A bit of interesting news from the State Capitol... freshman Representative Kathleen Curry (D - Gunnison), also the chair of the Agriculture Committee, has asked for and received permission to take her committee on a field trip. Rep. Curry believes - and Speaker Andrew Romanoff agrees - that it is worth the taxpayer expenditure for all 11 members of the committee (and who knows how many staff?) to jaunt over to Glenwood Springs in order to discuss a bill on surface mineral rights. When they board the bus for the Feb. 14 field trip, what lobbyist will be packing the brown-bag lunches? Will the committee members have to write a one-page essay on their experience? Although I haven't accessed state archival material, the course of … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2005
The Case for De-funding Higher Education
The House of Representatives censures him. The Governor calls for his resignation. The CU Board of Regents hides behind tenure. Hamilton College in New York cancels his speaking appearance. Native American groups disagree whether he's an oppressed member of the victim class or a mere poseur. The whole affair has brought jerks out of the woodwork. The ignorant and uneducated - many graduates or current students of CU - believe that the First Amendment guarantees his job, no matter what he says. And yet, most still think he should be fired. In the current climate and under the current circumstances, I have to agree wholeheartedly. The case has been made repeatedly that Churchill is making his over-the-top … [Read more...]
Sloppy Thinking in the Academy
I read through a letter in today's Boulder Daily Camera, and was amused by the flat thinking, the broad general assumptions, and the absurd use of undefined terms. I thought to myself that some well-meaning liberal soul had just spouted off on his or her computer and sent off their little diatribe to the Daily Camera's editors. I've seen that enough before. No problem. But then I reached the end of the letter and saw the writer described himself as an associate professor of classics at the University of Colorado: … [Read more...]
Welcoming Mrs. Virtus and Her Beauty to the Internet
Please welcome my wonderful wife to the world of blogging and drop by her Beauty Spot. The lovely Mrs. Virtus read Hugh Hewitt's Blog and was inspired to add a new marketing dimension to her Mary Kay business. I know this will be of most benefit to the few female readers of this blog. But then again, gents, Valentine's Day is coming soon.... So go ahead, visitor her, welcome her to the growing world of bloggers! … [Read more...]
It’s Unanimous: Churchill is Beyond the Pale
We need to cherish those moments when every member of the Colorado House of Representatives can put their name behind something - though condemning Ward Churchill is hardly a controversial stance. The issue isn't dead yet, as long as Churchill still carries the title of University of Colorado professor. But at least the House got it right this morning. … [Read more...]
Public Service Message: A Recap
You can argue that more Colorado public school teachers are aware of their rights and how the union uses money in politics now than a year ago. A new article in School Reform News, coincidentally written by the proprietor of this site, details the Independence Institute's recent efforts to inform teachers union members how some of their money is spent on politics and how they can get that portion back. This becomes more relevant when you consider that the Democrat-controlled legislature is following the union's lead in trying to roll back successful education reforms in Colorado. … [Read more...]
Boulder Professors Stick Together
To almost no one's surprise, the Boulder Faculty Assembly has come forward with a statement supporting colleague Ward Churchill's right to free speech. According to the FOX News report, the statement read in part as follows: The lifeblood of any strong university is its diversity of ideas which allows for the environment necessary to educate and train young learners and advance the boundaries of knowledge. Debate is a fundamental characteristic of a university. In another unstartling development, Churchill's colleagues in the Ethnic Studies Department demonstrated why they teach "ethnic studies" and not law, politics, or constitutional history: Churchill failed to show up at a news conference scheduled Tuesday. Instead, four … [Read more...]
Churchill, the Capitol, and Campus Accountability
Clay has directed our attention to an important resolution scheduled to come before the Colorado House of Representatives tomorrow morning repudiating Ward Churchill's virulent essay on the 9/11 victims. Perhaps the legislature could also follow Governor Owens' lead and call on the professor to resign his tenured faculty position at the University of Colorado. We certainly need some more Campus Accountability! In other news... it's official! Mike Coffman is running for governor. But we already knew that was coming. … [Read more...]
Making Progress?
A key Colorado Senate Democrat hints that his party will give ground on the budget plan: Sen. Peter Groff, D-Denver, said the limit on government growth will be lowered to address Owens' concern that it is meaningless. Democrats are hoping to win Owens' support.... "We're going to have a cap where we'd see refunds in the near future," he said. Is this making progress? Is this hope for a genuine acceptable solution to the budget crunch? Or just more posturing? The proof will be in the pudding. … [Read more...]