Update, 10:00 AM:Labor Pains’ Justin Wilson has a more thorough refutation of Big Labor’s new report here.
In an effort to ramp up their efforts to pass the Employee Forced Choice Act (EFCA), Big Labor is touting a new report that suggests employers are rampantly breaking the law (PDF) during union organizing elections. The problem? The report’s data all are based on interviews with union organizers — hardly an unbiased source.
But anything goes. While Big Labor appeals to EFCA apologists who need rational cover with impressive-sounding reports, it seems they also think they must appeal to the populist masses of religious believers. So they have sent clergy member lobbyists to Washington, DC, to insist that card-check legislation is a “moral imperative” of “social justice”. (Huh?)
It’s always great to see someone you know hit the market with a book published under their name. In this case, it’s Michael Alcorn — one of Colorado’s most veteran conservative bloggers and a charter member of the Rocky Mountain Alliance of Blogs. You may know him better as the man behind Best Destiny.
Get It is a Book / program designed to help YOU design your perfect life. While this book targets young adults ages 16 – 24, the book and program is helpful to people of all ages who simply want to get it.
The way we view things, the world is broken down into those people who “Get It” and those who “Don’t Get It”.
We the undersigned believe that the National Republican Senatorial Committee should be committed to serving ALL the members of the Republican Party.
Additionally, the NRSC should be focused on defeating Democrats, not Republicans. Towards that end, we believe it was completely inappropriate for the NRSC to endorse a candidate in the Florida primary race.
Therefore, we request that both you and the NRSC alter your position on the Florida Senate race, maintain neutrality, and promise to spend no money directly or indirectly in that race.
Two Gallup polls, released on the same day: Monday, May 18. Wildly different headlines. Part of a bigger story, but some can only seem to latch on to one or the other.
Those who trumpeted the results of the survey showing across-the-board demographic losses for the Republican Party since 2001 (conducted from January to April of this year) might also want to note the results of the survey showing Republican-leaning support matching Democrat-leaning support for the first time in nearly four years. (more…)
Feeling ill because of the teacher sickout in Boulder Valley School District? Another 269 teachers came down with the phantom cough today.
Few things can drive people as crazy as trying to figure out the ins-and-outs of Colorado labor laws and policies, and how they apply to teachers and possible teacher strikes. So Mike Rosen had me on his show this morning (check May 19, 9 AM hour … I come on during the second half of the hour) to give the lowdown and shed some more light on the goings-on in Boulder.
If you’re bored, or maybe sick at home with the blue flu, please take time to listen and let me know what you think.
Tune in tonight at 8:30 PM local Mountain time for the 27th edition of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio. We hope to dedicate this episode to a review of the good, the bad, and the ugly from the recently concluded legislative session in Denver. Our special guest will be Representative Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs, vice chair of the Republican Study Committee of Colorado.
If you miss the live show, you can go back and download the podcast, or just use the handy widget on my sidebar to listen directly from Mount Virtus.
Former state senate leader and former state treasurer Mark Hillman, in his column lambasting the arrogance behind Colorado Democrats’ Senate Bill 291, which would strip away state education funds from school districts that opt to reinstitute taxpayer protections:
This from the party that claims to do everything “for the children.†In reality, the Democrats do everything “for the government†and aren’t above using your children as hostages in their extortion racket.
Less than 3 minutes is all it takes for this excellent visual explanation of the rate of our mounting national debt (H/T Gene Kinsey):
Brought to you by the same guy who cleverly explained Barack Obama’s proposed spending “cuts” in terms of pennies and large containers of water. I hope he keeps these coming.
For the record, I’m not comfortable with any rate of speed going westward at this point. Rather than drag-racing to Los Angeles, I’d be happy to see us hitchhiking back to the Big Apple (metaphorically speaking, that is).
A hate crimes bill has passed through the US House (H.R. 1913) and is now before the Senate (S. 909). Basically, a hate crimes bill makes not only actions done against others criminal, but also the motives behind the actions.
The bill in question would make it an extra crime to commit crimes against people due to a hatred of their sexual orientation (includes homosexuality, pedophilia, being normally married, etc.), or a number of other things (such as race and religion). I would like to suggest two basic problems with hate crimes legislation:
1. The hate crimes bill/concept breaks one of the fundamental principles of our country, equal intrinsic human value:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.(more…)
Quick post, but an important read for a Friday: As clearly and as effectively as I’ve seen done, Steven Malanga’s Wall Street Journal column explains the negative impact of public-sector union strength on the well-being of taxpayers. (H/T Labor Pains)
The Americans for Prosperity Foundation is concluding its Stop Spending Our Future “Give It a Name” contest with the chance for you to vote on which of the five finalists best conveys “the threat of government over-spending and/or excessive debt using 10 words or less”.
While you’re there casting your vote, you can also sign the petition to tell Washington the common-sense truth that we can’t borrow and spend our way to prosperity.
This morning the Denver Post‘s John Ingold follows up on the political challenges posed to Ritter from the legislature placing Big Labor bills Senate Bill 180 and House Bill 1170 on his desk. The Governor sure is talking a good game:
“This is not a zero-sum game,” Ritter said. “The way I approach this is not based upon this notion that somebody wins, somebody loses. The way I approach this is ‘What is the best public policy for us?’ “
In that case, from the standpoint of “best public policy”, vetoing the costly and intrusive SB 180 is a no-brainer — for all the reasons I’ve previously explained. HB 1170 is problematic for its own reasons, as the legislation would unbalance the scale of leverage toward labor unions during contract disputes.
It will be interesting to see where Bill Ritter comes down on these bills — whether he has the courage and good judgment to send them both to the trash bin. His high-minded rhetoric aside, I’d like to see something other than shameless political posturing.
Sure, he stuttered on occasion. He said strange things from time to time. But Rick Duncan was passionate about veterans in the state of Colorado. He told anyone who wanted to listen that he had served in Iraq on three occasions. That gave him an unofficial license to talk to journalists, politicians, and civilians about the war.
So, many people simply ate it all up.
The only problem was that Duncan wasn’t actually a Marine, a Naval Academy graduate, or a wounded Iraq War Veteran, according to those who have looked into his background.
His name, according to the Denver Sheriff’s Department, isn’t even Rick Duncan. It’s Rick Strandlof, and as of Thursday afternoon, Strandlof remained inside a Denver County Jail cell.
He was arrested earlier in the week on an El Paso County traffic warrant. His bond has been set at $1,000.
We were privileged with the opportunity last Saturday to sit down and conduct an exclusive half-hour two-on-one interview with Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ryan Frazier (Frazier’s two GOP primary contenders are Weld County district attorney Ken Buck and businessman Cleve Tidwell). The conversation was wide-ranging and informative. We left with a clearer picture of the candidate’s vision and the campaign’s direction.
We began by bringing up a recent article in The Hill that portrayed Frazier as part of a “band of centrists”, and asked him what he thought of the characterization. He responded: “I’m Ryan Frazier, and I do what I believe to be right. I’ve never been much for labels…. I’ll leave the labeling to the press.” Though he did choose the word “principled” to describe his philosophy, he was fairly adamant about not being categorized into a box.
Nor did Frazier express any dismay that Beltway Republican Party bigwigs have taken a wait-and-see approach to his candidacy (all the better in light of NRSC’s recent Florida endorsement): “I’m not really concerned about folks in Washington DC. I never expected to be their number one choice. As a matter of fact, I think that’s why our candidacy can be so significant. Because we’re not the establishment. We are a grassroots campaign…. I’m not as concerned about whether they think I’m a top choice.”(more…)
“Not Waiting” was the subject line of a campaign-fundraising e-mail Gov. Bill Ritter sent last month to a handful of lobbyists as well as his supporters. But in this instance, waiting wouldn’t have been a bad thing.
