BEWARE: Colorado Springs.A sh-t hole

[ACUDANUT]

  Every corner has someone holding up a beg sign. Every corner has that and a Tattoo shop, pawn shop and a weed shop.  No one there under 40 appears to want to work.  I also have never seen so many Spanish only speaking folks. What a shithole surrounded by beauty.   Went to a nice restaurant and in the back, they had bums taking whole trash bags out of the dumpsters and running off with them.
Let me be clear, The Mexicans I saw,had a job and only spoke Spanish.  I speak Spanish...They were not the problem. !!
Also, My best Friend is From Mexico and a Former Marine I served many years with... So don't throw racist into this.

[440]

I also have never so many Spanish only speaking folks

California was no different amigo.

[ACUDANUT]

 True, I lived there for 4 years. 

[Lennard]

I also have never so many Spanish only speaking folks

Mexifornia was no different amigo.

Fixed it

[Mytur Binsdirti]

 Every corner has someone holding up a beg sign. Every corner has that and a Tattoo shop, pawn shop and a weed shop.  No one there under 40 appears to want to work.  I also have never seen so many Spanish only speaking folks. What a shithole surrounded by beauty.
Let me be clear, The Mexicans had a job and I speak some Spanish.  They were not the problem. !!
Also, My best Friend is From Mexico and a Former Marine.. So don't throw racist into this.

Being Mexican is an ethnicity, not a race.

That said, this is not racist...............

[Kern Dog]

Why would any responsible person think that legalizing a drug would improve society ?

[ACUDANUT]

Sanctuary City ??

[Chad L. Magee]

I live in Metro Denver, so I understand what you are talking about on the homeless problems here in Colorado.  The 16th street mall is full of beggers, some wanting weed instead of money.  I have seen them hold signs that say that directly.  They come here thinking that it is a land of free drugs for some reason.  The weather is starting to change over and that will drive out some of them to warmer climates.  Sorry California, but you will see a lot of them go your direction....

[Chad L. Magee]

Why would any responsible person think that legalizing a drug would improve society ?

I agree with you on this.  People that use it here still do not follow the laws on where it can be consumed.  They think that they should have the right to do it anywhere and everywhere.  I have to deal with the smells of it just walking to the grocery store or going out to lunch.  They do not care if it offends others (Kinda reminds me of tobacco smokers in the 1970s).  Not my cup of tea....

For the record, the only drug that I actively consume is one baby aspirin a day (blood thinner) and I am a chemist by trade....

[moparnut]

Its not only Colorado,Was in Baltimore and D.C over the weekend.Three and four  guys  at every intersection looking for handouts. javascript:void(0); My daughters graduation was in Baltimore (she got her masters in business) Woo hoo .Daughters room mate bought boxes of granola bars and would hand them out,some would not even take them.DC was no better,4 lanes each direction and they would work there way through  vehicles while at red lights.Ravens , Redskins  were having preseason games.Baltimore also had a baseball game going,crazy traffic. javascript:void(0);

[70 sublime]

And I bet everyone of them had a cell phone and a pack of smokes on them too

Saw the same thing going on begging for money in a medium size town the other day up here in Canada ( yes he was smoking and talking on cell phone )

[ACUDANUT]

 I hope people visiting from overseas don't think the rest of the USA lives that way.!

[Kern Dog]

As outlandish as it sounds, wouldn't it be great to collect all the homeless and place them in a huge fenced in area of North Dakota ? 

[alfaitalia]

Nice to hear what a caring society it is over there !....probably the same caring society that got those people in the situation of being homeless in the first place. It's not that difficult to be homeless even in a developed nation. If my wife divorsed me and took my house etc (it happens) I doubtt could afford anywhere else to live for a while and would be depending on the charity of friends....some won't have friends who can help....then it's the street. I'm sure there are many other ways it could happen...bankruptsy  etc. So count your blessings. Yes the phone carrying smokers might be trying to pull a fast one but many of then will be in genuine need. Rounding them up like stray dogs might not be the answer lol!

As far as what the rest of the world thinks....well probably nothing...I've seen beggars in nearly every big city in the world that I have visited......including our ones...London, Birmingham, Manchester etc.

[Mike DC]

Why would any responsible person think that legalizing a drug would improve society ?

Legalize it, or just de-criminalize it, but we need to change SOMETHING.  This is not a decent way for a society to conduct itself.  

Right now we are locking up a stupid number of people, to fight a crime wave that isn't happening, and fight an addiction problem that we aren't fighting.  

 






Our drug laws also do a great job of targeting minorities.

[68X426]

Sorry to hear that Colorado Springs has become a copy of life in California. 

[Vegas_Nick]

Why would any responsible person think that legalizing a drug would improve society ?

Legalize it, or just de-criminalize it, but we need to change SOMETHING.  This is not a decent way for a society to conduct itself.  

Right now we are locking up a stupid number of people, to fight a crime wave that isn't happening, and fight an addiction problem that we aren't fighting.  

 






Our drug laws also do a great job of targeting minorities.

Mike I agree 100% In my former life, I worked in a Narco unit. I can tell you that the manpower and resources wasted on fighting  marijuana is staggering. I don't see the "addiction" that we all hear about when it comes to MJ. Some of the largest and goriest murder scenes I ever worked were related to coke and meth trafficking. I don't recall ever working a single violent crime related to MJ. Seeing people lose their jobs and freedom over a 1/8th was absolutely ludicrous, as is blaming things like homelessness on the legalization of weed. Trust me, people will get it and use it legal or not. The tax revenue generated in Colorado has been well used. I am hoping to see Nevada settle in with it here soon.

Secondly, as a cancer survivor (16 rounds of chemo for Lymphoma) I will tell you that I would have loved to have had legal access to MJ when the nausea and pain kicked in every week. My wife has a very debilitating blood disorder and I helped her get her medical card here in NV, and I can tell you that times the only thing between her committing suicide and being able to function are CBD related products.

[Ponch ®]

Im sorry some of you guys are triggered by people speaking another language and need a safe space. #snowflakes

[440]

I don't have a problem with people speaking a foreign language, but I do have a problem when they surround your truck in the Home Depot parking lot looking for work or begging for money.

[Chad L. Magee]

Nice to hear what a caring society it is over there !....probably the same caring society that got those people in the situation of being homeless in the first place. It's not that difficult to be homeless even in a developed nation. If my wife divorsed me and took my house etc (it happens) I doubtt could afford anywhere else to live for a while and would be depending on the charity of friends....some won't have friends who can help....then it's the street. I'm sure there are many other ways it could happen...bankruptsy  etc. So count your blessings. Yes the phone carrying smokers might be trying to pull a fast one but many of then will be in genuine need. Rounding them up like stray dogs might not be the answer lol!

As far as what the rest of the world thinks....well probably nothing...I've seen beggars in nearly every big city in the world that I have visited......including our ones...London, Birmingham, Manchester etc.

I try to help the truly homeless when I can, but I draw the line when it comes to helping them support a drug habit, legal or otherwise.  Sorry, but I have my own bills to pay and I work hard for my money.  I have had beggars refuse my offers of gift cards to food places because it was not what they wanted (ie. they wanted money for their habit).  I also advise them on where the nearest shelter is.  Some of them have told me off that they would rather go camp outside than to have to follow the rules to stay there.  We also have professional beggars here in Denver that will take advantage of peoples generosity just to make money.  There was a news story a few months ago that detailed one who spent most of the day begging near the interstates, yet drove a new Mercedes when off the clock.  I think he left town after that hit the news.

[HPP]

 Every corner has someone holding up a beg sign. Every corner has that and a Tattoo shop, pawn shop and a weed shop.  No one there under 40 appears to want to work.  I also have never seen so many Spanish only speaking folks. What a shithole surrounded by beauty. Went to a nice restaurant and in the back, they had bums taking whole trash bags out of the dumpsters and running off with them.
Let me be clear, The Mexicans I saw,had a job and only spoke Spanish.  I speak Spanish...They were not the problem. !!
Also, My best Friend is From Mexico and a Former Marine I served many years with... So don't throw racist into this.

Sorry to hear your visit to my hometown was so disappointing. It sounds like you spent most your time on the south-east side. Certainly not a shining example of our city. However, BEWARE and sh-t hole are a bit harsh for such a wide ranging area, unless you are deliberately trying to be an a$$hat. Of course, I suppose if you recall more, you can continue to modify your post about what a truly vile place we are and how no one should walk around without arming themselves. Closer to reality is that a majority of our crime occurs in only three zip codes and is typically among persons who know each other, so I'd hardly say your life was at risk. 

If the city was truly as bad as you make it out to be, we wouldn't have places like the US Air Force Academy, Norad, US Space Command, the US Olympic Training Center, or the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, nor businesses like Texas Instruments, Hewlett Packard, Apple, MCI, Microchip Tech, and others. We are home to the fastest growing university in the state, University of Colorado Colo Spgs, and one of the highest rated liberal arts colleges between the  Mississippi River and California in Colorado College. Like anyplace that has been growing at 25-75% clip every decade for the past 50 years, we are bound to attract a few undesirables, but I fail to see where we are radically dissimilar to any other 600k metro area with such a steep growth curve, and in many ways we are considerably better. The city regularly shows up on lists of best value, most healthful living, and best all around places to live. We have several areas of the city on the National Register of Historic places with great examples of  Victorian and Edwardian architecture. We have world class resorts with Cheyenne Mountain and the Broadmoor. We have hosted several Master's Tournaments for the PGA. We attract talent from all over the world for the Pikes Peak Hillclimb and Pikes Peak Ascent. Our local zoo has won numerous awards for their conservation programs and has trained many other zoos on wildlife reproduction programs. The list could go on, but I doubt you really give a flying flip through a rolling donut hole about it.

Why would any responsible person think that legalizing a drug would improve society ?

I agree with you on this.  People that use it here still do not follow the laws on where it can be consumed.  They think that they should have the right to do it anywhere and everywhere.  I have to deal with the smells of it just walking to the grocery store or going out to lunch.  They do not care if it offends others (Kinda reminds me of tobacco smokers in the 1970s).  Not my cup of tea....

For the record, the only drug that I actively consume is one baby aspirin a day (blood thinner) and I am a chemist by trade....

Why legalize a drug, because Prohibition was such a shining example of making a common product illegal? Of course, the do-gooders lost that fight and then chased down  weed, which was legal until 1937 and made it illegal after the alcohol purge failed. Millions of dollars have been wasted on a rather inoccuous product, IMO.  Recreational sales, while legal in the state, are left to the jurisdiction of local governments, and are actually banned in Colo Spgs, so we don't seem to have the same number of the issues that may be encountered in Denver. But again, we still see huge numbers of in-migration of people, some of which are here for weed. However, the CO economy was going gang busters long before weed was legalized, so don't bark up that tree, despite the fact it is contributing nearly $1 billion annually to tax rolls.

Sorry to hear that Colorado Springs has become a copy of life in California.  

Hardly, although the two most commonly surrendered driver's licenses in the state are from CA and TX. Hows that for a dichotomy?

[Ponch ®]

Why would any responsible person think that legalizing a drug would improve society ?

For the same reason some people think outlawing guns would improve society. Its easier to place the blame on inanimate objects which have no volition than on sentient beings who do.

Drugs dont kill people. People using drugs kill people.

[alfaitalia]

Why would any responsible person think that legalizing a drug would improve society ?

For the same reason some people think outlawing guns would improve society. Its easier to place the blame on inanimate objects which have no volition than on sentient beings who do.

Drugs dont kill people. People using drugs kill people.

LOL....what a load of bullshit...........and that's all I have to say !

[Mike DC]

  
IMO some drugs are much worse than others.  

I once read a book with a ton of research into the drug war & results.  The author concluded that there was only one strategy worth doing:  focus ongoing efforts into cutting the heads off the big organizations that make & move drugs.  Fight the money laundering and lock up (or just assassinate) the top figures whenever possible.  

It's basically the same as our terrorism strategy.  It doesn't do any good to fight the drug users or the local small-time dealers.  Even the mid-level dealers are quickly replaced.  Either go after the Pablo Escobars & Tony Montanas or forget it.    

[Kern Dog]

Ponch, your argument is flawed.
1937? Who the hell was around then that is still alive now? One of the things that helps keep people in line is the fear of a fine or jail time. Once something formerly ILLEGAL suddenly becomes legal, there will be some that take up the habit because they have no fear of the law anymore. If all speed limits were abolished, I'd drive 100 on the freeway whenever I wanted. Would that make society better?


This Colorado guy's wife was hinting about what she wanted for their upcoming anniversary.

She said, "I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 180 in about 3 seconds."

He bought her a bathroom scale.

And then the fight started......