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...]
Go Charter Schools & Go Nittany Lions!
An interesting sidelight to one of the football games I plan to watch today. This came in the Colorado League of Charter Schools newsletter:While 'SC and Penn State have their fans, Rose Bowl Game sponsor Citi (Citigroup) has picked its favorite for the big game on New Years Day: Inner City Education Foundation (ICEF) Public Schools, the fast-growing public charter school operator based in Southern California. ICEF charter schools students will be featured in Citi's "Chairman's Message" to be aired at half-time of the national ABC telecast of the Rose Bowl game on January 1 (consult local listings for kick-off time). This marks the first time public charter schools will be highlighted in a bowl game message... to an audience of tens of … [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...]
Have You Seen Just How Big a United Auto Workers Contract Is?
(Via Michelle Malkin) The Labor Pains blog has a great visual and links to the huge labor contracts negotiated between the United Auto Workers (UAW) and Detroit's Big Three:Ever wondered what a UAW contract looks like? Here is all 22 pounds of it (in this case, Ford’s 2,215 page 2007 master contract; Coke can is for scale and because I was thirsty). I’ll tell you this much, those 2,215 pages don’t include much regarding efficiency and competitiveness. What you’ll find are hundreds of rules, regulations, and letters of understanding that have hamstrung the auto companies for years. One of my claims to distinction (certainly not fame) is I have read all 45 or so collective bargaining agreements between Colorado school districts … [Read more...]
And on the 12th Day of Christmas…
So now that I've become famous enough to make the title of a post concerning my "eleven Christmas wishes", I feel impelled to respond. Seriously, though, a watcher's post - somewhat more thoughtful and reasonable than previous endeavors of post-election analysis - requires some significant clarifications. It is because I believe this debate about the future of conservatism and the GOP is important that I wade in so thoroughly in this post that so few of you will actually read from beginning to end. Here are the overarching problems I see with a watcher's declarations. First, he has a strong tendency to lump all "social conservatives" into a box without distinction, shake them up, and spill them out with one accusation after another. How … [Read more...]
Talking Education with Amy Oliver Live on Air Tuesday at 10 AM
For anyone interested, I am scheduled to be live on the Amy Oliver radio show on 1310 KFKA this Tuesday at 10 AM local Mountain Time. The topics will include school choice, the Obama administration's education agenda, and the inimitable Washington DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee. If you have a moment to spare, please tune in via your radio or the Internet. … [Read more...]
What I Want to See for the United States, Conservatism, and the GOP
Looking ahead to 2010 and beyond, this is what I want to see in the United States of America: A biblical, spiritual revival ... something for which I pray to God The revitalization of conservatism (a shared value in the Founders' "constrained vision") in American public life ... something of which I seek to persuade others A Republican Party more informed by conservative, limited government principles ... also something of which I seek to persuade others A governing Republican Party majority ...something for which I volunteer and vote Where incompatibilities between the above priorities can be proven with a reasonable degree of likelihood, the higher priority wins. (And no, I can't think of any situation where voting for or … [Read more...]
Obama Voters, CNN and Network TV Viewers More Poorly Informed
John Ziegler is to be commended for his post-election polling work. At first we learned how ridiculously ill-informed Obama voters were, leading us to some conclusions about how Obama got elected. Ziegler took upon himself a challenge that the misguided critics on the Left - who (all too predictably) attacked the questioners rather than deal with the substance of the findings - would not do. He commissioned a second poll with even more telling results (H/T Granite Grok): … [Read more...]
Questions Linger as Colorado Supremes Sit on Ritter Tax Hike Decision
The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and Governor Bill Ritter are defendants in a case filed by the Independence Institute (disclosure: where I work) and numerous aggrieved taxpayers over a 2007 law that raised property taxes without a proper vote of the people, as required by the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. Denver District Court Judge Christine Habas came down on the side of the people nearly seven months ago, but the Colorado Supreme Court has been silent since - despite reasonable expectations that critical tax revenue issues be addressed in a timely manner. As Face The State reports, CDE needs the Supreme Court to "hurry up":In June, Ritter, a defendant alongside CDE, appealed the decision to the state's highest court. Oral … [Read more...]
The Case for Colorado Spending Transparency: Jeffco Schools Edition
Quite simply, the people of Colorado deserve open, accountable, and transparent government. Not the kind where you as a taxpayer walk into the school district admin building, get a barrage of questions for asking for a copy of the district's credit card transactions, and have to pay $75 from your own pocket just to see how your money is being spent. That's Natalie Menten's story with Jeffco Public Schools, and you can hear it on an iVoices podcast: Shouldn't it be easier for citizens to access this information? Is creating a comprehensive, user-friendly, online searchable database asking too much of our governments? In these tumultuous economic times, placing the public eye on government spending should help ensure that money is … [Read more...]
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