Coyote Gulch

Sunday, September 12, 2004

North Korean Explosion
TalkLeft: "There was an explosion in North Korea resulting in a mushroom cloud...there is concern among some that it might have been a test of a nuclear weapon. A conservative newspaper, The Sankei Shimbun, reports there is speculation that North Korea has built an underground facility in Mount Baekdu near the Korea-China border." The 'Ol Coyote hopes that it was one of the suitcase nukes said to be running around.
9:43:33 AM

Colorado Water
Ed Quillen discusses the economics of water in his column in today's Denver Post [September 12, 2004, "Water's peculiar economics"]. Quillen writes, "But utility water is different. The utility company is usually a publicly owned monopoly, and it can't operate like a private company, which wants only to maximize its profits. Further, water pricing isn't just an economic matter; it's also a social and environmental issue...Another problem extends throughout the state. Agriculture uses about 85 percent of Colorado's water, yet contributes less than 5 percent to the state's economic output. If it's important to reduce water consumption, then maybe we should start where the most water is consumed instead of killing more urban trees."
9:08:30 AM

Denver November 2004 Election
The U.S. Senate candidate's stand on healthcare is the subject of this article from the Denver Post [September 12, 2004, "Salazar, Coors tackle rising health care costs"]. From the article, "The candidates for Colorado's open U.S. Senate seat offer sharply contrasting views on how to cope with rising health care costs. Democrat Ken Salazar has proposed a tax credit for small businesses that provide health care to their workers - the cornerstone of a multifaceted plan to expand coverage to the uninsured and to control rising costs. Republican Pete Coors offers a simple solution to the nation's health care crisis: Get rid of the lawyers. He argues that malpractice lawsuits are sending medical costs soaring...More than half of the states, including Colorado, have imposed limits on lawsuits since the mid-1980s, but health care costs keep rising anyway. The number of tort cases declined 4 percent between 1993 and 2002, according to the nonpartisan National Center for State Courts. That survey covered 35 states, including Colorado, representing 77 percent of the U.S. population. Even though the median award has increased from $253,000 in 1992 to $431,000 in 2001, the number of medical-malpractice lawsuits that make it to trial has declined. The Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics, which reviewed cases in the nation's 75 largest counties, reports that cases fell from 1,356 in 1992 to 1,112 in 2001. Malpractice costs amounted to $24 billion in 2002, including premiums and settlements. That is less than 2 percent of the nation's overall health care spending, according to a January 2004 study by the Congressional Budget Office."
Peter Coors and Ken Salazar squared off for their first debate yesterday in Grand Junction as reported by the Denver Post [September 12, 2004, "Coors, Salazar trade attacks in first debate of Senate race"].
Here's a background piece about Ken Salazar's environmental record from the Denver Post [September 12, 2004, "Salazar law firm linked to polluters"]. From the article, "Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Ken Salazar has touted himself as an attorney general who has cracked down on environmental polluters and rule- breakers. But as a private lawyer, Salazar was hardly at arm's length from those charged with violating environmental regulations. He worked as a director at a law firm that represented companies sued by state and private groups and cited by government agencies for polluting Colorado's land and water. He also worked as legal counsel for a company responsible for killing thousands of fish when it flushed tons of silt into the north fork of the Cache la Poudre River. And while running for the U.S. Senate, Salazar has collected campaign contributions from Newmont Mining Co., the world's largest gold mining firm. Newmont is fighting allegations in several spots around the world that its mining waste has polluted communities...Mark Longabaugh, political director for the League of Conservation Voters, says his group stands by its endorsement of Salazar."
8:30:02 AM

2004 Presidential Election
Electoral-vote.com: "Five new polls to report today. Not bad, since polls are rarely released on weekends. Four of them are in states that are not competitive: Louisiana, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Utah. Bush was way ahead in all of them, still is, and will win them all handily. For the fifth one, Michigan, see below. Rasmussen is now reporting 7-day rolling averages in some key states. I prefer the standard 3-day snapshot polls, but if a 7-day rolling average poll is more recent than the newest snapshot, it will go in the spreadsheet marked as Rasmussen-7. Here are the results. Michigan: Kerry ahead by 2%; North Carolina: Bush ahead by 13%; Ohio: Kerry ahead by 2%; Pennsylvania: Kerry ahead by 1%. This Michigan poll is newer than the current Zogby poll, so it goes into the spreadsheet."
The Denver Post taks a look at George Bush's changes in position today [September 12, 2004, "Candidates both walk a thin 'flip-flop' line"].
Here's an opinion piece about presidential voting trends in Colorado from the Denver Post [September 12, 2004, "Red, blue, purple and pink states"]. From the article, "Colorado has been amazingly consistent in its presidential voting behavior over the years. A generally Republican state solidly located in the Rocky Mountain portion of the Republican "L," Colorado tends to vote for Democratic candidates for president only when a strong Democratic tide is sweeping across the nation. Thus, Colorado voted Democratic for president only twice in the past 50 years. The first time was in 1964, when Democratic President Lyndon Johnson swept the nation against arch-conservative Republican Barry Goldwater. The second time was in 1992, when Reform Party candidate Ross Perot split the Republican vote in Colorado and Democrat Bill Clinton was able to defeat incumbent Republican President George H.W. Bush."
Taegan Goddard: "New polls. 'President Bush's post-convention bounce in state and national polls has left Democratic challenger John F. Kerry with a smaller battlefield upon which to contest the presidential election and a potentially more difficult route to an electoral college victory than his advisers envisioned a few months ago,' the Washington Post reports. Here are the latest national polls: Time - Bush 50%, Kerry 39%; Newsweek: Bush 49%, Kerry 43%. Here are the latest Electoral Vote tallies (270 needed to win): Electoral Vote Predictor - Kerry 273, Bush 233; Intrade State Futures Bush 274, Kerry 254. Here are the latest state polls: Pennsylvania- Kerry 49%, Bush 47% (Survey USA); Missouri - Bush 48%, Kerry 46% (Survey USA); Kansas - Bush 60%, Kerry 35% (Survey USA); Indiana - Bush 60%, Kerry 36% (Survey USA); Kentucky - Bush 56%, Kerry 39% (Survey USA); North Carolina - Bush 55%, Kerry 42% (Rasmussen)."
8:19:20 AM

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