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...]
Tune in Sunday to Hear the Lovely Mrs. Virtus Discuss Homeschooling
It's not often I get to sing the praises of the lovely Mrs. Virtus here on my blog. But hopefully this atones a bit for previous shortcomings. Tune in to Backbone America with John Andrews this Sunday, April 5, during the 5:00 PM (local Mountain Time) hour -- around 5:20, to be precise -- to hear an interview with the lovely Mrs. Virtus on homeschooling and parental rights. You can hear it live streaming on the 710 KNUS website. The lovely Mrs. Virtus (better known to many as Marya) will discuss her new in-depth report Colorado’s Homeschool Law Turns Twenty (PDF) - a true call to vigilance for homeschoolers and other supporters of educational freedom - as well as her experiences at Homeschool Day at the Capitol. If you can't wait … [Read more...]
State Senate Candidate Libby Szabo Hits Local Airwaves on Energy
My friend Libby Szabo - candidate for State Senate from Arvada, Colorado - is the subject of a new television ad created by the Senate Majority Fund: A "can-do attitude" is one of the truest descriptions of Libby Szabo that I know -- and a real contrast with her opponent's can't-do attitude when it comes to parents who choose homeschooling. … [Read more...]
Does Evie Hudak Still Hold Prejudiced and False View of Homeschooling?
One of Colorado's top state legislative races this year - a very high target on the state Republican party's list of potential takeovers - is Senate District 19 in north Jefferson County. The race pits Republican businesswoman Libby Szabo against liberal union activist and state school board member Evie Hudak. Evie Hudak's perceived strength in this race is the education issue, but if a 1999 commentary she wrote for the Denver Post gives any evidence, she holds a narrow, prejudiced, and uninformed view of one major type of education chosen by parents: homeschooling. Here are some excerpts: … [Read more...]
Liberal Activist Judge Threatens to Criminalize Homeschool Parents
Update: Richie D at exvigilare has more Out in California, an activist judge has all but put the kibosh on educational freedom - apparently generating law from whole cloth that says parents who school at home have to be credentialed by the state. At least a higher court will have something to say about it:A "breathtaking" ruling from a California appeals court that could subject the parents of 166,000 students in the state to criminal sanctions will be taken to the state Supreme Court. The announcement comes today from the Pacific Justice Institute, whose president, Brad Dacus, described the impact of the decision as "stunning." "The scope of this decision by the appellate court is breathtaking," he said. "It not only attacks … [Read more...]
School Choice for Kids Website
I have been remiss in not blogging about this sooner, but many of my readers probably aren't aware of an innovative new website created by the Independence Institute (full disclosure: where I work), a website created and maintained in part by a lot of intensive labor from my own Mrs. Virtus. If you are a parent of school-age children in Colorado, nor if you care at all about education reform, please pay attention. You can watch this 28-minute video recently aired on Colorado public television to learn more about the School Choice for Kids website (and/or read about some of the site's features below): Add to My Profile | More Videos The School Choice for Kids site contains significant information about every public school in … [Read more...]