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State School Board Should Stop Hiding from Public Vote on Tax Hike

The latest update in the saga of Gov. Bill Ritter's "school" property tax hike ... The State Board of Education, one of two defendants in a lawsuit from taxpayers who say they should have been asked first under the requirements of the state constitution, is hiding from public view:When deciding whether to fight or effectively bow out of a lawsuit challenging a politically volatile property tax freeze, the state's education board opted for secret meetings instead of a public vote, records show. E-mails obtained Monday by The Denver Post reveal internal turmoil between a cadre of Republican members, who argue that the governor-backed freeze is unconstitutional, and the panel's Republican chairwoman, who has blocked attempts at public … [Read more...]

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Wil Armstrong for Congress

Having accepted an invitation, today I met with Wil Armstrong - Republican candidate for Colorado's 6th Congressional District. Nationally-known Congressman Tom Tancredo has stepped down after five terms in office, and four candidates are vying to replace him for the safe Republican seat. The other candidates are Secretary of State Mike Coffman, State Senator Ted Harvey, and State Senator Steve Ward. Unlike the other three, Wil Armstrong has never held elected office. But in a time when many Republican voters are frustrated with the fiscal irresponsibility of their own elected officials and are clamoring for change, he considers the lack of experience a strength. Instead, Armstrong has been a successful entrepreneur and a dedicated … [Read more...]

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Maybe Hillary IS That Unpopular

Does anyone remember Jeremiah Wright and Tony Rezko? Or is news like this just a sign that the Democratic Party - and America in general - really, truly is sick of the Clintons once and for all?A new national Democratic primary poll from Diageo/Hotline (.pdf) (March 28-31, 342 Dem RV, MoE +/- 5.3%) shows Obama leading Clinton by 12 points, after the two had remained close in similar polls in previous months. On negative campaigning, 42% felt Clinton had unfairly attacked Obama, while 22% felt Obama had atttacked Clinton unfairly. Per his usual excellent output, Mark Steyn has the most eloquently biting pre-mortem on the Clinton campaign, saying it looks like "last call for Hillary":It's 3 a.m., and your children are safe and asleep. … [Read more...]

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Momentum for Joshua Sharf Campaign

Updates on Joshua Sharf's primary challenge to Rima Barakat Sinclair in House District 6 ... Rocky Mountain News editor Vince Carroll unpacks Barakat Sinclair's claims that she is a "centrist":You might wonder about our judgment, but you cannot doubt where Barakat Sinclair stands on the Israeli-Palestinian debate: with the hard-edged anti-Israel fringe. She has made too many similar claims regarding the Israelis' alleged policies of "systematic indiscriminate murder" to brush them off as an aberration. "Sinclair describes herself as a centrist," her campaign Web site tells us. Except on the one issue she cares most about, it seems. (H/T Michael at Best Destiny, who also issued his official endorsement of Joshua) Joshua's … [Read more...]

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Harsanyi: Choice Key to Overcoming Union Obstacle to Dropout Problem

In today's Denver Post column, David Harsanyi brings attention to the new America's Promise Alliance (APA) report on the dropout "crisis." Knowing the report will fuel the cry for more money to solve the problem, Harsanyi explains:Teachers unions place culpability for education woes on a lack of funding and "cuts." This is a myth. Obviously, schools could always benefit from an infusion of cash but, in most of the failing systems, funding per pupil is at an all-time high. According to a study by the right-of-center Hoover Institution, in 1982 per-pupil spending was $5,930 and rose 60 percent by 2000 to $9,230 in inflation-adjusted dollars (in high-population districts, the number is far higher). In Utah, a recent school-reform … [Read more...]

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For All the Latest on Colorado’s Bob Schaffer-Mark Udall Senate Race

For the latest in Colorado's U.S. Senate race between Republican Bob Schaffer and Democrat Mark Udall, head on over to Schaffer v Udall, a blog project on which I collaborate. Why is this a great time to visit if you have never been, or haven't in awhile? Just in the last day, you'll find posts up on these intriguing topics: - How a Democrat attack ad on Bob Schaffer is backfiring - Terrific analysis by my colleague El Presidente showing the problems with the "latest" poll in the race - Udall's ongoing difficult dilemma as a superdelegate - Udall's questionable earmarks ethics and his questionable pledge to swear off earmarks (temporarily) If you're interested in Colorado politics or the 2008 campaign for the U.S. Senate, you'll … [Read more...]

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Do You Believe in the Stork?

Paul Chesser reports that Colorado chemical engineer Ed Rademacher, Jr., shared a fact-based report with Montana state legislators that questioned the group promoting climate change policies in Montana and many other states. For his work, Mr. Rademacher was showered with shame and insult for daring to cast doubt on the prevailing Eco-Orthodoxy. This Montana legislator equated an engineer's skepticism about man-made climate change to a belief that the stork delivers babies It's the response of one state Rep. Sue Dickenson that makes this story interesting. Here's the key excerpt: … [Read more...]

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Big Labor Has Ritter Running Scared

Writing over at Politics West, my Independence Institute colleague Jessica Corry ((no, we didn't collaborate) calls out Gov. Bill Ritter's plea for business and labor to get along as one-sided and politically motivated:A battle over labor issues could cost Ritter and the Democratic Party serious political capital. And with national Democrats coming to Denver this August for their national convention, the last thing Ritter needs is an extremist union agenda to impede his party's effort to appeal to moderate small- and medium-sized business owners. It's no surprise really then that Ritter is being ignored. Cross posted at Ritter Watch … [Read more...]