I'm off to the Leadership Program of the Rockies (LPR) Retreat at the Broadmoor this weekend for a fantastic time. If you don't know what I'm talking about or would like to learn more, you can read posts from one of LPR's most enthusiastic alumni here, here, and here. Look forward to a Mount Virtus report from Colorado Springs on sessions and speeches from Ann Coulter, Hugh Hewitt, Kate O'Beirne, Stephen Moore, Mike Rosen, and more. … [Read more...]
Results from Jeffco GOP Assembly
I just returned from the Jefferson County Republican Assembly, and have some interesting developments to report for the political insiders. The following candidates made it onto the primary ballot: State Senate SD 20 - Dick Sargent was recruited at the last minute to challenge Moe Keller. SD 21 - Rep. Matt Knoedler announced his candidacy today and won the only spot on the ballot, beating out former Rep. Penn Pfiffner. SD 22 - In a four-way race, only three candidates pursued a ballot spot through the Assembly. Mike Kopp was the only candidate to win a spot on the ballot. Justin Everett bypassed the process and will petition on. Rumors suggest that current Senator Kiki Traylor, who was appointed by a vacancy committee to replace … [Read more...]
“65 Percent Plan” Discussion Moves West
The Colorado version of First Class Education's "65 percent plan", which was unveiled a few weeks ago by House Minority Leader Joe Stengel and some of his Republican colleagues, got some press along the Western Slope with an article by Danie Harrelson in today's Grand Junction Sentinel. A few points in the story need to be examined a bit more closely. First: Colorado, whose school districts on average spend 58 cents of their budget in the classroom, ranks 47th in the nation when it comes to the percentage of state funds that schools invest in instruction, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Mesa County Valley School District 51 pumps about 67 percent of its state funding into classroom instruction, District … [Read more...]
Economics and Moral Truth: A Book Review
The following review is made possible by the hard work of Stacy Harp at Mind and Media, who sent a copy of the book to me through the generous donation of The Acton Institute, which has edited and distributed Natural Law: The Foundation of an Orderly Economic System as one in a series of “Studies in Ethics and Economics.” The Review Not many economics books could garner a vehement dispute whether taken off the shelf by a hard-core libertarian, doctrinaire Marxist, or New Deal apologist. Yet just such a new treatise will inspire a lot of readers to think outside the box. Natural Law: The Foundation of an Orderly Economic System by Dr. Alberto M. Piedra (Oxford: Lexington Books, 2004) challenges many traditional systems of economic … [Read more...]
Spot-on Analysis of Government Response to Katrina
In case you missed this, here is a must-read: a Wall Street Journal editorial titled "Blame Amid the Tragedy" by Evergreen Freedom Foundation president Bob Williams. Here's a key section: The primary responsibility for dealing with emergencies does not belong to the federal government. It belongs to local and state officials who are charged by law with the management of the crucial first response to disasters. First response should be carried out by local and state emergency personnel under the supervision of the state governor and his/her emergency operations center. The actions and inactions of Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin are a national disgrace due to their failure to implement the previously established evacuation plans of the … [Read more...]
Legislation for the Birds
Does the Colorado General Assembly have any serious issues to tackle during the upcoming legislative session, or do our state lawmakers need to take their lead from the Michigan legislature and find something to crow about? Only a little more than two weeks to go before debates reopen in Denver's statehouse. Incidentally, as a native of the Great Lakes State, my vote is to stick with the robin. No need to swap state birds mid-flight. Do you think anyone out here in my adopted home state is that attached to the prairie lark finch? … [Read more...]
Message to Chad the Elder: Sit Down
I'm sure the boys at Fraters are aware of the old Irish saying, but under the current circumstances it bears repeating: "When everyone says you're drunk, you'd better sit down." When the best defense of your state's honor is giving the correct spelling of lutefisk, it's time to take a seat, Peeps. Perhaps reviewing some of the great moments in Minnesota history will remind the inebriates of the terrible insecurity driving them to waste their time trying to disparage the beautiful state of Colorado. Here are the highlights - a chronology of events that nearly every Minnesota school boy can recite with pride: 1805 - Zebulon Pike explores Minnesota, yawns, gets ripped off purchasing 155,000 acres of land for 60 gallons of whiskey (still … [Read more...]
Play It One More Time, Play the Ashokan Farewell
If ever there were an occasion in our day for playing the Ashokan Farewell, it would be the funeral of Shelby Foote. The haunting melodic theme of the PBS series "The Civil War" and its most well-recognized face and voice - brought together one last time. Before Foote achieved national face recognition on the PBS series for his colorful recounting of wartime tales, he was a successful novelist and author of the grand, daunting trilogy "Civil War: A Narrative" (the three volumes in paperback weigh more than 9 pounds combined) - ranked 15th on Modern Library's Top 100 list of 20th century nonfiction English-language works. I count myself as one of the few who made it through the 2,800+ pages of rich and detailed military history. The … [Read more...]
Making Common Cause Against Teachers Unions?
Is Pete Maysmith, the man that gave us Amendment 27, interested in defending the spirit of the campaign finance laws he masterminded and supported, or will he and his group show themselves to be loyal Democrats? Now that Wayne Rutt and Paul Marrick have appealed the administrative law judge's decision in their complaint against the Poudre Education Association and Colorado Education Association, will Colorado Common Cause file an amicus brief supporting the complaint? Or will they say it's okay for Democrats and unions to coordinate on candidate campaigns but not for Republicans and outside groups? Read Peter Blake's column today in the Rocky Mountain News. Great stuff for political junkies, and for anyone interested in the rule of law … [Read more...]
Another Sign the World is Changing
When you read in the New York Times that the governor of Michigan is aggressively courting a Japanese auto manufacturer to invest production and jobs in the Great Lakes State, you know the world is changing. For those who aren't aware, such an action not long ago would have been like touching the third rail of Michigan politics (and still seems far from perfectly safe). Yet while the economy is recovering well across most of the United States, the land of my childhood lags behind in employment and other key indicators. Gov. Jennifer Granholm's efforts to woo Toyota are a healthy sign for the future economy and quality of life of Michigan residents. The Big Three aren't quite able to protect their turf like they once did, and should … [Read more...]
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