Colorado Springs and "Limited Government"

[Joanne98]

I just want to reiterate a key point about Colorado Springs City Councilman Sean Paige's recent claim that Colorado Springs' economy is "a magnet for transplants" specifically because the city is supposedly "putting America's limited government ideals into practice." I did a little more digging on whether this was true, and found this little fact from the Colorado Springs Business Journal:

One of every three residents of the Pikes Peak Region depends directly or indirectly upon the military. According to the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, the total economic impact of the military in Colorado Springs is $4.58 billion. This represents more than one third of the total regional economy.
That's right, one of every three people living in the Colorado Springs area "depends directly or indirectly upon the military" - ie. upon Huge Government. Add in city, county and state workers, and you are probably approaching half of the entire Colorado Springs economy relying on the government. In that sense, Colorado Springs is an American version of almost pure Marxism: a city that is as close as any major city in the United States to being a full-fledged ward of the state (only one that is now planning to stop its road/park maintenance, cut police/firefighting forces, etc.).

The real story is much less convenient to conservatives. It is the story of a city whose economy would completely collapse - or may not even exist in any form - without the hugest of Huge Government.

Continued>>>
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sirota/colorado-springs-limited_b_455606.html

Jesus Plus Nothing except HUGE WELFARE CHECKS FROM THE PENTAGON!

[jaxx]

1. With 5 military installations there, what do they expect?

Fort Carson, the Airforce Academy and Peterson Field AFB, NORAD, Schriever Air Force Base all in the immediate area. That's a lot of military people, many who live in the Springs, many on bases. And a lot of money pumped into the economy.

[niyad]

2. sean paige is a total and complete idiot, a so-called "libertarian" who hates social services, hates

transit, hates government, but decided, when the elected council member ran for the hills, that he wanted to be a GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE, riding on the backs of the taxpayers of this area. he wasn't elected, he was appointed. as the former editor of the local fishwrap (the gazette telegraph, a complete reichwing rag) he lied about his resume, so it isn't surprising that he keeps right on lying.

what is it with libertarians who want to be in government? a bit hypocritical there, I have always thought.

[burning rain]

3. Of course, there's the related irony of the military being a hotbed of conservatism & Republicanism.

Ironic, because the military is a socialist economy. Socialized medicine, socialized housing, socialized travel, and even socialized eating in the "d-fac" (=dining facility, new lingo for "chow hall"), just for starters.