Wow! I'm a little shocked at @MiddleRight's analogy. I'm always surprised at how Americans have become comfortable with government intrusion. No, the government doesn't get to move the bush in front of the window of the room where I sleep. I put that bush there because I don't want people, either you or the government, peering in my window. I don't care what illegal activity they may have reasonable suspicion I am doing. As @Bing987 states, unless it's an emergency or the government has a warrant no one gets to move the bush in front of my window and peer their beady eyes in.

Can someone on this board tell me how to get back to Boulder, Colorado? I moved there because it was a city that protected constitutional rights, respected free expression, and helped the poor. Somehow, I have ended up in your city which would rather spend resources on preventing these things instead of finding other solutions. I knew I should have turn left at Albuquerque...

Be careful when you put efficiency above human dignity and human rights. As the saying goes: "Say what you will about Mussolini, he made the trains run on time."

This Save our State's initiative and statute has much deeper issues and concerns than fear of Sharia law and immigration. Certain powers in country have gotten very good at using the patriotic and moral energies of those on the right and left to push forward their agendas. I don't believe OK Rep Duncan and other supporters of this bill aren't feeling defeat. The Sharia clause in the statute is conspicuously separate from the other restrictive clauses.

US Judges have had a long tradition of using the opinions of foreign judges. Obviously these opinions have no binding effect but can be informative to a judicial opinion. Courts use outside writings to fill out and enlighten their opinions all the time. Duncan doesn't hide this and has mention Ginsburg's use international law. The funny thing is that Ginsburg isn't known for writing on the establishment clause. But, she has used the Israeli Supreme Court in opinions concerning terrorism and torture. The concern probably stems from having justices from a by-gone error of a progressive Oklahoma in their courts. That pesky life tenure.

This is a bigger concern when foreign court systems have become more agile and have allowed their opinions to modernize and evolve. Surprise! when you have a Canadian Supreme Court that is one seat from putting women in the majority, they are going to write more informative opinions and US Judges are going to want to borrow from that.

There is also the possible use of the bill of rights as a bludgeoning tool. Many of the same amicus in support of this statute probably supported the religious rights of Sovereign Indian Peyote smokers in the 90s. What's the change? When the bill of rights is used fairly it is important to not shoot yourself in the foot, but when it becomes a weapon you can aim it were you please. Why are broad thinkers like Chemerinsky, stepping out of their safe Ivory Towers to get into the fray and give an opinion on Assaults on liberty?

Anyways, there are a bookful worth of themes here and is hard to fit in this forum.

I found some of @Max_Weller_HPC ideas intriguing, including the licensing of panhandlers. I like that it may empower people by giving them a business license. I hope he recognizes that I may have concerns with his enforcement measures. I don't know where the existing homeless would go and I worry about the labeling of people. But, I share his desire to help the local homeless and poor families with an eye towards solutions addressing the real concerns of other Boulderites. There is a race to the bottom as city after city becomes more draconian and dump their homeless on to their neighbors. I would like to see Boulder find solutions to turn this tide.

I don't think that accounts for the 11% drop or other drops. The problems of self-reporting may affect one report but not in the comparison over time. Also, the sharp drops in income have to be within a standard deviation. Unless a larger percentage of affluent Boulderites are making a run on WIC.

Stephanie and Lynn, thank you for re-addressing this article and making sure it didn't get lost in the media turmoil.
These percentage increases are scary. If this is happening in Boulder, what is it like in other cities. While the affluent may be living in comfort, many families, children, and elderly in Boulder are suffering.

Calling me an anti-science activist and comparing me to the climate change deniers is a bit of a stretch. I find no inconsistency with my support for banning GMOs on Boulder open space and wanting to curb CO2 emissions. I don't think GMOs are bad but should be done carefully. They are being grown across this country and a simple ban on Boulder open space will not stop their progression. Like climate change, I wish a little more caution would have been used when automobiles were introduced on the road. Think, if there had been one city in this country that protected mass transit and had strong controls on automobiles. It would have been a great model. This was done in Europe and Asia with the introduction of twentieth century transportation. Now, those areas have sophisticated mass transit systems that don't dump CO2 into the atmosphere like our automobiles. We don't know the future repercussions, like the world didn't foresee the dumping of CO2 into the atmosphere. It would be nice to have one space in this country where growing food naturally and organically could be protected.

What a confusing time. I used to love Boulder. It was a place where any freak would be accepted with open arms. I thought I lived in a bubble. But, something has changed and I don't know when it happened. I think it is too easy to point fingers at the Occupiers, City Council, or the City Manager. But, the problem seems much deeper. The homeless problem is out of control. And, it isn't just in Boulder. It has been a common among other encampments across the country. I remember driving across Colorado as a kid and stopping to camp on Boulder creek. It was fun and quirky. Those memories are one of the reasons I moved here when I became a young adult. When did putting up a tent, besides the laws, become such an issue. All the sudden I can't remember the last time I did something quirky in Boulder. I just want to put a gourd on my head and run around in a thong, stick figurines on my car, or go to a party and talk about planetary vibrations. I feel like the hood was lifted on my fun city and it is just as bad here. I'm not in a bubble. I want that old freedom back but don't know where to look for it and am scared of poking bears.

Violence is never the answer...