As the Grand Junction Sentinel reports today, the day of reckoning draws closer for Colorado Governor Bill Ritter to decide on the bad policy that is SB 180 -- a costly favor to Big Labor. The Sentinel today also editorializes strongly against SB 180 -- using many of the same arguments I've brought forward before, and even one I haven't really emphasized:Strikes would be prohibited under the legislation, but there are no sanctions listed in the bill for those who violate the provision. Now it would seem that Bill Ritter has an opportunity to start mending fences with folks on the Western Slope, where his popularity is low and heckling is a common greeting for him, by vetoing SB 180. He could listen to Grand Junction mayor Bruce Hill, … [Read more...]
Is Democrat Jack Pommer Just Screwing Up a Lot of Paperwork Again?
Face The State has the details about the Boulder Democrat:On the April 16 report, [state representative Jack] Pommer lists campaign contributions from registered lobbyists and special interest groups made on February 5. The date is significant, as it falls exactly a month into the legislative session. Under Colorado campaign finance law, it is illegal for lobbyists or special interest groups that lobby to give or solicit money for the campaigns of state office-holders while the legislature is in session. "The way the law reads, it says lobbyists shall not give," said Rich Coolidge, spokesman for the Secretary of State. "The burden falls on the lobbyist." Lobbyist contributions came from Jane Urschel of the Colorado Association of … [Read more...]
Senate Bill 57 School Transparency Defeated But Not Forgotten
It's been a full week since the establishment education lobby and Democrats on the House Education Committee teamed up to kill the spending transparency in Colorado's Senate Bill 57. Amazingly, this little bill that (almost) could in our Colorado state legislature is still making national waves. From an essay written by Paul Miller and published today by American Thinker:This past week in Colorado, Senate Bill 57, also called the Public School Financial Transparency Act, which simply require public school districts to put their spending online, died in committee. How could any responsible public official forbid parents from seeing how their tax-dollars are spent educating their children? The answer to that question is simple: … [Read more...]
Growing Labor Clout Puts Michael Bennet in Bind Over Card-Check Bill
The first big line in the sand this year for Colorado's selected U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and not-so-senior partner Mark Udall was the vote in favor of the massive federal spending (so-called "stimulus") bill. Next on the docket is the poorly-named Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which would take away employee secret ballots in workplace election and impose costly binding arbitration procedures. … [Read more...]
More Lies Attacking Colorado’s Amendment 47, Amendment 54
Face The State has a great story on a forum hosted by Lefty non-profit groups to "educate" about various initiatives on Colorado's fall ballot. As reported, a spokesman for the well-heeled group Protect Colorado's Future lied directly to the audience about two initiatives his group opposes. First, he deceived attendees about the effects of Amendment 47, the Right-to-Work initiative:“In places where they’ve been successful in passing these laws in other states, there is data that has shown workers make about $5,000 less per year and infant mortality is actually 21 percent higher,†said [spokesman Daniel] Klawitter on Amendment 47, the right-to-work measure. But Kelley Harp, spokesman for the Amendment 47 campaign, questioned … [Read more...]
Peter Blake Chronicles Amendment 49 for the Rocky Mountain News
Peter Blake yesterday wrote a great Rocky Mountain News column about one of the major initiatives on Colorado's statewide November ballot - Amendment 49:As [Jon] Caldara, head of the Independence Institute, likes to put it, government would no longer be able to act as "the bagman for political special interests."... No doubt passage of No. 49 would make it more difficult for unions to collect dues. But Caldara said that in the age of automatic bank transfers, union members can easily arrange to have dues deducted if they want. "Taxpayers don't have to be on the hook for doing the accounting, the bookkeeping and collection work for special interests and their lobbyists." Caldara maintains it's a conflict of interest for, say, school … [Read more...]
Libby Szabo is a Legislative Candidate Worthy of Conservative Support
Face The State yesterday featured a campaign money breakdown for what figures to be Colorado's hottest state legislative race - and quite possibly a bellwether for others across the state - and that's Senate District 19:In Jefferson County's closely contested Senate District 19, Democrat Evie Hudak has started raking in union cash, while Republican Libby Szabo has seen her large-donor support come mostly from pro-business organizations and the state's energy providers. Libby Szabo is a personal friend and a common sense conservative with plenty of real-world experience in raising a family and running a business. Unfortunately, I live just outside her district and can't vote for Libby. But I'm glad to commend her to readers, especially … [Read more...]