Mount Virtus

Read William Bennett’s impassioned plea to teach kids the soul of American history once more, published today in National Review Online. I share Dr. Bennett’s passion: So many young Americans today are truly deprived in this respect.

Bennett explains:

Many of our history books are either too tendentious — disseminating a one-sided, politically correct view of the history of the greatest nation that ever existed; or, worse, they are boring — providing a watered down, anemic version of a people who have fought wars at home and abroad for the purposes of liberty and equality, conquered deadly diseases, and placed men on the moon.

And later:

In his farewell address to the nation, the large-minded amateur historian President Ronald Reagan warned of what we see in our nation’s report card today, saying “If we forget what we did, we won’t know who we are. I’m warning of an eradication of the American memory that could result, ultimately, in an erosion of the American spirit.” How much more dangerous is this now, as we fight a war for our very existence and expect young Americans to sign up and fight for a country and way of life worthy of their own lives? In the long run, why will future Americans want to stand up and fight for a country they do not even know — a country in which they are born aliens? How do we ask them to fight, and perhaps die, for a country they do not know?

Our history is full of controversy, suffering, struggling, overcoming, and winning. There is no reason to elevate its failings at the expense of its successes, nor is there reason to ignore its failings or, worse, turn it into a snooze-fest. The task is to tell the truth — but can we not do so in an interesting, lively, and glorious way — the way I know and have seen some teachers do?

There’s so much to discuss and explore in the themes Bennett raises in this article, but textbooks and teachers seem to be one great place to start. Let’s promote and reward the truly good ones.

Is this merely a pipe dream of mine that the Republic can yet be saved by educated young men and women who are inspired to really learn and understand our nation’s past, and write the next bold chapter in American history? Sigh. I hope not.

Interesting fact for the day: according to a newly-released study from the Reason Foundation, Colorado ranks 29th in the nation for the quality of its state highways - but still considerably higher than the only other two states I’ve lived in for any length of time (Michigan and Pennsylvania). Follow the link to find more information.

Readers of my blog, you may consider sending a sympathy card (or e-card) to SquareState’s Luis and his Lefty friends. As he tells us, they’ve had a rough week. The immigration amnesty bill died (and still he blames Bush!), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against racial discrimination, and a Colorado court refused to overrule the parental consent requirement for minor abortions.

Hey, look, in the rough-and-tumble world of politics and public policy, any of us can have a bad week from time to time. Last November was particularly unpleasant for those of us of a more conservative persuasion. So please consider, in the spirit of graciousness and magnanimity, letting a liberal near you know that the weekend is here and that next week is certain not to be so devastating.

There’s no reason to make serious political differences a justification for deep personal animosity. Quite the opposite. Go out of your way to do something good and kind to them.

Yesterday the Dead Governors touted the coincidentally-timed release of an April survey of Colorado voters showing alleged opposition to a right-to-work initiative at 56 percent to 36 percent support. Not surprisingly, Jason Bane and company appear to be carrying water for leaders in the union coalition, who are worried about having to spend money to defeat right-to-work and thus are trumping the dubious results of the RBI Strategies poll:

Without including the words “Right to Work” in the ballot title or language, there is little support among Colorado voters for this potential initiative. Predictably, the opposition to the initiative is strong among Democrats (65% are against). However, even a majority of unaffiliated voters oppose the measure.

Unfortunately for the Dead Guvs and Colorado’s Lefty coalition, there are several reasons to doubt the accuracy of this survey. First, there is no release of the internals of the sample polling size relative to Colorado’s actual voting population (how many Republicans, Democrats, and unaffiliateds were asked the question?).

Doing a little pocketbook math based on the RBI reports and estimated statewide voter registration percentages (thanks to Colorado Confidential), we find that - if this poll is to be believed - 49% of Colorado’s Republican voters are opposed to right-to-work. Puh-lease. While the sample may be skewed, the question definitely is poorly worded. Read the rest of this entry »

All eyes are on Washington this morning and the second cloture vote that seems increasingly likely to kill the bad “comprehensive immigration reform” bill. If Senators of both parties would listen to the mainstream people of this country from across the political spectrum, it seems they would hear this simple message: Give clear evidence that border security is being addressed as a top priority, and then we can debate other issues - how to deal with the illegal aliens already here, expanding the guest worker program, et al.

The large majority of Americans who oppose the bill are not nativists or racists and don’t wish to be patronized by elected officials - be they Democrat or Republican (that includes you, Sen. Lindsay Graham). The bill’s supporters a) work behind closed doors and b) inability to cogently defend their creation on specific points of disagreement has only hamstrung their cause.
I’ll be happy when the cloture vote fails to reach 60 today, but I’ll be happier when the federal government begins taking border enforcement seriously so we can start having a real and serious debate about reforming the immigration system.

Lefty Cara DeGette at Colorado Confidential needs to read more carefully. Her recent diary on GOP State Chair Dick Wadhams’ recent visit to Montana painfully stretches to draw a contrast between his remarks to a Republican group in Big Sky Country with those quoted Monday in the Denver Post.

To make her “gotcha” point, she conflates two issues. In both venues, Wadhams made confident predictions for the Republican candidate to win Colorado’s electoral votes and for Bob Schaffer to win Colorado’s U.S. Senate race. The pessimism highlighted by the Post’s Karen Crummy was that the GOP didn’t expect to take back the Colorado state legislature until 2010, a topic he didn’t address to the Montana audience.

No hard feelings, just a quick correction. It’s a forgivable mistake for amateur “independent” journalists like us.

The Rocky Mountain News today reports that paperwork has been filed to place a right-to-work initiative on the Colorado ballot this year. The arguments against it are predictable:

[Rep. Michael] Garcia [D-Aurora] said he would oppose efforts to weaken union shops.

“Right-to-work laws benefit corporate executives with six-figure salaries, period,” he said. “Unions are good for working men and women.

“If passed, the right-to-work initiative would make all-union agreements in the state illegal.”

Garcia argued that the ballot proposal is unnecessary because federal law already prohibits workplaces from forcing workers to join a labor union as a condition of employment.

Forcing workers to join, but not forcing workers to pay tribute, is already prohibited by federal law. And the argument that giving workers the choice whether or not to give their financial support to a labor organization only benefits rich corporate executives? Nonsense. The data on economic growth, worker purchasing power, and other leading indicators shows a much different story.

Garcia’s argument also is the kind of outdated populist, class-based rhetoric that most Coloradans won’t buy.

A 2004 Zogby nationwide poll showed 73 percent of respondents agreed with the following statement: “Individual workers should be free to decide for themselves whether or not to join or support a union, and nobody should be required to join or support a union as a condition of employment.”

On the other hand, only 25 percent agreed with this statement: “No one should be a free-rider. If workers benefit from union representation, they should be required to pay their fair share of the cost of union representation.”

Supporting worker freedom is a good idea and a popular one, but political realities make me cautiously skeptical about the hopes for a right-to-work ballot initiative this year (and, of course, supporters still have to collect thousands of signatures even to put the measure on the ballot). The business community was worn down by the fight over HB 1072 but ultimately prevailed with Gov. Ritter’s veto. They don’t want to risk their political alliance with the governor. Without their financial support, labor unions would be at the advantage to motivate their base in opposition, to spend vast resources, and to confuse voters by distorting the issue.

Is right-to-work a good idea for Colorado? Yes. And I wish the initiative’s supporters well. But in the current climate, its prospects at the polls don’t look that good.

No surprises here, but definitely good news. HR 800, also very poorly known as the Employee Free Choice Act, couldn’t pass the cloture vote test today in the U.S. Senate. The final tally was 51-48, on a nearly strict party-line ballot. Only Arlen Specter jumped the Republican ship to join the Democrats’ effort to reward union leaders with special privileges by denying workers the right to a secret ballot. Workers have the right to choose to join OR not to join a union, and they deserve to keep the right to a secret ballot to make that decision.

To learn more, you can also listen to a new iVoices podcast I hosted with Ryan Ellis from Americans for Tax Reform (go here for a direct link to the MP3). The bill hasn’t gone away forever, and probably not for too long. Big Labor has come to believe that it needs special coercive perks to remain relevant politically and economically. And with the Democratic National Convention coming to our backyard next summer, they’re especially interested in flexing muscle here in Colorado.

As the long race for the White House rolls on, many conservatives find themselves “all agog over Thompson,” writes U.S. News and World Report’s Kenneth Walsh. His candidacy not yet officially declared, the former U.S. Senator and recognizable actor finds himself at or near the top of most polls among the Republican field.

Providing some of the best evidence that Fred Thompson may be the real deal, Politico reports that the Democratic National Committee is using attacks on him to generate fundraising more than a year before the Conventions confirm either party’s nominee:

Democratic strategists say Thompson’s populist style and show-biz allure could prove extremely appealing in a general election at a time when voters are so down on Washington. So the party has launched a preemptive campaign against him that includes a DNC fundraising e-mail branding Thompson, “The inside-outsider.”

“Remember the Republican culture of corruption?” the letter asks. “The revolving door of Republican politicians moving in and out of top political offices and Washington, D.C., lobbying firms? That’s Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson. For years, acting wasn’t the ‘Law & Order’ star’s profession — it was a hobby. In the real world, Thompson has made a fortune in a decades-long career as a Washington lobbyist. And just this month, as part of his role as the ultimate Washington insider, Thompson offered to host yet another fundraising event for Scooter Libby’s legal defense fund. Thompson has been vocal in his support of Libby, saying that he would ‘absolutely’ pardon him. As he runs for president, he’ll try his hardest to hide the truth from the American people. And we need to stop him. Support our efforts to get the truth out about Fred Thompson.”

Meanwhile, the local grassroots campaign is picking up steam, thanks in part to the prolific blogging over at Colorado for Thompson. As far as Mount Virtus is concerned, it’s way too early to cast my lot with any one of the GOP’s primary candidates. Nevertheless, I am watching Thompson very closely. If a pollster called or the caucuses were held today, I would most likely vote for Fred. But there’s still plenty I need to see.

Conservatives in Colorado and nationwide need a strong conservative presidential candidate who can beat Hillary. Enough said.

This blog post and video from FreedomWorks are very revealing about the supporters of the so-called “Employee Free Choice Act” (H.R. 800). Then again, when is robbing workers of the secret ballot an act that favors “free choice”? Few bills debated by Congress have had such an Orwellian name.

Amidst the intense interest in the immigration debate, the U.S. Senate votes tomorrow to close the debate on H.R. 800. While it appears highly unlikely that the threshold of 60 votes will be reached, it will be interesting to note who sides with common sense and worker privacy, and who sides to give privileges to special interest groups at the expense of an individual’s power to choose.

The new rankings are out, and I’m shocked to say that somehow Mount Virtus has climbed the rankings to #1 in Blog Net News most influential Colorado political blogs. Frankly, I’m humbled. Of course, fame and influence are both fleeting. So I don’t expect it to last. But I’ll savor it for one week, at least. Also encouraging, my friend Michael at Best Destiny creeped up the ladder a bit to #9.

Today’s Denver Post headline “State GOP plots revival, but in 2010″ is not surprising for those in the know. For a variety of reasons, new Colorado Republican Party Chairman Dick Wadhams (who instills fear into the Left side of the state’s blogosphere) inherited a very difficult situation. He doesn’t have an easy task before him.

The headline is a little bit misleading, as Wadhams says there are real hopes for limited gains in 2008. Perhaps the better headline would have been “State GOP plots return to power by 2010.” But that’s a small detail. Confidently forecasting victory for U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer and that Colorado will cast its vote for the Republican presidential candidate, Wadhams is playing the role of partisan cheerleader now largely filled on the other side by liberal bloggers like the Dead Governors.

Meanwhile, Wadhams’ counterpart may have spent too much time in the heat recently:

Wadhams’ crystal ball gazing amused Democratic Party chairwoman Pat Waak, who said that voters on both sides of the aisle are continually disillusioned by events in Iraq and blame Republicans. “I think rather than be embarrassed later, Dick should keep a low profile and keep his mouth shut,” she said. “Democrats are not cocky or cynical. We are working really hard to continue to solidify our base.”

Republicans have found the right leader to help lead them on their steady ascent from the political depths in Colorado. But we also need to be realistic about our prospects. Change isn’t going to happen without resources or a clear message differentiating the two parties, and it isn’t going to happen overnight. Confidence is terrific, but patience is a virtue.

It’s funny to watch the Colorado Nutroots (I don’t need to link to them - you can find them by going to Blog Net News) erupt into spontaneous glee with glib “I-told-you-so’s” to anyone who doesn’t believe in the perfecting power of the ever-expanding sphere of government, at the release of this report (large PDF). Of course, I haven’t even seen any of them actually link to the report, just to articles that mention the report and its apparently bleak picture of Colorado. (Hint: The report says our state doesn’t spend as much as other states in some areas. Egads! It must be the death knell of civilization here in the Centennial State.)

Critical analysis? Don’t expect any from the secular statist fundamentalist crowd. They’ve found their Holy Grail that confirms their preconceptions - in the form of a highly selective and misleading report produced by a group with a liberal, government-growth agenda. The more the state spends other people’s money on social welfare programs, the more their own consciences are assuaged.

I’m not sure what’s more ridiculous: their blind, self-congratulatory faith in the selective, derivative findings of a report that’s light on logic and analysis, or their attempted caricatures of their political opponents as anarchists. It’s very funny to read the rantings of someone who believes in the unending growth of government and in the unlimited potential of government to solve all the world’s problems suggest that those who wish for reasonable restraints on the growth of government - like myself - have no coherent philosophy of government but just wish to see it all abolished and destroyed.

My friends, the Left in Colorado is growing desperate and increasingly irrational. They blindly accept a report written by their ideological allies that shares their premises. Come to this site for a critical analysis of the report. And hopefully others will offer their critical analyses, as well. Then we may see a little bit more independent thinking taking place.

Sigh. Oh, let me dream a bit, will you? There is hope for a reasonable debate, don’t you think? Of course, someone in the Nutroots has to have a reasoned viewpoint.

Although I can’t find it on their website, the National Education Association has confirmed eight presidential candidates to come speak at its annual meeting starting next Friday in Philadelphia, at least according to an email sent by the Colorado Education Association affiliate to its members. The eight candidates are listed alphabetically, as follows:

1. Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE)

2. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)

3. Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT)

4. Former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC)

5. Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR)

6. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)

7. Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL)

8. Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM)

There are seven complete non-surprises there. But, if you’re at all like me, you are wondering what Gov. Huckabee is going to say to the overwhelmingly left-liberal delegates of the national teachers union. Even more so if you’re a Republican primary voter carefully considering whom to support. An educated guess says it will be an attempt by the aw-shucks Huckabee to separate himself from President Bush by finding some common ground with NEA about the No Child Left Behind Act. But that’s just a guess.

Since NEA began endorsing presidential candidates since 1976, the organization has a perfect record of siding with the Democrat nominee. No group will be better represented at next August’s Democratic National Convention here in Denver than NEA. So they might want to start practicing their “Hillary” chants, even though most delegates would likely take either Edwards, Obama, or Kucinich as their first choice.

Update: The grill is SOLD! But you’re still welcome to stop by tomorrow (Saturday) during the day.

It’s garage sale time today and tomorrow at Mount Virtus. Not a ton of stuff to offer, but plenty of the usual books, clothes, and odds & ends.

BUT … if you or someone you know in the Denver area would like to be the owner of a mildly-used, Brinkman charcoal grill/smoker (needs replacement grates) for a VERY reasonable price, drop me a comment or an email. If one of our non-virtual customers hasn’t swept it up first, we’ll be ready to make a deal!

That’s all the blogging here for now.

In his latest Townhall column, George Will tackles the problem many union leaders have employing force rather than seeking favor:

Democracy is rule by persuasion, but the unpersuasive often try to coerce the unpersuaded. Recent days have provided two illustrations of this tendency, both of them pertaining to labor unions, whose decades of declining membership testify to their waning power to persuade workers that unions add more value to workers’ lives than they subtract.

Will devotes much of his column to the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Davenport case. I won’t retread that issue now (previous Mount Virtus coverage featured here), except to say you can tune in at 10 o’clock this morning local Denver time to the Mike Rosen Show to hear me discuss the decision and its possible ramifications for Colorado with guest host (and my boss) Jon Caldara. Nice segue, huh?

In today’s edition, the editors of the Rocky Mountain News challenge Colorado’s junior U.S. Senator with the question: Who are you going to put first - the rights of Colorado workers or the interests of labor bosses? The poorly-named Employee Free Choice Act, which already passed the U.S. House, would rob employees of a secret ballot in workplace organizing elections. It would rig the process in favor of union officials.

America is great because workers have the right to volunteer to join and pay dues to a union. But equally respected should be the right of workers NOT to join and pay dues or fees to a union. The Democrat-sponsored legislation does not respect that right. It uses the excuse of declining union membership to justify giving the power of greater coercion to union officials, rather than affording them a chance to become more accountable to their individual members and to adapt their organizations to 21st century realities.

Currently, Democrat Ken Salazar says he sides with workers, at least insofar as he does not want to vote to shut off debate on the so-called Employee Free Choice Act. With pressure raining down from high-powered partisan lobbies in Washington, Coloradans cannot take his support for granted. The Senate needs to put this bad legislation to bed, and we should hope to see Salazar on the right side of the issue.

News comes today from state economists that the Referendum C “forever tax increase” projects to yield $5.9 billion in revenue:

That amount is $2.2 billion more than originally expected in November 2005 when voters approved Referendum C, suspending the state constitution’s revenue limit for five years.

Most telling from the piece in today’s Denver Post is the defensive response from the governor’s office - responding to questions of how to justify further tax increases (such as this one):

Jim Carpenter, chief of staff for Ritter, said voters sent Ritter to the Capitol to “solve problems,” which is what the commissions studying health care, transportation and higher education will do.

“It’s an easy thing to throw out this comment, off-handed, about tax increases,” Carpenter said. “We’re keeping faith with the voters.”

What about keeping faith with the voters who the Constitution says must be asked to approve tax increases? Details, details….

It’s just further proof that the Ritter administration, true to its Democrat party label, is devoted to big-government liberalism, specifically the notion that the state has all the tools to solve your problems. Ref C - which 51 percent of voters approved for an anticipated $3.7 billion, following a multimillion dollar lobbying campaign by powerful interests - just isn’t enough for their insatiable appetite to devour your money.

Some enterprising researcher, journalist, or blogger needs to go through the state budget to see where this year’s record $18 billion was spent before we start succumbing to the siren song of alleged government solutions. Keep holding on to your pocketbooks!