I asked before if Bill Ritter called the bluff of Big Labor with his veto of Senate Bill 180. If we're to judge by last Friday's union-organized rally, then Ritter made a mistake. To see what I mean, take a step over to Face The State's slideshow, and see signs like "Why does Ritter hate fire fighters?" and "Ritter lied to my dad" (or just Senator Lois Tochtrop's angry expression). Of course, Ritter didn't make a mistake from the standpoint of choosing good policy over bad policy. But he has made four mistakes surrounding this issue: Don't make promises you don't intend to keep. Backroom campaign promises can come back to burn you. As observed at ColoradoPols and demonstrated by the little girl's "Ritter lied to my dad" sign, … [Read more...]
Lessons: Unparallel Treatment of George Tiller & William Long Murders
No two events are perfectly parallel, but seldom are two such similar and terrible stories juxtaposed for our edification. Within 24 hours and within 500 miles from each other, two notable murders occurred -- both evil acts perpetrated in public by two different men, but both for apparent ideological reasons, both sudden and horribly unexpected events for the families and loved ones of the victims, both suspects quickly brought into custody. That's where the parallels end. What's most informative is some of the prominent responses to the two incidents: … [Read more...]
Ted Trimpa: Extortion Negotiator, Gill Adviser, “Educate the Idiots” Insider
Denver attorney Ted Trimpa is being touted as the great mediator, the great savior, in negotiating a compromise between business and labor to remove four anti-business initiatives from the ballot. Who's doing the touting? Why, the liberal Dead Governors blog, of course:For those of you who don't know about Hogan and Hartson's Ted Trimpa, well, you should. He's the one who brought this pact, the most unlikely partnership since Referendum C, together, helping reinforce his growing waterwalker mystique. It's also true that labor wasn't really looking forward to taking the blame for the potentially serious unintended consequences of a couple of these proposals. The infusion of cash to fight the anti-labor initiatives will help, as will the … [Read more...]
Vince Chowdhury Should Resign Both the School Board and House Race
There is an interesting contrast in two blog commentaries on the recent story of Vince Chowdhury, the Jefferson County Board of Education member and Democrat state house candidate who allegedly choked his daughter in a recent incident reported by The Columbine Courier. He denied the choking, but admitted to losing his temper and slapping her. In any case, Chowdhury was arrested for domestic violence. Denise at Colorado Charter Schools makes the adamant point that Vince Chowdhury should resign from the school board:Elected officials responsible for making decisions on behalf of children must adhere to high moral standards. They act on behalf of tens of thousands of children every day. Our children are too precious to have someone with … [Read more...]