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Progress Now and Commissioner Moloney

The Left-wing propagandists at Progress Now have returned to doing the bidding of the teachers unions and their legislative cronies, as they are now calling on Colorado's Commissioner of Education William Moloney to resign. In his nine years as commissioner, the eminently experienced and qualified Dr. Moloney has been a champion for parents and students in his ongoing work to promote sensible and effective reforms. At the last State Board of Education meeting, a group of superintendents showed up to present a newly published report that said the Colorado Department of Education was not providing sufficient leadership. The next day the Democrats on the State Board of Education went a step further and called on Moloney to resign. It … [Read more...]

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Schaffer and Kunz for Board of Education

Let's face it: the State Board of Education is way off most people's radar. Even some highly politically-tuned people who know the names of their state representative and state senator couldn't tell you much about the Board, let alone the name of one person on it. Nevertheless, the Rocky Mountain News issued its endorsements of State Board candidates today. Well, here's the quick skinny for the uninitiated: the State Board of Education has a variety of supervisory duties over the state's public school system. A Board can do many things to support critical education reforms, such as charter schools and online education. Currently, the Board is made up of 4 Democrats and 4 Republicans - one from each Congressional District and an … [Read more...]

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11-year-old GOP Assembly blogger

A Republican friend passed along an account of yesterday's Republican Assembly through the eyes of a very insightful and well-spoken young attendee. Read below to see the report of 11-year-old Elizabeth Armstrong, daughter of delegate Wil Armstrong and granddaughter of former Senator Bill Armstrong. It's a refreshing view, less cynical than most political writing these days, and very encouraging to see younger people with intelligent observations about the great democratic process of one of the major political parties. And you surely will find some details in her account of Saturday's goings-on not included in any newspaper or other blog. Quite thorough. Perhaps some day she will have a political blog of her own. Here are her … [Read more...]

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Graduation Day

Eight months of high-quality speakers, challenging exercises, and tremendous fellowship culminate today with graduation for the 2006 class of the Leadership Program of the Rockies. Are you interested in becoming a conservative leader with greater insights into the benefits of free market capitalism? I highly recommend you apply for next year's class. You won't regret it. … [Read more...]

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Ben’s Ballot

At the request of some, I have decided to share how I am voting on this year's ballot issues. Below you will find the ballot titles & designations, followed by a brief explanation of my vote and my opinion of the relative significance & likelihood of each to pass. For comparison, I've also added the stated endorsements of two Colorado conservative icons: influential talk radio host Mike Rosen and former state senate president John Andrews. After all, there can be some disagreement about certain issues within the movement. Keep reading for my opinions and predictions... … [Read more...]

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Of Coloradans, Michiganders, and Hoosiers

Driving in the car this evening, the conversation somehow turned to what the recognized names are for residents of different states. As my wife and I talked through the list, some were easy: Californians, Texans, Coloradans. But a few stumped me. I have to admit ... Connecticut? Utah? Wyoming? What do these people call themselves? Those of us born and reared in the Great Lakes State know that the proper and unique term to reflect our grand marine heritage is Michigander. What other state adds -der to the end? Nope, none of 'em. We're proud of that ... and of our 11,037 inland lakes. For the almost official list, I found this handy page from a Web site called "The Morning News." It even seeks to find geographical correlations by … [Read more...]

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Ritter’s Campaign Manager for Beauprez

Here's a fun story totally ignored by Colorado's favorite purveyors of the political grapevine (aka, The Dead Guvs), from the Rocky Mountain News: "Ritter Aide Backed Beauprez in 2004." [Bill Ritter's campaign manager Greg] Kolomitz and his wife, Carla Lucero, both joined a group named Democrats for Beauprez. The congressman was facing Democrat Dave Thomas as Beauprez sought a second term in Congress. "He's a good guy and so we decided to support him," said Kolomitz. At the time, Kolomitz was president of CRL Associates, a Denver lobbying firm known for its clout at city hall. He says Maria Garcia Berry, the CEO of the firm and a prominent Republican, asked him to join the group supporting Beauprez. "Politics is all about … [Read more...]

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High Honors

The Colorado Education Association, carrying the state's largest anti-reform-in-education banner for years, has bestowed on me high honors. The new October-November 2006 edition of CEA Journal included yours truly, the proprietor of this blog, in a select group as "[one] of the most virulent *anti-public education individuals in the state." Incidentally, this appeared in the same issue where union officials also endorsed an astonishing (gasp!) 73 Democrat candidates vs. 6 Republican candidates - oh so clearly not reflecting the political affiliations of their rank-and-file membership. The badge of honor has now assumed a permanent place at the top of the page. I believe I now can say I've truly made my parents proud, and my life's work … [Read more...]