Just wanted to bring your attention to a great new piece by Hannah Sternberg at The Weekly Standard on the politics of merit pay, a topic all too near to my heart. Most of the article explores a proposal by the reform-minded chancellor of Washington, D.C. Public Schools - Michelle Rhee - and how it's being received in this dysfunctional, bureaucratic education system. But the article also takes a peek at events surrounding Denver's groundbreaking ProComp teacher pay program, including a mention of the recent tensions that have resulted in strike threats. … [Read more...]
Archives for 2008
Hear Bill Owens, Hank Brown Endorse Amendment 49 on Colorado Ballot
Two of Colorado's most respected political heavy hitters - former Gov. Bill Owens and elder statesman former U.S. Senator Hank Brown both have endorsed Amendment 49 (Ethical Standards Initiative) on the November ballot:Government should not be the bagman for special interests. Amendment 49 will prohibit governments from bundling money from public employees' paychecks and delivering the cash to special interests who use it to lobby politicians. Government should be using our tax dollars to provide crucial public services, not to funnel money to political organizations. Amendment 49 keeps lobbyists in line. Bill Owens gave a thumbs-up to Ethical Standards when he guest-hosted the Mike Rosen Show last week: Listen to the audio here. You … [Read more...]
Morning After Soundbite Reflections on Colorado’s Primary Election
This, of course, is the reason why I preferred someone other than Mike Coffman to win the 6th Congressional District primary:Gov. Bill Ritter is poised to appoint a new secretary of state — no doubt a fellow Democrat. Republican Secretary of State Mike Coffman won the 6th Congressional District primary. As the district is heavily Republican, Coffman is expected to win the seat in November. Among the names often mentioned as possible appointees to the $68,500-a-year-post are House Speaker Andrew Romanoff and Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon. Both Democrats are term limited. What's done is done. Fox is in charge of the hen house now. On the up side, the Democrats' phony watchdog group Colorado Ethics Watch will have to look for … [Read more...]
Primary Results Roll In: It’s Mike Coffman, Joshua Sharf, Doug Lamborn
Early primary results are in ... Congratulations to Mike Coffman, the next Representative from Colorado's 6th Congressional District. He wasn't my first choice, but he will do a fine job in Congress. Wil Armstrong had a big deficit to overcome, but despite his late surge couldn't make up the difference. Congratulations also to fellow blogger Joshua Sharf, whose hard work and consistent conservative Republican message has paid off in a primary victory. As predicted, incumbent Doug Lamborn has held on in the 5th Congressional. Wish it were Jeff Crank, but there's no use looking back. On the Democrat side, upstart liberal millionaire Jared Polis holds a lead over party favorite and career pol Joan Fitz-Gerald. But this one is still … [Read more...]
El Presidente Headed to RNC … Reader, Can You Spare a Dime (or 2)?
El Presidente, the hard-working and creative blogger at Slapstick Politics, is heading to the Republican National Convention in the Twin Cities to provide his creative brand of new media coverage from a center-right Colorado perspective. Any financial support you can give him is appreciated. … [Read more...]
A Different Perspective on Metro Denver School District Bond Elections
When 9News reporter Nelson Garcia wanted a different perspective on school district bond elections, he asked to interview me. If you want to see the video - or just read it in print so to avoid having to look at me - the story is here:Ben DeGrow is the education policy analyst for the Education Policy Center within the Independence Institute, which is a conservative political think tank. DeGrow says too many middle class families are coping with high gas prices and a poor real estate market to think about raising their own property taxes for schools. "This may be a tough year for JeffCo and other metro school districts to be asking for money," said DeGrow. JeffCo is just one of the major districts around Denver poised to ask voters … [Read more...]
It’s Official: Colorado Government 100% Unionized, Thanks to Bill Ritter
It's not often I break news on this site, but just remember it was reported here first: As of today, the entirety of Colorado state government is officially unionized. Previously, the "Colorado WINS" union coalition won the right to represent six of eight occupational groups in state government - despite being outvoted by the "don't give a crap" coalition. While political junkies in Colorado await the results of candidate primary campaigns, results from mail-in ballot elections for the final two occupational groups of Colorado state government were counted and tabulated today. Via an email from the state labor department, here are the results (which should be posted here shortly):Financial Services Group: Colorado WINS was successful in … [Read more...]
Colorado Primary Election Predictions
Today is Colorado's primary election. There aren't too many contested races going on, but the ones that are have rightly been described as "extraordinary" for their competitiveness. Anyway, here are my predictions for the few farthings they're worth (note that they're not all necessarily whom I'm cheering for to win): Congressional District 5, GOP: Incumbent Doug Lamborn wins narrowly, as Jeff Crank and Bentley Rayburn split the protest vote Congressional District 6, GOP: Businessman and political newcomer Wil Armstrong pulls off a surprising late comeback victory over favorite Secretary of State Mike Coffman, who goes on to mend fences with the state party leadership and prepares to run for U.S. Senate in 2010 Congressional District … [Read more...]
Reasonable Solution Needed in Denver Post Lawsuit against Bill Ritter
So the Denver Post is suing Gov. Bill Ritter for access to his personal cell phone records? While I'm a strong proponent of transparency in government, it would seem this is slightly over the line. Over at The Colorado Index, a watcher writes "in defense of Bill Ritter." The typically conservative blogger is no big fan of either the Governor or the Post. A watcher especially has problems with the way the latter has responded to his quest for legal ethics reform. So what should be done? I agree with Rocky Mountain Right's assessment:Ritter should disclose any calls he made related to state business in accordance with the law even if they were on a private phone, but he should also not have to disclose every time he called his wife or … [Read more...]
Amendment 47 Moves Past Frivolous Legal Attacks to Make Public Case
A common and repeated tactic of the Left this year has been to throw frivolous legal challenges at ballot initiatives they don't like in an effort to keep Coloradans from deciding the issues themselves. Well, last Thursday the Denver Business Journal reported that a judge has tossed out legal complaints against one certain initiative:A Denver District Court judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit from opponents of Amendment 47, the so-called “right-to-work†ballot initiative that would bar labor unions from collecting mandatory dues in workplaces that engage in collective bargaining. Incidentally, the same publication endorsed Amendment 47 only days before (subscription required). Meanwhile, Fred Barnes at the Weekly Standard has an … [Read more...]
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