4 ms·

Anyone know why Colorado comes out over other states on those terms?

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
monocasa 6y ago
300 days of sun still, but a government strangled by a libertarian amendment to the state constitution that keeps us from being able to continue owning our roads? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxpayer_Bill_of_Rights https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxpayer_Bill_of_Rights Peter Thiel is the guy that's so libertarian he wrote about how extending the franchise to women was a mistake. > …I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible… The 1920s were the last decade in American history during which one could be genuinely optimistic about politics. Since 1920, the vast increase in welfare beneficiaries and the extension of the franchise to women—two constituencies that are notoriously tough for libertarians—have rendered the notion of "capitalist democracy" into an oxymoron. So I can see how that would appeal to him.
- valuearb 6y ago
  Taxpayers don’t own public roads, they rent them.
  - monocasa 6y ago
    And now we're renting them to both the government and Goldman Sachs, on a fifty year deal that Goldman Sachs turned a profit on after five years.
    - valuearb 6y ago
      And you want to give the geniuses who signed that deal even more money to spend?
      - monocasa 6y ago
        I want them to be constrained by a public process with weigh in from the public when they sell off public works. I also want them to not be so backed into a corner from a funding perspective that something like that looks like a good idea. This is a pretty good example of "it's expensive to be poor". Apparently CDOT wasn't going to have enough money for plows that year without an injection of money, and the investors' negotiators knew they had CDOT over a barrel. For an example of how much that would destroy the city's economy, we already have had several inches of snow this year (even with the wild fires going). This idea of they're not doing well so cut their money leads to paying 80% on a project that's supposed to last fifty years, and then another 80% ten years later and so forth. Then you're left without enough money for basic infrastructure.
lloyddobbler 6y ago
As someone else mentioned, one reason is it's cheaper...for now. The "for now" is key. Having lived in Denver for more than 10 years, our housing and costs of living are growing incredibly quickly (relative to the Bay Area at least). Our total housing costs are definitely not in the same ballpark as the Bay, but we're creeping up on L.A. levels. Add to that a good quality of life for employees (low pollution, the outdoors, etc), as well as an abundance of talent, and a city (or three) that's been very focused on nurturing its tech/startup community for the past 10 years (including Denver Startup Week, the largest free startup-focused event in the world)...and it's a no-brainer. TBH, one of the biggest recent macro-challenges for Denver is the sheer number of people moving here, a large portion of which are from California.
- throwaway0a5e 6y ago
  >TBH, one of the biggest recent macro-challenges for Denver is the sheer number of people moving here, a large portion of which are from California. If the goal is to get the hell away from CA culture and SV engineering mindset wouldn't somewhere else be a better fit? I get the attractiveness of Denver relative to CA at present but if you're playing a long game that's like trading in your ticket on the Titanic for one on the Lusitania.
  - lotsofpulp 6y ago
    The goal is probably getting away from the high taxes but still remain in a place with low humidity, mild weather, access to nice mountains, and a socially liberal government.
  - lloyddobbler 6y ago
    Agreed. My family has actually looked at moving away from Denver, with all the influx of people. The cost of living is no longer as attractive, and the politics that are coming in from out-of-state are much more slanted. I moved away from California 10+ years ago - now it seems like a lot more are doing the same thing, but bringing the same things with them that has made California less attractive. That being said, as someone else mentioned, if your goal is to escape high taxes and the super-expensive housing costs of SF, all while living in an area that supports your life outside the office, Denver is a good place to look at. Even if its cost of living is rising.
chrisco255 6y ago
Legal weed?
vikramkr 6y ago
There are LOTS of defense companies there. You'll probably find it easier to hire and find talent when you're in a defense hub (your employees will need clearances and stuff to be able to do work for the DoD).

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

300 days of sun still, but a government strangled by a libertarian amendment to the state constitution that keeps us from being able to continue owning our roads? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxpayer_Bill_of_Rights https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxpayer_Bill_of_Rights Peter Thiel is the guy that's so libertarian he wrote about how extending the franchise to women was a mistake. > …I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible… The 1920s were the last decade in American history during which one could be genuinely optimistic about politics. Since 1920, the vast increase in welfare beneficiaries and the extension of the franchise to women—two constituencies that are notoriously tough for libertarians—have rendered the notion of "capitalist democracy" into an oxymoron. So I can see how that would appeal to him.

valuearb 6y ago
Taxpayers don’t own public roads, they rent them.
- monocasa 6y ago
  And now we're renting them to both the government and Goldman Sachs, on a fifty year deal that Goldman Sachs turned a profit on after five years.
  - valuearb 6y ago
    And you want to give the geniuses who signed that deal even more money to spend?
    - monocasa 6y ago
      I want them to be constrained by a public process with weigh in from the public when they sell off public works. I also want them to not be so backed into a corner from a funding perspective that something like that looks like a good idea. This is a pretty good example of "it's expensive to be poor". Apparently CDOT wasn't going to have enough money for plows that year without an injection of money, and the investors' negotiators knew they had CDOT over a barrel. For an example of how much that would destroy the city's economy, we already have had several inches of snow this year (even with the wild fires going). This idea of they're not doing well so cut their money leads to paying 80% on a project that's supposed to last fifty years, and then another 80% ten years later and so forth. Then you're left without enough money for basic infrastructure.

lloyddobbler 6y ago

As someone else mentioned, one reason is it's cheaper...for now. The "for now" is key. Having lived in Denver for more than 10 years, our housing and costs of living are growing incredibly quickly (relative to the Bay Area at least). Our total housing costs are definitely not in the same ballpark as the Bay, but we're creeping up on L.A. levels. Add to that a good quality of life for employees (low pollution, the outdoors, etc), as well as an abundance of talent, and a city (or three) that's been very focused on nurturing its tech/startup community for the past 10 years (including Denver Startup Week, the largest free startup-focused event in the world)...and it's a no-brainer. TBH, one of the biggest recent macro-challenges for Denver is the sheer number of people moving here, a large portion of which are from California.

throwaway0a5e 6y ago
>TBH, one of the biggest recent macro-challenges for Denver is the sheer number of people moving here, a large portion of which are from California. If the goal is to get the hell away from CA culture and SV engineering mindset wouldn't somewhere else be a better fit? I get the attractiveness of Denver relative to CA at present but if you're playing a long game that's like trading in your ticket on the Titanic for one on the Lusitania.
- lotsofpulp 6y ago
  The goal is probably getting away from the high taxes but still remain in a place with low humidity, mild weather, access to nice mountains, and a socially liberal government.
- lloyddobbler 6y ago
  Agreed. My family has actually looked at moving away from Denver, with all the influx of people. The cost of living is no longer as attractive, and the politics that are coming in from out-of-state are much more slanted. I moved away from California 10+ years ago - now it seems like a lot more are doing the same thing, but bringing the same things with them that has made California less attractive. That being said, as someone else mentioned, if your goal is to escape high taxes and the super-expensive housing costs of SF, all while living in an area that supports your life outside the office, Denver is a good place to look at. Even if its cost of living is rising.

chrisco255 6y ago

Legal weed?

vikramkr 6y ago

There are LOTS of defense companies there. You'll probably find it easier to hire and find talent when you're in a defense hub (your employees will need clearances and stuff to be able to do work for the DoD).