Our "new energy economy" Governor Bill Ritter went before a Senate committee and tapdanced his way around the question of whether he supports the Waxman-Markey cap-and-tax bill. (Yes, I'm late to the story. Yes, I'm hopping on the bandwagon. Yesterday was an important personal day away from blogging, but with a story like this one, better late than never.) El Presidente was quick to put up the video of Ritter's exchange with Senator James Inhofe, as well as the video of Senator Kit Bond explaining how the governor's highly-touted new "green" jobs are heavily subsidized by taxpayers: $71,000 per job. Michelle Malkin brought national attention to Ritter's refusal to endorse cap-and-tax. At American Spectator, Paul Chesser posted the … [Read more...]
J.J. Ament’s Entry Makes Two in Colorado GOP Treasurer’s Race
Rocky Mountain Right has the scoop: J.J. Ament today officially has thrown his hat into the ring as a Republican candidate for Colorado state treasurer. I took a few minutes a little while ago to chat with the newly-minted candidate himself. J.J. Ament stressed his "hands-on experience" in previous dealings with the treasurer's office, that he "knows where the waste and inefficiency is" and doesn't have to rely on the bureaucracy like incumbent Cary Kennedy has. He also said that Colorado needs the treasurer to be "a strong independent voice", and that Kennedy hasn't filled that role, either. … [Read more...]
Developing Story: PERA Selling Assets?
In the past, I've commented about the difference between cumulative returns and average returns, especially when there's an outgoing cash flow to meet obligations. I have learned that Walker Stapleton is claiming that PERA, Colorado's Public Employees Retirement Association, which has fallen to 50% funded, is now selling assets to meet obligations. Evidently, PERA administrators have been making this statement off the record to during briefings. That's right: our public pension may have been reduced to eating its seed corn. Mr. Stapleton, whose campaign for State Treasurer will certainly make PERA administration a centerpiece issue, has filed a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request to see exactly what assets are being sold. … [Read more...]
An Even Stronger Statement from Walker Stapleton’s Fundraising Take
This past quarter's fundraising numbers look even better for Colorado GOP treasurer candidate Walker Stapleton than I reported a couple days ago. His $138,211 take was not just a record for non-incumbents, but a record for any candidate ever in a Colorado treasurer's race. Incumbent Democrat treasurer Cary Kennedy was blown away by more than two-to-one -- as she only raised $65,999 during the past three months. The result for Stapleton is a cash-on-hand advantage of more than $53,000 over Kennedy. Rocky Mountain Right further takes Cary Kennedy's campaign to task for the last-minute desperate plea for money that suggested she was near the $100,000 mark on the last day of the fundraising period (or maybe just $34,000 away):This … [Read more...]
Ethically Challenged Ed Perlmutter?
Hats off to the Washington Times for the scoop on what my representative in Congress has been up to:Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado inserted a provision into the recently passed House climate change bill that would drum up business for "green" banks, such as the one he has invested in and his family and a political donor helped found in San Francisco. The bill calls on bank regulators to promote green banking and says federal dollars should be used to support energy-efficient home improvements at government-funded housing projects. Mr. Perlmutter, a two-term Democrat, has two investments in the 3-year-old New Resource Bank, which calls itself the nation's first green bank. Among other environmentally conscious banking products, the … [Read more...]
Josh Penry Hits the Stump: A Promising GOP Candidate for Governor Emerges
Earlier this evening I got the opportunity briefly to attend a Josh Penry for Governor meet-and-greet session in Broomfield. The campaign is just out of the gate, and the Grand Junction native is busily plowing his way around Colorado. No doubt he's been on a hectic schedule, but Penry demonstrated a good stump speech delivery, staying on message. I am pleased to see him make no bones about the national Republican Party's failure to govern according to fiscally conservative principles, and his clear decision to run against that failing as well as against incumbent Bill Ritter's weak leadership, misguided philosophy, and misplaced priorities. … [Read more...]
Josh Penry Off to Great Start as Bill Ritter Kicks Door of Opportunity Open
The big local political news for the weekend, of course, was the worst-kept secret: Republican Josh Penry officially threw his hat into the ring to run for governor in 2010. By all honest admissions, Penry's entry into the race has been well-executed and well-timed. First glimpses on the campaign trail indicate the strong delivery of a clear, consistent message: 1) incumbent Democrat Bill Ritter's misguided philosophy and lack of fiscal leadership have contributed greatly to an unfriendly economic climate and pain in the wallet for many average Coloradans, and 2) Penry's own record of effective leadership in the areas of fiscal responsibility, expanded energy options, and education reform qualifies him to take Ritter's place. If he … [Read more...]
Spinning Their Wheels (or, I…Am Not…a Spoke!)
At the beginning of Wednesday's session of the TABOR Negation Fiscal Stability Commission, Chairman Rollie Heath asked the commission members to introduce themselves. HD-6 Rep. Lois Court, who was a strong supporter of Amendment 59, and campaigned on the repeal of tax and spending limits, had this to say (I'm doing this from memory, but it's very close): I teach political science at a local community college, and I always tell my students that society is like a wheel, and the people are the spokes. And it's the job of the government to keep the wheel balanced. This statement followed a theme of the day: that the job of the commission is to determine what kind of society we want to have, and then figure out how to fund … [Read more...]
Slumming
Due to a security breach (since fixed), visitors to my own site, View from a Height, are receiving a message that claims that it's suddenly turned into the blog equivalent of Cujo. I've cleaned off the offending files and am reloading the new version of Movable Type, but until I can persuade Google that there's nothing to see here, Ben's graciously letting me co-blog here at his place. Ben started in on the Bell Policy Center's Wade Buchanan's comments to the TABOR Repeal Fiscal Stability Commission on Thursday, but I wanted to point one of the rhetorical devices that he used to justify once and future extravagance on the part of the state government. The title of this post actually applies to Mr. Buchanan's comments. During his … [Read more...]
Making a Case for Limited Government: Long-Term Fiscal Stability Commission
A Thursday afternoon hearing of something known as Colorado's "Long-Term Fiscal Stability Commission" doesn't sound like a spectator event for which you might grill a few steaks or even pop up some popcorn. In most cases you'd be right. But yesterday brought an alternatively cutting, humorous and genial showdown between the intellectual heft and fiscally sound policies of economist Barry Poulson, representing the Independence Institute, and the silver-tongued sob stories of Wade Buchanan from the Left-leaning Bell Policy Center. Okay, so it still doesn't sound like action-packed, thrill-a-minute viewing entertainment. But since we're talking about what to do to keep our state budget sound, revenue stable, services efficient, and taxes … [Read more...]
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