Taxpayers still on the hook for Abound employees?
Are taxpayers still paying for Abound Solar employees despite the company’s cost saving measure of laying off 70 percent of its work force? Could be, and the figure could be more than $2 million. Late last month Colorado-based Abound Solar announced layoffs of 180 full-time and another 100 part-time employees so the thin-filmed photovoltaic manufacturer […]
End birth-control coverage battle: Allow us to buy it without a prescription
Former Reason magazine editor Virginia Postrel argues that people should be able to buy birth control as they do condoms: Without a prescription. This would diffuse the controversy on government’s mandate that health plans cover birth control. Continue reading
Let’s Look at the Other Important Part of Colorado’s Early Literacy Problem, Too
Colorado’s House Education Committee this week approved HB 1238, the most talked about education bill of the session, a bill aimed at improving early elementary literacy programs. The legislation’s focus on more effective intervention and greater accountability is certainly laudable. But research has shown that more work needs to be done preparing Colorado teachers to deliver scientifically-based reading instruction in order to best fulfill the hopes of HB 1238.
Dave Kopel on why ObamaCare Mandates Unconstitutional
Dave Kopel explains how ObamaCare is unconstitutional: 1) The “Medicaid mandate violates the principles of federalism.” 2) The “Constitution never granted Congress the power to compel people to purchase products.” Continue reading
Free Market Lessons from Contraception Fight
3 lessons: Health insurance should be uncoupled from employment Mandated benefits will become political footballs. We must fight for freedom as a principle. Continue reading
Interlude
The Antiplanner came away from a trip to Las Vegas last week with a sense of awe that such a place actually exists and a feeling that Las Vegas is what America will be. At least, the retail portions of America, from WalMart to Krogers to Penneys to Macys, will have to be as exciting […]
Judicial review of direct file in Colorado good for juvenile justice
Based on a totality of the factors, we believe that judicial review must be an integral part of transferring a juvenile to criminal court, given both the rehabilitative aspects of juvenile offending and the specialized programing offered in the juvenile justice system.
Unsafe at Any Speed
Three months ago, Washington MetroRail’s Blue and Orange lines shut down when parts fell off the braking gear of one of the railcars, damaging another car. Hundreds of riders had to evacuate and train service was delayed for hours. The disk brake that fell off the Metro railcar in December. Metro initially blamed the malfunction […]
Hurray! Three Colorado School Districts Win National Transparency Award
Today the group Sunshine Review (“a national nonprofit organization dedicated to government transparency”) unveiled its 2012 Sunny Awards to the 214 government agencies that have the most transparent websites. Colorado is represented by six agencies, including three school districts:
Jefferson County Public Schools
Denver Public Schools
Mesa County School District 51 (Grand Junction)
All three earned grades of A-minus. […]
Streetcar Dreams
A few weeks ago, the Antiplanner questioned a streetcar project in Atlanta. Now comes a response from none other than Portland Mayor Sam Adams, who says Portland’s streetcar once had detractors “were afraid that it would be too expensive and people wouldn’t ride it. We don’t hear that so much these days.” As Bojack says, […]
Colorado Teachers Unions Have Some Very Different Takes on Open Negotiations
When I wrote a month ago about how the old momentum for open Colorado school district-union negotiations had returned, what came out at last night’s Douglas County school board meeting was something I didn’t expect to happen — at least not so soon. Ed News Colorado’s Nancy Mitchell offers up the somewhat surprising scoop:
In an […]
3/7/12
Newsletter March 7 2012
