Face the State has the skinny on "Colorado WINS" union bosses acting like they own state government property:An executive order, signed by Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, last November, empowered unions to serve as “exclusive representatives†of state employees for the purposes of forming “employee partnerships.†Days after the order, a coalition of three major unions – CAPE-SEIU, AFSCME, and the American Federation of Teachers – announced a cooperative agreement to organize state workers under the name "Colorado WINS." After hearing from state employees that Colorado WINS is aggressively trying to organize an election, Face The State attempted to attend an on-site meeting between the union and state employees. Face The State … [Read more...]
Benigno on Governor’s Reform
My close Independence Institute colleague Pam Benigno was interviewed by Denver's Channel 7 for a story aired last night about Gov. Bill Ritter's sweeping new education reform plan. You can go here to read the story and watch the video. … [Read more...]
High-Ranking Democrat: Property Tax Hike Not Just for Schools
One year ago today, Gov. Bill Ritter announced his "Children's Amendment," which ended up passing as part of the 2007 School Finance Act - effectively raising property taxes on homes and businesses without a constitutional vote of the people. Now comes the revelation from a high-ranking member of Ritter's own Democratic Party: The money generated from the tax hike isn't just to fund schools. The chairman of the powerful Joint Budget Committee has acknowledged on the record that a sweeping statewide property-tax hike pushed through last year by his fellow Democrats will subsidize new social programs--not just schools, as originally promised. Democrat Bernie Buescher, of Grand Junction, said in a JBC meeting this week that some of the … [Read more...]
Without Republican Support, Car Fee Hike One Too Many for Ritter
This morning the Denver Post reports that Gov. Bill Ritter is dropping the "hot potato" that would have hit all Colorado families with another $100 in vehicle registration fees. Of course, it's important to note that it was Ritter who took the potato out of the oven after it had been thoroughly cooked by his blue ribbon commission. Seems the governor was unable to get a single Republican in the legislature to sign on to "the bait and switch con game." Kudos to the Republicans for showing some taxpayer-friendly backbone on this one. Meanwhile, the fact that Ritter is unwilling to push his fee hike forward without a Republican co-sponsor shows just how scared Democratic leaders are of being recognized as the party of tax … [Read more...]
Dems Push Forward “Wet Noodle” Anti-Strike Legislation
A bill that would ban strikes for Colorado state workers passed a Senate committee yesterday, reports the Denver Post - all unleashed by the stroke of Gov. Bill Ritter's pen. Today's article omits the significant detail, so it's incumbent upon this blogger to remind you that the Democrat proposal is weak and ineffectual. Colorado Senate News features the best commentary on the bill:"Obviously, this bill wouldn't have been introduced at all if Republicans hadn't urged the governor to do the right thing and assure taxpayers their vital public services wouldn't be jeopardized by the threat of a strike," the GOP's Sen. Bill Cadman, of Colorado Springs, said after the committee vote. "Unfortunately, what we got from the governor and his … [Read more...]
Here’s Your Chance to Hear the Scoop on Unions in Colorado
If you missed my live online radio interview earlier today on Gov. Ritter and Colorado union issues, you can still listen to the show. The one-hour edition of RighTalk radio's "Leave Us Alone" program will replay every hour up to noon local time tomorrow (Thursday, February 21). So you can head over now to RighTalk and hear what you missed. I'm on from about 5 minutes past the hour to 42 minutes past the hour. Enjoy! … [Read more...]
Global Cooling?
Remember, you (may have) read it here first. Where is this highly credible and significant news reported in American media outlets?:NEW evidence has cast doubt on claims that the world’s ice-caps are melting, it emerged last night. Satellite data shows that concerns over the levels of sea ice may have been premature. It was feared that the polar caps were vanishing because of the effects of global warming. But figures from the respected US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show that almost all the “lost†ice has come back. Ice levels which had shrunk from 13million sq km in January 2007 to just four million in October, are almost back to their original levels. Figures show that there is nearly a third more … [Read more...]
Getting the Whole Story Behind Ritter’s Climate Action Plan
The story behind Gov. Ritter's Climate Action Plan? A Face the State report today says there's more than meets the eye. Here's the heart of it:[Climate Strategies Watch director Paul] Chesser said his research has shown that a CCS-created template ends up pushing the same costly policy agenda in most or all the different states in which it has operated. Its prescriptions regularly include carbon taxes, cap-and-trade regulations, and renewable energy mandates.“The whole stakeholder process has been granted a credibility that it does not deserve,†he said. “It’s a fixed process created, controlled, and run by CCS, and funded by global warming alarmist advocates, which calls everything it does into question.†In addition to … [Read more...]
Date Set for Tax Hike Suit Showdown
Face the State has the latest on the court case requesting a vote of the people on Gov. Bill Ritter's statewide property tax increase:The State Board of Education, claiming that CDE is the wrong agency to be targeted, has asked the court to be removed as a defendant. Meanwhile, Ritter has sought to intervene as defendant. A Denver District Court hearing has been set for May 5. State Board of Education member Bob Schaffer, R-Fort Collins, believes Ritter has a lot at stake in the courts’ pending decision, having approved a property tax hike over the objections of the state’s attorney general. “He has a clear interest in proving the attorney general wrong,†said Schaffer. “While the massive tax increase bill was passing, the … [Read more...]
Meet the CAGEUG
My creative (and apparently not-too-busy) colleagues at the Independence Institute put together this fun little (less than 2-minute) YouTube video to highlight some recent revelations following Gov. Ritter's executive order: How accurate is this parody? You can find the original story here. … [Read more...]