As we chatted about on last night's Blog Talk Radio program, the fallout from Bill Ritter's appointment of Michael Bennet to the U.S. Senate continues. Liberal angst on behalf of the spurned former House Speaker Andrew Romanoff continues to grow. The latest is Susan Barnes-Gelt's column "What Was Ritter Thinking?" in the Denver Post:Bennet's decade-plus resume, elite pedigree and acute intelligence may confer gravitas-lite. However, his utter lack of legislative experience, political/elected bona fides and thorough knowledge of the state, its issues and character cast doubt on the governor's judgment. What does it say about our state's chief executive that he passed over an equally young, talented, out-of-the-box reformer who boasts an … [Read more...]
Fiscally Conservative Kevin Lundberg Merits Nod for State Senate Seat
I see the upcoming showdown over the appointment to replace state senator Steve Johnson as a real testing ground: Do Republicans want well-qualified and proven fiscal conservatives of class and character - regardless of their views on social issues - or do they just want to toss officials overboard for their socially conservative views? Estes Park's Jon Nicholas gets it right: state representative Kevin Lundberg is the right person to fill Johnson's seat. Especially if Nicholas' observations (one technical error aside) about Lundberg's less well-known rivals indeed are correct: … [Read more...]
Complete Colorado Offers Up Top 10 Political (& Non-Political) Stories of 2008
On New Years Day, CompleteColorado.com's Todd Shepherd (also a colleague of mine at the Independence Institute) shared his respective lists of Colorado's Top 10 political and non-political stories of 2008 with AM 740 KVOR guest talk radio host Jeff Crank (H/T El Presidente). A few of Todd's entries may take you by surprise, or trigger something lost in the memory banks. The entire broadcast is nearly an hour long, but any time you can give will glean some interesting perspectives: And if you haven't bookmarked Complete Colorado for regular stops, now is a good time to do so. … [Read more...]
Ed Perlmutter “Working for Change”–Congress Doesn’t Deserve Pay Raise
Today I received in the mail a colorful brochure with the following written on the front: "Ed Perlmutter is On the Job, Working for Change". Franking privileges being what they are, I'm not generally surprised to receive these sorts of notices. But at first I was a little offended by the thought that my Congressman - who made a $169,300 salary in 2008 - would use bold letters to complain that he is "working for change," and to someone who makes considerably less. I braced myself: Was this a set-up? Was I about to open up the brochure and see the case for why Congress needed a bailout from itself? Has the economy gone so sour as all that? Fortunately, no, nothing so unusual as that. Like nearly all members of Congress, Perlmutter's … [Read more...]
Michael Bennet in U.S. Senate Creates GOP Chance–Not to Be Taken Lightly
Most likely one of the final big stories broken by the Rocky Mountain News: Gov. Bill Ritter names Denver Public Schools superintendent Michael Bennet to replace Ken Salazar in the U.S. Senate. Honestly, I never gave this possibility serious consideration. My initial impressions? Fresh and outside-the-box, obviously. Bill Ritter definitely outperformed his Democratic gubernatorial colleagues in Illinois and New York with their appointments. But Ritter also has rolled the political dice. Besides being pretty good on education reform issues for a Democrat, where does Bennet stand? The next two years of votes on big issues like the Employee Free Choice Act will define him quickly. While the state and national GOP should be perking up at … [Read more...]
A Month-by-Month 2008 Stroll Down Mount Virtus Memory Lane
It's the last day of 2008, and time for a quick month-by-month retrospective. The following are posts I've selected as the best posts for each month: January: Why did Ritter Leave Worker Protections Out of His Order? February: Getting the Whole Story Behind Ritter's Climate Action Plan March: High-Ranking Democrat: Property Tax Hike Not Just for Schools April: What Was All That Money Doing in Ritter's Inaugural in the First Place? May: Colorado Dems Fail to Lead or Take Responsibility, Irony Lost on Dead Guvs June: Bill Ritter, Tax Increases, Unions, and the Colorado Supreme Court July: Majority of Coloradans Don't Think Bill Ritter is Doing a Terrible Job August: It's Official: Colorado Government 100% Unionized, Thanks to Bill … [Read more...]
Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio Year in Review Tonight at 9 PM
Tune in at 9 PM local Mountain Time this evening for the seventh edition of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio. The year-end episode will take a look back at some of the big stories of 2008 and feature a discussion about Israel's current military campaign against Hamas. Don't forget. If you miss the live broadcast of tonight’s show, you can go back and download the podcast, or just use the handy widget on my sidebar to listen directly from Mount Virtus. … [Read more...]
Christmas Roundup, Light Blogging Here at Mount Virtus Until 2009
It was nice to take a couple days off blogging to celebrate Christmas. Around the house we have a 2-year-old who definitely was interested in getting "more" presents but also who is just beginning to see that Christmas is mainly about the Savior's birth. She sat still to hear one of us read a version of the biblical Christmas story 5 different times over the 2 days. Good times. Memorable times. Around here we hear a lot of the toddler rendition of "Away in a Manger". She also has a fairly decent grasp on "Joy to the World." Other songs she doesn't sing but likes to request: Jingle Bells and Happy Birthday to Jesus. Last night, after we baked the cake for Jesus' birthday (a first-time tradition for our family), we had to explain that … [Read more...]
Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio Episode 6 Tonight: Jim Pfaff
Tune in at 9 PM local Mountain Time this evening for the sixth edition of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio. Confirmed co-hosts are Joshua Sharf and El Presidente. The guest will be Jim Pfaff, Colorado state director of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation and keeper of the site Opinion Times. Topics of discussion will include AFP Colorado's new report "Keeping Colorado Competitive". Don't forget. If you miss the live broadcast of tonight’s show, you can go back and download the podcast, or just use the handy widget on my sidebar to listen directly from Mount Virtus. … [Read more...]
Democrat Rollie Heath Wants to Use Economic Downturn to Kill TABOR
It only took seven weeks after the voters of Colorado said no to a statewide proposal that would have gutted the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) - a proposal pushed by a campaign that heavily outspent the opposition - for the Democrats to be back at it again. From today's Denver Post:Rollie Heath, a Boulder Democrat elected to the Senate, said that as lawmakers grapple in the coming session with cutting as much as $600 million from the budget because of declining revenues, they should also look at TABOR, a revenue-capping provision of the state's constitution. The state is in a timeout from TABOR's tax-revenue limits, but that timeout expires in 2010, when Colorado will have to begin refunding to taxpayers any revenue it collects … [Read more...]
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