Under the headline "Governor gave no-bid deal to former partners", the Denver Post's Karen Crummy reports today:As the first stimulus money flowed into Colorado, it was doled out to shovel-ready transportation projects — and some of Gov. Bill Ritter's former law partners. Ritter hired the politically connected firm of Hogan & Hartson three months ago to work on issues surrounding the state's disbursement of federal stimulus funds. The firm has been paid $40,000 through June and is expected to file monthly bills. Did Bill Ritter do anything illegal? Almost certainly not. Unethical? Well, if he were a Republican governor, you can be sure Colorado Ethics Watch would have filed a complaint by now. Ritter's cronyism aside, this story … [Read more...]
On Amy Oliver Show at 10:00 AM: Teachers Unions and Ed Reform Politics
For those who are interested and have the time to kill, I will be appearing as a guest at 10:00 this morning (Wednesday, July 15) on News Talk 1310 KFKA's Amy Oliver Show. The topic will be the shifting politics surrounding national teachers unions -- as explained in somewhat greater length in this recent blog post I authored for Ed News Colorado. While the National Education Association is embracing the labor union image more than it has in a long time, prominent liberal critics are making a strong statement to their NEA political allies, telling them to stop blocking effective reform and get out of the way. Click here to listen live at Noon Eastern / 10 AM Mountain. … [Read more...]
SS GOP: New Captain, not Jump Ship
Let me be the first to welcome Michael at Best Destiny back to the blogosphere following his hiatus. It seems he is rather despondent about the Grand Old Party, and not without good reason. As a result of the lack of national leadership, he writes:The Republican Party is dead. It must either be reborn in a Reagan/originalist image, or it must be stashed and have dirt heaped on it's grave. I'm open to the latter. I'm not sure what you would have to call it, but let me throw this out: the Independence Party. We stand for originalist ideas of limited central government, states' rights; we stand for a strong national defense with limited and clearly defined international responsibilities; we stand for open markets and economic freedom; we … [Read more...]
Bizarre Self-Parody: Michael Bennet Hiding from Denver Post on Card-Check
The chronic inability of Colorado's appointed U.S. Senator Michael Bennet to take a position on the union card check bill (also known as EFCA) has moved deep into the realm of bizarre self-parody. It's a political joke that has lasted so long that the label of "Both Ways Bennet" has been branded permanently on his (hopefully brief) career. A member of the Denver Post editorial board, Chuck Plunkett observes that the long-awaited seating of Al Franken as Minnesota's U.S. Senator has once again ratcheted up the pressure that EFCA could come to a vote and force Michael Bennet into the uncomfortable position of, well, having to take one:I’ve asked Bennet’s office whether he wants to come on with his position on card check. (We oppose … [Read more...]
Tell Your Representative to Sink the Bad Idea Known as Waxman-Markey
Lovers of liberty, it's not time to be resigned or downtrodden. It's time to stand up and be heard. This week the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the massive energy tax sometimes known as the Waxman-Markey bill or "Cap and Trade". FreedomWorks not only tells you why this bill is bad but provides easy links for you to take action and contact your representative. I already contacted Rep. Ed Perlmutter's office. (Of course, we also have the problem of an already very long piece of legislation that has suddenly added several hundred pages. Unlike the stimulus bill, will our Congressman be able to read it all in time? Consider me skeptical.) As it turns out, the timing of the House vote is proving to be quite … [Read more...]
Guvs Mark Sanford and Bill Ritter: Comparing International Travel Plans
Update, 1:00 PM: Not surprisingly, as Politico reports, there is more to the story: With news of the affair and bizarre cover-up, down goes Sanford. Very sad. Republican South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford did what? For eccentricity's sake, I almost want to hear someone uncover more to the story than the governor of a state dashing off to South America on a whim without telling anyone. Or maybe we're just left to wonder why his staff told the media he really was hiking along the Appalachian trail (and may have "flat out lied" about the Argentina story). To think, just last week I was musing about a possible presidential candidate to support for 2012, and Mark Sanford by default rose to the top of the unofficial and utterly … [Read more...]
New Video: The Raw Deal of Barack Obama Health Care Mandates
Watch the one-minute animated explanation why the mandates in Barack Obama's health care plan are bad for so many Americans, especially the young and healthy: Viewer warning: Exposure to pictures of Justin Longo in spandex may be harmful to your health. But, of course, exposure to Obamacare would be much worse. … [Read more...]
“There are more things in heaven and earth…”: Brooke Greenberg’s Story
I like to visit Fox News from time to time, because the site tends to feature some unusual stories that may or may not go unnoticed. But this one I read today really struck me as something almost too bizarre and incomprehensible for your run-of-the-mill supermarket tabloid:Brooke Greenberg continues to baffle her family and doctors. At 16-years-old, Brooke weighs 16 pounds and stands 2 feet, 6 inches tall, MyFOXChicago reported. She can’t speak, but she can express frustration and happiness. In other words, Brooke’s body and mind are that of a toddler. According to the story, the Maryland girl has her original baby teeth and the bones of a 10-year-old. All three of her sisters are normal. Doctors are "baffled" but hypothesize … [Read more...]
Mark Steyn: Burst Bubbles of Big Government and Political Soap Operas
With his usual eloquence and wit, the venerable Mark Steyn on National Review Online makes a terrific point about the connection between centralized state spending & power and bizarre behavior by politicians:The real bubble is a consequence of big government. The more the citizenry expect from the state, the more our political class will depend on ever more swollen Gulf Emir–sized retinues of staffers hovering at the elbow to steer you from one corner of the fishbowl to another 24/7. “Why are politicians so weird?†a reader asked me after the Sanford press conference. But the majority of people willing to live like this will, almost by definition, be deeply weird. So big government more or less guarantees rule by creeps and misfits. … [Read more...]
Wrong, Ed Perlmutter: Waxman-Markey Would Harm 7th District Jobs, Economy
Earlier today Representative Ed Perlmutter responded to my letter urging him to vote against the Waxman-Markey massive energy "cap and tax" (no doubt with boilerplate language):As you may know, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 is important legislation to help build a new clean energy economy. This bill will create millions of clean energy jobs, put America on a path to energy independence, and help limit carbon emissions which contribute to global warming. As a supporter of green energy initiatives, I am fortunate for the opportunity to represent Colorado's 7th Congressional District, which is home to the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) located in Golden. I am a proponent of wind and solar energy as well as other … [Read more...]
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