As Barack Obama nears 100 days in office, major newspapers take notice. Yet what a difference a turn of the phrase makes. First, Michael Riley leads off his "Potent voice of change" on the front page of today's Denver Post:One hundred days into his administration — forced by events and prodded by his own driving leadership style — Barack Obama has brought change to Washington that is bigger, bolder and far more risky than anything he articulated in his historic campaign. What's another way of saying that? Let's ask the editors of the Washington Times:Perplexed about complaints over Mr. Obama's expansion of government, Newsweek editor Jon Meacham asked: "does no one listen during campaigns?" It was these pundits who weren't … [Read more...]
Months Later, Michael Bennet Still Vacillating Over Union Card-Check Bill
More than two months ago I noted that the union card-check bill had put newly selected U.S. Senator Michael Bennet in a bind. Three weeks ago I observed that Bennet might be finding relief in the fading prospects of the legislation. But Big Labor proponents haven't backed down, and business leaders are in the fight for the duration. So where does that leave Michael Bennet? As indecisive as ever, reports the Denver Post:"The issue is an important issue. We have lots of important issues," he said. "I'm in a much better position to be helpful to a constructive conversation by not having taken a position on the existing language in the legislation than I would be if I had." I wasn't sure what to expect when Governor Bill Ritter … [Read more...]
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...]
Which Party Will Miss Peter Groff as Senate President More: GOP or Dems?
It seems almost certain that Democrat Senate President Peter Groff has tried to remain mum about the news of his impending departure to join the Obama administration in Washington to avoid distraction from an especially difficult budget process in the state legislature this year. But the cat's out of the bag now. Kind, classy words in the Denver Post from the Republican opposition:"Washington's gain is our loss," said Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray.... "I hope that President Obama gives him a job with a lot of power in the Department of Education," said Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction. It's hard to say which party will miss him more at the helm of the state senate in 2010. For Republicans, he's a strong ally on … [Read more...]
RMA Blog Talk Radio Solo Hosting Stint: Helpful and Humorous Links
Last night I was honored to host Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio by myself. I was blessed to have three great conversations - including an update on the Fort Collins city council elections with Randy Ketner, a discussion on a range of fiscal issues with prospective state treasurer candidate J.J. Ament, and 12 minutes with my wife and Independence Institute colleague, the lovely Mrs. Virtus, to talk about parental rights and homeschooling freedoms. A rank amateur flying solo by the seat of my pants, I filled in the rest of the time with a monologue referencing several stories. Here are the links for anyone who is interested: Vince Carroll's excellent "Blowing the lid off TABOR" column in yesterday's Denver Post -- which Ament … [Read more...]
Undeterred by Plain Reading of Constitution, State Supremes Stick It to Colorado Taxpayers
Update, 3/17: Law student Constructively Reasonable says the decision is a cause for "outrage". A watcher says Colorado may not as well even have a constitution. The Colorado Supreme Court has done it again, showing its disdain for taxpayer protections in the state constitution. From the majority opinion:When it issued its declaratory judgment order, the district court did not have the benefit of our recent decision in Barber v. Ritter, 196 P.3d 238 (Colo. 2008), in which we held that a statute challenged under article X, section 20 must be proven to be unconstitutional beyond a reasonable doubt. The trial court erroneously held that the relevant test of SB 07-199s constitutionality came from the interpretive guideline included in the … [Read more...]
Colorado Well Represented Among Top Conservative Columnists
It seems Colorado's own David Harsanyi is getting some national attention for his column-writing talents. Witness "The 30 Best Conservative Columnists for 2009" list compiled by John Hawkins of Right Wing News. David breaks in at number 22. Yes, David is a native New Yorker and not really from Colorado. (Then again, few of us really are from Colorado.) But he's certainly made a name for himself while on the editorial board of the surviving Denver Post. Some of us even can say we knew him "when". You can find his columns here and his blog contributions here. Of course, Michelle Malkin - who regularly graces the lists of top conservative columnists and comes in at number 7 on the latest - is officially a Coloradan as of last … [Read more...]
Poor Timing of FasTracks Tax Announcement Only Tip of Iceberg
It's kind of surreal to find these two headlines in the same edition of the Denver Post: Colo. jobless at 21-year high: "The unemployment rate hasn't been this high since April 1988, when it was at 6.7 percent. It is also higher than the 6.3 percent rate reached during the depths of the dot-com bust from 2001 to 2003." Doubling FasTracks sales tax gets nod: "On Wednesday, a majority of the Metro Mayors Caucus tentatively approved a plan to salvage FasTracks by asking voters for another 0.4 percent sales tax. The mayors, hoping to see the entire $6.9 billion expansion finished by 2017, are gambling that voters will maintain support for the project despite higher costs and some of the weakest economic conditions in the past … [Read more...]
Forget Stem Cell Ethics Debate, What About Diana DeGette’s Political Career?
This morning you can read the Denver Post's glowing "DeGette relishes stem-cell research triumph" by Michael Riley - in which the only dilemma is not the ethics of harvesting cells from dead unborn babies (or now, thanks to President Obama, spending taxpayer money to do so) but to what extent Denver's liberal Congresswoman will have a successful political career now that her pet issue has been passed into law. Or, if you actually want a thoughtful and critical approach to the issue, you can go back and refresh yourself with Yuval Levin's masterful deconstruction of Diana DeGette's book Sex, Science, and Stem Cells (H/T David Harsanyi). I hope that the Post isn't trying to imply from Riley's article today that the ethical debate … [Read more...]
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