Here's a great quick read to get you back into the routine following a long holiday weekend ... Ari Armstrong's Sunday guest column in the Colorado Daily makes a point I have seen seldom argued in the debate over so-called credit card reform -- namely, that Colorado U.S. Senator Mark Udall's bill protects the irresponsible and punishes the responsible. With those kind of incentives, the biggest surprise is that nearly 70 members of Congress actually voted against it. … [Read more...]
Peter Groff Departs Denver with Nonpartisan Education Reform Gesture
A month ago I asked which party will miss Democrat Senate President Peter Groff more under Colorado's Golden Dome. Several days ago Senator Nancy Spence told me that Groff's parting gesture as Senate President before heading off to work for the Obama administration in Washington D.C. would be to appoint her -- a Republican -- to an interim committee on school finance. It didn't really surprise me, but I didn't want to spoil the surprise for everyone else either. Then today we learn: … [Read more...]
Coloradans, You Can Make a Difference for School Financial Transparency
Update, 1/29: More coverage on Colorado Spending Transparency and Ed News Colorado, as well as a kind link from the Open Records blog. This morning the Colorado Senate Education Committee got a bit of a surprise, it might seem, with a slew of concerned citizens coming forward to testify in support of Senate Bill 57 (PDF) (sponsored by state senator Ted Harvey) - which would bring something akin to full-fledged financial transparency to Colorado public schools. It's unusual to see more than 15 average citizens come forward to testify for a piece of legislation - and rarer yet, to have many of them do so quite eloquently. Most were from the metro Denver area, a couple hailed from Weld County, and one of them drove three hours over the … [Read more...]
Complete Colorado Offers Up Top 10 Political (& Non-Political) Stories of 2008
On New Years Day, CompleteColorado.com's Todd Shepherd (also a colleague of mine at the Independence Institute) shared his respective lists of Colorado's Top 10 political and non-political stories of 2008 with AM 740 KVOR guest talk radio host Jeff Crank (H/T El Presidente). A few of Todd's entries may take you by surprise, or trigger something lost in the memory banks. The entire broadcast is nearly an hour long, but any time you can give will glean some interesting perspectives: And if you haven't bookmarked Complete Colorado for regular stops, now is a good time to do so. … [Read more...]
More Deception From Foes of Colorado Amendment 49, Amendment 54
In a campaign characterized by hypocrisy, deception, and cowardice, the opponents of Colorado's Amendment 47 (Right-to-Work), Amendment 49 (Ethical Standards), and Amendment 54 (Government Contracting Reform) are at it again. The People's Press Collective documents the latest misleading campaign flyer from Protect Colorado's Culture of Corruption Future, noting: "You won’t be surprised that they’re still abusing Colorado’s real heroes as puppets for their elaborate LIES." Indeed. At this point, I'm not sure how low the opponents of good government and worker freedom would have to go to take me by surprise. The campaign isn't over yet, though. … [Read more...]