Prison Lease Shortfalls and Shortcomings
It is no secret that Colorado government is experiencing a budget shortfall. The state would be in even worse straits were it not for Colorado’s statutory and constitutional restraints on taxing and spending. Yet the next legislative session will see a major push to exploit a loophole in the spending limits, in order to raise spending by tens of millions of dollars.
It’s not about control, is it?
A scheme to nationalize the issuance and standards of the drivers license and to turn the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles into the local office the federal Department of Transportation and thus, presumably outside the authority of the Colorado Legislature ,has been stopped, at least for the time being, by Congressman Dick Armey (R-TX).
Just Say No to National I.D. Cards
A congressional scheme to implement a National ID card is sitting in the House Subcommittee on Environment, Technology and Standards. Where hopefully it will die, never to be heard from again.
HR 4633, the “Drivers License Modernization Act of 2002” is a $300 million federal takeover of State issued drivers license and ID card issuance and standards which would turn the Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles into a satellite office of the federal Department of Transportation. Yep, the same folks who seize tweezers from little old ladies boarding airplanes would be in charge of the new national ID card.
National ID Card Proposal Still Stinks
The proponents of a national ID card got a big boost in April when Congressmen James Moran (D-Va.) and Thomas Davis (R-Va.) introduced the Drivers License Modernization Act of 2002:
Among other things, this Act would federalize state drivers license issuance standards, link up even more government databases to the license, introduce the collection of bio-metric identifiers and open the door to yet more collecting of information on us by both government agencies and “authorized” private sector contractors.
“We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ National ID Card…”
In February, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA; www.aamva.org ) began lobbying Congress for $100 million plus federal legislation for a plan to nationalize and standardize the state-issued drivers license and link up databases across the country. In other words, to create a national ID card.
Is Face Recognition Just High-Tech Snake Oil?
Last July, Tampa, Florida began using face-recognition technology to scan the faces of citizens engaging in such noxious behavior as strolling down the street, to compare to a database of criminals and runaways.
This January, using open-record requests, the American Civil Liberties Union found that the system was essentially abandoned within months of its rollout.
The Expanding Surveillance State
As a whole, we citizens routinely hand over large amounts of personal and intrusive information to the state as a matter of law. Whether to obtain a license, to comply with the police officer who has just pulled you over, or to tell the tax man how much money we make, it seems that we are always handing over another bit of information about ourselves. The Colorado legislature last year introduced us to the next generation of surveillance technology, facial recognition, in a nation already under intense scrutiny.
Why Ilios Matters
At a recent dinner party, the talk turned to the City of Denver’s use of condemnation to allow Mile High Development to get the property Ilios restaurant occupies to build a parking garage.
One friend asked, “How can they get away with that?” “They” referring to Mile High Development and their real estate agents in the Denver City Council.
Denver’s New Welfare Hotel
A funny thing happened to the Denver City Council’s and Mayor Webb’s plan to grant a 60 million-dollar corporate welfare subsidy to the proposed convention center hotel. The Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union made good on their vow and raised the necessary signatures to place the issue on the November ballot.
Boeing, Boeing, Gone
The exercise in self-degradation by Colorado local and state government officials before the altar of all things Boeing continues. The latest in the saga was a super-secret, closed-door, no-media-allowed April 11th meeting in Denver between some Boeing reps and state and local economic development officials.
Medical Marijuana is a State’s Rights Issue
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled on the issue of medical marijuana. From some of the media coverage, one might believe that Colorado is barred from implementing our State’s voter-approved medical marijuana laws. Not true.
Spriggs is Sprung: Will U.S. Attorney Make Life Safer for Burlgars?
Are burglars entitled to safe working conditions? That’s a fair question for Colorado’s new United States Attorney, Richard Spriggs.
The United States Attorney is the boss of Department of Justice lawyers in Colorado. After losing a close race for U.S. Senate in 1996 to Wayne Allard, Democrat Tom Strickland was rewarded with the U.S. Attorney job. As a political appointee, Strickland stepped aside last week, making way for a Republican choice. In 1999, Strickland had convinced Denver District Court Judge Richard Spriggs to join the U.S. Attorney’s Office as Chief of the Criminal Division. With Strickland gone, Spriggs takes over the entire office, until President Bush names a replacement who is confirmed by the Senate.
