For two years in a row, US News and World Report has declared Boulder the most livable city in America. In addition to its three hundred-plus days of sunshine and its proximity to an international airport, Boulder’s diversity in culture and education are major factors in this designation. Scientists and athletes, artists and businessmen, socialists and communists, revolutionaries and anarchists, Boulder has them all, and more. 

Revolutionaries and anarchists share a common belief that the current system is inefficient, unjust, and/or corrupt, and thus must be changed or replaced. Revolutionaries often envision an alternative system, however idealistic, for a better world and thereby recruit allies in an attempt to change the system, either peacefully from within, or by force from without. The American Revolution and the Boston Tea Party come to mind. 

Anarchists, however, are driven by a notion that the system is so irredeemably bad, it should be brought down and destroyed at any cost, in the belief any alternative would be better than the existing one. Think of the French Revolution and the Guillotine.

Americans in general, and citizens of Boulder in particular strive to tolerate every point of view, including those of the anarchists. However, anarchists cross a fundamental line when they falsely label opponents as racist; vandalize private property; fraudulently assassinate the character of their opponents, and take actions to undermine legitimate efforts to maintain public safety.  

Boulder's political environment is no longer characterized in terms of the traditional Liberal and Conservative, Democrat and Republican, or even far-Left and far-Right. Instead, our current political climate has, in part, devolved into one of polarity: law vs. anarchy; order vs. chaos; 1776 vs.1619.

Boulder’s upcoming November election is the most consequential since Paul Danish introduced his growth control ordinance in 1976. The upcoming election deals with compelling issues such as CU South annexation, the Bedrooms Are For People initiative, and the fifteen-year sales tax renewal, all of which are the subject of diametrically opposed positions among the ten council candidates. 

I would like to encourage all our members to become fully engaged by studying and voting on these issues. For the record, we are in support of extending the .3% sales tax, against the Bedrooms Are For People initiative, and in support of the referendum which would subject the CU South campus annexation directly to majority voter approval. We also endorse the four Council candidates backed by PLAN-Boulder, Safer Boulder, and current Councilman Bob Yates, whom we regard as the most influential City Council member since Paul Danish.

Please plan to join us on Friday October 8th at 4:30 PM for Happy Hour in order to meet these four selfless candidates as they offer their time and expertise to manage the growth of our city in the most responsible way, including what we hope to become a world-class cultural arts center.

— Sina.