Real Estate Market / Inflation / Recession / Depression (Denver, Boulder: mortgage, bad credit, loans)

[Bob from down south]

Originally Posted by LBear

You are COMPLETELY missing the point. It's about a STATE OF MIND, not ignorance.

There is no "pretend" going on.

Knowing that things are bad and preparing for them vs. constantly focusing on the bad and crying doom & gloom are totally different. Until you see and understand the difference, you will not get the point.

It's about an ignorant state of mind.

Focusing on the danger is the best way to have any chance at avoiding it. For that reason it's always best to cross the street with your eyes open while looking both ways.

If you're deep in debt right now, you may as well be in the middle of the street with your eyes closed hoping and pretending that it'll all be OK. Maybe if someone yells loudly enough from the street corner you'll wake up. Or you can keep your eyes closed, say a few Hail Marys, and keep playing in traffic.

[CosmicWizard]

Bob from down south wrote:

Focusing on the danger is the best way to have any chance at avoiding it. For that reason it's always best to cross the street with your eyes open while looking both ways.

Focusing on ways to avoid the danger would be even more effective than focusing on the danger. Focusing on the danger draws you deeper and deeper into the danger. But do indeed keep your eyes open while crossing the street. A few hail marys might be helpful too. Hail marys work in football....ocassionally. Remember Doug Flutie?

[TropicanaRose]

Proverbs 27:23-24
23 Pay careful attention to the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds, 24 for riches do not last forever, nor does a crown last from generation to generation
While it's true that we aren't to hoard out of covetousness, God has been telling his people to work, save, and plan since Genesis.

Plenty of people on this forum have concerns for the future. I don't see them as hysterical hand wringers.

[Bob from down south]

And while we're at it, let's not forget Proverbs 22:7: "...and the borrower is servant to the lender."

[baileyco]

Originally Posted by Bob from down south

Not to be snarky, but I think there are like 88 pages of thoughts that touch on all those topics already written in this thread.

Hmm. I see there were about 88 pages, few of which that don't include a post by yourself along the lines of "the economy is in bad shape, and gonna get worse", yet few have become "snarky" over that nor its repetition. To me, seems fair enough!

Also, I am not seeing much commentary on this thread concerning relationships between climate, natural resources, and the CO economy. I'm actually not seeing any concerning climate, but there are a lot of posts. Maybe you could point the ones I'm missing out to me?

To me, it seems like some common threads might have to do with "special interests" and their influence on the population, the culture, the politics, the consumption, etc. and what can pan out of that (i.e., environmental change and the economic woes you so loquaciously expound upon - not mutually exclusive phenomena, and worthy and relevant directions to consider, seems to me). And perhaps the echo back of a culture that enables these things? Maybe that was a point of the previous post asking about the relationships between these things?

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by baileyco

Hmm. I see there were about 88 pages, few of which that don't include a post by yourself along the lines of "the economy is in bad shape, and gonna get worse", yet few have become "snarky" over that nor its repetition. To me, seems fair enough!

Also, I am not seeing much commentary on this thread concerning relationships between climate, natural resources, and the CO economy. I'm actually not seeing any concerning climate, but there are a lot of posts. Maybe you could point the ones I'm missing out to me?

To me, it seems like some common threads might have to do with "special interests" and their influence on the population, the culture, the politics, the consumption, etc. and what can pan out of that (i.e., environmental change and the economic woes you so loquaciously expound upon - not mutually exclusive phenomena, and worthy and relevant directions to consider, seems to me). And perhaps the echo back of a culture that enables these things? Maybe that was a point of the previous post asking about the relationships between these things?

I think I have made several posts here and elsewhere about the relationship among resources, the "environment," and how those things may be affecting our national and local well-being--economically and otherwise.

Herewith, is an example: I read an article this morning about rising fuel costs, fertilizer costs, and transportation costs contributing to a decrease in potato planting in the San Luis Valley this year estimated at 30%. Now, this may seem unimportant to a lot of suburban Coloradans, but it is something they should be worrying about. Most current Coloradans don't know it, but our mountainous, seemingly infertile state used to produce most every crop, aside from citrus and other tropical fruits and vegetables, that one could think of. Lettuce, spinach, corn, wheat, fruit, barley, beans, potatoes, hay, milo, watermelons, cantaloupes, carrots--the list goes on an on. Not to mention cattle, sheep, hogs, chickens, turkeys, dairy products--all kinds of livestock. Most all of those crops and livestock grown in Colorado have diminished considerably over the last 30 years. Why? Land and water lost to suburbanization, and changes in farm and ranch economics (some of it aggravated by development pressures) that made it unprofitable to raise some crops.

Well, so what? "We'll just get that stuff somewhere else." Unfortunately, that may not be so easy. Historically, one of the US's major agricultural advantages has been that ag production has been both diverse and distributed across the country. If a crop disease, flood, or drought affected one area of the country, there was production from another region that could make up the shortfall. Sadly, that is increasingly no longer true. Right now, there is the potential for a major shortfall in grain production from a good chunk of the Midwest due to wet spring and flooding there. We may not be able to make up the difference from elsewhere. Not good.

Transportation costs may also make cross-country transportation of ag products much less feasible in the future. So, there may come a time that having little ag production available locally in Colorado may mean that some Coloradans don't have enough to eat. No doubt someone will say that we can just ramp ag production back up here if that happens. Such a person has probably never worked in ag (I have) and has no clue what it takes to bring land back into production--especially land that has a subdivision sitting on top of it. That is an "inter-relationship" of environment and economics that people--including Coloradans--should be thinking about. It seems like a little thing, maybe, but I'd be a lot more comfortable if a full crop of potatoes was growing down in the San Luis Valley right now, and if Colorado still had a vibrant fruit industry, and if Colorado still produced a lot of high quality vegetables, and if Colorado water was being used to grow crops and nurture sub-irrigated pastures and wetlands instead of growing non-native lawns, and if . . . well, you get it.

[sterlinggirl]

Jazz,

Will peanuts grow in Colorado?

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by sterlinggirl

Jazz,

Will peanuts grow in Colorado?

No, but they grow quite well not too far away in east-central New Mexico (around Portales). Cotton also does not grow here.

I am amazed where some things have been grown. For example, at one time, the area around Buena Vista (nearly 8,000 ft. elevation) was a big producer of high-quality lettuce. The San Luis Valley used to grow a fair amount of lettuce, etc., too. At one time, they grew a lot of tomatoes around Delta--and there was a canning plant there for them.

Of course, at one time, there was huge amount of truck farming in the now-suburban-blighted areas around Denver, especially to the north. I remember that as a kid. All kinds of vegetables grown out there.

[sterlinggirl]

Thanks Jazz. I was wondering about the peanuts for nitrogen fixation, but didn't remember seeing any. Eventually we're going to have to relearn how to work with nature if we want to keep eating.

[Bob from down south]

Originally Posted by sterlinggirl

Will peanuts grow in Colorado?

Possible but not entirely practical.

Is it possible to go grow peanuts outdoors in Colorado? - eXtension

Clover and some wascally wabbits might be a good combo. Fwied wabbit is good eatin'.