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...]
Vacancy Filled
In an earlier post I mentioned the vacancy committee's search for a Republican candidate to replace outgoing State Representative Don Lee of Littleton. Congratulations to Jim Kerr, the newest member of the Colorado House of Representatives - to be sworn in tomorrow with 64 of his colleagues. As for my friend Justin Everett, there may still be a future in elected office. … [Read more...]
Filling the Vacancy
As I posted at length before, Colorado Republicans are trying to fill a legislative vacancy, after conservative Rep. Don Lee (R - Littleton) resigned in December. Seven candidates have announced to fill Rep. Lee's seat. Trying to separate himself from the pack, Justin Everett, 33, held a $50-a-person fundraiser last night, on the eve of the vacancy committee's final ballot. (Disclosure: Justin Everett is a personal acquaintance and political ally.) As Rocky Mountain News columnist Peter Blake points out, it may seem a strange affair to host a fundraiser before a vacancy committee selection, but Everett is boldly making a statement about his ability to perform a crucial political task. One of the reasons the GOP suffered in the state … [Read more...]
Where’s the Outrage?
A guest column in today's Fort Collins Coloradoan brings up an excellent point: why can't we blame the state's budget crisis on the ill-devised Amendment 23? Especially when we see where some of that taxpayer money is going... Writer Paul Marrick explains the problem with his local Poudre School District: Our school board, in its infinite wisdom, decided many years ago to pay the majority of the union president's salary. That's right, folks, we as taxpayers funded almost $60,000 of a $70,000 salary last year so the local union representative could, among other things, campaign for our newly elected state Sen. Bob Bacon. Mary Lynn Jones, Poudre Education Association president, spent a great deal of time working on a political … [Read more...]
Not Just Horn-Tooting
Can't think of a reason to read about the Independence Institute's public service message to Colorado teachers? Maybe if you know the author... I wrote about the same topic for the Colorado Springs Gazette (sadly, no link available). Are you a public school teacher? Is a loved one, family member or friend? Point them to II's teacher resource page. … [Read more...]
Teachers’ Union Triumphs and Trauma
"Where's the conservative leadership?" That's what many Colorado Republicans will be crying out for as 2005 rolls around - maybe even before they've finished digesting the turkey sandwiches and fruitcake. Yesterday Gov. Bill Owens announced his compromise plan to fix the state's ongoing fiscal crisis. It includes a small tax cut and the state selling its share of the tobacco-settlement plan, not to mention a $500 million "de-Brucing" (allowing the state to keep revenues mandated by TABOR to be refunded to Colorado taxpayers). But here's the kicker: Conspicuously absent from Owens' proposal were changes to Amendment 23, which requires annual spending increases in K-12 education. For the past year, Owens had insisted that any … [Read more...]
Replacing Salazar II
The Post has published a more extensive piece on John Suthers - the governor's nominee to replace Senator-Elect Salazar as the state's attorney general. Interesting notes? The Post labels Suthers "a conservative Republican." [emphasis mine] I have only heard about him secondhand. I'd love to hear what others' impressions are of his political leanings. My guess is he's probably center-right to moderate, which would merit the Post calling him conservative. (A real conservative is usually called something like a "radical" or "flaming right-winger" by the Post.) But I could be wrong. I'd love to hear. The Post's writers also build on the assertion reported by Lynn Bartels that Suthers is likely an easy confirmation for … [Read more...]
Replacing Salazar
Now that the failed Dairy Queen franchise operator's days as Colorado Attorney General are coming to a close, the spotlight has been on Gov. Owens to see who will be appointed to replace him. Attorney General Ken Salazar is soon to become US Senator Ken Salazar. But who will replace him? If Owens has his way, it will be loyal Republican John Suthers, who ran against Salazar for the statewide office in 1998. According to the Rocky's Lynn Bartels, Suthers likely won't have problems being confirmed by a closely divided State Senate. On Suthers' resume? Bush-appointed U.S. Attorney for Colorado Owens-appointed state Department of Corrections chief District attorney, El Paso and Teller counties What this sets up, as the Rocky … [Read more...]
Teachers’ Union and Politics
Are you a public school teacher in Colorado? Do you know a friend or family member who is? Check out the latest from the Independence Institute. The Institute sent out an electronic message to 40,000 teachers last night. We've been told KOA's Mike Rosen will read from it during his morning show. Here's a nugget from the letter about the Colorado Education Association (CEA) - the state's largest teachers' union - and its political contributions. From January through November 2004, political and small donor committees operated by CEA and CEA-affiliated local associations reported combined spending to political parties and candidates: - 94% to the Democrat Party and its candidates - 5.4% to the Republican Party and its candidates - … [Read more...]
Senate President Seeks to Explain Republican Disaster
State Senate President John Andrews, one of the co-founders of the Independence Institute, tries to explain what went wrong in Colorado for the GOP during the recent election. Hindsight, as I've heard it said, is 50-50. Look - we know the Republican Party took an old-fashioned butt-kicking. Senator Andrews sizes up what the Democrats did right and what he and other Republican leaders could have done better. … [Read more...]