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Home Archives for 2005

Archives for 2005

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Read About Our Meeting with the Governor

Yesterday afternoon, upon the kind invitation of Sean Duffy, four members of the Rocky Mountain Alliance - American Kestrel, View from a Height, Clay Calhoun, and myself - spent more than an hour with Governor Bill Owens in his office discussing key issues facing the state. Needless to say, I want to give that meeting a fair and thorough write-up. Look for that to come over the weekend or early next week. Thanks again to Governor Owens, Sean, and Mark Salley. I truly appreciated the time and the opportunity. … [Read more...]

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A Great Marketing Opportunity

After listening to this colorful account on the floor of the Senate from West Virginia's senior statesman - as replayed today on the Hugh Hewitt Show - I think somebody needs to package the idea and sell it as "Bedtime Bible Stories with Bobby Byrd." I can almost hear the promo now.... Well, I'll leave the ideas to some budding marketing prodigy. I don't need any share of the profits - just a little credit is all. Thank you very much. … [Read more...]

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Chipping Away at CEA’s Whitewash

The Colorado Education Association (CEA), the state's largest teachers' union as well as the largest roadblock in the path of true education reform, was called to the carpet today in an awesome column by the Denver Post's David Harsanyi - "True or false: Union backs school choice." Of course, the answer is a resounding "False," though you have to wade through the garbled doublespeak of union officials to see it clearly. Harsanyi's column unravels a recently published letter from CEA President Ron Brady written in response to one of his earlier pieces. With today's offering, Harsanyi again proves that he is at his best when he exposes union officials' duplicity: Being accused of having a "narrow view" on education by a group that … [Read more...]

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An Enterpriser

The Pew Research Center has released its new assessment of "political typology," the first such report since 1999. Reading the report is an exercise for diehard political junkies, but anyone out there with some curiosity and a few minutes to spare should take the quiz to see where you fit into the scheme of things. A gracious hat tip to Michelle Malkin, a fellow Enterpriser: WHO THEY ARE: Predominantly white (91%), male (76%) and financially well-off (62% have household incomes of at least $50,000, compared with 40% nationwide). Nearly half (46%) have a college degree, and 77% are married. Nearly a quarter (23%) are themselves military veterans. Only 10% are under age 30. LIFESTYLE NOTES: 59% have a gun in the home; 53% trade … [Read more...]

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Cop-Killer Case Heats Up Immigration Issue

As the brother of a police officer, I am especially disturbed when I follow news stories like the one headlining across Denver this week: the 19-year-old firing shots without warning at two Denver police detectives, killing Detective Donnie Young. I can only send my condolences to his widow and two daughters and pray for God's will to be done in their lives. May they find true peace and rest in Him. As for Raul Garcia-Gomez, his punishment must be swift and certain and severe, and I pray that his capture comes quickly and without harm to anyone else. Those who would seek to kill uniformed police officers must be sent the sternest of messages. But now the revelations come out that Garcia-Gomez was an illegal immigrant who worked at … [Read more...]

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It’s okay… You can breathe now

The Colorado General Assembly called an early end to the legislative session yesterday... and there was much rejoicing. Yay!!! All in all, it turned out to be an unspectacular session - thankfully - with less damage inflicted than we originally feared. Having Republican Governor Bill Owens in place played a significant role in offsetting the Democrats' new legislative advantage: with one key exception. And all state political focus now shifts to that notable exception - the November ballot's Referendum C, which is sure to provoke a costly campaign on both sides. As for me and my house, we will work actively to reject the folly of the "No Refund for You" Romanoff Rip-Off. Too bad the Democrat-controlled legislature couldn't come up … [Read more...]

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Major Coffman Chooses Higher Path

The Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News have put in their two cents worth about State Treasurer Mike Coffman's decision to step down and serve a seven-month stint in Iraq. The Post finds it easy to salute elected Republicans, when they decide to leave the country for awhile, even if it means participating in a military action that the Post editorial board is less than comfortable with. At least they left this stern admonition: We don't think it's appropriate for Coffman's party to use his decision to seek a partisan advantage. Coffman has our good wishes as he prepares for his second service in Iraq, and we look forward to welcoming him back to the treasurer's office. They couldn't resist leaping into the political … [Read more...]

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Welcome to the “Tunnel of Oppression”

Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and get ready for a ride through the "Tunnel of Oppression," the latest multi-sensory, feel-not-so-good liberal method to promote an agenda - and 100% free of reason, logic, or coherent argument. But what else did you expect? Gina Garcia, one of the tunnel coordinators, said the shock value is part of the intent of the display. "If you just provide a lot of factual stuff, you're only connecting with people cognitively. This is supposed to be very much of the effect, we're supposed to be getting to people's emotions," she said. A conservative could try to start a conversation about many of the topics graphically depicted in the Tunnel and automatically receive a negative label. But be … [Read more...]