This is our last episode of 2025, although it will first air in early 2026. We recorded a special Christmas Eve episode where we chat about our personal yuck, yums, and holy f**ks of 2025. Trumps second term makes the list, ICE makes an appearance, and GEO Group also gets our disgust. We also talk about some happy things like different people agitating in different ways and lanes, the whole state of Minnesota, a graduated income tax going on the ballot in 2026, and many more things.

Show Notes

Bari Weiss wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bari_Weiss

Other article showing her true colors:

https://dailytarheel.com/article/opinion-column-cbs-bari-weiss-journalism-bias-20251111

Contact Us:

Contact us with questions or ideas for other episodes at locallevelleftpod@gmail.com

This episode we talk about how AI is going to be a huge problem in our lives, and how it likely just serves to make billionaires more money and power. We also talk about how AI manifests itself in our schools, what teachers are doing to counteract it, and a couple simple things we can all do to keep AI in check in society in general.

Show Notes

Link to the book Shock Doctrine

https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-shock-doctrine-the-rise-of-disaster-capitalism-naomi-klein/7bc48ede0635cd6a?ean=9780312427993&next=t

Also check out your local library for this book.

AI isn’t paying off yet article, and may never, despite the blatant optimism of the market.

https://mlq.ai/media/quarterly_decks/v0.1_State_of_AI_in_Business_2025_Report.pdf

Clip of “Should Humanity Endure”

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Xg6deHyHKKs

Georgia Power Article

https://apnews.com/article/georgia-power-data-centers-d15f7793c6b79444908ca8a7b68f7ef1

Contact Us:

Contact us with questions or ideas for other episodes at locallevelleftpod@gmail.com

In this episode we try to cover cell phones in schools and AI in schools, but we only get to cell phones. Cell phones in schools are causing a mental health crisis in our children. The research is clear—and conducted locally in Colorado—: cell phones should be no where near a child while in school. Test scores, attendance, bullying, and social interaction all improve when children don’t have access to their phones throughout their educational day.

So, what is to be done: take the phones away. We discuss what schools across Colorado are doing and what Aurora Public Schools should consider in its upcoming decision on a cell phone policy.

Show Notes

Article combining and citing many different studies on cell phones in schools and the effects on children and test scores.

https://digitalwellnesslab.org/articles/what-the-science-says-smartphones-in-schools/

Colorado School District 51’s cell phone ban policy and research by Dr. Brian Hill:

https://www.coloradoedinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/How-Colorados-District-51-Advanced-a-Unified-Cell-Phone-Policy-to-Enhance-Student-Learning-and-Wellbeing.pdf

Homestar Runner IMDB:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2349968/?ref_=fn_i_1

Contact Us:

Contact us with questions or ideas for other episodes at locallevelleftpod@gmail.com

This week's episode talks about Grifts, Grafts, and Gifts--the three G's in politics. We discuss our experience on how we avoid(ed) taking gifts while in elected office, how easily it is for others to do the same thing, and why it's inexcusable and bad for our Democracy to let these things get to the place they have gotten.

There are a couple of easy solutions that could be done all across the Country right now, but likely won't be until people start demanding it of their legislators.

If you have any questions or suggestions of topics you want to hear on future episodes, email us here: locallevelleftpod@gmail.com

This week we give a heartfelt goodbye to an amazing Senator Faith Winter and talk all things transit. Traffic accidents have become our norm all across the US, but they don't have to be. We discuss how we think we should change to make sure fewer people have to deal with the heartbreak of an injury or death on our roads and highways year over year--an area Senator Winter had a huge hand in pushing forward.

Show Notes:

(1) Article showing lifetime new cars now cost more than raising and sending two kids to college: https://www.investopedia.com/2025-american-dream-costs-more-than-usd5-million-11796727

(2) Recommended by Name advocacy group on transit issues:

https://www.strongtowns.org

In our opening episode we discuss the recent good news for local Aurora Colorado elections, Kentuckians trying to vote for or against Zohran Mamdani, questionable ethics among moderate Colorado Democrats, and progressives being primaried from the right, per the usual.

We propose that we make moderate Democrats as uncomfortable as possible as often as possible, make sure those with poor ethical standards face challengers at every turn, and push everyone to demand your representatives push for policies that give less incentive for big donors and lobbyists to corrupt our politicians.

Contact us:

Write to us with any questions, comments, concerns here: locallevelleftpod@gmail.com