Corruptions Dead Canaries
The routine levels of corruption in certain other states make Colorados governments seem positively saintly. Until recently, the states small size and streamlined governmental structures guaranteed the transparency of the political processdubious practices were easily understood and on display for all to see. But as times have changed, so has Colorados government. Isolated events over […]
Thinking Outside the Gridlock Box
What if your supermarket was absolutely jammed with shoppers? Day after day, week after week it’s solid people. Checking out takes hoursand it’s been that way for years.
Even imagining such a situation is difficult, because it never happens. Entrepreneurs are always searching for opportunities for profit, and any numskull can see that a routinely overcrowded supermarket means there is money to be made opening a competing store down the street.
Is Gun Control A New Religion
Some candidates for Jefferson County Sheriff want to issue more permits to carry concealed handguns. District Attorney Dave Thomas has sent a letter to each of the candidates asking for their views on concealed weapons permitting. As chief law enforcement officer in the county, I need to know how they stand, Thomas said. Like everyone […]
Government Standards: Will They Save the Schools or Destroy Them
Even by the flabby standards unveiled by Governor Romer in 1995, the results from the recent statewide test of academic achievement indicate that government schools do a miserable job of educating children. Only 57% of fourth-graders met the reading standard; 31% met the writing one. Still more dismal were the puerile performances of public officials […]
Why Not Just Teach Them English?
Last year the Denver District School Board and Superintendent Irving Moskowitz decided to limit bilingual education to three years-down from seven years. The Board’s action–which abandons “maintenance bilingual education” in favor of “transitional” bilingual education–is a step in the right direction. But only one-step. It doesn’t go far enough. “Far enough” means the abandonment of all native-language teaching, and special classes for limited-English-proficient (LEP) children–for ONE year, not three.
Solving Colorado's Educational Finance Problem
The issue of public school finance is central to the debate over tax reform in Colorado. Several bills have been introduced in the Colorado Legislature that would significantly change the way in which Colorado finances our public schools. These bills call for replacing the property tax with a state income or sales tax as the major source of funding for the public schools.
An Educational Improvement: the "Opt-In Policy"
Could your child be sexually molested at school? Boulder public schools have been in an uproar over a recent incident in which an older boy physically molested a younger boy during a classroom movie. While the Boulder incident was isolated, Colorado legislators are considering a bill to address a related problem, which exists at public schools all over the country.
Rail to Vail is Bound to Fail
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) recently organized a series of “public” meetings about the weekend traffic congestion on Interstate-70 west of Denver. The so-called solution? A new high-tech magnetic levitation train that would be built along and above the existing highway from Denver to Vail.
Reality, Rights, and R-Rated Movies
The Douglas County school board recently voted to ban showing R-rated films in Douglas County classrooms. The fact that a school board would find it necessary to make such a rule, and the reactions to it, vividly illustrate the pathetic state of the public debate on education. Newspaper accounts were full of criticism. The how […]
Environmental Audits: Colorado Carrots versus Federal Sticks
Environmental regulation has experienced tremendous growth in the last quarter century. Much of this growth has occurred at the federal level, resulting in a heavily centralized, command-and-control bureaucracy overseeing virtually all aspects of environmental protection, including enforcement. State and local governments are a significant part of the enforcement scheme, but under strict federal oversight. This approach to achieving compliance has several limitations, and is beginning to show signs of obsolescence. The current system is inflexible, inefficient, costly, unduly adversarial, and does not maximize environmental protection.
The Mass Transit Delusion
There is no truth to the belief that light rail improves traffic congestion. A look at the failure of light rail in Portland, Oregon and elsewhere shows how wise Denver-area voters were to reject light rail in a landslide.
Locals in Portland report “light rail actually put more cars on the road.” Portland’s Environmental Coalition opposes building more rail because light rail forces more people into cars. Portland’s experience is not unique.
Reforming Post-Secondary Education in Colorado
This study is the first to provide a comprehensive analysis of private post secondary schools, based on survey data from the Colorado Commission on Higher Education and the Colorado Private School Association. In this report we explore the growth of the Colorado economy and the demands that growth is creating for education and training of the labor force. We compare the benefits and costs of private and public post secondary schools from the perspective of Colorado citizens and taxpayers. This analysis is the basis for policy recommendations to improve the efficiency and equity of post secondary education. The following is a summary of the major findings in the study.
