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Monday, September 26, 2005
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Tolerance
From today's D. Note: "Of course, the minister had no way of knowing which of us seated on folding chairs in the Highlands Ranch church were atheists or agnostics, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists or Christians. He didn't care, either. He made it clear that he respected no religious or spiritual belief other than his own."
NewMexiKen: "All of the hurricane money will have to be borrowed."
Political Wire: "'Less than a month before heading to Iowa to test the presidential waters, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) found himself fighting off two federal investigations into his personal finances,' Roll Call reports. The irony: 'Some insiders in the Frist camp speculated that the sale of the HCA stock was really a move to quell the conflict-of-interest issue long before the 2008 campaign heated up -- and were left shaking their heads at the notion that this sell-off had instead sparked more cries of controversy and two federal investigations.'"
Howling At A Waning Moon: "A bill to eliminate key protections of the Endangered Species Act was passed by the House Resources Committee last week and will be up for a vote by the full House of Representatives this week."
Bull Moose: "A number of Democrats will vote to confirm Roberts. Yet, every Democratic Senator who aspires to be President, save one, will oppose his nomination. Why? For the simple reason that the interest groups who are influential in the primaries are calling the tune."
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
5:37:36 PM 
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Ritter for Governor?
Bill Ritter has garnered the endorsement of the United Food and Commercial Worker's Union Local Number 7, according to the Denver Post [September 26, 2005, "Ritter gains backing of key union"]. From the article, "The former Denver district attorney has locked up the endorsement of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 7, which represents more than 22,500 union workers in Colorado. Even though the strength of unions has been waning over the years, Local 7's is a key endorsement. And Ritter, himself a union member as a pipe layer working his way through college, received a standing ovation at the AFL-CIO's annual state convention in Steamboat Springs earlier this month. He's also met with local leaders from the Service Employees International Union, one of Colorado's fastest-growing unions."
Colorado Pols: "It looks for now as though State Senator Dan Grossman will be unopposed in his bid for re-election in 2006. When Grossman was considering a run for Attorney General, the line was out the door for those who wanted a shot at an open SD-32. But now that he has made it official that he is staying put, both the top Democratic and Republican challengers have backed off. Grossman's could still get a token challenge, but the top Republican names are looking elsewhere."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
6:51:21 AM
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Western Primary?
The recent report from the Commission on Federal Election Reform is advocating regional primaries, according to the Denver Post, who's editorial staff is in favor [September 26, 2005, "Time for regional primaries"]. They write, "The commission notes that in 2000, the primaries were effectively over by March 9, when Republican John McCain and Democrat Bill Bradley ended their challenges to George W. Bush and Al Gore. In 2004, less than 8 percent of the eligible electorate cast ballots before the nominations were settled. The commission recommends that regional primaries be held between March and June, allowing candidates to enter the race later and shifting the emphasis away from Iowa and New Hampshire 'to states that more fully reflect the diversity of America.'...The panel's idea for regional primaries originated with the National Association of Secretaries of State, which groups states into four regions. Western states would include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, plus Guam." Good idea
TalkLeft is reporting on Scopes II today. They write, "The first legal challenge to a school district's plan to teach intelligent design will go to trial on Monday in Harrisburg, PA. Proponents of the plan defend the teaching of a religious belief as 'free speech.' But science teachers aren't free to speak about their religious beliefs in a public school; their free speech rights are subordinate to their duty as government employees to respect the separation between government and religion."
Non-Phrophet: "I think the protests this weekend spoke loudly about where public opinion on the war is headed in the country. Only 0.4% of the number of people that showed up for the anti-war protest showed up for the pro-war demonstration. Spreading democracy is proving far more difficult than anyone thought initially."
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
6:46:43 AM
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Referenda C and D
Here's Part II of the Rocky Mountain News' series detailing individual voters' views of Referendums C and D [September 25, 2005, "Making a choice"]. From the article, "Kristol Taylor spent most of 2004 helping convince metro-area voters of the wisdom of investing $4.7 billion into expanding light rail through RTD's FasTracks initiative. But when it came to deciding whether to allow Colorado state government to spend more through Referendums C and D, the 23-year-old Aurora resident said it took her awhile to make up her mind. Initially, she wasn't sure how Ref C would affect her finances. The ballot measure calls for suspending state spending limits under the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights for five years, allowing lawmakers to spend an estimated $3.7 billion they otherwise would have refunded to taxpayers."
Meanwhile the Denver Post has the latest on the probe into the Independence Institute's funding of Anti-Referendum C media spots [September 26, 2005, "Probe of think-tank campaign faces delay"]. From the article, "The fight over a Golden think tank's role in the debate on Referendums C and D is scheduled for an administrative court hearing Oct. 5, but a new pre- hearing disagreement over evidence could result in delays."
Cateogry: Denver November 2005 Election
6:19:50 AM
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Aurora and the Arkansas Valley
Don't forget the last installment of the series Wringing Water from the Rocks Tomorrow night at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Reaching For Common Ground: Sharing Perspectives & Possible Solutions for Regional Water Supply Challenges. You will get a chance to ask all the tough questions you've been storing up over the summer. Mayor Hickenlooper will lead a panel discussion.
Here's the Coyote Gulch coverage of the series, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.
Here's an in-depth look at Aurora's (sometimes adversarial) relationship with the Arkansas Valley from the Rocky Mountain News [September 26, 2005, "Rocky Ford finds an unlikely savior"]. From the article, "For two decades, locals have been writing Rocky Ford's obituary, bemoaning the town's drawn-out death at the hands of Aurora, the thirsty behemoth that critics blame for buying up the town's irrigation water and draining the region of an agricultural heritage dating to the 1870s. But in a turn of events as unpredictable as the summer rains, some now credit Aurora with breathing new life into the land with a number of initiatives, including leasing water instead of buying it as a way to keep fields in farming, replacing dried-up cropland with native grasses, shoring up Rocky Ford's property tax base and installing high-efficiency irrigation systems."
Be sure to read the whole article.
Here's a seven part article about Aurora and the Arkansas Valley from the Rocky [July 11, 2005, "Dividing the waters"]. You can download the full article in pdf format.
Meanwhile, it looks like Aurorans' water rates may increase 12%, according to the Rocky Mountain News [September 25, 2005, "Aurora water users may see 12% hike"]. From the article, "Monthly water bills in Aurora could increase by about 12 percent next year - roughly $5.61 more a month for the average household. Today, city leaders will consider raising water bills to generate millions of dollars to 'drought-harden' the water system. The money would go toward a project designed to increase the city's water supply within five years - something leaders say is vital because the recent drought proved current sources weren't adequate."
Colorado Springs and Pueblo are sparring over pollution in Fountain Creek and a proposed water pipeline from the Arkansas River to Colorado Springs, according to the Denver Post [September 26, 2005, "Pueblo crying foul on water"]. From the article, "Fountain Creek has become the latest flash point of a strained relationship between Colorado Springs and Pueblo - two cities that frequently have sparred over water. The tensions culminated over the summer when Pueblo District Attorney Bill Thiebaut threatened to sue the Colorado Springs water utility over pollution violations linked to the creek. A decision on the lawsuit is expected to be made by early October...The two cities also are at odds over a controversial $940 million water project, which many in Pueblo believe is Colorado Springs' attempt to sustain its booming population by sucking the Arkansas River Valley dry. The 43-mile pipeline, known as the Southern Delivery System, would allow Colorado Springs to pump water it owns in the Pueblo, Twin Lakes and Turquoise reservoirs. The water is expected to create a 40-year supply for Colorado Springs and El Paso County."
Now for some good news. The Colorado Division of Wildlife is using trees from the Hayman burn to restore trout habitat, according to the Denver Post [September 26, 2005, "This month, hundreds of trees killed by the Hayman fire are becoming a boon to trout in a degraded stretch of creek in the Tarryall State Wildlife Refuge. The project, called 'Trees for Trout,' will improve stretches of both the Tarryall and Elevenmile creeks this year."
Category: Colorado Water
5:55:55 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/14/09; 7:47:09 PM.
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