Bitterness does not even begin to cover it. If you took all the sour candy and phenylthiocarbamide (trust me, I googled it) in the world and turned it into a black hole and then held it in your mouth letting the alkaloid melt your flesh in some protest ritual akin to monks and fire, you still wouldn't come close. By the by, this is the only blog I have so this DOES belong here. Suck it up or use the fucking scroll wheel.

That said, I am ashamed to be living in Colorado right now. The Dems hold the state for only the second time in history. We control the state Senate and House, we have one of ours in the Governor's mansion. Feels like maybe Boulder leaked out of its little cocoon and spread its liberal hippie love all over the state. Hmmmm ... maybe I should recind my proposal to allow California to annex that self rightous little county. But wait. While we may have elected people for change, a simple glance at what ballot initiatives passed and failed reminds me that I live smack dab in the middle of Red Country. And not the kind that got you black listed in the 50's. The kind that makes you think social services should change it's name to "screw-you-get-a-job-we-don't-give-a-rat's-ass-about-you". It's true, I've seen the mothers who cannot afford to feed their children, still waiting for help 6 months after applying. All the while, the telltale signs of malnutrition evident in the tiny faces. But that is neither here nor there, a rant for another day.

Let's go over what the surplus of rednecks in this beautiful state think is OK to put into those dusty old tomes we call the law books. And, what is not fit for those golden pages.

Let's start with what did pass, for the sake of continuity. Amendment 43, we have now joined the ranks of states that are so paranoid about gay people we have to DEFINE marriage as between one man and one woman. What's with the "one"? Are we ashamed because Warren Jeffs was aprehended in our state? Is it catching? Dear god, someone get me some hand sanitizer! Amendment 42 also made it through, though just barely. While raising the minimum wage sounds like a good idea ($5.15 an hour does not come anywhere close to paying rent in Denver) tying it into our constitution as something that happens every year is stupid. Strike that, full blown retarded. You can't expect some small business with an owner and 3 part time high school employees in Rifle (go ahead, laugh, I do everytime that town comes up) to pay wages equal to that of what is paid in Denver. Denver is one of the most expensive cities in the country. You do the math on how many businesses will go under, and how many union jobs (the wages of which are often tied to minimum wage) will be cut to make room in the books for this new expense. We'll tally the cost in 5 or 6 years. On to the referendums ... H which tells us that companies that hire "unauthorized aliens" (apparently illegal immigrants is not a broad enough term) will be forced to pay higher taxes. While I am not against this in principle, this along with the raised minimum wage is going to increase the cost of things such as houses and anything that involves shit jobs such as cleaning the toilets in your office. And apparently, the state is going to sue the federal government per referendum K for not enforcing existing immigration laws. For the love of Christ people, what good is that going to do?

On to the failed initiatives, which are in the order they piss me off: referendum I, and amendment 44. Come on people, not only are we denying gays even the hope of ever being able to get married, but we are telling them they have fewer rights than pets in this state. Fucking fascists is what we are. What's next, little pink triangles they have to wear in public? Wait, someone's tried that already ... it didn't work out. I don't smoke pot, and I recognize that even if the state legalizes it, there is still the federal laws that make it a crime to have. I did however like the idea of the state rising up and telling the federal government "we know you're full of shit about what this drug does to people and we aren't going to take it anymore". Basically I am always all for a collective middle finger to the government.

I am begining to think Canada may not be far enough away for me, I might have to defect to France. Not that all is lost, the Dems took the House in Washington, and as I write, are thisclose to taking the Senate, though that race could go either way. Collectively, the country told the Bush administration exactly where the sun does not shine and how to kiss that particular sweet spot. Good job people.