Yes, there are pockets of drifters, loafers, and panhandlers....
..but it's not the cesspool you described.
Boulder a cesspool? Yes a cesspool of stoned out of their minds liberalism I see it everyday.
I thought Boulder a very nice area when passing through several years ago, although even back then it had a "party town" reputation among us college kids. We had stopped for lunch at The Salad Co. (such fresh, tasty stuff--I miss that place)..