President Bush is in town to speak at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden this morning. In fact, he will be down the street from my workplace. I have to run a work-related errand on my way in - I'll report later if there is anything to be seen. Yesterday Governor Bill Owens made his signature the 100,000th on the petition drive for First Class Education, which would make school districts spend 65 percent of their operating budgets in the classroom. This issue looks to be a big winner, especially for the GOP, and the interest groups (including teacher and administrator unions) are in a tizzy. Finally, in the latest textbook example of why a Democrat statehouse majority is bad for Colorado business, SB066 passed the … [Read more...]
Crossroads Quickly Approaches for Colorado Dems
A strong message has been sent by Colorado junior U.S. Senator Ken Salazar's rapid-response endorsement of Democrat gubernatorial primary frontrunner Bill Ritter in the wake of Mayor John Hickenlooper's 11th-hour declaration that he wouldn't run. The former Denver District Attorney is his party's best hope to capture the statehouse, now that Hick has bowed out. Salazar's clout and status brought to bear so quickly seems to say that he thinks no other Democrat should enter the primary - and he doesn't even need to mention the low-profile candidacy of Rep. Gary Lindstrom. Meanwhile, every hour of indecision for Boulder liberal Rep. Alice Madden is an hour closer to turning a longshot campaign into a wasted effort. And so many questions … [Read more...]
Democrat Brain-Gouging
Today's "On Point" by Vincent Carroll is priceless: he highlights a Colorado Democrat legislator who has introduced a bill that reveals some combination of total economic illiteracy, shameless populist pandering, and/or a statist thirst for destructive power. Out of deference and good will, we will presume the motive to be the first. From Carroll's piece: … [Read more...]
Deflating Jobs Myths
There is a great editorial in the Chicago Tribune today (HT: Real Clear Politics) that deflates the mythology of the 'jobless recovery' and other Democrat nostrums about national employment trends. The national unemployment rate stands at an incredible 4.7 percent (4.6 percent in Colorado), but the naysayers press on. More specific Colorado jobs myth deflation to come in the near future, time permitting. … [Read more...]
What You Need to Know about Colorado Dems
Some brief Monday morning thoughts: Colorado Democrats are under a lot of pressure and influence from the aging dinosaur of organized labor, which despite its "pro-worker" rhetoric, champions some legislation bound to have an adverse effect on working families. Working families who shop at - or even work at - say, Wal Mart. Did they take a poll of the giant retailer's employees before deciding to support a measure that would mandate a certain percentage of payroll on health care benefits? This is horrible legislation that would primarily benefit the union bosses and their organizing buddies, and could hurt the many student and second-income employees who already are covered by someone else's health insurance and choose to work at Wal … [Read more...]
When is a Fight Not a Fight?
Berny Morson of the Rocky Mountain News reports on a briefing yesterday put on by Pam Benigno of the Independence Institute. Months of interviews and research have gone into the still-ongoing findings about how fights and assaults are reported on Colorado's School Accountability Reports (SAR). The short story of a complicated topic? Reporting violent incidents in schools is a lot closer to obscure legal technicality than common sense. Perhaps you remember the story of a student murdered in a Denver high school cafeteria, recently reported as a "Dangerous Weapons" incident. This anecdote is only the most extreme and striking of many points of confusion on the SAR. Parents and taxpayers deserve a clearer and fairer picture of the … [Read more...]
“No-Spy List” Charade
Anyone suffering from a severe case of paranoia and the irrational attraction to political parties, candidates, advocacy groups and blogs that lie and manipulate, sacrifice every shred of honor and decency in the quest for political power, and haven't had a serious thought or policy idea about national security in years, may want to sign up on the new Progress Now "No-Spy List." They can start on the road to recovery by reading this post, while the rest of us will continue to avoid phone calls to and from al-Qaeda agents abroad. But hey, if you think protesting National Security Agency wiretaps of terrorists is a winning issue, who am I to stop your campaign of fear and misinformation? … [Read more...]
Holtzman-Spradley ’06: It’s Official
Last week's rumors were true - the decision was made official this morning: Republican gubernatorial candidate Marc Holtzman has again bolstered his campaign with the announcement that former Speaker of the House Lola Spradley will be his running mate. Spradley, who has been welcomed to the team with open arms, expressed her support for her new running mate's vision and philosophy. Among other things, she brings the credentials of a highly-respected term of legislative service and a strong base of popularity in the region of Pueblo and southeastern Colorado. There is excitement and enthusiasm among grassroots supporters across the state for Holtzman's decision and for the direction his campaign is headed. Following in the wake of last … [Read more...]
Blogosphere Takes Notice of New Poll Numbers
The new reliable Rasmussen poll on the potential matchups in the upcoming Colorado governor's race has created a stir among the state's Republican insiders. Former University of Denver president Marc Holtzman benefits most from the news: his bona fides as a credible statewide candidate have been established. Not only is the ground game among GOP activists from the Plains to the Front Range to the Western Slope gaining him momentum with the party's base, the new Rasmussen poll affirms his legitimate status as a potential successor to Governor Bill Owens. Michael has some initial RMA analysis of the survey you should check out. As a Holtzman supporter (full disclosure), I'm certainly pleased by the news - which is generating some buzz … [Read more...]
Saving money for a rainy day
Kudos to two of the state GOP's rising stars for proposing the most responsible legislation I've seen yet regarding how to handle the influx of Referendum C dollars. Reps. Josh Penry [memo to Lynn Bartels & editors - Penry, not Henry] and Cory Gardner are leading the way with a couple of different plans to create a rainy-day fund to save state money rather than spend it frivolously on new programs. I'm glad to see these two Republican lawmakers out in front on this issue, and hopefully the Democrat-majority legislature can avoid the temptations to empty the pocketbooks and instead follow a sound plan for the future, much like your average Colorado family has to do. Keep an eye on these pieces of legislation: I have a feeling they will be … [Read more...]
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