Thank the Industrial Revolution for Longer Life

by Ari Armstrong | 1:07 pm, October 28, 2011

The following article by Linn and Ari Armstrong originally was published October 28 by Grand Junction Free Press.Growing older comes with its problems, but, as we’ve all heard, it surely beats the alternative. Earlier this month Ari turned 40. (We don’…

How Blogging, Social Media Is Changing the World

by Jon Caldara | 12:15 pm, October 28, 2011

Tonight’s Devils Advocate show on Colorado Public Television is a special one. When you have a public affairs show on Friday nights at 8:30, you know who tunes in. I don’t want to name names or hurt anyone’s feelings, but my fans love Star Trek and their mother’s meatloaf. That’s why tonight’s episode is a [...]

University of Colorado employee bonuses

by Rossputin | 11:37 am, October 28, 2011

Following up on my note the other day about a University of Colorado employee who hopes that voters won’t find out about upcoming bonuses for CU employees because it might hurt the chances of Prop 103 passing, I have more information to offer:

The bonuses do exist, and will be 3% of annual salary for employees of divisions of the CU system that met certain budget-cutting and performance requirements, and only those employees who rank 2 or 3 in their 1-3 system of job performance (2 being meets expectations, 3 being exceeds expectations.)

Conservative Republican CU Regent Sue Sharkey offered these comments by e-mail:

Some things I would like to emphasize, the individual campuses had to meet certain goals, budget, etc. before they could give this increase, the increase is a one time payout for targeted individuals. This was an incentive for both, the campuses, and employees. My thought on this as a Conservative, that employees should be rewarded for performance, not just across the board increase for all employees, and I like the fact that this put pressure on the campuses to reach budget goals, reductions, so forth…

The Board of Regents voted on this last April, the goals were to be met by the first of October. There was no conspiracy to have this done to influence the outcome of Prop 103. Also, Ross this was voted on in Public session.

She also offered some data:

CU’s state funding has declined by more than $55 million over the past three years and will again this year (maybe another $12 million).
The university has addressed the situation by making significant cuts (338 positions), finding efficiencies and targeting new revenues.
CU employees have not had salary increases in three years; meanwhile, costs such as health care are increasing.
Over the past three years, enrollment has grown by more than 2,000 student FTE and research funding is at record highs, but CU’s workforce has shrunk.
CU’s workforce does more with less, and we are continually in danger of losing top faculty.
Administrative overhead is 44 percent below the national average.
The Board of Regents set budget targets for each campus to meet before increases were triggered.
Increases were based on performance and were not across the board.

I appreciate Sharkey’s position here and the efforts of CU employees to do more with less. If anything these bonuses reflect the damage done to higher education by the existence of Amendment 23 which put K-12 spending on auto-pilot without requiring any increase in student performance measures to get more taxpayer money for public schools – or more precisely for teachers’ unions.

Nevertheless, it remains very interesting that a CU employee would hope (in writing) that voters don’t find out about these bonuses. And while I appreciate the sacrifices made by the CU system while K-12 spending is protected by the poorly conceived Amendment 23, nevertheless things are tough all over. Colorado suffers from more than 8 percent unemployment. Very few in the private sector are getting raises or bonuses; most are happy to still have a job. And perhaps that’s how CU employees should feel as well.

One other thing of note: Those who merited a 2, i.e. meeting job expectations, are getting the same bonus (as a percentage of one’s salary) as those who merited a 3, i.e. exceeding expectations. I don’t like that at all. If I were someone who felt a need to offer an incentive to employees during a time of budget cuts, I would have given the 2s either no bonus, or a bonus much less than the 3s got, perhaps 1 percent of salary versus 3 percent of salary.

Again, what troubles me the most is a public sector employee, whose salary is paid by the rest of us, expressing the view that he hopes voters remain ignorant about how taxpayer money is being spent – and that at least one other public sector employee seconded that view.

No doubt the “optics” of the situation are bad for the tax raisers: A bonus being paid to (some) CU employees while we’re being asked to raise our state income tax bills by eight percent sure doesn’t look good. I do not suggest rescinding these bonuses, but I remain steadfastly against Proposition 103. Instead, what we need to do is repeal Amendment 23 and restore some balance to higher education funding in comparison to K-12 funding, and at least as importantly to inject competition into the K-12 teaching system. As long as the Colorado Education Association fights against merit pay and charter schools and vouchers and the ability to fire bad teachers, voters should refuse to send one additional penny into the public K-12 system.

Link to Original post at Rossputin.com.

A Big “You Got It, Dude” to Pennsylvania Senate for Passing School Choice Bill

by Eddie | 11:16 am, October 28, 2011

You’ve seen me write before about 2011 as the “Year of School Choice”, right? That summertime proclamation came about the same time as the Pennsylvania legislature stalled on a major proposal to create school vouchers, though so many other states created or expanded educational choice programs. Well, maybe — and let me emphasize maybe — [...]

Romney gets it right on global warming

by Rossputin | 11:14 am, October 28, 2011

H/T JunkScience.com

Finally, Mitt Romney has made a definitive statement against cap-and-trade and the cult of Algore. Now if he can just change his view about only giving capital gains tax relief to the segment of the population which doesn’t really have much capital gains income, we’ll be going somewhere…

http://youtu.be/cmfoQZMzsh8

Link to Original post at Rossputin.com.

Seeing Stars: 8 Bucks a Month

by Randall Smith | 6:30 am, October 28, 2011

The analyses of President Barack Obama’s tuition bribe are coming in. It would save each student between $4.50 and $7.75 per month. That’s not much of a bribe Mr. President. Not only is the relief provided minimal, taxpayers get to foot the bill.

Ed …

SAL PACE SABOTAGE: Pushes Anti-Tax Message In Campaign Email During Dem Campaign To Hike Taxes

by ColoradoPeakPolitics | 4:21 pm, October 27, 2011

People who write political emails are aware that often times they aren't opened or if they are, people merely scan them, rather than reading them like they would a message from a friend or co-worker. Knowing that, it seems rather odd for Sal Pace&#…

Cookie Monster Invoked Again, in Great Public Radio Prop 103 Takedown

by Eddie | 4:10 pm, October 27, 2011

When it comes to invoking the great Cookie Monster in blogging about public policy, who is the king? That’s right. I hate to toot my own horn, but you may remember such famous Eddie posts as:

K-12 Officials Blaming Special Education is Sort of Like Me Blaming Cookie Monster; and
Ben DeGrow (and Cookie Monster?) Talk Falcon [...]

TALK RADIO TURNOUT: Compass Colorado and Too Taxing For Colorado Blitz The Airwaves On Prop 103

by ColoradoPeakPolitics | 3:17 pm, October 27, 2011

UPDATE 2: All three Compass Colorado radio spots are up now.
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UPDATE: The two Too Taxing for Colorado radio ads have been added. They are running in the West Slope, Denver metro, Larimer/Weld, and El Paso.
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The proposed $3 Billion tax inc…

Governor Hickenlooper selects JeffCo Judge Brian Boatright as next Colorado Supreme Court justice

by CTBC Director | 1:27 pm, October 27, 2011

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper announced this morning his selection of Jefferson County District Court Judge Brian Boatright (1st Judicial District) to become the next Colorado Supreme Court justice. Judge Boatright replaces departing Justice Alex Martinez, who is resigning to take a “city job” as Denver Manager of Safety (after being retained in office only last year, [...]

Prop 103 Debate on Public Radio

by Jon Caldara | 1:21 pm, October 27, 2011

There are few times when we at the Independence Institute agree with the Denver Post editorial board. When it happens, our first reaction is… “Check the calendar. Is it April fools?” As far as we can tell, it’s October, so the Denver Post must be completely serious when they wrote this editorial opposing Rollie Heath’s [...]

WE NEED A JINGLE TOO! Guv Hick’s First Step In His Economic Development Plan Is A…State Nickname

by ColoradoPeakPolitics | 10:41 am, October 27, 2011

Governor Hickenlooper must be confused. He must have taken the title of the state's CEO the wrong way, thinking that it means he should run the state just like he ran his brewpub. What else are you supposed to think when you hear his first step in …

Efficiency Without Regulation

by Joshua Sharf | 10:39 am, October 27, 2011

As many of you know, I’m completing a year’s sojourn here in Omaha, the midwestern town with a decidedly western sensibility. (Don’t believe me? Check out the River City Rodeo sometime.) I’ve been doing web development for Werner Enterprises, one of the country’s larger trucking firms, but having dabbled in finance, I also always take [...]

Seeing Stars: Don’t You Hate it When Voters Don’t Stay Bought?

by Randall Smith | 6:30 am, October 27, 2011

The big news is President Obama’s attempt to bribe college students with taxpayer money. Young voters are starting to wonder why they should be paying the bill for all of his big government projects. Obama’s trying to do something to keep the youth from straying.

Snow is falling in Colorado but that won’t stop me from bringing you news and random snarkiness from around the ‘Net. Grab a cup of hot chocolate, a bag of marshmallows and enjoy.

Colorado

“Who needs Congress?” part 2,947. Colorado Peak Politics has more on Obama’s bribe. Once again, taxpayers get stuck footing the bill.
Governor Hickenlooper is working hard to stay neutral on Prop 103 but he’ll be more than happy to support it if it passes.
Is it any surprise that Senator Bennet supports further Federal interference in Colorado’s ability to manage education in the state? He’s more than happy to complain about Congressional “bickering” though when he doesn’t get his way.

Everywhere else

Rick Perry has decided to start skipping debates. Nothing says “I’m a serious candidate” like blowing off debates in early primary states. (via @philipaklein)
Occupiers in London don’t feel the need to stay in their tents overnight. Are they really occupying if they head home at night? At least Oakland and Atlanta are propping up the movement’s honor by rioting.
Is anyone surprised that the Occupy movement is full of nuts? Well, ACORNs anyway.
Just when you think the Occupy movement can’t get any weirder, they are now trying to claim that the Tea Party “stole” the Gadsden flag.
Set your calendars for Nov 10. The first health care law suits are due to hit the Supreme Court on that day. This is just the introductory action. The fun stuff will come later.
I love how Michael Moore, a man worth around $50 million, is refusing to acknowledge that he’s part of the one percent that he’s protesting against. The ability to double-think is essential to the socialist mind.
Democrat victimhood at it’s best. Former Ohio Congressman Steve Driehaus is suing a pro-life group for “loss of livelihood” because he lost the election.
Government requests for user data from Google has jumped 29 percent in the last six months. I expect the number is similar for all “cloud” providers.
Vint Cerf, one of the inventors of the Internet, answers the question “Internet or internet?”. His answers about the smart grid and customs are interesting as well.

Got a news tip? Leave a comment or send it to me on twitter at @PerlStalker.

When It Comes to Education Reform, Not All Parent Groups Are Created Equal

by Eddie | 3:14 pm, October 26, 2011

A couple days ago I gave a 5-year-old’s shout-out to well-informed parents and a simplified process for families choosing to enroll their students into a DPS school to which they are not assigned. Any reasonable step we can take to facilitate families to make educational choices that better serve students’ needs is a good thing.
Making [...]

Eleven Challenges to Colorado Reapportionment Commission state legislative district maps filed with Colorado Supreme Court

by CTBC Director | 11:26 am, October 26, 2011

“These go to eleven…”
Unsurprisingly, the state legislative district maps filed by the Colorado Reapportionment Commission earlier this month for review of constitutionality by the Colorado Supreme Court have drawn a number of challenges based on constitutional shortcomings – as of press time, the challenges “go to eleven.”
Many of the challenges (from across the state) arose [...]

GUEST COLUMN: Colorado Dem’s Test Run For 2012 Not Going Well

by ColoradoPeakPolitics | 10:26 am, October 26, 2011

By Dave Diepenbrock Whether it's Colorado or the entire United States, respected analysts say we have looming problems: “not enough money” in revenue to pay for mandated state spending says the Center for Colorado&#3…

We’re Talking Occupy Denver and Prop 103

by Jon Caldara | 9:30 am, October 26, 2011

Michael Moore Lies on National TV About His Wealth: "I am not the 1%"

by Mr. Bob | 8:18 am, October 26, 2011

#tcot #bighollywood #socialismOWS Supporter Michael Moore Lies on National Television About His Wealth: No I’m Not Worth Millions NewsBusters.orgWhat a dope, why does anyone pay attention to him?

A Postcard From the Communist Utopia

by ComradeZ | 7:30 am, October 26, 2011

America is a very interesting place. In America people have become so comfortable and so rich that they have the luxury to engage in academic debates on the relative merits of various forms of socialist and communist policies as though the 20th century didn’t happen. I’ve recently had the opportunity to visit with both the [...]

Seeing Stars: What’s a Few Lies Between Friends?

by Randall Smith | 6:30 am, October 26, 2011

There’s all sorts of fun stuff today. Pay special attention to the DoJ giving itself permission to lie to you about FOIA requests. Don’t worry though because this is the most transparent administration ever.

On to the snark-filled world of links.

C…

Vote No on Colorado Proposition 103

by Rossputin | 5:57 am, October 26, 2011

As I’ve written on these pages (here and here), I strongly oppose the massive tax increase known as Proposition 103. It’s marketed as “for the children” as most Democrat proposals are, but it’s really “for the teachers’ unions.”

A piece by RiShawn Biddle at the American Spectator points out just how much money the teachers’ unions are collecting:

The AFT alone collected $211 million a year in dues during its 2010-2011 fiscal year (most of it by force from the very teachers whose interests they proclaim to represent), while the far-larger NEA pulled in $397 million during its 2009-2010 fiscal year period. Each union, on their own, collects more dues than the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, Service Employees International Union, or the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. When one adds in the revenues collected by their affiliates, the two unions are billion-dollar organizations with budgets that match their corporate peers.

The leaders of both unions are as well paid as most midsized corporate chief executives and leaders in the nonprofit arena. AFT President Weingarten, for example, collected $493,895 in 2010-2011, a 15 percent increase over the same period last year; Weingarten’s NEA counterpart, Dennis Van Roekel, collected $397,221 in the previous year. Their staffs are also well-compensated. Four hundred thirty-three of the NEA’s staffers earned at least $100,000 in annual compensation; the 193 AFT staffers collecting six-figure checks include David Dorn, the union’s director of international affairs (who was paid $223,965 last year), and Hartina Flournoy, a longtime Democratic Party operative who earns $231,337 a year as Weingarten’s assistant.

Colorado’s education ills are not going to be solved by throwing more money at a system dominated by bureaucrats and union hacks whose primary motivation is swelling the union coffers. More than two decades of increasing student-adjusted, inflation-adjusted spending without any increase in results is all the proof you need that increasing education spending without dramatically reforming the education system is a fool’s errand.

I strongly urge everyone to vote NO on Proposition 103 and to encourage their friends to do the same.

Remember, ballots are due November 1st.

This will be a low turn-out election with no actual candidates running for state-wide office. The unions who have millions of dollars of your money to gain if this passes are spending a lot of money lying to people to get them to vote for the measure. If you don’t want your state income tax bill to rise 8% (going from 4.63% to 5%), I ask you to vote No and to try to get at least two other people to do the same…and to make the same challenge to them.

Link to Original post at Rossputin.com.

Yes, A National Sales Tax is Constitutional

by Ari Armstrong | 11:11 pm, October 25, 2011

Some have questioned whether a national sales tax is Constitutionally permissible (without an amendment). The answer is yes.Milton Wolf is among those who question this: “Mr. [Herman] Cain’s 9 percent national sales tax [and by extension any other nati…