Every day is seeking to rise to the challenge, 'neath the shadow of the mighty Rockies.
Long-Term Union Membership Trends: Give Colo. Teachers Greater Choice
Last week the U.S. Department of Labor released new numbers showing that nationally union membership is on the decline. And not only in the private sector, which has been on a decades-long downward trajectory. Three years ago the nation crossed a historic threshold, as union members in private industry were outnumbered by their public sector counterparts for the first time ever. The 2012 decline also hit government, where budgetary and labor reforms in places like Wisconsin and Tennessee have taken hold. The inimitable Mike Antonucci, writing at the Education Intelligence Agency, picked apart the numbers to unravel 10 interesting observations, including this pair of gems:9) If the trends recorded since 2000 continue, by 2051 there will … [Read more...]
Jeffco School Board’s Paula Noonan Drives Into Unwelcome Spotlight… Again
Three of the five Board seats for Colorado's largest school district are up for grabs in 2013. One of them is just inviting a challenge. Jeffco school board director Paula Noonan made local headlines for displaying a serious bout of bad judgment:Jeffco school board member Paula Noonan was arrested during a traffic stop Jan. 8 when Denver police officers became aware of an outstanding warrant from a 2011 traffic ticket. Noonan's arrest was not the first occasion during the term of the school board's First Vice President in which she has drawn media scrutiny for irresponsible behavior. Local TV news covered her controversial 2010 Dakota Ridge High School commencement speech, with one parent describing it as "a rambling, self-absorbed … [Read more...]
It’s Election Time in Colorado! Recommendations, Predictions, and More….
It's election time. So why write multiple blog posts, when I can condense my state and local endorsements, recommendations, analyses and predictions into one? Exactly. Let's start with the obvious. For those who haven't had the opportunity to drive by our Arvada yard full of signs, here are most of the candidates we're supporting in 2012: For those who have questions about state and local ballot issues, as well as nonpartisan candidates and offices, check out my guide to the Colorado ballot 2012. I'll tackle predictions of the Presidential and Congressional races later on. For now I will offer up my humble prognostications for the Colorado state house and state senate. I have had neither the time nor the inclination to create … [Read more...]
One-Two Punch: Ads Leave a Mark on Democrat Ed Perlmutter’s Campaign
Colorado's 7th Congressional district, where I live, covers some of the swingin'-est swing state political geography in the nation. But only recently has incumbent Democrat Ed Perlmutter's vulnerability become truly apparent. Just this week the national experts at the Rothenberg Political Report upgraded the chances of Perlmutter's opponent and neighbor, likeable Republican businessman Joe Coors. And that was before a pair of devastating ads dropped this week on the incumbent. The first came directly from the Coors campaign, truthfully exposing a pair of disturbing Perlmutter legislative votes, including opposing a bill "that would have allowed children to testify via closed-circuit television when testifying against their abusers" … [Read more...]
Colorado Teachers Union Political Refund Opportunity Ends December 15
Last week I filmed a 14-minute segment with my boss at the Independence Institute, Jon Caldara, on his show Devil's Advocate. The topic for discussion was the timely news that members of the Colorado Education Association (CEA) have until tomorrow (December 15) to get back money automatically collected with their dues to support (almost completely one-sided) state and local political campaigns. As I often say, if you like how the union spends your money on politics, you have no reason to complain and absolutely nothing to do. But for those teachers who would rather support their own political causes, or use the money to pay for Christmas shopping or just save for a rainy day, then members need to be informed of their opportunity. One … [Read more...]
Colorado K-12 Election Roundup: Fiscal Restraint Beats Prop 103, Most Local Taxes; Reformers Win Key Races
Update, 11/2: One quick correction, as Englewood voters appear to have approved the construction bond / BEST grant, but turned down the mill levy override. Also, a great roundup of school board election results in El Paso County from the Gazette. From school board races to mill levy and bond measures, there are a number of issues pertaining to education in Colorado being decided this evening. Well known is the fate of the Proposition 103 "For the Children" tax hike -- which not only crashed and burned but also disintegrated in a ball of blue-hot flame (64% No vote at last count). Two out of three Denver Public Schools board seats went to the reform ticket, with a third between challenger Jennifer Draper-Carson and incumbent Arturo … [Read more...]
Colorado Child Stars Win Power Line 7th Place for Portraying Fiscal Abuse
As the ominous debt ceiling deadline approaches, the release of the winners of the Power Line Prize contest ("$100,000 will be awarded to whoever can most effectively and creatively dramatize the significance of the federal debt crisis") could not have been better timed. While prominent bloggers are helping the Power Line crew count down the top entries, I have a very special and personal attachment to the 7th place winner, released today: I'm heavily biased (take time to read the brief credits), so I'm really curious to see what six entries could have finished ahead of this "Fiscal Child Abuse" video masterpiece. Maybe the girls are so cute that they somehow downplay the gravity of the message? I don't buy it, but that's the only … [Read more...]
Nate Oakley Makes Case for Douglas County Colorado School Vouchers
In my official capacity at the Independence Institute, I helped to create this newly-released video (narration by Mary MacFarlane, editing and production by Justin Longo, consulting and oversight by Jon Caldara and Pam Benigno): As my juvenile alter ego at Ed Is Watching pointed out:...it’s a story like 13-year-old Nate Oakley’s that brings to life the need for Douglas County vouchers, and the real threat created by lawsuits filed by the ACLU and other groups. Find all the resources you'll need to follow the developments and ins-and-outs of the Douglas County Pilot Choice Scholarship Program on the Education Policy Center website. … [Read more...]
Ed Quillen’s Argument against Douglas County Vouchers Flunks U.S. History
In yesterday's Denver Post Perspective section, hoary-bearded columnist Ed Quillen further expounded on his ignorance of 19th century American history, with particular venom directed at the Douglas County Choice Scholarship program. Under the almost-witty headline of "Thou shalt smite vouchers" Quillen takes a leap of faith that goes something like this (I'd insert a direct quote or two but am not interested in attracting the costly legal animus of Righthaven): Leading 19th century American politician James Blaine had a Catholic mother; therefore The Blaine Amendment he crafted into the state constitutions of Colorado and numerous others were bastions of modern "secular" thought promoting the separation of church and state, as … [Read more...]
Memorial Day 2011
In honor of Memorial Day, here is a well-done, two-minute video produced a few years ago by my friends at the Evergreen Freedom Foundation: … [Read more...]
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