Great news! Denver ended homelessness! So, who’s been pooping on our property?
In 2005, then-mayor John Hickenlooper launched “Denver’s Road Home,” a ten year plan to end homelessness in Denver. So who’s been leaving trash, bottles, syringes, vomit, and feces on our Freedom Embassy and all over our neighborhood? Amazing how a 12-fold increase in spending has helped make the homeless problem worse! But, the more you subsidize something, the more of it you get.
The real shame of this failed government scheme is that those of us who work in downtown Denver are losing the sympathy we have — and that we should continue to have — for the homeless. Just ask the good folk at II– they are tired of cleaning up the mess. Read more about the squatters and their takeover of our once poop-free streets in my Denver Post Column.
In other news, we received a request from the Joint Budget Committee for hard copies of our two latest issue papers, Ross Izard’s analysis of Education Finance, and Westminster City Council Member Bruce Baker’s investigation of Urban Renewals. Both detail the huge amount of wasteful spending and illogical use of resources prevalent in our government today. Hopefully our research will better inform the members of the committee where money is actually needed in the state, rather than where it just looks pretty. This could mean good news for those of us footing the bill!
The fickle and competitive nature of politics today sucks; but just imagine how it would have felt to get the shaft back in the times of the founding fathers. For all the history enthusiasts out there, read all about Ebenezer Hazard, America’s forgotten founder, in this article by our own constitutional expert, Rob Natelson.
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Finally, it is with terrible sadness, that I must report the passing of Peter Blake, a ferocious friend to both the Independence Institute, and our investigative reporting site, Complete Colorado. After 50 years in journalism, Peter finished his career locally, doing what he did best – holding government to account. He brought light to stories of all sizes, proving that the seemingly small stories make the biggest difference in everyday lives. He was, and continues to be, one of the greats. While I can wrack my brain for the right words to give you a glimpse of this Colorado giant, I’ll leave that to those who worked closest with him. Read Todd Shepherd’s moving tribute to Peter here.
Think Freedom,
Jon Caldara
