Godspeed to Lt. Col. (and state representative) Joe Rice, who will be deployed to Baghdad for a three-month stint starting in October, as reported today in the Denver Post's Politics West: Rice, who has three young children, said he looks forward to getting the “feel of the street†in Baghdad. “Unless you are out there on the street, you just don’t get it,†he said. As an operations analyst, Rice will look for the best practices among reconstruction teams. He plans to spend a lot of time with the Iraqi police force. Rice, who has been in the Army for 23 years, said he didn’t think about asking for a special deployment exemption because he is a state lawmaker. I am honored to have met Rep. Rice in May 2006, before he … [Read more...]
What is Ritter Hiding?
As the Rocky's editors bring home today ... In crafting a policy that will have an impact on state employees and the entire state budget, Gov. Bill Ritter is withholding documents the public deserve to see. The question remains: What is Ritter trying to hide? … [Read more...]
Lesson in Journalistic Ethics for CSU Student Paper
The story of the juvenile, obscene editorial in the Colorado State University newspaper has prompted the Independence Institute's Jessica Corry and Ryan Olivett (a current CSU student) to fire back with a sharp reminder in journalistic ethics: Like a child howling in a candy store to get what he wants, the Collegian substituted a four letter word for genuine political discourse. All for attention. If only McSwane had stepped back for a moment to acknowledge not just his freedoms as an American—but also his ethical obligations as a newspaper editor. According to the code of ethics espoused by the Society of Professional Journalists, "gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort," but this doesn't mean the "pursuit … [Read more...]
Labor Leader Twists Facts in Anti-Initiative Campaign
In today's Face the State report, at least one Colorado labor union leader is twisting numbers to recruit allies in their attack on a proposal that would "protect a worker’s right to choose whether or not to join or pay fees to a union as a condition of employment." This kind of statistical manipulation would make Media Matters proud. The rightness of Aurora city councilperson Ryan Frazier's cause is one thing, but the realities of deep union coffers suggest that passing a statewide Right-to-Work ballot initiative in 2008 figures to be an uphill battle. The question is whether defenders of freedom will let the truth become victimized in the political arena. I hope not. … [Read more...]
Devoid of Argument: Campos Attacks with Bizarre Analogy
Update: I'm clearly not the only one with this take on the Campos column. Check out Drunkablog's snide comments, as well. I've been mulling over what phraseology to use to describe this morning's Paul Campos column in the Rocky Mountain News - screed, armchair psychological fantasy, scurrilous personal attack. (My sympathy for my unnamed friend, who is a law student in Prof. Campos' class, only grows and grows.) Please note the absence of any shred of evidence or cogent argument: But how respectable is [Bill] Kristol, really? Anyone who pays the least attention to him soon discovers that the ruling passion of Kristol's life is to involve the United States in as many wars as possible, with as many enemies as he can find or create. In … [Read more...]
“Allow” vs. “Require”
Facile, inaccurate comparisons are common fare among the Left in Colorado these days. Case in point: Diarist GoBlue on the Dead Governors site, convinced by the fact he has the ultimate "gotcha," publishes a post that compares a Republican proposal that would allow small businesses to pool together to negotiate health insurance policies with a Democrat proposal that would require state and local governments to accept binding negotiated agreements. Memo to GoBlue: There is a vast difference between allow and require. There is no Colorado law, nor should there be, preventing voluntary associations of public employees to meet, express their interests, and air their grievances. Such arrangements already exist. Besides, if Governor Bill … [Read more...]
Harsanyi to Hawk Book at Tattered Cover Tomorrow
Everybody's favorite libertarian columnist at the Denver Post, David Harsanyi, is unveiling his long-awaited book Nanny State at an event tomorrow (Tuesday) evening at the Denver LoDo Tattered Cover store. The 300-page skewering of "food fascists, teetotaling do-gooders, priggish moralists, and other boneheaded bureaucrats" should be a provocative, page-turning read - sure to tick off people from across the political spectrum (for me, it would be any pro-Yankee stories). If you're in the Denver area and looking for something to do tomorrow evening, why not stop in the Tattered Cover, say hey to David, and maybe pick up a copy or two of Nanny State? … [Read more...]
Rocky Mtn News: Thumbs Up to Ask First and Good Government
For your edification, in case you missed it, a great lead editorial from the Rocky today: Somewhat surprisingly, "paycheck protection" is back. And it's encouraging to see that even with a union-friendly governor and a Democratic legislature, this time the campaign could have lasting consequences. Attempts to end the automatic deduction of union dues from paychecks without the prior consent of individual employees have generally gone nowhere. Legislation has failed. So have proposed ballot initiatives. The only paycheck protection measure that had any impact on automatic dues deductions - a 2001 executive order from Gov. Bill Owens that covered state employees - was rescinded by Gov. Bill Ritter this year. The latest foray, however, … [Read more...]
For Rent to DNC Delegates?
Today the Rocky Mountain News runs a story about metro-Denver area residents advertising their apartments or homes for rent during next year's Democratic National Convention, and the outrageous prices they're demanding: Toby was one of 61 people in the Denver area with ads posted on Craigslist as of Wednesday, offering up their homes or apartments for rent during the week of the convention. Prices ranged from $1,200 for a one-bedroom Capitol Hill apartment, up to $50,000 for a two-bedroom historic loft in LoDo. Sure, you could try to stay in one of the 17,000 rooms the Democratic National Convention Committee has blocked off for the 35,000 people expected to flock to the convention. But wouldn't you prefer a little more room to … [Read more...]
Please Speak Plainly, Gov. Ritter
Consider this post a plea for Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D) to pick a side of his mouth to speak out of. Echoing today's Rocky Mountain News editorial: Gov. Bill Ritter continues to insist that state employees don't "feel valued," as he said on Mike Rosen's KOA talk show last Thursday, and that a "partnership for the 21st century" is needed to "acknowledge the work of state employees, to take their input, to \[deliver] a better service to taxpayers." Who on earth could oppose any of those objectives? Why wouldn't the public prefer an entrepreneurial state work force that's constantly aiming to improve its performance? And if these are the governor's goals, why doesn't he simply implement them? The self-described "CEO of state … [Read more...]
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