9 minute read
Way of the World
by Bob Grand 2021 has arrived. I hope all had a safe and Happy New Year. As we wait for vaccines to be available, there is some optimism about. There are those who have decided not to take it. That is their choice. Just remember to respect others and, their space, as they are doing what they think is right. It has been a tough year, many have suffered severe economic impact, in one way or another. Others have been deprived of seeing their loved one, especially hard hit has been our senior members of the population who have been robbed of almost a year out of seeing and hugging their children and grandchildren. That time is gone, not be regained, it is lost forever. More troubling is the ongoing anxiety and mental health issues that are out there.
The economic impacts are not done. Few have stopped to ask how the stock market can maintain its level of performance. The significant negative impact on profits cannot support the market be as strong as it is on the surface. It cannot sustain it. Companies have borrowed money to buy stocks back. This reduces the number of shares outstanding and causes earnings per share to be bolstered because there is less stock out their circulating. But how long can that last? For those companies that borrowed money, no matter how low the interest rate is, how do they pay it back, if profits are significantly reduced? Mortgage forbearance is another issue that has helped many but when does that bill become due?
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The 2020 election is drawing to a close, painfully. The Democrats hold 222 seats in the House of Representatives with the Republicans having 211. Certainly not a mandate. 2022 looks like it will hold a very unpleasant surprise for the Democrats. The Republicans are fighting hard for their President. Democrats did that for four years after the Donald Trump was declared the winner over Hillary Clinton. Listening to some Democrats that sounds like the worst thing in the world. Something about turnabout is fair play.
The bigger question we should all be asking is how comfortable are we that the election was not tampered with in some manner? Attorney General Barr indicated that there was no evidence of massive voter fraud that would alter the election result. He did not say there was no fraud. 90% of the voting in America is managed through three companies, Election System & Software, Dominion Voting Systems, and Hart InterCivics. These companies have private equity firms as their major stockholders. One has to ask, in today’s world of cyber hacking, has there been a good forensic audit of these firms to test and verify that their security is above and beyond reproach? We, all know that the world is not all fair and friendly. How comfortable are we that these companies have, in fact, been set up and operated to run to prevent any intrusion in their systems? It is not a question of whether you are a Republican or Democrat. We are citizens, and someone should be able to answer that question to us with certainty.
On October 4th, 2020, the Great Barrington Declaration was issued. Ever hear of it? Few of us have. It was issued in Great Barrington , Massachusetts, yes there is a town there. It was a document that basically said that there was a far greater danger to the public in locking down society than the actual threat of COVID-19 19. It has been signed by over 13,000 public health professionals and over 39,000 medical practitioners. I think that was an important statement and should have qualified as an important news story. But who am I, but a humble mortal? It is a good example of where the media had elected to not carry a story that does not support the party line, and, God forbid, support the President, prior to the election. I am tired of the experts, with all their degrees and pontifications, and not a lick of common sense, telling us what is good for us. Most of these people have jobs that have not and probably will not be affected by the economic impact of COVID 19. They get their pay, get to work at home, get their annual increases, get their retirements, without any accountability of what value they contribute to the United States of America and its citizens. Somebody should ask about that.
On the night John Hickenlooper was elected he declared victory and said that Washington was broken. I have little expectation he will do anything to fix it, but we will attempt to report that activities of both our United States Senators from Colorado. If over the next few years, they can accomplish half of what Cory Gardener did it will be a pleas-
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Bob Grand - Publisher 303-732-4080 publisher@lostcreekguide.com Our deadline is 7 lcgnews.com working days before publication 105 Woodward - PO Box 581 Keenesburg, CO 80643
Letters to the Editor are encouraged. Letters may be edited for length, libelous, or inappropriate content. All letter submissions should include name, address, & phone number for verification purposes. Letters are published at the editor or publisher’s discretion. Opinions expressed in letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Lost Creek Guide or staff. ant surprise. Both our senators will be good and faithful servants to the minority leader in the United States Senate, Chuck Schumer, from the State of New York. On a local level the elected Commissioner for Weld County District 3, Lori Saine, gave an interview to the Greeley Tribune saying, among other things, that her strength was in assessing operations. I must have missed that experience in her bios. But Ms. Saine must try and establish herself as the replacement for Commissioner Kirkmeyer. A task I am not sure she can accomplish. I guess I would just like to see her start with being a representative of the citizens of District 3 in Weld County and not the Republican Party base in the greater Greeley area. As with our two United States we will attempt to cover the activities and hopefully accomplishments of Ms. Saine as the Weld County Commissioner representing District 3. If Joe Biden is declared our President, I wish him well. He will be facing some tough times. I am not optimistic of what he has recruited as his senior staff as it looks like Obama 2.0. I am proud of being an American, we all should be.
We always welcome your comments and thoughts: publisher@lostcreekguide.com
Have a safe, happy, and healthy New Year.
Town of Hudson Receives State Broadband Grant
Guy Patterson, Hudson Town Manager
On December 29, 2020, the Town of Hudson was informed it has received a matching grant from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs in the amount of $731,170 to build a broadband “backbone” in Town. “This is great news” exclaimed Hudson Mayor Laura Hargis. “This is a big step in a project that is entering it’s fifth year. We firmly believe this will help move Hudson successfully into the future as a small, comfortable community people want to move to grow their family.”
The grant is a dollar-for-dollar match for the project. The Town of Hudson has budgeted the same amount for FY-2021. The next steps for the Town are to secure a partner to design and build the system, then find someone to run it. “We’ve been in conversations with a few companies that want to perform various parts of the work” said Guy Patterson, Hudson’s Town Manager. “We have narrowed our choices of who to partner with and will be bringing that information to Council early in 2021.” Patterson believes the project should be completed late summer or early fall, 2021.
“Lot’s of people want broadband for playing games and watching Netflix” Mayor Hargis said. “Those are important reasons, but we believe this will also help people in Hudson work from home or educate their children on-line. It may even lead to getting an emergency health clinic into town or other professionals who need the ability to quickly move lots of data online. We want to thank everyone at the State and everyone in Town who has committed time and effort to this project.”
The Town of Hudson holds a current population of approximately 1,600 residents and growing. Located off SH 52 and I-76, it is one of several communities that has attracted attention from developers for its proximity to the Denver metro area. There are numerous residential projects in various states of development, a new $100,000,000 BNSF Logistics Center being built, as well as other land within Town limits and in areas that may be annexed in the future.
A copy of the award letter and a preliminary report issued by the Town regarding broadband are attached for reference.
Town of Hudson Broadband Middle-Mile
The Honorable Laura Hargis, Mayor
Town of Hudson
P.O. Box 351
Hudson, CO 80642
RE: EIAF B001 – Town of Hudson Broadband Middle-Mile
Dear Mayor Hargis:
The Department of Local Affairs is in receipt of your application for state Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance funds. These revenues are derived from oil, gas, carbon dioxide, coal, and metals extracted in Colorado.
Your project was reviewed based on a variety of factors such as its connection to energy impact, degree of need, measurable outcomes, amount of request, relationship to community goals, level of local match and community support, management capacity, and readiness to go. Competition for these limited funds was intense and we had many more requests than we had funds available.
Congratulations! After thorough review, I am excited to offer a grant award in the amount of $731,170 for the Town of Hudson Broadband Middle-Mile project.
These grant funds will be from state severance tax proceeds, which may cause you to go to election to receive and spend them. You should confer with your legal and budget advisors to determine if such an election is necessary.
Please contact your DOLA Regional Manager, Chris La May, at 970-679-7679 for information on how to proceed.
Expenditure of State funds prior to the contract being fully executed cannot be included in the contract budget or reimbursed by the State. Per our program guidelines, this offer is valid for one year from the date of this letter.
Sincerely,
Rick M. Garcia, Executive Director cc: Jerry Sonnenberg, State Senator
Lori Saine, State Representative
Guy Patterson, Town of Hudson
Matthew Hirschinger, Town
