossup' column. Obviously 29 electoral votes would be Big. Thanks for the Hot Take.



Brainpathology... Good to see you!! Thanks for your insight; nothing like 'on the ground' feedback.
Financial obligations being satisfied is quite the curve ball. Back to the drawing board.

That "financial obligations" curve ball added by legislature during implementation of the voter passed bill, seems to be counterintuitive to the will of the voters and against the "spirit" of the amendment. As the amendment was written to remove obstacles for an ex-con to exercise ones constitutional right to have representation with taxation.

This change suspends this right to vote on representation until financial obligations are met, even if sentencing has been fullfilled. So what is to stop them from increasing court costs and fees with the unwritten intent of keeping ex-cons in debt for their crimes for years longer? Maybe they could keep them in debt for the remainder of their lifetime? It wouldn't be hard, considering their non-protected class status which means they will face a lifetime of legal discrimination when trying to get a job, negotiate fair pay (wage gap), find quality housing close to where they work (increased commuts and transportation expense). They may never be able to pay their way out of court issued debt to regain their constitutional right to vote.

This probably explains why only 1 million out of 3.5 million are thus far eligible to register to vote. When it was passed by the citizens, it was believed the language was clear that nearly all 3.5 million would be Immediately eligible to register to vote.

[Cirrus]

RTD opened a light rail extension and nobody in this thread about Denver transportation even mentioned it, because y'all are too busy tilting at random windmills.

[TakeFive]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

RTD opened a light rail extension and nobody in this thread about Denver transportation even mentioned it, because y'all are too busy tilting at random windmills.

Originally Posted by LooksLikeForever

There was some fairly big transit news this week that I haven't seen mentioned yet. Obviously the southeast rail expansion isn't 'news', but glad to see it's opening.

Item 1: 2.3-mile extension of RTD Southeast Rail Line opens Friday
https://kdvr.com/2019/05/17/2-3-mile...-opens-friday/

Originally Posted by TakeFive

Thanks for the update; didn't realize the 'time had come.'

Props to Lone Tree (and DougCo) for their buy-in which enabled RTD to win yet one more nice FTA grant while the opportunity still existed. Now if they could just figure a method, like stopping at every other station, to speed these choo choo's along quicker?

Admittedly it came and passed quickly and got lost in the rubble.

[Brainpathology]

Originally Posted by Cirrus

RTD opened a light rail extension and nobody in this thread about Denver transportation even mentioned it, because y'all are too busy tilting at random windmills.

It didn't reach southeast enough for me to ride so I missed it.

And the other thread is talking about T2 again, might as well all be asking each other if Francisco Franko is still dead.

[TakeFive]

I-25 traffic jams are shifting northern Colorado transit plans into high gear.
MAY 23, 2019 By Dan England - Colorado Sun

Northern Colorado region is growing so fast that it’s almost another Denver, and we know how everyone loves I-25 in Denver.

In-depth but easy to read article about Bustang's success and I-25's expansion and future transportation.