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Home Archives for Jon Caldara

5/13/2009 By Ben 7 Comments

Breaking: Jeffco Teachers Union Calls for Impasse over Pay Dispute

Developing story... Last night the board of the Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA)( (Colorado's largest local teachers union and an affiliate of the Colorado Education Association) voted to declare an impasse in negotiations over renewing the collective bargaining contract with Jeffco Public Schools for the 2009-10 school year. This morning JCEA notified the school district of its decision. According to the school district, the core of the dispute revolves around a proposed compensation agreement to address relative funding shortages during the current economic downturn. Under this plan, teachers would continue to receive their automatic steps and levels for acquiring seniority and credit hours. The plan rejected by JCEA … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, Fiscal Policy, General, Labor, My Life, PPC Tagged With: 2007, 2009-10, 2009-2010, acquiring, action, additional, agreement, analysis, arbitrators, automatic, backgrounder, bill, board, bonus, budget projections, carefully, Collective Bargaining, Colorado, Colorado Education Association, compensation, Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, contention, contract, controversial, core, credit hours, current, decision, declare, developing, dig deeper, dispute, district officials, doubtless, economic downturn, emerge, eminently, expenditures, extra, fair, financial status, footing, funding, grievance, hard times, harmful, healthy, higher pay, impasse, increase, Independence Institute, interested parties, iVoices, JCEA, Jeffco Public Schools, Jefferson County Education Association, job protection, Jon Caldara, listen, mediation, negotiations, no work no pay, notified, occur, offer, official timetable, paid days, permanent, podcast, point, probationary period, probationary teachers, process, proposed, qualified, rejected, relative, report, reserve fund, reserved, seniority, shortages, sides, specify, stance, state funds, stay tuned, steps and levels, story, strike, substantive, taxpayers, teachers, teachers union, tenure, terms, threats, unfold, union leaders, used

4/25/2009 By Ben 4 Comments

A ‘Nonpartisan’ Reason to Challenge California Anti-Taxpayer Media Bias

It's quite often the subtle bias in the dominant liberal media that can make a significant difference. Witness yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle piece on a California ballot initiative to impose tax-and-spending limitations on state government. Writer John Wildermuth quotes from two Colorado sources to establish views on our own state's experience with the stronger Taxpayer's Bill of Rights limit (emphases added):"Nobody disagrees that (the cap) kept government spending lower," said Carol Hedges, a senior fiscal analyst for the nonpartisan Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, which opposes the state's budget cap. "But supporters don't like to talk about the human cost of keeping government smaller."... Across the nation, anti-tax … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, media bias, PPC, Random and Miscellaneous Tagged With: accurate, adjective, anti-tax advocates, argue, ballot initiative, budget cap, California, Carol Hedges, Colorado, Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, conclusion, credibility, degree, Democratic, descriptor, difference, dominant liberal media, downhill, establish, experience, fiscal analyst, fiscal conservatives, free market, full disclosure, Independence Institute, John Wildermuth, Jon Caldara, machine, misleading, newspapers, nonpartisan, objective, out of business, outsourced arm, predetermined, President, primary source, progressive, quotes, rolls, San Francisco Chronicle, significant, sources, story, subtle bias, tax-and-spending limit, Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, technical sense, think tank, undeserved, views, writer

3/17/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Jon Caldara Comments on Colorado Supremes’ Anti-Taxpayer Ruling

My thoughts are here. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, Judiciary, liberty Tagged With: Colorado Supreme Court, Jon Caldara, Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, video, YouTube

2/20/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Don Marostica Apologizes – Still Not the Vanguard of a Brave, New GOP Future

State representative Don Marostica reportedly has apologized for yesterday's bizarre comment that Mark Hillman, Jon Caldara, and other fiscally conservative Colorado leaders are "losers" and "has-beens". The apology was a public sign of good behavior and good taste, and perhaps a political necessity. In light of new developments, I conducted a follow-up ad hoc poll: "Are you clamoring to support Republican leaders who want to remove sensible limits on government growth, no matter how apologetic they may be for rudely calling names of those who disagree with them?" Once again, completely silent. One respondent scratched his forehead, but insisted on clarifying he was not raising his hand as a Yes. Don Marostica can go his own way if … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, PPC Tagged With: apologized, bizarre comment, brand, Colorado, complete silence, Don Marostica, fiscal responsibility, fiscally conservative, good behavior, good taste, has-beens, informal poll, Jon Caldara, limited government, losers, Mark Hillman, political necessity, public sign, Republicans, state representative

2/16/2009 By Ben 2 Comments

Come Roast a Pig – and the Porkulus Bill – Tomorrow at the State Capitol

You don't want to miss this! From a note just sent out by the Independence Institute's Jon Caldara:President Obama is flying his corporate jet to Denver to sign a bill putting my children into debt. I want to give him a proper mile high welcome. The Independence Institute, along with Americans for Prosperity and other groups promoting sanity, are organizing a protest tomorrow, Tuesday, at noon at the west steps of the state capitol, and I hope you'll be there. We'll have over-sized checks you can sign to show your family's $30,000 commitment to the bill. I'll be joined by Michelle Malkin, Mike Coffman, Bob Beauprez, Jim Pfaff from AFP and many others. I'm not usually one for public protests, because like so many on our side, I have a day … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christianity and Faith, clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, Labor, My Life, National Politics, PPC Tagged With: alternative, Americans for Prosperity, Amy Oliver, Barack Obama, Bob Beauprez, children, comments, commitment, corporate jet, day job, debt, Denver, Family, hell no, huge push, Independence Institute, Jim Pfaff, Jon Caldara, kosher, Michelle Malkin, Mike Coffman, Mile High, Night Twister, on the record, over-sized checks, Peoples Press Collective, pertinent, pork roast, President, protest, sanity, Slapstick Politics, slippery slope, socialism, State Capitol, world

1/20/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

iVoices: What the $632 Million in State Budget Cuts Actually Represents

More than once I've discussed the $632 million or so in state budget cuts being proposed in these rough economic times. But it's important to note what this figure represents (the drop-off from projected spending) and what it does not (the amount of actual reduction in spending from the previous year). On this iVoices podcast, the Independence Institute's Penn Pfiffner explains with host Jon Caldara: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General Tagged With: actual reduction, figure, Independence Institute, iVoices, Jon Caldara, Penn Pfiffner, podcast, previous year, projected spending, rough economic times, state budget cuts

11/14/2008 By Ben 2 Comments

Founders’ Night 2008: Michelle Malkin Charges Colorado’s Freedom-Fighters

Update: The Daily Blogster and Face The State have more. Last night, at the Independence Institute's 24th Annual Founders' Night Dinner, conservatives and libertarians didn't waste much time moping. Sure, Mike Rosen's election commentary was a bit more sobering than usual. But with Jon Caldara as emcee - and receiving recognition for 10 years as Independence Institute president, a tenure he hopes to continue with his self-professed "lack of marketable skills" - it was hard to get too down. Fred Holden, longtime hard-working and outspoken advocate for liberty and author of Total Power of ONE in America, won the Vern Bickel Award for Grassroots Leadership. This was certainly a well-deserved honor. The inspiring and energetic … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, Colorado Politics, General, My Life Tagged With: advocate, Beltway, blogosphere, Colorado, Colorado bloggers, community, conservatives, David D'Evelyn Award, dinner, educational opportunity, El Presidente, election commentary, entrepreneur, first-generation American, Founders Night, Fred Holden, freedom-fighters, Grassroots Leadership, highest honor, Independence Institute, Jon Caldara, Joshua Sharf, keynote speaker, libertarians, liberty, Michelle Malkin, Mike Rosen, Mr. Bob, President, principles of liberty, resident, Rossputin, Seeme Hasan, sobering, Total Power of One in America, Vern Bickel Award, warm welcome

10/31/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

Well-Heeled Union Lobbyists Flout Law to Oppose Ethical Standards

The Rocky Mountain News reports on a complaint filed yesterday by Amendment 49 supporters:Backers of Amendment 49, which would prohibit union dues from being deducted from public payrolls, have filed a complaint with the Colorado secretary of state alleging that an opposing group failed to disclose its intention to campaign against them. Instead, Coloradans For Middle Class Relief states in its registration with the secretary of state that it would campaign against Amendment 47, according to the complaint by Jon Caldara, president of the Independence Institute and author of Amendment 49. But Caldara said Coloradans For Middle Class Relief has sent out fliers on other ballot measures as well, including Amendments 49 and 54. The Denver … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor Tagged With: Amendment 47, Amendment 49, campaign laws, Coloradans for Middle Class Relief, complaint, Denver Post, Ethical Standards, fair hearing, flout law, flyers, forgiveness, government collection service, illegal, Independence Institute, initiatives, issue committees, Jon Caldara, level playing field, no comment, political power, registered, right-to-work, Rocky Mountain News, Secretary of State, special interest group, supporters, truth, union dues, union lobbyists

10/28/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

State Should Charge Protect Colorado’s Future with Extortion Processing Fee

The Rocky Mountain News Stump blog reports:Colorado spent more than $200,000 in printing costs and extra postage this fall because the deadline for withdrawing ballot measures comes too close to Election Day, according to a study from the University of Denver. Amendments 53, 55, 56 and 57 were withdrawn by labor groups by an Oct. 2 deadline. But it was too late to keep them off the printed ballot. DU's Center for Colorado's Economic Future offered some advice for the state legislature: rethink the law that allows ballot initiatives to be pulled as late as 33 days before the election. Changing the law on the withdrawal deadline may not be a bad idea, but here's an even better one. Seeing as how Protect Colorado's Culture of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor Tagged With: Amendment 53, Amendment 55, Amendment 56, Amendment 57, ballot initiatives, ballot measures, ballot scam bill, bid, business leaders, Center for Colorado's Economic Future, Colorado, Election Day, extortion, extra postage, hostage, Jon Caldara, labor groups, printing costs, processing fee, Protect Colorado's Future, Rocky Mountain News, sock puppets, state legislature, Stump blog, University of Denver, withdrawal deadline, withdrawing

10/21/2008 By Ben 1 Comment

My Shameless Boss Sells His Used Socks on Ebay (for a Good Cause)

There's something you ought to know about my boss Jon Caldara: He is perfectly comfortable with shameless attention-grabbing. Did you see the "Amendment 49 - Ivory Tower Explanation" sock puppet video? Well, now the sock puppets make an encore appearance: A bid for the used socks (ew!) on Ebay goes to fund the Amendment 49 campaign. You all can do better than $14.08 (the current bid). For the sakes of the poor sock puppets, please.... … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General Tagged With: Amendment 49, attention-grabbing, campaign, Ebay, encore, Ethical Standards, Ivory Tower, Jon Caldara, shameless, sock puppets, used socks, YouTube

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About Me

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.

Recent Posts

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