Come and visit me now at Mediocre Stacy. Take care.

Channel 7′s Story

Denver Post Article

ROAR Colorado

Zachrey Harris will serve 20 days in jail and spend two years on probation for using racial slurs against a Nigerian student during an alcohol-fueled attack on University Hill last September, a Boulder district judge ruled Friday.

Harris, 23, was convicted in April of a single count of harassment, insults, taunts and ethnic intimidation. Prosecutors believe it was the first time in Colorado that someone was convicted of a bias-motivated crime based on words alone.

During a confrontation early Sept. 18, Harris hurled racial epithets at University of Colorado student and Nigerian Oluyibi Ogundipe and his friend, Ahmad Abdulkareem, who’s from Saudi Arabia, because of their skin color.

Read the entire article here: The Boulder Daily Camera

Harris denies being a racist, and blames that night’s word vomit on being intoxicated. Additionally, early reports about this story state that the *victims* in this case said some inappropriate things as well. Here’s the question though, was Harris’ First Amendment right trampled upon? Racism is wrong, and I think much of the American populace agrees with that. But don’t we have the freedom to believe what we want to believe, and say what we want to say according to our First Amendment? When those freaks at Westboro Baptist are allowed their hate speech, why is it different than this? Because it falls under the context of religious freedom? Gimme a break. Perhaps if Harris was sporting a swastika tattoo, then an eyebrow or two should have been raised. But 20 days of jail time, and two years probation, and a cost of what?

Perhaps it’s time to resurrect the scarlet letter. We’ll make it the scarlet alphabet. Slap a big ol’ *R* on Harris’ chest for *Racist* and have him pick up trash on Pearl Street for 20 days. He says a few mean words in a drunken stupor, and now the taxpayer has footed the bill for his court proceedings and incarceration.

Funny how media, law enforcement and the judiciary pick and choose what they find to be race based. Denver’s Lower Downtown area (called LoDo) suffered through a string of assaults in the summer of 2009. All of these attacks were perpetrated by African-Americans on whites and Latinos. It took months for these acts to REALLY hit the news, while the DPD hemmed and hawed publicly over the MO. God forbid black on white crime be reported as such.

Yep. One slippery slope at a time, and we’ll all be tried and convicted for something. I’ll see you all on the other side of that razor-wire fence.

Our financial stability isn’t getting any better, our business doesn’t look to improve any time soon, and that’s me being optimistic! I still see countless retail units available for lease, home foreclosures, and an unemployment rate here of 8.3% as of April, 2011. Granted it could be worse, but still; no reason to call a bad situation a good one.

I want to retouch on a post I did a few months back on my old website:

. . .

The teachers’ golden child, Barack Obama, stated himself that we would all have to make sacrifices during these tough times. Well Wisconsin? Congratulations, you’re now making the sacrifices that some of us have been doing for quite some time. You are not special, you are not unique. You have not made great sacrifices in your personal life because you CHOSE to become an educator. Assuming that your job, and your benefits package, is more valuable than your next door neighbor, who perhaps is employed as a butcher, or a garbage man, or a whatever; is quite presumptuous of you. We all have our lots in life, we all make choices that have placed us in the very chair that we are currently sitting in. Is education valuable? Absolutely. But so is the garbage that’s picked up from your curb each week.

Get over yourself!

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An ongoing issue here in Colorado has been the battle over the Public Employee Retirement Association (PERA). This has been in the headlines for a few years now, and it’s not getting better. In fact, it’s not getting better all the time. I noticed the Denver Post’s Vincent Carroll did another piece on it recently.

Denver residents who support the city retirement system through their taxes generally qualify for a pension in their mid-60s. City employees, meanwhile, qualify for their public pension at age 55 if they have worked at least 20 years. Vidal – like John Hickenlooper before him – would like to hike the minimum retirement age for future hires to 60 and require at least 25 years of service to qualify.

Linkie again!

You read that? Age 55. When all of us hear rumors bouncing around that there’s a chance when it’s our turn to receive Social Security benefits, (That, mind you, WE’VE paid into the system) it’ll be closer to 70. The imbalance between the numbers paralyzes the mind.

From PERA’s website:

The Colorado Public Employees’ Retirement Association (PERA) provides retirement and other benefits to employees of the State of Colorado; all school districts; the judicial system; and numerious (sic) municipalities, special districts, public health departments, and other local government entities.

I’ve stated on this site before, the Husband and I are self-employed. Years back we established our retirement portfolios, and in the past few years have lost most of it. There is no one to bail us out. There is no council, or arm twisting union to fight for our money. No chance of retiring with what we had anticipated we would. Again, it could be worse. We could be 20 years older than what we are right now, and in that same situation.

Here’s the hubris though. Why does a public employee believe they’re better than the rest of us? That their needs, their rights, are of higher merit, and therefore, the taxpayer must concede his/her’s hard-earned money for them to sleep better at night? I troll municipal job listings from time to time, benefits and starting wages for most listings are pretty, damn good. And job security? Yeah, you just go ahead and try terminating a public employee. In reality, the public sector should be the private sector’s bitch. But somewhere along the line, this got out of hand. It’s starts with a levy here, and an election there; next thing you know candidates who played themselves up to be fiscal conservatives, are actually progressive libs, expanding the government an unGodly amount. That would be a shot at George W. Bush, by the way.

Where is the Golden Rule residing these days? Obviously not in unions. Obviously not in PERA, who’s board has several PERA members. Conflict of interest much? Fox? Hen house?

Do unto others. Hmmm. Being that PERA, the NEA, SEIU, the AFL-CIO, are hell bent on screwing everyone; I see reciprocal screwing in the days ahead. As the saying goes, “we’re mad as hell, and we’re not going to take it anymore!”

Colorado businesses and individuals who are delinquent on past years’ tax payments will have the chance to make good on them without penalties or interest under a bill that Gov. John Hickenlooper signed into law Friday.

Read the whole thing on one of Colorado’s finest publications: Denver Business Journal!!!!

Look, I get giving a break to someone who owes you money, I do it all the time in our business. But why is it you and I are penalized for playing by the rules? Have you ever set up a payment plan with a state or federal tax agency? Do they charge you penalties and interest? Of course they do. A plea bargain for taxation if you will.

I would never allow an item as important as unpaid taxes to sit on a shelf, gathering dust. Maybe I’m just obsessive that way, but my gut says it’s pretty important. My rendition of being irresponsible, would be walking quickly with scissors, not even a full-on run. Eh.

A large part of my frustration over this issue, revolves around a current situation I’m going through with the Colorado Department of Revenue.

A few months ago, our name was fortunate enough to be pulled out of a hat for a state payroll audit. Auditor came in (nice guy, we spent a lot of time talking), and found that the state actually owed us money, and that I would be receiving a refund in the mail within about a month. But that month later, I instead received a letter from the CDOR stating that I did not submit my employees’ state payroll taxes for 2010. Ummm, I did. I composed a letter along with copies of canceled checks, and a copy of my W-3, which shows what state withholdings were. The canceled checks matched the W-3 to the penny. If the CDOR can’t keep track of my itty-bitty company payroll, how will they manage this system of amnesty to Colorado taxpayers?

I again would like to state, that if you and I ran our businesses the way government agencies were run, we’d be out of business. All we ask for is competency. If that’s too much, then hire individuals who are capable of it.