The New West (Canon City: license plates, recycle, climate)

[Sockeye]

Originally Posted by livecontent

Oh, you don't say---Thanks for you intellectual comment and that creative word--wow, I am impressed.

Livecontent

I haven't read a piece of tripe like that in awhile. No one gets it, especially our elected officials inside the beltway. What caused the explosive growth in the regions mentioned was 90% driven by the ill planned housing boom orgy, and all the trimmings associated with it, from the end of the last century to present. To even think it will continue is a grandiose delusion. With no "Plan B" in the near term for the energy predicament we're in, and very limited water resources in the Intermountain West, its just not going to continue at the frenzied pace of late. The wrench was thrown into the gears in '07 with skyrocketing mortgage foreclosures and soaring energy costs. What's that sucking sound I hear?

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by Sockeye

I haven't read a piece of tripe like that in awhile. No one gets it, especially our elected officials inside the beltway. What caused the explosive growth in the regions mentioned was 90% driven by the ill planned housing boom orgy, and all the trimmings associated with it, from the end of the last century to present. To even think it will continue is a grandiose delusion. With no "Plan B" in the near term for the energy predicament we're in, and very limited water resources in the Intermountain West, its just not going to continue at the frenzied pace of late. The wrench was thrown into the gears in '07 with skyrocketing mortgage foreclosures and soaring energy costs. What's that sucking sound I hear?

Now that is more like it--a thought out comment that is worth your intellect; I was just trying to draw you out. Thanks

I think I am at a different generation--I cannot get used to the word "suck" used in all these references; I never heard it, until about 10 years ago. However, that is me, a backward, revisionist---I really have problems when someone calls me "dude". Well, I guess I insulted many of my elders, in my day, with my "new" smart words.

I can agree to some of your points.

Livecontent

[Katiana]

If it's any comfort, livecontent, I don't like the word "suck" either. I got casatigated on the Pittsburgh forum for saying that. Nor do I like the popular "retarded". Back in high school, a friend reprimanded some others for saying that, telling them she had a retarded sister. I agree. It's disrespectful. I have even heard doctors say that.

Re: the New West, it seems like some folks are always "discovering" us out here.

[DOUBLE H]

There is a lot of things going on in this state I blow my stack on regularly, but will keep it on one subject. Sockeye is absolutely right. Sockeye, Jazzlover, and lots of others hace covered this subject effectively, so I want to add just one item. when your are on C-470 southbound and making the bend around where Kipling exits off, or on I-25 northbound approaching the first Castle Rock turnoff, I see signs that obviously been there several years, but I have noticed them just recently. They say "Governor Romer's Smart Growth Award and gives the year for the posted sign. Question: smart growth? Who and what was behind that phrase?

[SortaMobile]

Responding to my earlier post, Katiana replied:

Originally Posted by Katiana

I don't mean this to be snide, SortaMobile, but I might remind you that YOU also came here from somewhere else, and quite recently, too.

Originally Posted by Katiana

( I thought I covered that in my post)

This anti-native stuff has been going around longer than the 28 yrs I've been here. The issue has been discussed before. It always goes in circles. Someone pointed out that even the Native Americans came here from somewhere else.

Katiana, please re-read my post. I believe you missed my point. Native or non-native of whatever state, the point is that unbridled greed can wreck any place.

[Katiana]

OK, I stand corrected.

[jazzlover]

Potpourri:

I haven't read a piece of tripe like that in awhile. No one gets it, especially our elected officials inside the beltway. What caused the explosive growth in the regions mentioned was 90% driven by the ill planned housing boom orgy, and all the trimmings associated with it, from the end of the last century to present. To even think it will continue is a grandiose delusion. With no "Plan B" in the near term for the energy predicament we're in, and very limited water resources in the Intermountain West, its just not going to continue at the frenzied pace of late. The wrench was thrown into the gears in '07 with skyrocketing mortgage foreclosures and soaring energy costs. What's that sucking sound I hear?

I agree with this above assessment.

There is a lot of things going on in this state I blow my stack on regularly, but will keep it on one subject. Sockeye is absolutely right. Sockeye, Jazzlover, and lots of others hace covered this subject effectively, so I want to add just one item. when your are on C-470 southbound and making the bend around where Kipling exits off, or on I-25 northbound approaching the first Castle Rock turnoff, I see signs that obviously been there several years, but I have noticed them just recently. They say "Governor Romer's Smart Growth Award and gives the year for the posted sign. Question: smart growth? Who and what was behind that phrase?

That was Romer's half-vast bow to those who thought Colorado's growth was "dumb." Of course, Romer himself was a developer, so how true do you think the "Smart Growth Award" would ring? This comment sums it up:

"'Smart growth' destroys the environment. 'Dumb growth' destroys the environment. The only difference is that 'smart growth' does it with good taste. It's like booking passage on the Titanic. Whether you go first-class or steerage, the result is the same."
--Dr. Albert A. Bartlett, Emeritus Professor of Physics, University of Colorado; World Population Balance Board of Advisors

If it's any comfort, livecontent, I don't like the word "suck" either.

There are times, as one who has written professionally, that I find words in slang and vernacular harsh and sometimes vulgar. That said, there are times when those types of words "cut right to the chase" and describe things more succinctly and plainly than ten pages of prose. When it comes to how Colorado has handled growth, sprawl, transportation, and most environmental/conservation issues, here's one of those "vulgar" acronyms that pretty much describes it in one word: F.U.B.A.R. By the way, Kat, this one comes from way back in World War II, when G.I.'s (another quite descriptive acronym) used it to describe the state of the military bureaucracy. Far more descriptive and illustrative than "sucks." The "Greatest Generation" even got it right with slang--we could learn something there.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Each county had assigned letters. When we first came here in 1980, each county had a primary (M for Boulder County) and then a series of second letters (say A-F). Then there were too many so they added a 3rd letter. I remember when the "MF" series came out. We once saw a Saab with some big dog in it with an "MFY" plate. You can imagine what we called that. (The license was something like MFY 123.) Later on, they eliminated the space between letters and numbers and added a 4th number, e.g. MFY1234. We have a couple plates like that still on our 1998 cars. The police said those were too hard to read, so I heard. At some point in time between then and 2003, when we bought another car, they changed the system, so now it's 3 letters, space, 3 numbers, but no code. At least that's my understanding of it.

OK, here's the story. Originally, starting in the 1920's, Colorado used a numeric designation for license plates. The counties were issued a county code in the order of county population from the 1920 Census. Denver County was "1," Pueblo County was "2," Weld County was "3," etc. These numbers are STILL used by numerous Colorado governmental departments to designate Colorado counties numerically. In 1959, Colorado license plates began using the 2-letter alpha designation shown below. It follows the same county ranking sequence that the numeric designations did, only using letters instead--AA-GN, Denver County; GP-HX, Pueblo County, HY-JW, Weld; etc. The "oddball" 2-letter designations shown in the chart for some counties were used in the late 1970's and early 1980's when some counties ran out of their assigned letters.

The three-letter county designation came along in the early 1980's. Metro counties were given the "lower" letters (i.e., AAA-DZZ for Denver). Following those counties, the 3-letter designations were issued in a pretty much county alphabetical order. When the "new" green on white plates began to be issued, county coding was abandoned. There are still a lot of the old white-on-green plates around. People who have the old two-letter plates can also order their old 2-letter, four-digit plate number as a vanity plate.

For years, new plates were issued every year or other year. Old-line residents would pride themselves on having a one or two-digit number after the first two-letter designation for the county. In Denver County, AA-1 was reserved for the Governor's limousine. Quite often, in smaller counties, the **-1 plate was issued to a judge or prominent county official. Plates with a number under 1,000 often were re-issued year after year to the same person, the number often retained by families for generations.


County Two-Digit Code Three-Digit Code
Adams TE-UF, GA-GG SAA-TZZ
Alamosa XE-XG EAA-ABD
Arapahoe PH-RP, FA-FG PAA-RZZ
Archuleta YU FAA-FAL
Baca WG EBE-EBW
Bent XC EBX-ECL
Boulder ML-NF, FH-FP MAA-NZZ
Chaffee XH-XK FAM-FCC
Cheyenne YR ECM-ECT
Clear Creek YY-YZ ECU-EDU
Conejos WS EDV-EEK
Costilla YA EEL-EES
Crowley XW-XX EET-EFA
Custer ZA EFB-EFG
Delta VL-VN EFH-EHP
Denver AA-CV AAA-DZZ
Dolores ZH EHR-EHV
Douglas YS-YT EHW-EMA
Eagle YM-YN EMB-EPA
El Paso JX-LL, FR-FT, FV KAA-LZZ
Elbert XS-XT EPB-EPU
Fremont UP-UT EPV-ETV
Garfield WM-WR ETM-ETW
Gilpin ZK EWN-EWV
Grand ZB-ZC EWZ-EYB
Gunnison YD-YE EYC-EZC
Hinsdale ZN EZD-EZE
Huerfano VE EZF-EZW
Jackson ZJ FGC-FGH
Jefferson RS-TD, HG-HW GAA-JZZ
Kiowa YP WUS-WUY
Kit Carson WU-WV WUZ-WVV

La Plata VV-VY FDF-FGB
Lake YF-YH FCD-FDE
Larimer LU-MK, FX-FY FHA-FZZ
Las Animas LM-LN UAA-UBK
Lincoln XP-XR UBL-UCA
Logan UG-UJ UCB-UEH
Mesa NG-NT UEJ-UNL
Mineral ZM UNM-UNR
Moffat YJ-YK UNS-UPX
Montezuma XL-XN UPY-USL
Montrose WB-WD USM-UUZ
Morgan UW-UY UVA-UXR
Otero PA-PC UXS-UZZ
Ouray ZF VAA-VAG
Park ZD VAH-VBA
Phillips XY-XZ VBB-VBR
Pitkin ZG-ZP VBS-VDM
Prowers VG-VH VDN-VEY
Pueblo GP-HD VEC-VVC
Rio Blanco YV-YW VVD-VVV
Rio Grande WJ-WL VVW-VWZ
Routt WZ-XA VXA-VYN
Saguache XU-XV VYP-VZA
San Juan ZE VZB-VZE
San Miguel YX VZF-VZR
Sedgwick YB-YC WNL-WNY
Summit ZL, ZR WNZ-WRM
Teller YL WRN-WSR
Washington WW WST-WTK
Weld HY-JM WAA-WNK
Yuma VS-VT WTL-WUR
Rental Car/Overflow n/a ZAA-ZZZ

[Katiana]

Thank you. I think they quit using a specific rental car designation b/c of crime.

[rybert]

Originally Posted by livecontent

Now that is more like it--a thought out comment that is worth your intellect; I was just trying to draw you out. Thanks

I think I am at a different generation--I cannot get used to the word "suck" used in all these references; I never heard it, until about 10 years ago. However, that is me, a backward, revisionist---I really have problems when someone calls me "dude". Well, I guess I insulted many of my elders, in my day, with my "new" smart words.

I can agree to some of your points.

Livecontent

Now I know why my boss gives me that wtf? look when I say what's up dude? in the morning.