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Home Archives for Ethical Standards initiative

10/3/2008 By Ben 1 Comment

I’m On KBDI Channel 12 Tonight to Discuss Colorado Amendment 49

Update: A trusted reader says you can also watch on Channel 23 in Colorado Springs. Update: I added a link to Michael's blog. Please tune in tonight at 7:30 PM to KBDI 12 (in the Denver metro area) for an important episode of Independent Thinking with host Jon Caldara. Guests Jefferson County teacher Michael Alcorn and I will discuss what Amendment 49, the Ethical Standards initiative, does, and the effects it has (and doesn't have) on teachers and other public employees. For those of you heading out to theaters to catch the premiere of An American Carol, please don't forget to set your TiVo or VCR to record. But in case you forget, the episode is scheduled to re-air next Tuesday, October 7, at 5:00 PM on KBDI. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, My Life Tagged With: Amendment 49, An American Carol, Ethical Standards initiative, Independent Thinking, Jefferson County, Jon Caldara, KBDI Channel 12, Michael Alcorn, premiere, public employees, record, teacher, teachers, TiVo, VCR

9/29/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Jon Caldara and Denver Post Agree on Amendment 49: Stop the Presses!

As of today, the Denver Post becomes the fifth major Colorado newspaper to line up in support of Amendment 49, the Ethical Standards initiative (H/T Ethical Standards). One line from the Post's lead editorial shows how truly remarkable a development this endorsement of Amendment 49 is:It prevents state and local governments from collecting dues for labor unions or other groups that use such funds to elect or lobby the very public officials who hire them and set their salaries and benefits. It's a modest but important ethical rule that will help keep partisan politics, with its echo of the 19th century "spoils system," out of the merit systems that regulate most state and local government jobs. We usually don't agree with the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: Amendment 49, bipartitsanship, cats, consensus, Denver Post, Detroit Lions, dogs, endorsement, Ethical Standards initiative, Independence Institute, Jon Caldara, lead editorial, remarkable development, Super Bowl, world peace

9/22/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Sorry, David: Even the Strongest Case Against Amendment 49 is Very Weak

Rank liberal blogger David Thielen among the confused and misinformed about Amendment 49. Now David and I have a cordial relationship, so the misinformation and illogic in his attack on Amendment 49 deserve a cordial response. First, though, I have to say David did the most admirable job I have yet seen in trying to argue against the Ethical Standards Initiative. His case is miles ahead of the deception and hypocrisy in the well-heeled opposition Protect Colorado's Culture of Corruption Future. Nevertheless, David still comes up short. His primary problem is rooted in the fact that he thinks Amendment 49 somehow will affect the Colorado Labor Peace Act. Simply put, it doesn't. (Read the ballot language for yourself.) Even so, David … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor Tagged With: Amendment 49, assumptions, attack, automatic payroll deduction, Best Destiny, Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, Colorado voters, confused, cordial, David Thielen, deception, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, dues collection, endorsements, Ethical Standards initiative, hypocrisy, illogic, Labor Peace Act, labor unions, liberal blogger, liberal fallacy, lobbying organizations, membership, middleman, misinformation, motives, political groups, professional associations, Protect Colorado's Future, Public employee unions, public school employee, representation, well-heeled opposition

9/18/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Rocky Mountain News Supports Amendment 49 for Basic “Fairness”

The editors of the Rocky Mountain News slam the deception of Protect Colorado's Future (previously covered here and here), and give a major thumbs up to Amendment 49 on Colorado's ballot:As you may have guessed, we support Amendment 49 - just as we previously supported various versions of this policy at the local level. It would block state and local government agencies from deducting dues or fees from employee paychecks for unions or other membership groups.... The free deduction and collection of dues is a special benefit denied to most other worthy civic organizations. Should Amendment 49 pass, unions and other organizations benefiting from free collections would simply share the same fundraising challenges that other groups … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, My Life, World Events Tagged With: Amendment 49, Arapahoe County, automatic withdrawals, basic fairness, Bill Owens, civic organizations, Colorado ballot, Colorado Springs Gazette, community leaders, deception, Douglas County, dues deductions, editorial, employee paychecks, Ethical Standards initiative, free collections, fundraising, Grand Junction Sentinel, Hank Brown, local version, persuasive, private banking, professional organizations, Protect Colorado's Future, Pueblo Chieftain, retirement contributions, Rocky Mountain News

9/9/2008 By Ben 3 Comments

Hypocritical Attacks from Opponents of Amendment 49 and Amendment 54

No doubt the political season is upon us, and the hypocrisy of large special interest groups is on display. Nowhere is this more true in our state than with the political group Protect Colorado's Future. Their spokesman said in an interview last week with Channel 7:"When you have these out-of-state, or narrow corporate interests trying to divide Coloradans, it's bad for all Colorado," said Jess Knox, wearing a pin that says, "No on 47, 49 and 54." So Protect Colorado's Future wants to make a big deal out of "out-of-state" campaign funds? Well, as Face The State points out today:It’s no secret that out-of-state money is flooding Colorado from both sides. In the unions’ case, the out-of state money is coming from the pockets of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor Tagged With: 9News, Amendment 47, Amendment 49, Amendment 54, ballot fight, CBS4Denver, Channel 7, clean government, Colorado, deceptive advertising, Ethical Standards, Ethical Standards initiative, Face the State, hypocrisy, Independence Institute, Jess Knox, lobbyists, narrow interests, no-bid contracts, out-of-state, political season, power, privilege, Protect Colorado's Future, right-to-work, special interest groups, spokesman, Truth Test, union workers, worker freedom

9/4/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

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...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General Tagged With: Amendment 49, bookkeeping, campaign contributions, clean government, Colorado, conflict of interest, Ethical Standards initiative, Independence Institute, initiative, Jon Caldara, payroll deductions, Peter Blake, Rocky Mountain News, special interests, statewide ballot, union dues

8/16/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Hank Brown on Video: “Amendment 49 Keeps Lobbyists in Line”

Earlier I linked to the audio of former Governor Bill Owens and former U.S. Senator Hank Brown giving their endorsements of Amendment 49, Colorado's Ethical Standards initiative. Compliments of Ethical Standards Now, here is a longer version of the Hank Brown Amendment 49 radio ad set to YouTube video - "Amendment 49 keeps lobbyists in line": (Full disclosure: I also happen to work for the Independence Institute, which has provided the intellectual ammunition behind Ethical Standards.) … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General Tagged With: Amendment 49, Amendment 49 keeps lobbyists in line, Bill Owens, Colorado, endorsement, Ethical Standards initiative, Ethical Standards Now, Hank Brown, Independence Institute, YouTube

7/18/2008 By Ben 1 Comment

Protect Colorado’s Future Fails 9News Truth Test, Brands Itself as Deceptive

It's still early in the campaign cycle, but the political group known as Protect Colorado's Future has already hung the banner of "Liar" around its neck. It's hard to see how much more credibility the group will have as the election season heats up. Protect Colorado's Future is overwhelmingly funded by a coalition of labor unions. The commercial it aired is designed to attack Right to Work (Amendment 47) and two initiatives that have yet to be certified on the ballot. In the interest of full disclosure, one initiative (#53), aka Ethical Standards - designed to "prevent public payroll systems from collecting and bundling money to special interest groups that hire lobbyists and make campaign contributions" - has been supported by research … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor Tagged With: 9News, background checks, Bill Ritter, deception, Denver Daily News, Denver Post, Ethical Standards initiative, fraud, government contracting reform, hypocrisy, Initiative 59, Jon Caldara, lying, minimum wage amendment, Nancy Spence, Protect Colorado's Future, right-to-work, Rocky Mountain News, television ad, The Colorado Index, Tom Lucero, Truth Test, union thuggery

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Ben DeGrow
Grateful and growing Christian, devoted husband and father of 3, public policy analyst, returned to Michigan by way of Colorado, conservative writer, lifelong learner, Detroit Tigers fan.

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