You've got to grant Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald (D - Golden) something: it hadn't even been a full day since she took over as Colorado's first ever female Senate president. But in her speech to the joint session yesterday, Fitz-Gerald said: "I see an opportunity to provide a paycheck for every family, a textbook for every child and a doctor for every patient." Stop for a minute, re-read the quote, and ponder. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Sure, Joan. That's the way to solve the state's budget crisis. Spend your way out of it. Despite running on the platform of fiscal restraint, the Colorado Democratic Party looks like it won't be able to hide its true colors for long. She made this statement on the first day of … [Read more...]

Though David Harsanyi hints at the possibility, I'm not going to dissect every paragraph of his column in today's Denver Post. After taking compromised conservative columnist Armstrong Williams to task for his pay-off from the US Department of Education and recounting Dan Rather's narrow escape "after a weak-willed report cleared him of any politically motivated bias," our friend David Harsanyi examines the "New Media," and the Rocky Mountain Alliance in particular. … [Read more...]

The Rocky Mountain Alliance forges new ground tomorrow: a private bloggers' press conference with Colorado Governor Bill Owens following his annual State of the State speech. A delegation of three RMA members (Michael, Clay, and Joshua) will represent the group. Correction: Jim and Richard should also be there. … [Read more...]

Read this letter published in today's Gazette (Colorado Springs) from John Leonard of Monument: With liberals in charge, hold onto your wallets Colorado taxpayers had better hold on to their wallets as the tax-and-spend liberals take over the state Legislature. Already, liberal organizations such the League of Women Voters, AARP and the Colorado Springs Economic Development Corporation have begun their assault on TABOR so taxes can be raised to have state taxpayers support their pet programs. The Democrats controlling the Legislature are more than willing to support the move as long as Amendment 23 is not changed. That allows them to pay back the teachers’ unions for their political support and to pour more money into the public … [Read more...]

Today is the first day of the new legislative session here in Colorado, as members of the House and Senate swear an oath to uphold the state constitution. They've come for your wallets, so hold on tight. Stay in touch with what's going on. Hold your elected officials accountable. Today is officially Day 1 of "TABOR Watch" from the lookout posts at Mount Virtus. TABOR, short for the Taxpayers Bill of Rights, approved in 1992 by the voters of Colorado to check the size of government. And it has worked successfully. Yet among many in the media and the center-left of Colorado politics have made TABOR the scapegoat for all the state's fiscal woes - ignoring the real problem of Amendment 23, which mandates a certain percentage of state … [Read more...]