Heath: “Grand Bargain” K-12 Tax Hike “Beginning to Take a Bite” from Elephant

by Ben | 10:28 pm, March 4, 2013

Imagine sitting down to write a term paper or thesis, then releasing the first draft of the paper not only to your professor but to a worldwide audience. Now imagine your paper contains instructions for allocating billions of tax dollars to a bunch of different groups. You can start to understand what Colorado state senator [...]

Long-Term Union Membership Trends: Give Colo. Teachers Greater Choice

by Ben | 11:27 pm, January 29, 2013

Last week the U.S. Department of Labor released new numbers showing that nationally union membership is on the decline. And not only in the private sector, which has been on a decades-long downward trajectory. Three years ago the nation crossed a historic threshold, as union members in private industry were outnumbered by their public sector [...]

Jeffco School Board’s Paula Noonan Drives Into Unwelcome Spotlight… Again

by Ben | 10:07 pm, January 21, 2013

Three of the five Board seats for Colorado’s largest school district are up for grabs in 2013. One of them is just inviting a challenge. Jeffco school board director Paula Noonan made local headlines for displaying a serious bout of bad judgment: Jeffco school board member Paula Noonan was arrested during a traffic stop Jan. [...]

How Bad Was the Fiscal Cliff Deal? Michael Bennet May Have Teed One Up for the Teetering GOP

by Ben DeGrow | 11:33 pm, January 3, 2013

Conservatives have plenty of reason to mope in the fiscal gloom these days, maybe even enough to indulge in a bit of dark humor. That brings us to the Colorado political junkie joke of the week, the first of 2013: “How bad was the fiscal cliff deal Congress approved?” “I don’t know. How bad was [...]

My 50 Favorite Christmas Songs

by Ben DeGrow | 12:00 pm, December 25, 2012

On Facebook for the past several days, I’ve been counting down my 50 favorite Christmas songs. Coming up with the top 50 songs wasn’t terribly difficult. I’ve identified roughly 375 different contenders, though I’m only familiar with a little more than 200 of them. A good number of the Christmas songs I know were easily [...]

Bargaining Bill Would Force CEA to Confront Local Control Hobgoblin

by Ben DeGrow | 10:56 pm, December 17, 2012

The 19th century American individualist Ralph Waldo Emerson once famously declared, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” This coming legislative session might just give teachers union leaders a chance to confront their own hobgoblin — choosing whether to embrace it or banish it far away. Rumors persist that the American Federation of [...]

Rubio’s Bold Call for Scholarship Tax Credits Should Fuel Choice in Colorado

by Ben DeGrow | 11:10 pm, December 11, 2012

Last week, as the honored recipient of the 2012 Kemp Leadership Award, Florida U.S. Senator Marco Rubio laid out a vision for parent-empowered education reform. On one point especially, Coloradans should take heed. When a Republican politician speaks competently, compassionately and courageously about real education reform, my ears perk up. When that politician happens to [...]

Going Further than Right-to-Work to Relieve Labor Leaders’ Burdens

by Ben DeGrow | 12:28 pm, December 7, 2012

Earlier this week I told you that it looked like Right-to-Work legislation was coming to the Big Labor stronghold of Michigan. And has it ever come quickly! Some of Wisconsin’s early 2011 scenes played out yesterday at the State Capitol, as protestors thronged and chanted favorites like, “A people united will never be defeated!” and [...]

Bucking Colorado’s Example, Could Michigan Soon Adopt Right-to-Work?

by Ben DeGrow | 6:10 pm, December 1, 2012

When it comes to freedom of association, Colorado workers soon may have good reason to envy their Michigan counterparts. The Washington Times recently reported some developing momentum for a Right-to-Work law in the Great Lakes State: The possible push in the state Legislature’s lame-duck session has already sparked a battle, as a coalition of about [...]

Dougco 2013 Showdown Could Lead to Wisconsin-Like Vindication, Or….

by Ben DeGrow | 11:11 am, November 30, 2012

For the past couple years, Wisconsin has been the locus of the political battle to weaken public-sector union power. After Gov. Scott Walker not only survived but thrived amid a failed recall election, conservatives breathed a sigh of relief. Most prominently, the costly but decisive victory revived hopes that fiscal sanity and a sense of [...]

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