Mr. Bob points the way to a stellar Wall Street Journal column penned by Michael Yon, who has earned the utmost credibility in Iraq by virtue of spending more time following the action in person than probably any other independent observer. So when he writes:I have seen this war – and our part in it – at its brutal worst. And I say the transformation over the last 14 months is little short of miraculous. The change goes far beyond the statistical decline in casualties or incidents of violence. A young Iraqi translator, wounded in battle and fearing death, asked an American commander to bury his heart in America. Iraqi special forces units took to the streets to track down terrorists who killed American soldiers. The U.S. military is … [Read more...]
Archives for 2008
Sen. Wiens Announces Retirement
Republican State Senator Tom Wiens surprisingly announced yesterday that he is deciding not to run for re-election. Local insider Steven Nielson responded quickly: he is trying to track down Senator Wiens to learn more about his decision, and touts a few potential GOP replacements who could scramble to take his place mere weeks before the crucial 4th Senate District Assembly. At least it's a relatively safe seat. I'll keep an eye on this story, too. … [Read more...]
Poster Child for Reform in Colorado Government Contracting Ethics
In today's Denver Post:Colorado State Fair champion Sen. Abel Tapia has spent eight years in the Capitol corralling money for the fiscally faltering enterprise while his engineering firm received nearly half a million dollars in fair contracts, records show. As the Pueblo Democrat rose to power atop an influential budgeting committee, so too rose the fortunes of his district's fair and the price tags on the contracts he received. Nothing known to be illegal happened in this case, and I'm not writing this to throw stones at Sen. Tapia. Rather than rehashing the details here, you can peruse the Post article. It just points to a problematic loophole in Colorado government ethics that needs to be resolved - because as the article points … [Read more...]
Revising and Extending My Remarks on State Government Unionization
Today, two Colorado newspapers ran stories about growing unionization in state government. I was quoted in both articles, as the issue is one I've researched and have an Independence Institute publication being formatted for official release on Monday. There's only so much space in a news article. But that's what makes a blog a wonderful venue for revising and extending my remarks, as a way to press the debate forward. First, Chris Barge in the Rocky Mountain News introduces the issue:The unions that pushed the hardest for Gov. Bill Ritter's executive order granting them a larger voice in state government could soon see a nearly fourfold increase in membership.... The unions, which had fewer than 6,000 dues-paying state workers on … [Read more...]
A Little Dose of Disinfectant to Treat New Big Blue Lie Machine Slime
Over at Schaffer v Udall yesterday, I took on the Left's attempt to smear Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer with broad strokes of the "Jack Abramoff" brush, despite no evidence of any direct connection whatsoever. Meanwhile, the Colorado Index continues to expose the lack of credibility from the Mark Udall surrogate whose comments at SvU prompted a full response. While the lemmings on the Left salivate and gloat that their Big Blue Lie Machine slime job will bring down Bob Schaffer and clear the way for avowed liberal Mark Udall to win, Mike Saccone at the Grand Junction Sentinel's Political Notebook offers a more (mentally) balanced assessment:In the short-term, it could embolden Schaffer’s supporters, much like a New … [Read more...]
Big Labor Ritter Low on Credibility
As a leading political consultant notes in the Denver Post today, Gov. Bill Ritter planted the pro-union seeds, and now he is reaping the right-to-work whirlwind:Political observers don't have high hopes that the situation will improve. "If (Ritter's) goal is trying to get business to back off right-to-work, I don't think he has the credibility to do it," said Katy Atkinson, a Republican political strategist, pointing out that he is seen as pro-labor. Atkinson said right-to-work bills in the legislature never got off the ground in the past — even under Republicans — because businesses never really saw organized labor as a threat in Colorado. But that view changed, she said, after the passage of an amendment in 2006 to increase … [Read more...]
Average Coloradans to Dems on Tax Hike: You Should Have Asked First
It is refreshing to see evidence of the good sense of average, hard-working Coloradans. Colorado Senate News once again took a camera to the 16th Street Mall and found plenty of passers-by willing to share their frustrations with Gov. Bill Ritter and Colorado Democrats for bypassing the state constitution's requirement to ask voters first when they imposed their massive property tax hike:The upshot? Everyday taxpayers surveyed along Denver's 16th Street Mall all agreed: Whether or not the state really needs the extra revenue--a projected $3.8 billion over the next 10 years--voters should have asked for permission first. They're not alone in that sentiment. Colorado Attorney General John Suthers issued an opinion last year saying that the … [Read more...]
Voorhis Exonerated: Bad for Ritter, But Legal Ethics Reform Still Needed
Good news today on a story I have not covered nearly enough: ICE agent Cory Voorhis has been found NOT guilty, and it didn't take the jury long to decide. The question is what the fallout means for Gov. Bill Ritter's political future. The verdict is a small step in increasing my faith in the justice system, though it would be naive to ignore the real, long-term solution for Colorado: legal ethics reform. … [Read more...]
Hats Off to Night Twister: Time for Democrats in Congress to Cut & Run
A Colorado blogger with whom I have only recently become familiar - Randy Ketner, aka the Night Twister - has put together a post you must read. He hit the nail on the head with ironic precision, comparing the Congressional Democrats' complaints about the lack of political progress in Iraq with their own lack of progress in meeting legislative benchmarks. You need to read the whole thing, but here's a clip to whet your appetite:Well, there you have it. A fair comparison of the legislative progress by the Iraqi and our own Legislatures. Here’s the scorecard: U.S. Congress: 0 completed, 1 partially completed, 6 not completed. Iraqi Government: 4 completed, 2 partially completed, 1 not completed. It should be noted that for the … [Read more...]
Hummel Cartoon Highlights Backroom State Ed Board
It figures. I can write a lot of words about the State Board of Education's inability to hold a recorded public vote on litigation surrounding Gov. Bill Ritter's major property tax hike (see posts here and here). But the eminently talented cartoonist (and well-named) Ben Hummel - whom I had the pleasure of meeting in person earlier this week - says it better with a picture. Makes me jealous of visual artists... for a moment. Then it makes me grateful that we have a skilled artist on our side. Keep up the great work, Ben! … [Read more...]
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