Life is good....
Op Ed Columns published in the Boulder Daily Camera and other local newspapers
Democrats sailing too close to the wind? published in the Boulder Daily Camera, 4/1/12. When the wind shifts and you have to sail into it, sailors know to be careful. The Democratic party has changed tacks on women's reproductive rights in response to the changes in Republican positions on the issue, and they may have done themselves more harm than good.
Democrats latest attempt at dividing American published in the Longmont Times Call, 3/23/12. The Republican Party has finally come to see that Americans strongly support women's reproductive rights. However, that might bite into the edge that Democrats have come to count on with women voters, so they are cooking up ways to keep their edge and, in the process, attempting to create divisions in American society.
Boulder Power's budding green debt, published in the Boulder Daily Camera, 2/26/12. When the City of Boulder decided to go for municipalizing their electric supply, they walked away from a deal that would have had near-term favorable environmental effects. The longer it takes to get things in place, the more environmental ground they need to make up so that municipalization was an environmentally wise decision.
Obama votes 'present' on pipeline, published in the Longmont Times Call, 2/15/12. Our President has ducked his responsibility to make what is, to him, a tough call on the Keystone Pipeline that will bring Canadian oil to U.S. markets. On critical decisions like this one, the President needs to do his job.Real Republicans will support legalizing marijuana, published in the Boulder Daily Camera, 1/22/11. The title pretty much says it all - this column makes a case for legalizing marijuana using traditional conservative arguments.
Ben Pearlman should finish the job he was elected to do, published in the Longmont Times Call, 12/15/11. A Boulder County Commissioner is stepping down in the middle of his term to compete for a better paying and more permanent job with the County, and this is just plain wrong.
Churches are great places to confront social issues, published in the Boulder Daily Camera, 12/11/11. My church in Boulder took on the divisive social issue of whether to publicly bless lifelong monogamous gay unions and did in what I believe to be an extremely enlightened way. This example of how religion can serve society runs contrary to many people's beliefs about what goes on inside of the walls of a church.
Support the Boulder Multisport Training and Sports Science Center, published in the Boulder Daily Camera, 11/13/11. Boulder had a great opportunity to become the best place in the world for swimming, biking, running, and climbing training and scientific research. But, a broken city and county government are about to kill it through inept bureaucracy. Local government needs to sort this out and not blow a once in a generation opportunity.
Pay College Athletes, published in the Daily Camera October 16, 2011. Why are we perpetuating a system where college athletes, the stars of the show, are expected to work for room and board while Universities make a fortune on their labors?
Economic Prosperity Reduces Poverty, Wealth Redistribution Doesn't, published in the Daily Camera, October 2, 2011. Poverty rates are going up, and we should all agree that it is in everyone's best interests to help the poor. But, what's the best way to do it?
Businesses are People, too?, published in the Boulder Daily Camera, August 7, 2011. The Boulder City Council is considering putting on the ballot in November a resolution that supports a U.S. Constitutional amendment that would eliminate any constitutional protections for corporations, as well as explicitly stating that campaign donations do not constitute political free speech. This would be in direct response to the 2010 Supreme Court Citizen's United vs. FEC decision that allows corporations and unions to spend freely on politics. This column supports the Supreme Court's decision and argues that businesses deserve the same rights as any other organization with respect to political speech and spending.
Good and Bad News for Boulder Power, Inc., published in the Boulder Daily Camera, July 3, 2011. The City of Boulder wants to take over the electrical utilities within the city from Xcel energy, the company that currently provides them. In July, the City released a series of documents that outline who they propose to do this and why it would be a good idea. This column reviews the plans put together by the City of Boulder as well as the alternative plan put forth by Xcel Energy to provide renewable energy to Boulder.
We Need to Finish this Conversation, published in the Boulder Daily Camera, June 12, 2011. This column makes the case that we really do need to address the budget and deficit of the United States government right now, not later.
Sometimes living in Boulder is hard work, published in the Boulder Daily Camera, May 28, 2011. This column talks about how Boulder provides an environment that encourages a fit lifestyle and how, for some of us, this is hard work. It makes the point by exploring how my 30 years in Boulder has seen the steady evolution of the fitness community and how it has affected me an my family personally.
Boulder Power, Inc., published in the Boulder Daily Camera, May 14, 2011. Boulder is thinking of taking over the electrical supply and distribution system from the Xcel Energy company. This column lays out a set of criteria by which the City should be judged as they put together their plans and present them to the public.
Competition in Colorado politics, published in the Boulder Daily Camera, April 30, 2011, This column advocates that, as Colorado redraws congressional districts, one of the primary criteria should be that there is real competition in the districts, not just the usual gerrymandering nonsense.
California is yesterday, Colorado is tomorrow, published in the Boulder Daily Camera, 1/23/11. This column makes the case that Colorado is, maybe, just maybe, the place that innovation in thinking lifestyles is taking place. It also argues that California, that used to have that role, is pretty much washed up.
How government policy affects entrepreneurs, published in the Boulder Daily Camera, 10/26/10. This in-your-face column tells my story of how government tax policy destroyed any financial motivation for me to start a new business. When it was published, it started a lot of back-and-forth shouting in the newspaper and their on-line blog.
Common Ground on Abortion, published in the Boulder Daily Camera, 6/9/09. This column suggests that abortion opponents accept a woman's right to abortion but that, in return, abortion advocates should recognize that the way that abortion was legalized - through judicial overreach - is a bad way to develop complex social policy.
All politics are
local,
published in the Boulder Daily Camera 9/9/08. This column makes
the case that one-party rule is not in the City or County of Boulder's
best interests.
Sad but sincere
attempts at humor
Boulder's new sitcom, published in the Longmont Times Call, 1/27/12. This is another article in the continuing saga of how the Boulder County Commissioners seem to think that they can do anything they like since, after all, their party is in charge.
The real tragedy: Now everyone's calling it junk, published in the Colorado Daily, 11/11/10. It really bugs me that the TSA magic screening machine that looks through our clothes and then shows us naked to some guy behind a screen somehow led to a public renaming of our private parts.
Science and Technology
A Current View of Public Health and Safety Consequences of the Fukushima Nuclear Event, Published in the RMEL Electric Energy Magazine, June 2011 (Note: more details of the analysis in this article can be downloaded by clicking here)
Modeling Human Performance in Complex Systems, Published in the Handbook of Human Factors, G. Salvendy, Ed. If you want to see my contribution to the engineering profession, this is a the third revision of a book chapter on which I am the lead author. Compared to most of the stuff I write these days, this is a bit dry, but it is also the stuff around which I build a company and was the basis for local and national awards in innovation.