This is one in a series of daily posts I conceived of writing many weeks ago while the election still raged on, as I looked for something to write about of more lasting value. The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving seemed perfectly appropriate for it. Just in case you wondered, the topics introduced are not necessarily in any particular order. I hope the series is of some small encouragement to you, even as my site traffic takes a dive. Don't worry. The purpose of this post is not to attempt to seek a definition of "Friendship" or to categorize the different varieties and permutations of friends I have, as Joseph Epstein sought to do. Instead, I just wanted to briefly and publicly state my gratitude for the friends I have gained … [Read more...]
Front Range County Sheriffs Refute Campaign Lies against Amendment 49
Readers of this blog are now well familiar with the orchestrated deception by a group called Protect Colorado's Future (PCF) against Amendment 49, the Ethical Standards initiative. In addition to numerous Colorado newspaper editorial boards, respected public figures like former U.S. Senator Hank Brown and former state treasurer Mark Hillman have refuted the lies. Many of PCF's false claims center around purported negative effects on the ability of law enforcement and public safety workers to do their jobs. Who better to refute the lies than respected law enforcement officials whose jurisdictions already have an Ethical Standards policy in place? In today's Denver Post, three Colorado county sheriffs took their turn at batting down the … [Read more...]
Sen. Ken Salazar Repeats Discredited Anti-Amendment 49 Talking Point
Colorado U.S. Senator Ken Salazar made the mistake of letting his name appear on a letter recently published in the Fort Morgan Times, a letter that repeats at least one special interest group lie:Amendment 49 targets public employees, including law enforcement officials, fire fighters and teachers, who provide vital services for all of us. Amendment 49 will interfere with the personal choice of working Coloradans over how they want to spend their hard-earned paychecks. This echoes the deceptive flyers distributed by the well-heeled committee Protect Colorado's Culture of Corruption Future (the issue committee known for its perpetual deception), in which they falsely state that Amendment 49 dictates how firefighters and other public … [Read more...]
The Need for Journalistic Remediation on Colorado Amendment 49
Channel 7 reports that Gov. Bill Ritter has turned down an offer from Jon Caldara to withdraw Amendment 49 from the Colorado ballot in exchange for Ritter revoking his executive order that unionized state government:Jon Caldara, head of the Independence Institute, a conservative think tank, said he also wants Ritter's word to oppose any effort to pass a paycheck deduction into law. Not exactly, at least if you read the letter Caldara sent to Ritter yesterday:...These same opponents have been champions of your Executive Order D 028 07, which drastically reshaped labor relations by introducing collective bargaining to state government. I therefore propose withdrawing Amendment 49 from the statewide ballot, contingent upon your repeal of … [Read more...]