Once again, the Post’s David Harsanyi brings an important case to light. In today’s column, he highlights the case of Phil Mitchell, a veteran instructor at the University of Colorado who was recently fired. For having views or professional practices like Ward Churchill? Hardly. Mitchell is a conservative Christian who claims he was set up. (Disclosure: Though I’ve never met Mitchell, we have mutual friends.)
To his credit, Harsanyi presents the case in a fair and balanced manner:
Mitchell can relay stories of the nasty anti-Christian bigotry he’s experienced on campus. I suspect that bias is very real. But those are the hard knocks of free speech. The question is: Do those incidents mean there is a conspiracy to remove him from CU? It may be convenient for conservatives to say yes. But we don’t really know.
Brown, a trusted figure in this state, however, can investigate this case and answer that question.
If he fails to do so, questions about the seriousness of CU’s diversity effort will again linger.
I don’t know nearly enough about the particulars to suggest whether or not there may have been a conspiracy. But the track record of how conservatives have been treated in American public universities suggests CU would be much better off giving Mitchell’s case thorough, careful public treatment than trying to quietly sweep everything under the rug.
Ahh… what a breath of Colorado fresh air! The state legislature is out of session for the time being, which means taxpayers will be spared further damage for awhile. There’s not much to congratulate the majority Democrats for this time, except two things:
1. The legislature dismissed early, saving thousands of taxpayer dollars.
2. The overall hit taxpayers and businesses will take from the session’s legislation will be bad, but it could have been worse.
I’m enjoying it while it lasts, but with rumors swirling that Governor Ritter will call a special session in which a bill mandating collective bargaining for public employees will be introduced, the extra dose of freedom may be short-lived.
Face the State is on top of a story about public education agency fiscal mismanagement that I’ve personally been aware of for some time. I urge you to read the story and ask yourself several questions:
- Is Centennial BOCES an isolated case or symptomatic of a larger trend?
- Why do some in power in the local education establishment strenuously resist real financial oversight and accountability?
- Why are taxpayers constantly begged for more funds for the school system, yet struggle to find a clear, careful, and comprehensible accounting of how all public funds are spent? (Have you ever requested a copy of your local school district’s budget and financial statements to review?)
- Shouldn’t we encourage the State Auditor and/or the State Board of Education to undertake a formal audit of Centennial BOCES?
Let me make something clear: the overwhelming majority of people who work in public school administration are decent and well-intentioned. And some local school districts and other agencies have many good internal financial controls. But state policy makers can do a lot more to ensure fair and sensible policies that create real financial accountability and transparency.
It’s an issue of empowering parents and taxpayers, and instilling confidence in them that the schools to which so many have entrusted their children are spending money wisely and efficiently.
Tune into the Independence Institute’s iVoices.org to hear my interview with Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, as he explains why his office filed a formal opinion this week that Governor Bill Ritter and the Democrat-led state legislature needed to submit their property tax increase proposal to a vote of the people.
As Sen. Steve Johnson, R-Fort Collins, stated to his Democratic colleagues supporting the tax increase: “The inconvenient truth is TABOR.” A narrow majority of the legislature ignored the inconvenient truth, arrogantly passing the tax hike. The governor is sure to sign it into law.
And because of TABOR, some kind of a taxpayer lawsuit against the abuse of legislative power seems almost inevitable. I think it’s most telling that the Democrats are more confident in finding support for their tax-and-spend policies from the courts than from the people.
Former U.S. Congressman Bob Schaffer, overwhelming winner of last month’s Mount Virtus Republican straw poll, dropped the news at last week’s Teller County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner: he will be running against Mark Udall for Wayne Allard’s open U.S. Senate seat. Schaffer’s decision shows me at least a couple things:
1) He has cleared the primary field of any potential opponents and received assurances of support from most or all of the Republican players.
2) Internal polling gives him a respectable chance to defeat Udall next November.
Expect a formal announcement soon.
More than a month after Colorado’s Face the State launched onto the Internet map with its exposure of a hateful, anti-charter school email by Rep. Mike Merrifield, D-Manitou Springs, the well-trafficked pioneer site WorldNetDaily recounts the story to its vast conservative audience. To the chagrin of the education status quo defenders at the Colorado State Capitol, this story continues to have good traction.
Kudos, Face the State!
The Post’s David Harsanyi hit another homerun today, assailing Governor Ritter and most Democrats in the state legislature for shoving a tax increase down the voters’ throats. Here’s a taste of the brilliant, sharp analysis:
Ritter claims he was elected to solve problems. And by “solve problems,” politicians mean spending more money. In this case, Ritter says the funds are needed to help cash-starved schools - despite evidence that offering blank checks to wasteful school bureaucracies does not help children. But let’s consider for a moment that the governor is right.
Why is Ritter so terrified of bringing such a no-brainer to the people?
The governor is no dope.
Maybe he feels that Coloradans have heard one too many apocalyptic tales. I mean, how many looming tragedies can we take?
And as this week’s debate in the Senate highlighted, nothing in the bill - just a few empty promises - assures anyone that the state dollars freed up by raising local property taxes will be spent on public schools or will be used to “rescue” the State Education Fund. It’s basically a blank check for legislators to spend on top of an already record $18 billion budget. But “it’s for the children….”
Puh-lease. After you’ve read Harsanyi’s column, if your blood pressure can still take hearing more, I invite you to tune in to Independent Thinking (KBDI 12) this Friday, 8:30 PM, repeated Sunday at 11:30 AM - with host Jon Caldara and Deputy Attorney General Jason Dunn and some other guy as guests.
Also check out Vince Carroll’s explanation of how Colorado Democrats may have inflicted serious, long-term political damage on themselves.
Today is one of those sad days when I must take upon myself the duty to highlight a clear example of the dangers of putting Democrats in charge. This example involves the Democrats’ underhanded scheme and arrogant attack on your pocketbook to appropriate your money into a bloated state budget in the name of “the children.”
Earlier, a bare majority of 18 Colorado state senators approved Governor Bill Ritter’s cleverly named “Children’s Amendment” to set in motion a school district property tax increase that will raise an estimated $1.74 billion in new taxes over the next 10 years. The proposal came as part of S.B. 199, the annual School Finance bill. The bait-and-switch backdoor tax hike was rammed through the legislature and soon will be shoved down the throats of Colorado taxpayers - including senior citizens on fixed incomes.
A few pertinent facts:
1) Despite the advertisement of its proponents, the bill has no guarantee that any additional funds either: a) will be spent on public schools or b) will be used to shore up the State Education Fund.
2) Amendment 23 already protects funding increases for K-12 education.
3) Between 2001 and 2005, Colorado school districts received 11.6 percent more per student in inflation-adjusted dollars. From property taxes alone, Colorado school districts received an 8.5 percent increase.
4) The passage of Referendum C - now bringing in more revenue than originally advertised as needed to “restore” funding to higher education, transportation, and other areas - has enabled the Democrats already to set up spending for a record $18 billion budget.
5) The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) requires a vote of the people to approve a tax increase. Read the rest of this entry »
