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Democrat Leader Tapdances Around His Party’s Push to Kill Secret Ballot

After their impressive electoral victories, the Democrats on Capitol Hill are feeling their oats. Can you blame them? It's payback time to the Big Labor leaders who have bankrolled the campaigns of many a Congressional Democrat. Top of the list therefore? The unpopular and poorly-named Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which would take away workers' rights to a secret ballot in union elections. Watch how House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland), appearing on Fox News Sunday, tapdances around Chris Wallace's question contrasting the union bill with the House Democrats' own procedures for electing officers within the caucus: "Why is a secret ballot okay, and desirable, for Congress, but you want to take it away from workers?" (H/T … [Read more...]

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Terrance Carroll, Josh Penry: Good Choices for Statehouse Leadership

Colorado soon will have a black Speaker of the House to go along with a black Senate President (Peter Groff). The Denver Post reports today that the Democratic caucus in the state house has thrown its support behind Denver's Terrance Carroll to replace Andrew Romanoff in one of the state's highest political positions. Moving beyond race, Carroll is someone with whom I obviously have many political disagreements. However, on the issue of school choice that I care about deeply, he is as good as the Democratic caucus has to offer. I feel a little better about the hope for defending and advancing gains in educational freedom with him at the helm than with the alternatives. But we'll remain diligent at our post. In other news, Republicans … [Read more...]

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Great Resource: Election Neutrality Now

At Founders' Night I briefly met former Denver elections official Jan Tyler. She introduced me to her website Election Neutrality Now, a great resource on conducting clean and fair elections, as well as issues related to voter fraud. Jan had a Speakout in the Rocky Mountain News published a few days ago. It's also worth a read. … [Read more...]

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What I’m Thankful for #9: Even the Surprises God Sends My Way

This is one in a series of daily posts I conceived of writing many weeks ago while the election still raged on, as I looked for something to write about of more lasting value. The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving seemed perfectly appropriate for it. Just in case you wondered, the topics introduced are not necessarily in any particular order. I hope the series is of some small encouragement to you, even as my site traffic takes a dive. It's only fitting that I wasn't planning to write this one at all, much less for this weekend. But then, Friday afternoon I wasn't planning for a failed fuel pump and fuel gauge to bring my car to a halt on the way home from work yesterday, nor for the mechanic's tab that followed. Not easy to be thankful … [Read more...]

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Okay, Barack Obama and I agree on “Team of Rivals” … So What?

For those who believe I have nothing good to say about our President-elect Barack Obama. He at least has some good taste in contemporary historical literature:It so happens that Obama and New York Sen. Clinton share a reverence for "Team of Rivals," Doris Kearns Goodwin's book about how Lincoln brought foes into his fold. Clinton listed it during the campaign as the last book she had read. Obama, clearly a student of Lincoln, spoke of it several times. Now past could be prologue. Obama is considering Clinton for secretary of state or another senior position, meeting John McCain on Monday to see how his Republican presidential rival might help him in the Senate, and sizing up one-time opponents in both parties for potential … [Read more...]

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What I’m Thankful for #11: Loyal Friends Over Long Distances

This is one in a series of daily posts I conceived of writing many weeks ago while the election still raged on, as I looked for something to write about of more lasting value. The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving seemed perfectly appropriate for it. Just in case you wondered, the topics introduced are not necessarily in any particular order. I hope the series is of some small encouragement to you, even as my site traffic takes a dive. Don't worry. The purpose of this post is not to attempt to seek a definition of "Friendship" or to categorize the different varieties and permutations of friends I have, as Joseph Epstein sought to do. Instead, I just wanted to briefly and publicly state my gratitude for the friends I have gained … [Read more...]

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What Does It Really Take To Be Colorado’s Next Secretary of State?

Via Face The State, judging by the plethora of applicants for Colorado's Secretary of State job, perhaps I should have sent in a resume myself. I've never taught yoga, played lacrosse, or met Ross Perot, but what the heck? You can cast your own vote for which one of the 20 applicants is most deserving of Bill Ritter's appointment as the next Secretary of State. Too bad for you and me. We missed our chance at statewide office after yesterday's deadline. … [Read more...]

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House Education Appointments Uninspiring: What Will Storyline Be?

Last week I pondered in a Denver Post op-ed what the effect might be of the statehouse Democrats elevating pro-public school choice Rep. Terrance Carroll to Speaker of the House:Carroll is set to appoint fellow Democrats to the House Education Committee. In recent years, the committee, largely stacked with handpicked union favorites, has killed or watered down many K-12 education bills deemed unacceptable by the union. CEA may lose some of its leverage to bottle up education reform in committee. Well, yesterday came the revelation of the House Education Committee assignments. Michael Merrifield retains the chair, with Judy Solano as the vice-chair. Overall, the membership of the committee appears to move scarcely a whit in the direction … [Read more...]

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What I’m Thankful for #13: Thoughtful Surprises

This is one in a series of daily posts I conceived of writing many weeks ago while the election still raged on, as I looked for something to write about of more lasting value. The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving seemed perfectly appropriate for it. Just in case you wondered, the topics introduced are not necessarily in any particular order. I hope the series is of some small encouragement to you, even as my site traffic takes a dive. This is an easier kind of surprise to write about than "the surprises God sends my way". And it's quite a surprise that I'm even writing about it. Yesterday, out of the blue and completely unexpected, a co-worker gave me a very thoughtful gift: a baseball autographed by future Hall-of-Fame relief pitcher … [Read more...]