Mount Virtus

A scathing editorial in yesterday’s Denver Post calls out Colorado Democrats for bowing to Big Labor with their support of HR 800, the poorly-named Employee Free Choice Act (read here, here and here).

Though all Democrats in the state’s delegation voted for the bad legislation, the Post specifically singled out bill co-sponsor Boulder liberal Mark Udall – the man who would be U.S. Senator- first for his anti-business agenda:

The proposal, which passed the House with support from Rep. Mark Udall, contained an offensive and little-known provision that would have allowed a government arbitrator to impose a two-year contract on businesses and workers that actually specified wages and working conditions. Neither the employer nor the workers could appeal the decision.

The government has no place mandating how much private employers, for example, pay for their employees’ health insurance.

Later, we also find that Udall’s support of HR 800 was unfriendly to workers, including many blue-collar independents and Democrats:

And Udall, who wants to be Colorado’s next senator, should know that elections here are won by wooing over moderate, independent-minded voters. Casting votes like this won’t help. The proposal died only after Senate Democrats could attract only one Republican vote, from Pennsylvania’s Arlen Specter, to stop a GOP filibuster against the bill.

The misnamed Employee Free Choice Act also would have denied workers the right to a secret ballot on the question of whether they want to be represented by a union at all. The measure, which passed the House 241-185, is sure to be back because organized labor has made it the top priority in the new Democratic-controlled Congress.

But the tenets of the bill aren’t Western values, and our lawmakers should oppose this unprecedented intrusion of federal power into the collective bargaining process and private
workplaces.

One more piece of evidence that Democrat Rep. Mark Udall, who once again has wandered to the Left of the Denver Post, is out of step with Western values and Colorado’s independent voters.

The Post also assailed Colorado’s junior U.S. Senator Ken Salazar for selling out Colorado to the left wing of his Democratic party:

We were extremely disappointed that Colorado’s Sen. Ken Salazar abandoned his centrist values to vote with the liberal wing of his party when he voted to shut off debate on the bill, which could have forced a vote on the measure. He was elected as a moderate, and he simply can’t become intoxicated by the ideals of his big-government liberal colleagues. He needs to maintain his independence.

Even the left-of-center Post editorial board saw the naked power grab behind HR 800 and called out Democrats Udall and Salazar) for tossing the rights of workers and businesses under the bus to give political payback to union leaders.

Are these guys who we want representing the entire state of Colorado on Capitol Hill? I don’t think so. Try Bob Schaffer instead.

Cross posted at Schaffer v Udall

It seems like whenever another state proposes a taxpayer-friendly ballot measure, the big government crowd turns up the scare factor by looking at Colorado and dredging up the same discredited and refuted statistics [PDF - full disclosure: I am the author of the linked Independence Institute publication].

The latest round comes from Washington State, where proponents are pushing Initiative 960 to require lawmakers to reach a supermajority or receive voter consent in order to raise taxes. Admittedly, I don’t know a lot about the measure itself, though it sounds like a fine idea on its face.

What has me convinced that Washington State likely would benefit from the proposal is the fact that leading opponents have dug into the well of misleading arguments, using Colorado as their trumped up case study. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer appears to be carrying the water for opponents. Writes lawyer and guest columnist Knoll Lowney:

I-960 is loosely patterned after a 1992 constitutional amendment enacted in Colorado. After its passage there, Colorado fell to 49th in education funding and dead last in the number of children who received their full vaccinations from disease. Ultimately, Colorado had to pull the plug on the failed experiment to start recovering its economy. That’s not what we want for Washington.

In the Post-Intelligencer blog, writer Chris McGann uncritically quotes a spokesperson for the Washington Education Association (WEA) (recently slapped down hard by a unanimous decision of the U.S. Supreme Court):

“When Colorado passed a measure with similar supermajority requirements, their education funding dropped to 49th in the nation,” said Mary Lindquist, President of the Washington Education Association. “It isn’t idle speculation, it’s fact: when you tie the hands of the legislature on their number one constitutional requirement, education funding, there will be effects in the classroom.”

(more…)

I share the heaviness of Jim’s heart and El Presidente’s disgust at Colorado’s band of Surrendercrats. Short-sighted political pandering from both parties – but most especially the Democratic leadership in Congress – ignores the military realities of Iraq, and the promising success of Gen. Petraeus’ “surge” strategy, which has been in full effect for scarcely a month.

We need to move past our feelings about the current administration (mine aren’t too positive) and recriminations about the earlier halfhearted war policy and the mismanagement that put us at a disadvantage. Stop the blame game, and let’s get to victory first. And whatever we do as a nation, it’s infuriating to see some of our leaders try to pull out the rug just as we’re seeing real success in the counterinsurgency.

Two must-reads for today are Charles Krauthammer and Victor Davis Hanson. Writes the realistic Krauthammer:

Just this week, Petraeus said that the one thing he needs more than anything else is time. To cut off Petraeus’s plan just as it is beginning — the last surge troops arrived only last month — on the assumption that we cannot succeed is to declare Petraeus either deluded or dishonorable. Deluded in that, as the best-positioned American in Baghdad, he still believes we can succeed. Or dishonorable in pretending to believe in victory and sending soldiers to die in what he really knows is an already failed strategy.

That’s the logic of the wobbly Republicans’ position. But rather than lay it on Petraeus, they prefer to lay it on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and point out his government’s inability to meet the required political “benchmarks.” As a longtime critic of the Maliki government, I agree that it has proved itself incapable of passing laws important for long-term national reconciliation.

But first comes the short term. And right now we have the chance to continue to isolate al-Qaeda and, province by province, deny it the Sunni sea in which it swims. A year ago, it appeared that the only way to win back the Sunnis and neutralize the extremists was with great national compacts about oil and power sharing. But Anbar has unexpectedly shown that even without these constitutional settlements, the insurgency can be neutralized and al-Qaeda defeated at the local and provincial levels with a new and robust counterinsurgency strategy.

The costs are heartbreakingly high — increased American casualties as the enemy is engaged and spectacular suicide bombings designed to terrify Iraqis and demoralize Americans. But the stakes are extremely high as well.

Meanwhile, Hanson takes down the New York Times white-flag editorialists point by point. The whole thing is a worthwhile read, but I’d like to focus on his conclusion here:

We promised General Petraeus a hearing in September; it would be the height of folly to preempt that agreement by giving in to our summer of panic and despair. Critics called for the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, a change in command in Iraq and at Centcom, new strategies, and more troops. But now that we have a new secretary, a new command in Iraq and at Centcom, new strategies, and more troops, suddenly we have a renewed demand for withdrawal before the agreed-upon September accounting—suggesting that the only constant in such harping was the assumption that Iraq was either hopeless or not worth the effort.

Too many Americans are cheering (some more quietly than others) for Petraeus’ counterinsurgency strategy to fail. Too many others long for success, but remain highly doubtful. I struggle, too. There are many legitimate concerns and criticisms. Yet the consequences of defeat and withdrawal would be too great and devastating. We may not reach the depths of 1864′s defeatism during this conflict – too many Americans are detached from the war, and a considerable share of that burden must fall on the White House. But right now, we’re fighting (and mostly beating) Al-Qaeda in the hot Iraqi summer. That we can’t ignore.

Let’s give our military leader his promised chance and prepare to reassess the situation in September. Meanwhile, let’s continue to follow the challenges, the difficulties, and yes – even the signs of progress – from Michael Yon with our troops in the field and Iraq the Model in sweltering Baghdad. And a little historical perspective would be nice, too.

In case you’ve missed it, please take a minute to sign the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s petition to stop the proposed censorship of restoring the Fairness Doctrine. This is an issue of free speech that should garner support from Left and Right. Also, bookmark N.Z. Bear’s Fairness Doctrine Watch for the latest on the topic.

Just doing my two cents’ worth to stand up for the First Amendment on this issue.

First, let’s start with the good news: Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer announced that he raised more than $717,000 in the second quarter (April-June). As pointed out in the campaign press release:

Walt Klein, Schaffer campaign consultant said “Schaffer’s contributions averaged more than $119,000 a week in the brief time Bob has been a candidate – a remarkable start for the long campaign ahead.”

There were 1789 individual contributions to Schaffer, with more than 83% coming from Colorado.

The full report will be available on July 15th.

[Full Disclosure: Mt. Virtus was part of the 83+%, contributing a small amount to Schaffer in June.] Schaffer’s $119,000 a week surpasses liberal Boulder Democrat opponent Mark Udall, who raised a little over $100,000 a week. Udall’s campaign unfolded a month earlier, allowing him to net $1.1 million for the second quarter.

So there are the facts, but here’s the amusing part: Colorado liberal uberblogger Jason Bane can’t get his story straight on Schaffer’s fundraising numbers. On June 26, Bane wrote:

Schaffer can ease concerns about his fundraising ability with a strong, albeit shortened, second quarter; something between $300,000 and $400,000 for the quarter would be a good showing for him. Schaffer also has a lot to lose with a weak Q2, because there are some in the Republican Party who remain unconvinced that he is the right candidate to take on Udall. A weak quarter from Schaffer – anything less than $200,000 – would be cause for hand-wringing among the state GOP. [emphasis added]

This morning Bane changed his tune, citing “a trustworthy Republican source” (who strangely refused to be named … hmm) that “GOP Apprehension Grows Over Schaffer Fundraising“:

…[A]ll eyes are now on GOP opponent Bob Schaffer, whose failure to join the rush of triumphant fundraising press releases this week has got more than a few Republicans worried.

So worried, as a trustworthy Republican source explains, that there are backup plans to recruit an alternative to Schaffer if he doesn’t post a very strong number–something that can rival Udall’s impressive total, which would presumably be in the same $1 million neighborhood. [emphasis added]

From $300,000 – $400,000 to “in the same $1 million neighborhood,” while ignoring the month advantage that Udall had to raise money? Later he added this comment following the release of Schaffer’s reported $717,000:

Respectable, but not an earth-shattering number given Udall’s take. Will it be enough to placate concerned Republicans? Release follows.

Clever attempt by Bane to try to suddenly shift expectations dramatically upward. Rather than hearing real apprehensions from an authentic GOP insider, did the liberal blogger hear rumblings of Schaffer’s successful fundraising? If not, how else do you explain the dramatic shift from his June 26 remarks?

To add insult to injury, a liberal blogger from out of state swallowed Bane’s latest analysis hook, line, and sinker. Folks, you can’t let nonsense like that go unchallenged.

The Lefty propaganda machine will continue to push the misinformation campaign to stir up troubles within Colorado’s Republican ranks. If they could make Schaffer look like a poor fundraiser, and hence a weak candidate, they would have an opportunity to stoke the flames of discontent. Meanwhile, their man Udall would have an easier run in 2008, and we wouldn’t have to notice their candidate’s own prior record of fiscal mismanagement. But they’re going to have a very difficult time getting away with it.

Listen: Colorado’s liberals are worried about Bob Schaffer and Dick Wadhams, not to mention their own lingering doubts about Mark Udall’s ability to win a statewide election in Colorado. And the facts about the Republican candidate’s early fundraising prowess are just “an inconvenient truth” for them.

Cross posted at Schaffer v Udall

Yesterday the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE) raised admission standards for the state’s public colleges and universities, effective in 2010. The final set of standards is less rigorous than originally planned, with no increase in the one-year foreign language requirement and the allowance of a watered-down math course to fulfill the requirement.

Still, some weren’t satisfied – among them one who believes charter school supporters have a “special” reservation in the torrid nether regions.

From 9News:

Other opponents worry that creating more emphasis on taking math and science will stifle student creativity. State Representative Mike Merrifield, who is also the chairman of the House Education Committee, told the Commission these new requirements are 20th Century ideas being imposed on 21st Century students.

“I urge you to seriously consider increasing the arts requirements for admission rather than math, science and foreign language,” said Rep. Merrifield (D-Manitou Springs). “Join other forward, cutting-edge leaders in curriculum development.”

I have nothing at all against music and the arts: if you would think that, you certainly don’t know me. But the music teacher who was chairman of the House Education Committee – and whom the Democrat leadership will allow to serve in that role again in 2008 (despite his visceral hatred for many families who decide to leave the traditional public school) – thinks expectations for greater math and science proficiency are relics of the last century.

I’m not being fair, you say? Perhaps Merrifield just wants to leave local control intact. Well, not only did he and his committee earlier this year mandate more liberal sex education standards while spurning efforts to raise standards for reading, math, and science, his self-contradicting remarks in the Denver Post betray his real views:

State Rep. Michael Merrifield, a Colorado Springs Democrat who chairs the House Education Committee, called the whole notion of course requirements “out of date, old-fashioned,” and “so 20th century.” “Forcing every student into a curriculum of more math and science is not relevant to most students’ lives,” said Merrifield, a former music teacher who believes the state instead should increase the fine arts requirements for graduation.

One of the teachers union’s favorite lawmakers quickly demonstrated how out of touch he is with parents, business leaders, and other Coloradans. Is relevance to students’ lives the standard we should set for education? Some don’t like math and science, many don’t see the use of learning history or geography, and some might not see the need to read or write English (or to read and write at all). Some students might not see the arts as relevant to their lives, either, but I doubt Merrifield would accept that rationale.

If the Democrats want to be taken seriously in the area of education, they might want to find someone more credible and reasonable to chair the House Education Committee.

No time for lengthy posts this morning, but quick links on an important timely topic. Echoing Colorado Senate News, Michael at Best Destiny points out the momentum growing for a Republican-sponsored plan to use revenues from drilling on the Western Slope’s Roan Plateau to provide a windfall to the state’s universities. Michael points out how out of touch Colorado’s junior Senator and would-be senator on the Democrat side happen to be on this issue.

Meanwhile, Democrat Gov. Bill Ritter, who has made higher education funding one of his leading planks, has stalled and hesitated on the opportunity to support the drilling. But wait, as Michael points out, even the Denver Post says it should go forward soon. Maybe the majority Democrats are worried about being outmaneuvered politically, maybe they are too indebted to the radical wing of the environmental movement, or maybe they had their hearts set on increasing the tax burden for Colorado homeowners and other hard-working citizens. Or maybe some combination of the three.

The Roan Plateau drilling proposal is as environmentally responsible as they come. So why turn down the money for higher education? It makes you question Democrat priorities.

A fitting night for the Detroit Tigers to beat the Bo Sox in dramatic fashion – 3-2 in 13 innings. On 7/7/07, the game-winning hit came courtesy of #7, Pudge Rodriguez, off Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon.

Comerica Park sold 44,193 tickets to the game – standing room only and a near record for the 7-year-old stadium. Sellouts have become the norm in the Motor City, where just four seasons ago the Tigers flirted with record futility.

Now reigning American League champs, the team closes in on the All Star break in a first-place tie with Cleveland, despite having a decimated bullpen. Detroit’s manager captured the city’s love affair with the game, echoing statements I used to make regularly back when the team wandered in the wilderness of bad management and mediocre to sub-par talent (do you believe me now?):

“I know that this is one of the best baseball cities in the nation, there’s no doubt about that,” [Jim] Leyland said.

The crowds are great for Leyland; he admitted he gets goosebumps anytime a capacity crowd gives the team a standing ovation in the ninth inning, but he is most proud of the fact that the Tigers have appeared to lay a foundation that will make them a successful franchise for the long term.

Following last night’s 9-2 thumping of Boston, Detroit News sports columnists Bob Wojnowski and Lynn Henning penned words that are beautiful to read for this displaced Michigander:

Baseball dominates in Detroit, and you should take a moment to ponder that, before you resume fretting about the bullpen. The Red Wings and Pistons struggled to sell out playoff games. The Lions struggle to recall what a playoff game is. The Tigers sell out regular-season games with regularity.

People are attracted to a winner, naturally. But this goes a little deeper. The Tigers are winning with a healthy combination of stars and youth and even some style. They’re still somewhat new, but this is what separates them from their Detroit sports brethren: The Tigers have the potential to be dominant in every area.

OK, we’ll temper the superlatives. But if you watched lean, lanky lefty [22-year-old phenom Andrew] Miller stymie the Bosox on three hits, and you watched Boston starter Julian Tavarez get so flustered, he was warned after hitting Gary Sheffield with a pitch, you know the Tigers can rattle anyone. [emphasis mine]

What’s more, five Detroit players headed to the All-Star Game to represent the American League? My friends, I was 8 years old the last time that happened. And I’m a little ways past “spring chicken”hood now.

It’s so much fun to be a Detroit Tigers fan again. A dozen (or more) long years of faithful anticipation are now being rewarded. May it be a dozen (or more) seasons of competitive success (a World Series title or two along the way would be sweet) for the Olde English D.

Sure, there are more important things in life than baseball. But not as many as you may think.

The truth-challenged windbag Michael Moore – a blight on the honor of my home state – has been called to the carpet again by those stubborn, annoying facts. Canadian expatriate Sally Pipes writes in “More lies from Moore” to expose the left-wing filmmaker’s problem in using a clip of her in his new movie “Sicko” to supposedly demonstrate American ignorance of the Canadian healthcare system. Unfortunately for Moore, Pipes actually knows the problems of the system firsthand:

I am a new American, but I grew up and worked for many years in Canada. And I know the health care system of my native country much more intimately than does Moore. There’s a good reason why my former countrymen with the money to do so either use the services of a booming industry of illegal private clinics, or come to America to take advantage of the health care that Moore denounces.

Government-run health care in Canada inevitably resolves into a dehumanizing system of triage, where the weak and the elderly are hastened to their fates by actuarial calculation. Having fought the Canadian health care bureaucracy on behalf of my ailing mother just two years ago – she was too old, and too sick, to merit the highest quality care in the government’s eyes – I can honestly say that Moore’s preferred health care system is something I wouldn’t wish on him.

I’m sure you’re shocked to learn that such a drastic oversight could have slipped through Moore’s rigorous and conscientious fact-checking team (kind of like the 59 deceits uncovered in his 2004 screed “Fahrenheit 9/11″). Hmmm … or not. It’s so apparent to anyone but the agenda-driven Left that his new movie is half-serious propaganda designed to push America one step closer to the debacle that is socialized medicine.

And no, I’m not a defender of the status quo in health care. One problem with Moore and his apologists is their simple-minded assertion of the false dichotomy that either you like the current system or you want Moore government with less accessible health care. Think again. Expand your horizons. Look at consumer-driven reforms that have the potential to save Americans from both the bureaucratic crush of Big HMO and Big Government.

Moore deception? That’s “Sicko.” But I felt compelled to point out the obvious today.

As explained here, I will be guest alongside Colorado Attorney General John Suthers on tomorrow evening’s edition of Independent Thinking:

I2I Education Policy Analyst Ben DeGrow and AG Suthers will join I2I president Jon Caldara to Discuss Supreme Court Victory on Friday’s episode of Independent Thinking. The show will disect the legal victory for the free speech rights of workers.

The episode airs on KBDI Channel 12 in Denver (Channel 32 in Colorado Springs) TOMORROW (Friday) at 8:30 PM, and on Sunday, July 8, at 11:30 AM.

Just remember: it’s an episode labor union leaders don’t want you to see.

Only a handful of political insiders have even noticed – especially three Colorado blogs (leave a comment or send an email if you want to know which ones) bent on bringing down all GOP presidential candidates except the obscure also-ran Jim Gilmore – but there are some weird things being said at a site styled as an official Sam Brownback for President campaign blog. And news being slow as it is around a holiday, the Denver Post‘s Karen Crummy had a full-length story published on it today.

For those who have gotten a lot of mileage out of disparaging Senator Brownback based on the outlandish absurdity posted on the site in question – in other words, for those who have chosen to disbelieve the obvious – this may come as a startling revelation:

The operators of the two Brownback sites, which are hosted on a popular blogging site, have not publicly identified themselves. A posting allegedly from the site’s administrator appeared one day asking visitors not to forward “any comments with regard to racist language, personal abuse or civil- action suits” because it is not responsible for the content. The “Blogs 4 Brownback” site is a parody, the administrator said.

Of course, it’s a parody. An author continuing to treat its contents seriously risks the loss of any remaining credibility.

(Yes, it’s a slow day in this corner of Colorado’s blogosphere.)

Godspeed to Mr. Bob, the Daily Blogster, leaving this week on deployment aboard a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. If you haven’t read it before, check out Bob’s essay explaining why he joined the Naval Reserves after 9/11 at age 38. I have great admiration for Bob and am glad to count him as a friend, a friend I may not have met apart from the strange and fantastic world of the blogosphere.

Fittingly, Bob’s last post before deployment includes photos and a brief account from yesterday’s unveiling of the Danny Dietz Navy SEAL memorial in Littleton. (Also covered at Slapstick Politics and picked up by Michelle Malkin.)

Though raised in a family with many more Army connections than Navy ones (and it’s been a LONG time since the Cadets won an Army-Navy football game), I have made the exception to give the following lyrical hat tips to Mr. Bob as he heads for the Seven Seas to serve our beloved nation:

Stand Navy out to sea
Fight our battle cry
We’ll never change our course
So vicious foe steer shy-y-y-y
Roll out the T. N. T.
Anchors Aweigh
Sail on to victory and
Sink their bones to Davy Jones hooray!

And:

Eternal Father strong to save
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave
Who bidd’st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep
Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea!

To Mr. Bob and his thousands of naval comrades: Stay safe, stay strong, & thanks for your honorable service and for your faithfulness to duty and country.

Now, don’t go skipping out on The Daily Blogster just because Mr. Bob is away for a little while. He has two excellent guest bloggers filling in for him: Jim and El Presidente.

Also, please read the excellent tribute from Michael at Best Destiny.

When you celebrate the United States’ 231st birthday tomorrow, here’s a suggestion to make your family’s Independence Day a bit more meaningful: Read aloud the Declaration of Independence. Or better yet, you can listen to someone read it aloud for you.

The Independence Institute (where I work my day job) has released today a Podcast recording of Jon Caldara reading aloud the full text of the Declaration. A full listen from beginning to end will take less than 12 minutes, but it will help put into perspective where we’ve come from as a nation and the Founding principles that make America great.

God bless America, and may you all have a Safe and Happy Fourth!

In case you need to be reminded what sort of demented apoplectic fits Colorado Lefties can inflict upon themselves with their irrational, knee-jerk Bush hatred, take a look at today’s posting from the angry El Paso County Democratic Party:

With his horrible, cynical, and constitutionally corrupt act of pardoning Scooter Libby, George Bush will have firmly cemented his reputation as the worst president in history.

First, there’s the inconvenient part about having to get facts straight: commutation is not pardon. Second, there’s the hyperbolic rhetoric.

Finally, and most noteworthy, is the selective outrage shared by the El Paso Dems and their Speaker heroine Nancy Pelosi:

Pelosi was unwilling to criticize a president of her own party when he turned loose terrorists convicted of such crimes as seditious conspiracy, possession of unregistered firearms and interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle. Keep that in mind as you read her statement yesterday:

The President’s commutation of Scooter Libby’s prison sentence does not serve justice, condones criminal conduct, and is a betrayal of trust of the American people.

The President said he would hold accountable anyone involved in the Valerie Plame leak [sic] case. By his action today, the President shows his word is not to be believed. He has abandoned all sense of fairness when it comes to justice, he has failed to uphold the rule of law, and he has failed to hold his Administration accountable.

Now, if this had been the subject of the Patrick Fitzgerald witch hunt…

…You’d be rooting for a full pardon, wouldn’t you?