Phil Mella at Clear Commentary draws our attention to a story in the Colorado Springs Gazette about Gov. Bill Ritter's encounter with a group of Iraqi teenagers. As usual, Phil has a lucid grasp of events and provides keen insights that put Ritter's "veneer-thin understanding of events on the ground in Iraq" into a broader and deeper context. His conclusion is worth quoting: Politics has a way of infecting collective thought in ways that create a kind of lemming-like group think which effectively relieves us of the charge of thinking for ourselves. Let's hope that as real progress continues in Iraq our arm chair strategists such as Ritter begin digging a bit deeper into the situation so that they can rise above the din of the mainstream … [Read more...]
Archives for August 2007
Ritter Balks at Institute Examining Case for Tax Increase
Good news: the Independence Institute (where I work) unveiled its strategy today to sue the state for imposing a property tax increase without a vote of the people: Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute in Golden, also promised to sue the state, claiming that freezing school districts' tax rates is a tax policy change that requires statewide voter approval. "There will definitely be a lawsuit," Caldara said at a news conference at the Capitol. "No question about it." Caldara brought a stack of letters - more than 170 for school districts and 64 for county clerk and recorders - that he plans to send requesting records related to previous school district votes waiving revenue limits. A press release from House … [Read more...]
Discrediting Ritter’s Top-Heavy Health Care Reform Proposals
To its credit, the Rocky Mountain News editorial board utterly discredited one of four health-care reform proposals made by Gov. Bill Ritter's 208 Commission. The Rocky picked off the bad, low-hanging fruit of a single-payer, government-run proposal. But the other three plans are only less bad and more palatable by small degrees. If you wish to learn more about the deficiencies in these proposals, the dangers revealed in other experiences with socialized medicine, and the campaign for a pro-freedom, consumer-friendly reform to our health care system, then you have to bookmark the blog We Stand Firm by Dr. Paul and Diana Hsieh, Lin Zinser, and Ari Armstrong. For compelling visual media that makes the same case, please also visit filmmaker … [Read more...]
Harsanyi to Parents: “Start acting like a contemptible snob”
In light of yesterday's release of CSAP results, the Post's David Harsanyi gives his diagnosis: The fact that a third of Colorado students can't adequately read and that half can't pass a math test doesn't mean that Colorado school reform is stalling. It means that some schools and students are stalling and many parents aren't taking their children's potential seriously enough. Either Mom and Dad aren't spending adequate time helping to educate their kids, or they're not taking advantage of the (still limited) choices Colorado schools offer, or they're not demanding those in charge to get the job done. Which brings us to the solution. More Coloradans should act rich. I can only add in emphasis that acting rich in this case … [Read more...]