TABOR Benefits Colorado’s Citizens: A response to misleading Video
In 2005 the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) released a video to help defeat proposed measures like Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) in other states. Voters in several states are considering such measures in 2006, including Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, and Oregon. The CBPP video’s message is that TABOR devastates the economy and the ability of government to fund schools, roads and health care. By understanding the truth, however, viewers will note that they have nothing to fear from passing their own TABOR. Unfortunately, they may not recognize the CBPP video for the highly misleading propaganda piece that it is.
Unabashed Bias: Denver dailies campaign for rather than report on Referenda C and D
Rocky Mountain News columnist Jason Salzman was correct when he wrote, “To prove a liberal bias, [you] need to show a pattern of skewed news coverage, over time, with measurable data like biased sources or headlines, improper story placement or selection, etc…. Anecdotes are meaningless. Without proof… conservatives are saying, in effect, that the News has a liberal bias because they say so.” He followed up that statement with a question: “Why should anyone believe them?” It is a classic “he said-she said” type of debate. Conservatives claim mainstream media are biased. While liberals admit that journalists are “left leaning,” they claim bias is removed during the editing process. Who is right? Does bias survive the editorial process and skew what should be objective news coverage?
The Truth about Transit Oriented Development
RTD is preparing to spend billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money building rail transit. The problem it faces now is how to get people onto trains when most people live miles from rail lines. Its solution: Jam people into high-density housing around each rail transit station. RTD calls this “transit oriented development,” or TOD.
Medicare Cap Makes Physician Supply Fall Short
“Hello, I need to see a cardiologist for a heart checkup. I’ve been feeling a little pain in my chest for the past few days. Sometime this week would be the best.”
“I’m sorry. There is nothing available for the next couple of weeks. How about next month?”
This can be a common conversation in several Colorado counties, including Baca, Conejos, Custer, Dolores, Jackson, San Juan and Washington. Many rural counties in Colorado are designated as Health Professional Shortage Areas. These local shortages of primary medical care providers are a part of a growing national problem. Indeed, entire states such as California, Arizona, and Wisconsin are suffering from physician workforce shortages.
"Smart Growth" Makes Housing Unaffordable
Smart-growth planning and other land-use restrictions create artificial housing shortages that dramatically reduce housing affordability. Penalties from planning cost Colorado homebuyers $4 billion in 2005, which is far more than any possible benefits from such planning. Local officials should remover barriers to housing construction and find better ways to attain the benefits smart growth is supposed to produce.
Controversial Issues: They Belong in the Classroom
The recent national attention given to a classroom recording of Colorado teacher Jay Bennish reinforces the need for school districts to implement a controversial issues curriculum. Controversial issues are not to be avoided but to be embraced, if done properly. To ensure objectivity and balance, the author proposes teachers engage students with a seven-step analytical process known as Issues Analysis. The author further advises that schools use an “opt-in” communication to persuade parents of the importance of student participation in the Issues Analysis process.
Dark Sky Ordinances: How to Separate the Light from the Darkness
In many areas of the United States it is difficult to view the stars in the sky at night. The International Dark Sky Association2, has successfully lobbied state and local governments to pass restrictive ordinances on the type of lighting private property owners may use. These “Dark Sky laws” aim to reduce “light pollution” so as to make stargazing easier. Many of these laws, such as the City of Aspen’s, impose unfairly short deadlines in forcing property owners to replace their current lighting. Excessively severe Dark Sky laws overlook the role that lighting plays in deterring crime.
Smoke Easies
The Colorado Legislature just did all us non-smokers a favor: they’ve ended centuries of oppression by the tobacco loving population and made it once again safe for us to practice our natural right to hang out comfortably in every neighborhood pub. It’s right there in the Declaration of Independence: “…and the pursuit of happiness.” I mean, how can I be happy when I’m kept out of the best sports bars by repugnant secondhand smoke?
Let Colorado Water Markets Work
For 150 years, Colorado Water Law has been devel- oped with a healthy respect for property rights – protecting the prior rights to water use established by the hard work of those who came before. Most attempts to centralize water resources in Colorado have failed, although there have been repetitive attempts to implement “Soviet style” statewide water planning in Colorado. The drought of 2002 created a new wave of demands on the Colorado General Assembly to “do something” about water. But many of those demands appear to be based
on little knowledge about how Colorado water law works. Current attacks on private property water rights include proposed county “tariffs” and other restrictions on water transfers, as well as applica- tions of the “public trust doctrine”, and proposed “anti speculation” restrictions on the use of ground- water not subject to the appropriation doctrine.
Addressing Safety Reporting Deficiencies on Colorado’s School Accountability Report
The Safety and Discipline table within Colorado’s School Accountability Reports (SAR) does not provide a realistic picture of the environment in many public schools. The narrow criteria for an incident to be reported in the table under Assaults/Fights do not include most assaults and fights that take place in schools. This Issue Paper examines several issues in regard to current safety reporting.
There is no such thing as 'free' health care
I don’t think saying that makes me a jerk. I don’t think that makes me greedy, selfish or lacking in compassion. I think it just makes me honest.
I don’t mean to get all philosophical, even though working with ideas is an important part of my job. But when you watch what the Colorado legislature is doing, particularly under Democratic control, thinking about ideas becomes really important. Even if it’s not currently fashionable.
Free association up in smoke
After being drawn to “Brokeback Mountain” like computer geeks to the latest “Star Wars” movie, liberals have an even more pretentious sense of tolerance.
The message is clear. If cowboys want to get it on with each other, you gotta support that. Might not be your bag, baby, but hey, no one is suggesting you go gay. Just leave those who are alone.
