Oh Happy Days

I was thrilled when I heard on KVOR that all 5 Reform Party members failed to win any seat on City Council. I admire the intelligence of their leader Doug Bruce. However I think his ideas are simply bad for the city. The 4 other candidates that joined him meant well I'm sure. But the city will be better off with the winners of those at-large seats. I have been in town over 20 years, and thankfully, slowly, but surely the landscape has changed to a population that understands yes, we need to be cautious on our spending. However, we better know when we are slicing into the bone. The Reform Party Candidates, in my opinion did not grasp that part of it. We need aggresive marketers and thinkers for this city so we can grow sales tax revenue. All I heard from the reform party and like-minded followers was cut, cut cut. Small thinking for a town of about 400 thousand. And, as we move into the age of a Strong Mayor with either Richard Skorman or Steve Bach, its nice to finally see Colorado Springs kick the training wheels off and look to the future.

Down The Stretch They Come

Closing in on Election Day. We have a poll at KVOR.com on our Mayoral Slide. Its unscientific, however it should give us a picture of how Colorado Springs is feeling about our next Mayor. And by the way-Gotta hand it to Lionel Rivera. I thought he did an amazing job given the current limitations of that office. He represented the city with class and dignity and always had Colorado Springs best interests at heart......The Battle for Libya has repercussions that could reach all of us in this country. Should rebels take over the country, what kind of government will they install? And how will the ongoing conflict affect oil, and thus gasoline prices? Some experts are saying we could see 5 dollars a gallon gas by this summer. What really exacerbates the situation is we are entering spring and summer and the demand for fuel is going to go up, and with it, prices.......Congratulations to Richmond and former Air Force Basketball Coach Chris Mooney. His team made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, and he has been rewarded with a 10 year contract extension. Got to spend some time with him in Denver where his team was playing in the regionals. He has not changed at all. Humble, unassuming, laughs easy, a great great guy. A lot of basketball head coaches are not fun to be around. He is the exception.

Timing

So the United States, Frances, Canada, and other countries bomb the military forces of Moammar Gadhafi over the weekend, and also begin enforcing a no fly zone. This as Libya struggles with uprisings that threaten to overthrow Gadhafi. However, in my opinion, the move came too late. It should have been done two weeks ago. It seems the immediate goal was to cripple Gadahfi's army and give rebel forces a bit more of a level playing field to oust the Libyan leader. Sounds like we don't want the blood of Gadhafi on our hands, however, we don't mind the helping the rebels who would love to see Gadhafi out of power, or worse, dead.......The Springs mayoral race still has 7 candidates. What I am hearing is we may have a runoff because the race is expected to be so tight. So things may not get decided on April 5th. Continuing election coverage can be found on KVOR and KVOR.com..........Had a great visit over the weekend with High School Basketball Officials at their annual banquet here in town. The men and women who worked high school basketball games don't get enough credit. They don't do it for a paycheck, but for the love of the game and working with children.

Me-Sick

I never get sick....Well I do, but rarely, and usually I don't let it affect me. But I am sick and I just hate it. I really believe you can talk yourself out of being sick. I have done so for years, But for once I didn't listen to myself. So I present my notes-Under the Weather......I watched the horror, like you, on TV last week during the Japanese earthquake and Tsunami. No words describe what flashed across the TV, and what the Japanese people are experiencing. If you would like to help, please go to KVOR.com and click on our Japanese Relief slide in conjunction with the American Red Cross....And now they are battling to control their nuclear reactors. Does it make you worry about California, and all the predictions we have had for years of a major quake?....Speaking of KVOR.com, we have a great slide up on the Mayors Race. You can listen to interviews conducted by Jackie Craddock and Jeff Crank, and give us your thoughts on who the next mayor will be. That person will have a lot of pressure. They need to figure out how to create jobs and get the damn street lights back on in town....The Group of 5 running for City Council led by Doug Bruce-it will be fascinating to watch how well they do. To me, they represent old Colorado Springs when I first arrived in 1989. There is a portion of this population that doesn't want to see any spending at all. They will clash with the more modern populace that has arrived in town over the last 10-15 years who understand you just can't keep cutting and cutting. Old Blood vs New-who wins out?

Wow

What a mess in the Middle East. Now, I call it a mess, but what's really happening is people are sick and tired of being mistreated, having low paying jobs, being held down by dictators and oppressive governments. Sadly, the uprisings come with the loss of life. There are a lot of brave people in those countries fighting for freedom and we will only know of their deaths. The Global Financial Markets are very jittery. Oil, and thus, fuel, could skyrocket. Its already hit 3 dollars a gallon the springs, and we're lucky because its 17 cents less than the national average.....And how bout enough already with these damn Somali pirates. These punks kill 4 Americans on a yacht the Somali's hijacked. Do you realize they still hold 29 ships and more than 650 people? The United States along with a few other countries need to team up, go in, and put an end to this craziness.......Carmelo Anthony will never win an NBA title no matter what team he is with. Why does he want to play in New York? So he can become an international celebrity, with music deals, commercial endorsements and the like. He is too selfish a player, and he plays defense like I do. T-E-A-M is a word he may have a time time spelling.

Trying to stay warm....

What's happening in the Middle East is worrisome. Egypt, Yemen, and Jordan are all seeing political upheaval, with crowds and mobs in Yemen and Egypt demanding the resignations of their presidents. Some are saying its the tip of the iceberg and more countries may experience the same thing. I believe that, and I don't think there's much we could, or should do. What I mean by that is these countries have to settle their own internal strife. We must keep an eye on things certainly however, we must be cautious on trying to influence any outcome......I know its been on before, but I just got around to watching it-the documentary Restrepo, as filmmakers follow American troops into the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan. It is sobering, scary, and sad. This is what our troops are doing overseas everyday. It is a must watch.............My new Favorites are the Alaska Reality Shows-the guys mining for gold and the guy that owns a fleet of planes that fly supplies to remote towns in Alaska. You know who isn't happy about all these reality shows? Professional writers. Fewer shows for them to write.

60 Seconds with Me

So the Gazette refuses to turn over the registration information of one of their readers who wrote on their city desk blog that Mike Gallagher, City Councilman would quote, "Be better off Dead." Really? This is what we get from a respected city media outlet? Don't give me the free speech argument. Listen, I deal with that everyday on KVOR. With free speech comes responsibility. So its more important to the Gazette to get page views on their website than help the police investigate a death threat? And you wonder why Gazette readership is down? That's poor leadership from the Editor from the Gazette....And the comments from an Arizona Sheriff that "Talking Heads" on radio and TV led to the shooting in Arizona is pure nonsense. Can we tone down the talk at times? No question. To say this nut job listened to radio and TV commentators and then decided to shoot people is irresponsible.....I like the idea of Republicans and Democrats sitting side by side listening to the Presidents State Of The Union Address. Hey, we have to start somewhere to get politicians agreeing on something, because when they don't its you and I that suffer.