The dead governors at Colorado Pols point to the results of a new survey co-sponsored by the Independence Institute and the Colorado Club for Growth: Of 600 likely Colorado voters who participated in the last election... 52% oppose the 'De-Brucing' changes to TABOR proposed by Speaker Andrew Romanoff and others. 33% support the 'De-Brucing.' The dead governors complain that the poll should be taken worth a grain of salt because of who commissioned the poll to be taken, then speculates about how the question must have been worded: ...what the survey does show is that Colorado's elected officials aren't doing a very good job at getting across the problems that TABOR has created. While we certainly understand that this is no easy … [Read more...]

Some good analyses of what it means to have a "bipartisan" Democrat majority in both branches of Colorado's statehouse: The Post's David Harsanyi looks at some of the "dopey" and "nanny" bills being proposed by our legislators. Good intentions do not necessarily lead to successful results, nor do they necessarily make good public policy. Michael breaks down the Democrat response to Governor Owens' State of the State speech. Breaking down Democrats' statistical assertions, Michael finds that many of the disparities in claims come down to this: the Democrats and liberals tend to measure input and the Republicans and conservatives tend to measure output. Best example? The statistic cited by many liberal groups that Colorado ranks … [Read more...]

You've got to grant Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald (D - Golden) something: it hadn't even been a full day since she took over as Colorado's first ever female Senate president. But in her speech to the joint session yesterday, Fitz-Gerald said: "I see an opportunity to provide a paycheck for every family, a textbook for every child and a doctor for every patient." Stop for a minute, re-read the quote, and ponder. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Sure, Joan. That's the way to solve the state's budget crisis. Spend your way out of it. Despite running on the platform of fiscal restraint, the Colorado Democratic Party looks like it won't be able to hide its true colors for long. She made this statement on the first day of … [Read more...]

Though David Harsanyi hints at the possibility, I'm not going to dissect every paragraph of his column in today's Denver Post. After taking compromised conservative columnist Armstrong Williams to task for his pay-off from the US Department of Education and recounting Dan Rather's narrow escape "after a weak-willed report cleared him of any politically motivated bias," our friend David Harsanyi examines the "New Media," and the Rocky Mountain Alliance in particular. … [Read more...]

The Rocky Mountain Alliance forges new ground tomorrow: a private bloggers' press conference with Colorado Governor Bill Owens following his annual State of the State speech. A delegation of three RMA members (Michael, Clay, and Joshua) will represent the group. Correction: Jim and Richard should also be there. … [Read more...]