I sent out a classic election campaign email today. October 8th being my birthday, and this being my 58th trip around the sun, well, I asked people to give me $58.
You can give me $58 too, by clicking here: https://lnx.scanlonforcolorado.com/l/zul97xXpJ
All in all, I have a lot to celebrate at this stage. Other than early onset glaucoma, I’m in reasonably good health. I still play hockey and workout at the gym regularly. I still love to hop on the bike and just ride.
It’s a helluva thing, this campaigning stuff. I’m going to celebrate yet another birthday in 2026 before we get to the election. And this is far from unusual. My opponent has been in the race for most of this year. Poor bastard. [For the record, Chris Van Dyke is a great guy. There are plenty of reasons to vote for him. And I don’t begrudge people who plan to. Although I do want a chance to talk to those folks!]
So today I feel like I can take the privilege of stepping back a little and looking at the big picture. The loss of my Mom earlier this year, and my cat just the other day, has had me a little melancholy and despondent. Not quite myself. The cloudy weather of the last few days hasn’t helped!
These personal issues will pass and I’ll be fine.
Then there’s my nation and the looming ecological collapse.
On the Climate Crisis, I launched ClimateCon! over 2 years ago now. www.climatecon.world I continue to plug away every week, if not every day. Our next conference is Feb 2nd. The lineup continues to grow. I intend to continue to run ClimateCon!’s for the next 10 to 30 years, so stay tuned!
It’s been a tough year for people working and laboring to bend the curve on the Climate Crisis. The Trump Administration has sought to cut back, if not outright cancel, dozens of programs and projects.
Now the Trump Adminstration and Congressional Republicans have conspired to shut down the federal government. This is no typical shutdown, even though everyone appears to be acting like it is.
This is an unconstitutional takeover of the federal budget process by the White House. The constitution gives the power of allocating money to the Congress. It is very clear. It’s literally Article 1.
This administration has been aggressive in taking control of spending decisions that only Congress is permitted to make. And now, they’re using the shutdown to get even more aggressive. I saw a headline that they have eliminated a watchdog oversight group inside of ICE.
ICE is allowed to work through the shutdown because they are “essential.” They’re not getting paid – no federal employees are right now, government shutdown. But the essential workers still work, and then get lumpsum payments once the government returns. At least that’s how it’s been in the past. Yesterday the OMB Director threatened not make good on paychecks to employees who are currently working without pay, like air traffic controllers.
This shutdown is just one prong of the Trump Administration’s rising authoritarianism. He’s threatening to put troops in Chicago and Portland. He’s attacking and weakening our finest universities. He’s waging war on our immigrant communities. He’s grifting and grifting and grifting. He continues to do an amazing number of things Vladmir Putin would want him to do. Coincidentally, Trump went out of his way this week to praise Putin.
Did I think this was where America would be when I approached my golden years? I did not.
Is there anything I can do about it? I ask myself over and over. And then I remember.
Oh yeah. I’m running for office.
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