First they came in the form of a morning fax. Then mass emails became the medium of choice. Instant messages were attempted, briefly used, then discarded. Eventually talk turned to telepathic messages delivered through implanted neurochips. But now, we may never see them, with word leaked from the White House today: Karl Rove, President Bush's close friend and chief political strategist, plans to leave the White House at the end of August, joining a lengthening line of senior officials heading for the exits in the final 1 1/2 years of the administration. A longtime member of Bush's inner circle, Rove was nicknamed ''the architect'' by the president for designing the strategy that twice won him the White House. Notably omitted from the … [Read more...]
Democrats Still Not Owning Up to Property Tax Increase
Leading Colorado Democrats still don't seem to understand how property owners paying a higher tax rate constitutes a tax increase, even though the new law signed by Democrat Gov. Bill Ritter will raise $114 million in new tax revenue: But Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder, who sponsored the House version of the school-finance bill, said Gardner doesn't understand how the law works. "It's not a tax increase," he said. " . . . The money that comes from the school district never leaves the school district." He said the money was not going to the state budget and that all the local school districts affected by the law had held a vote to exempt themselves from the TABOR limits to keep the property tax revenues. How else can Democrats justify … [Read more...]
Irrational Faith of Colorado Nutroots Continues to Amuse
It's funny to watch the Colorado Nutroots (I don't need to link to them - you can find them by going to Blog Net News) erupt into spontaneous glee with glib "I-told-you-so's" to anyone who doesn't believe in the perfecting power of the ever-expanding sphere of government, at the release of this report (large PDF). Of course, I haven't even seen any of them actually link to the report, just to articles that mention the report and its apparently bleak picture of Colorado. (Hint: The report says our state doesn't spend as much as other states in some areas. Egads! It must be the death knell of civilization here in the Centennial State.) Critical analysis? Don't expect any from the secular statist fundamentalist crowd. They've found their … [Read more...]
Union Payback: The Saga Goes On
The Rocky Mountain News reports today about a new policy giving labor union leaders privileged access to Colorado state government property. Too bad the administration of Governor Bill Ritter (D) is so fixated on rewarding some of his biggest campaign supporters. Colorado's voice of center-right reason on the Western Slope cataloged where these new perks fit into the larger scheme of union payback by Democrats: Republicans said the policy amounts to Ritter's second concession to unions after angering them last legislative session when he vetoed a pro-labor bill to make it easier for unions to organize in the private sector. The first payback, they said, was an executive order that allowed union dues to be automatically withdrawn … [Read more...]
I Second Rossputin’s Letter to Schaffer’s Would-Be Challenger
Rossputin has written an open letter to Wayne Wolf, the would-be primary challenger to Bob Schaffer for the GOP Senate nomination: While I certainly appreciate the effort (and risk) that a person takes when running for office, especially an office as important as US Senate, I would like to suggest to you that unless your goal is to assist Mark Udall you should pick a different battle than challenging Bob Schaffer. I do not intend to sound unkind, but I truly believe there is no chance you could beat Schaffer. On the other hand, you could cause him to waste time and money that could end up being the difference in a very close general election.... Consider this post a "ditto" to Rossputin's letter (which you can read in full at his … [Read more...]
State GOP Needs to Temper Confidence with Patience
Today's Denver Post headline "State GOP plots revival, but in 2010" is not surprising for those in the know. For a variety of reasons, new Colorado Republican Party Chairman Dick Wadhams (who instills fear into the Left side of the state's blogosphere) inherited a very difficult situation. He doesn't have an easy task before him. The headline is a little bit misleading, as Wadhams says there are real hopes for limited gains in 2008. Perhaps the better headline would have been "State GOP plots return to power by 2010." But that's a small detail. Confidently forecasting victory for U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer and that Colorado will cast its vote for the Republican presidential candidate, Wadhams is playing the role of partisan … [Read more...]
Lefty Attacks on Schaffer “More Rovian Than Karl Rove Himself”
Face the State highlights the fraud and deceit behind Michael Huttner's attacks against Republican State Board of Education vice chair Bob Schaffer. Key passages: Earlier this year, Schaffer was in the majority of the board when he voted to remand back to the Denver School Board a decision to deny Life Skills Center its charter. While Denver previously denied the mostly-minority school’s charter, it ultimately agreed with the state board and approved the school’s proposal to continue in existence. After the vote, Schaffer received a campaign contribution to aid his current U.S. Senate bid from David Brennan, an individual who runs a charter school management company that has contracts with Life Skills. Huttner is trying to say that … [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...]
Fleeting Influence
The new rankings are out, and I'm shocked to say that somehow Mount Virtus has climbed the rankings to #1 in Blog Net News most influential Colorado political blogs. Frankly, I'm humbled. Of course, fame and influence are both fleeting. So I don't expect it to last. But I'll savor it for one week, at least. Also encouraging, my friend Michael at Best Destiny creeped up the ladder a bit to #9. … [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...]
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