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Good News, Bad News Today at Colorado State Capitol

This morning, good news comes from the Colorado State Capitol: the state house approved House Bill 1288 (PDF), the Colorado Taxpayer Transparency Act, by the overwhelming margin of 61-4. This legislation will create a detailed online searchable database of state government revenues and expenditures. The bad news? Among the four (all Democrats) voting against open government are my own representative Sara Gagliardi and Gwyn Green, also from Jefferson County. Rest assured, I will do my part to make it known their No votes will not be forgotten. And I will be watching how the senate votes, as well. In other bad news, Senate Bill 180 (PDF) squeaked past the finish line in the state senate, 18-17. This union-backed bill is bad for a host … [Read more...]

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Tax Day Tea Party, Colorado

Update VI, 4/16: Here are some pictures taken by Jimmie H. Butler at yesterday's rally in Colorado Springs. Re-posted with permission: Update V, 4/16: My brother-in-law has a great set of photos from yesterday's Denver event. Slapstick Politics has begun to post video from the well-attended festivities at the West Steps of the Capitol. Rossputin has some "Post-Tea Party Thoughts" that includes photos, video, and an interactive poll question. Here is a great site that is tallying attendance reports from Tea Party events all across the country. I've already notified the site operator with a few reports from Colorado locations he hadn't yet received. Update IV, 10:00 PM: Over at Free Colorado, Ari has a good … [Read more...]

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Remember the 10th Amendment! (We’ll Worry about the Alamo Later)

God bless Texas:Gov. Rick Perry joined state Rep. Brandon Creighton and sponsors of House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 50 in support of states’ rights under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. “I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state,” Gov. Perry said. “That is why I am here today to express my unwavering support for efforts all across our country to reaffirm the states’ rights affirmed by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I believe that returning to the letter and spirit of the U.S. Constitution and its essential 10th Amendment will free our state from undue regulations, and … [Read more...]

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RMA Blog Talk Radio Tonight at 8:30: Tax Day Tea Party, Jessica Corry

Tune in tonight at 8:30 PM local Mountain time for the 22nd edition of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio. We have two guests for this week: Brian Campbell to talk about tomorrow's Tax Day Tea Party, and Jessica Corry from the Independence Institute to talk about high salaries and lack of transparency at the University of Colorado. If you miss the live show, you can go back and download the podcast, or just use the handy widget on my sidebar to listen directly from Mount Virtus. … [Read more...]

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Legislation to Unionize Colorado State Government: Coming 2010 Battle?

Via the Right to Work blog comes news that the new Republican Governor of Arizona Jan Brewer has repealed her predecessor's executive order granting union powers to state workers. This scenario (and others like it before - witness Missouri and Indiana as examples) is precisely why the Colorado WINS labor coalition will not rest satisfied with Bill Ritter's November 2007 executive order that introduced collective bargaining to our state government. Odds are strong that the political winds will favor Big Labor pushing a broad piece of government employee collective bargaining legislation in 2010. The question is whether the Democrats in charge at the State Capitol by then will have backed off the cliff's edge, and from governing away their … [Read more...]

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BREAKING: ColoradoPols Behind the Curve on Local GOP Politics

"Breaking" news from the Dead Governors: Marc Holtzman won't be running for governor. Hey, don't yawn at me like that. -- Oh, I see ... you're yawning at their headline? -- So what you're trying to say is the Dead Guvs aren't exactly the source of breaking news for things happening on the Republican side of the aisle here in Colorado? -- Okay, okay, call me Captain Obvious. But I'm not the only one around here.... Sources also have shared with Mt. Virtus a sneak peek at some possible upcoming headlines from the Democrat Pols blog:Breaking: Bill Owens Says He Doesn't Want Governor's Job Again Breaking: Jane Norton 'Not in the Mix' to Take On Ritter Breaking: Bruce Benson to Stay at CU, Won't Vie for Governor's … [Read more...]

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Democrats Gamble State Finances, Majority Status, on Pinnacol “Gimmick”

The budget debate at Colorado's State Capitol heads into full throttle this week. In a tough year, the linchpin to the Democrats' plan is a raid on the privately-funded Pinnacol Assurance Company. Even the Denver Post recognizes this as a bad idea:If lawmakers can't get money from Pinnacol, higher education could be cut by more than $400 million — more than half the state's allotment to colleges and universities. Pinnacol offers guaranteed workers' compensation insurance, and Republicans have argued that because the insurer's assets were funded by businesses paying premiums, the state should keep its hands off. [Attorney General John] Suthers, a Republican, clearly, agrees. The Pinnacol idea is dubious at best. It is a gimmick, a … [Read more...]

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Perlmutter Earmarks Ahoy!

Unfortunately, Congressman Ed Perlmutter is on the earmark bandwagon.  His requests for my hometown of Arvada were: $6,000,000 - Garrison St flood control $600,000 - Wadsworth Trail $1,400,000 - 56th Avenue bypass $2,600,000 - Clear Creek Overflow project These sound like fine projects that need funding, but they aren't a federal concern.  Instead of using federal funds in this way (raiding our savings accounts through inflation and our wallets through taxation), Ed Perlmutter should leave us to solve local issues locally. … [Read more...]