ISSUE #176: Words of War Against Aspen's Second Homeowners 9/27/20

"Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property are safe."

 - Frederick Douglass

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, Aspen's city council steps up with yet another whammy. This time it's a vacancy tax. If you're away from your Aspen home for more than 6 months of the year, these charlatans want to tax you! To avoid the tax, however, you can house your landscaper, housekeeper or some random qualified employee.

I know, you've already paid the 1.5% RETT, two-thirds of which went to subsidized housing. This is a NEW revenue stream to ensure that you pay your fair share.

Read my column from Sunday's Aspen Times HERE

ISSUE #175: Aspen's "Bike Shed" Effect 9/13/20

"When we blather about trivial things, we ourselves become trivial, for our attention gets taken up with trivialities. You become what you give your attention to."

 - Epictetus

When I learned of the Law of Triviality and its metaphoric concept of "bike-shedding," I simply cracked up. In short, the argument that people within an organization give disproportionate weight to trivial issues immediately reminded me of one particular organization, Aspen's city council.  I had fun writing this one.

Read my column from Sunday's Aspen Times HERE

ISSUE #174: Stack 'em Like Cordwood at the Lumberyard 8/31/20

"It can be difficult to speak truth to power. Circumstances, however, have made doing so increasingly necessary."

 - Aberjhani

The city of Aspen owns a 10-acre parcel of land across from the airport that it purchased for $29 million from the housing fund. Given the outrageous over-spend (another relic of the Steve Barwick era), it is imperative that we develop this land in a manner that best meets the community's needs.

Rather than replicating yet another subsidized housing project where the community sells deed-restricted units to qualified workers and their families, this time, in this location, it's time to build high density rental units for the service industry workforce.

"The Lumberyard" represents the last large parcel of land available for subsidized housing in Aspen. The city will be conducting public outreach in September and October to assess the community's desires. Please make your opinion known.

Read my column from Sunday's Aspen Times HERE

ISSUE #173: Holy Winnebago! 8/17/20

"They paved paradise and put up a parking lot ... with a pink hotel, a boutique and a swinging hot spot."

 - Joni Mitchell

Parking has always been at a premium in Aspen, but this summer we're seeing cars in unprecedented numbers.  The drive market has significantly impacted the rebound of our local economy, but the lack of foresight by our car-loathing electeds leaves us with literally nowhere to park.  Add to that America's resurgent love for RVs and the fact that Aspen allows these to park on any street and you have a parking dilemma that is not going away.

 

Read my column from Sunday's Aspen Times HERE

ISSUE #172: 1984 Revisited 8/4/20

"The ideal set up by the Party was something huge, terrible, and glittering - a world of steel and concrete, of monstrous machines and terrifying weapons - a nation of warriors and fanatics, marching forward in perfect unity, all thinking the same thoughts and shouting the same slogans, perpetually working, fighting, triumphing, persecuting - three hundred million people all with the same face."

 - George Orwell

I recently read New York Times (now former) editor Bari Weiss' resignation letter and it struck me. The current recent civil unrest, coupled with widespread revisionist history through the removal of statues and names, and this very high profile example of the "thought police," reminded me of one thing - George Orwell's 1984, which I hadn't read since high school. I re-read the 1949 classic and was shocked by how Orwell's prescient warnings have manifested themselves today.

Read my column in last Sunday's Aspen Times HERE.

ISSUE #171: Aspen's NextGeneration Gap 7/19/20

"The lessons of the past are ignored and obliterated in a contemporary antagonism known as the generation gap."

   - Spiro T. Agnew

Divide and conquer appears to be the modus operandi of young city councilman Skippy Mesirow. His favorite is to incite division between the haves and the haves-not, but most recently he went after his fellow councilmen along generational lines. This took place following a council discussion of whether to adopt "mobile voting" by phone or computer for future Aspen elections. Mesirow so desperately wanted to adopt the unproven method that when his colleagues opted to wait for improved security as well as, God forbid, state approval, he chastised them personally as old and out-of-touch.

Always one to overshare on social media, Mesirow is the gift that keeps on giving.

Who he speaks for is unclear, but if it's the young people in our community, we ought to be aware and more than just a little concerned. The 18-to-40-year-old demographic has been given an official voice through the city's "Next Gen Commission." For balance, isn't it time for a similar commission-level voice for second homeowners, the ones who pay the taxes and boost the economy?

Read my column in today's Aspen Times HERE

ISSUE #170: Aspen's Vigilante Mask Police: Just Stop! 7/5/20

"Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster."

   - Unknown

Summer is here, the tourists are back, and so are cases of COVID-19. Masks are mandatory and there's a midnight curfew for businesses. As we individually grapple with the challenges of re-opening, keep in mind that Aspen's very survival depends on our ability to host tourists - this summer and beyond. 

If mask-wearing keeps the government and health board happy and we can keep the doors open, then it's a relatively small price to pay. But please, assess your own risks, take individual responsibility (especially if you have underlying health issues), and don't take enforcement into your own hands. 

Read my column in today's Aspen Times HERE 

ISSUE #169: Subsidized Housing: A privilege at a time when privilege is a bad thing 6/21/20

"What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude."

   - Brené Brown

You'd think that a global pandemic and ensuing financial crisis would humble even the most idealistic politician. But not city councilman Skippy Mesirow. As our local governments continue to throw good money after bad at local issues, Mesirow leans even farther forward with woke and uber-progressive concepts to reform local institutions like APCHA. You'd think the crises of 2020 had dropped squarely into his lap so that he could show us how easily our culture can be transformed.

The Red Ant sees all of his virtue-signaling and political pandering for what it is ... a danger to established community values. While others are distracted, toiling for their very survival, Mesirow is affecting governance by weaseling his righteous indignation into critical policy documents. Buyer beware.

Read my column in today's Aspen Times HERE