Why did the University of Colorado rush to award Ward Churchill tenure back in 1991? Was it because the University of California system was courting him? According to a report in today's Rocky Mountain News, that wasn't the case at all, having interviewed an official who was in the know: "He wasn't really a serious candidate because of his lack of credentials," said George Wayne, a former vice president for student academic services at California State University, Sacramento. "The lack of a doctorate was one factor," Wayne said Monday. "Also, he wasn't writing learned articles - they were advocacy articles that could appear anywhere." California got it. So why couldn't Colorado? Wayne thinks CU officials were simply … [Read more...]
Legislative Committee Dismisses Independence Institute-Reason Report
The Joint Budget Committee of the Colorado General Assembly met this afternoon to discuss the merits of the report Priority Colorado, co-sponsored by the Independence Institute and the Reason Public Policy Institute, recommending efficiencies that could be achieved to save money spent by the Colorado state government. In the end, the committee largely dismissed its proposals. The report burst onto the scene 10 days ago, throwing a wrench into the State Capitol's prevailing paradigm that something either needed to be done to the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR) or vital state programs would need to be cut in order to fix the state's budget problems. Priority Colorado suggested a series of other possible reforms to balance the … [Read more...]
What’s Wrong and What’s Right with Colorado High Schools
Michael has begun to unwrap the Sunday Denver Post's commentary section on the state of high school education in Colorado. Michael breaks down each of the three pieces and opens them up for analysis and criticism. … [Read more...]
“Free Speech” as a Convenient Alibi
How much do the so-called defenders of free speech truly practice what they preach? How far are they willing to go to protect the rights of those with whom they disagree? The University of Colorado's record of campus free speech receives some needed close scrutiny from Jessica Corry in today's Rocky Mountain News. Read it. … [Read more...]
Another Solution for the State’s Fiscal Problems
Tired of the bickering at the State Capitol about how to solve Colorado's budget problems? Have you tuned out already? Have you heard...? If you heard that the budget so-called "crisis" can be solved without tampering with TABOR, raising taxes, or cutting effective state services, what would you say? I know what I said when I heard: "What are they arguing about?" Because it's true. Experts from the free-market think tank Reason Foundation, Geoff Segal and George Passantino, teamed up with the Independence Institute to take a close look at the Colorado state budget. These guys have advised Gov. Schwarzenegger how California can emerge from its multi-billion dollar deficit. By comparison, Segal and Passantino say that Colorado … [Read more...]
For Old Times’ Sake
Ever get nostalgic for the 2004 Colorado US Senate race? It played a big part in putting the Rocky Mountain Alliance on the map. Time marches on in the political world, and those who were the fodder for such discussion less than a year ago have moved on in their endeavors. It's kind of like skimming through your high school yearbook and wondering, "Where are they now?" While the new Senator Ken Salazar has been hard at "bipartisan" work on Capitol Hill pulling weight for new Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and urging a block to funding of Army chemical transportation studies, some of the other political actors from the recent campaign season have popped into the news today. … [Read more...]
More on Churchill
The Independence Institute's Amy Pryzgoda, who was familiar with Churchill's "scholarship" before the big brouhaha erupted, takes an in-depth look at his "warmed-over, 1960s revisionist historical narrative" that has long since morphed into a myopic, agenda-driven, hate-filled crusade. This essay is concise and pithy and well worth the perusal. For motives not altogether clear, Senator Peter Groff (D - Denver) was alone among the 100-member Colorado General Assembly in voting against a resolution condemning Churchill. The liberal editorial board of the Boulder Daily Camera has sought to stake out middle ground on the issue, writing the following: Gazing ever so briefly in the mirror, Churchill and his sycophants see no evil. … [Read more...]
Right Step for CU Regents
Kudos to the University of Colorado Board of Regents for their handling of the Ward Churchill matter, for: 1. Their public apology on behalf of the university. 2. Opening up a 30-day public investigation into the matter of Churchill's future employment status. I hope that the investigation report will be made fully public in detail, so the people can judge fairly as well. Much ore pathetic are those who were arrested for disturbing a public meeting and those who came to show support for Churchill's views. At least those who defend his employment status on the basis of the First Amendment are just ignorant. … [Read more...]
Your Tax Dollars on Vacation
A bit of interesting news from the State Capitol... freshman Representative Kathleen Curry (D - Gunnison), also the chair of the Agriculture Committee, has asked for and received permission to take her committee on a field trip. Rep. Curry believes - and Speaker Andrew Romanoff agrees - that it is worth the taxpayer expenditure for all 11 members of the committee (and who knows how many staff?) to jaunt over to Glenwood Springs in order to discuss a bill on surface mineral rights. When they board the bus for the Feb. 14 field trip, what lobbyist will be packing the brown-bag lunches? Will the committee members have to write a one-page essay on their experience? Although I haven't accessed state archival material, the course of … [Read more...]
The Case for De-funding Higher Education
The House of Representatives censures him. The Governor calls for his resignation. The CU Board of Regents hides behind tenure. Hamilton College in New York cancels his speaking appearance. Native American groups disagree whether he's an oppressed member of the victim class or a mere poseur. The whole affair has brought jerks out of the woodwork. The ignorant and uneducated - many graduates or current students of CU - believe that the First Amendment guarantees his job, no matter what he says. And yet, most still think he should be fired. In the current climate and under the current circumstances, I have to agree wholeheartedly. The case has been made repeatedly that Churchill is making his over-the-top … [Read more...]
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