Coyote Gulch

Wednesday, November 9, 2005

Federal costs out of control?
Business Week: "Less well known, the federal government's long-term liabilities and net commitments, such as those relating to Social Security and Medicare, have risen from just over $20 trillion in fiscal 2000 to more than $43 trillion in fiscal 2004, in large part because of the passage of the Medicare prescription drug bill in December, 2003. This translates into a burden of more than $150,000 per American and $350,000 per full-time worker, up from $72,000 and $165,000 in 2000, respectively. Those amounts are growing fast because of continuing deficits, our aging society's longer lifespans, slower workforce growth, and compounding interest costs." Thanks to the Daily Kos for the link.

Howard Fineman: "For Democrats, the outside-the-Beltway strategic lessons from this week's elections are clear: run as a moderate or run on competence (or both), and surf to victory on voters' disdain for President Bush and his party's corrosive ad tactics. But there's another Democratic strategy under development, this one inside the Beltway, and it bears watching: a divide-and-conquer approach that is making life miserable for Bush and the GOP." Thanks to Political Wire for the link.Hotline Blog: "It might not mean much, but it's worth noting, with a couple caveats, that of all putative '08 presidentials, only VA Gov. Mark Warner (D) helped bring a big winner home on Tuesday." Thanks to the Daily Kos for the link.

2020 Hindsight: "What do you wanna bet that there's a new surge of home-schooling in Kansas to teach children science?"

Blogs for Bush: "Ignoring anything resembling reality, the media and the Democratic Party are jumping on the opportunity to make much more of their gubernatorial victories in Virginia and New Jersey... However, when all is said and done, nothing changed last night. No governorships changed hands. Democrats may act as if this is a springboard for more victories in 2006, but precedent says this is not the case. In fact, when Democrats won the governorships in Virginia and New Jersey in 2001, and then-DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe saw a 'huge shift in political momentum' only to see the Republican Party increase their majority in Congress the following year. Another Democrat talking point that the media is playing up is that these two elections signified a referendum on President Bush... Wishful thinking by the Democrats... Democrats won the governorships in those two states back in 2001 when Bush's approval rating was at 89%..."

Bull Moose: "The Moose celebrates the donkey sweep. The unraveling of the Bush era proceeded apace yesterday with Democratic victories in the Governor races in Virginia and New Jersey. If you add the defeat of the Terminator's initiatives in California, the Democratic victory was bi-costal. Most of all, the Democratic triumphs are a testimony that the energy in the Democratic Party lies in the Governors' mansions."

The Moderate Voice: "Although some Republican-backed measures triumphed in some areas, the overall gist of this election seemed to be an angry message from voters. Key losses included two prime gubernatorial races."

Stygius: "Phosphorous over Falluja?"

Category: 2008 Presidential Election

5:48:46 PM

Referendum C fallout
New West: "It's been a week since Colorado voters approved Referendum C and called a time-out on the most restrictive provision of the so-called Taxpayer Bill of Rights. But potential national repercussions keep surfacing. The big news on this front was yesterday's decisive rejection of a state-spending limit in California, although analysts aren't quite sure if Colorado's November 1 vote or Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's rapidly fading popularity were to blame. Elsewhere around the U.S., however, opponents and proponents of similar legislation and referenda continue debating the issue -- and the implications of a 'no' vote by those who have lived with the draconian restrictions of TABOR for more than a decade."

Category: Denver November 2005 Election

5:42:12 PM

Hickenlooper for Governor?
The Draft Hick(enlooper) kids have launched an unprecedented effort, according to Jim Spencer's column from today's Denver Post [November 9, 2005, ""Draft Hick" effort spins unique web"]. He writes, "At drafthick.com, $15.50 buys you a T-shirt with a picture of Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper standing by Rosie the Riveter, who is saying, 'We Can Do It!' The 'it' is a movement that political experts say is unprecedented in Colorado and perhaps the country. Nobody has seen anything like the ongoing attempt to draft Hickenlooper to run for governor. That includes Colorado College professor Bob Loevy and Colorado State University professor John Straayer, the deans of the state's political scientists."

Category: Denver November 2006 Election

7:08:37 AM

Runoff from oil and gas drilling

The state is about to get tougher on runoff from oil and gas well sites and a coalition of water providers and consumers intends to help, according to the Rocky Mountain News [November 9, 2005, "West Slope coalition asks for runoff limits"]. From the article, "A coalition of West Slope counties, cities, water districts and environmental groups is backing the state's effort to impose storm- water runoff rules on oil and gas drilling sites. Congress exempted the oil and gas industry from similar rules under the Clean Water Act earlier this year, but left the door open for states to enforce their own rules. West Slope communities, alarmed at the fast pace of oil and gas development, want more state oversight of storm-water runoff at drilling sites, according to Randy See, head of the Western Colorado Congress, a citizens' group. And members want the oversight done by the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission, not the state Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, as industry groups have proposed."

Meanwhile the EPA is hoping to empower grass-roots organizations in the cleanup of watersheds effected by abandoned mines, according to the Rocky Mountain News [November 8, 2005, "Speakout: Working to ease mine cleanup efforts"]. From the speakout, "Administrator Steve Johnson recently announced a new initiative to shield and empower communities and grass- roots organizations seeking to clean up watersheds threatened by abandoned mine runoff (http://www.epa.gov/water/goodsamaritan/). The announcement was made in St. Louis at the White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation on Aug. 30. And on Oct. 6, Colorado's two U.S. senators, Democrat Ken Salazar and Republican Wayne Allard, introduced new legislation to allow volunteers to clean up abandoned mine sites without fear of legal liability. The Cleanup of Inactive and Abandoned Mines Act (S 1848) would provide legal protection for companies, environmental groups, communities and individuals who undertake efforts to clean up hard-rock mining sites long abandoned. Anyone wishing to undertake a voluntary cleanup would be required to develop a remediation plan, undergo a review by EPA and the host state, and obtain a permit. To earn legal protection under the proposed law, the cleanup project must improve the environment on or in the mine area to a significant degree as well as meeting applicable water quality standards to the maximum extent reasonable and practicable under the circumstances. The Western Governors Association estimates there are at least 400,000 abandoned or inactive mine sites in the West alone. But it is also an issue in the East. Pennsylvania, for example, has a quarter-million acres of abandoned mineral extraction lands. Trout Unlimited estimates that sites in the West adversely affect approximately 40 percent of stream headwaters. EPA pegs the number of sites, nationally, at over half a million. These sites threaten surface and groundwaters with leached mercury, arsenic and copper. They load sediments into adjacent streams. And they render fish inedible and drinking water polluted. In most cases, no responsible party can be found, the operations having gone out of business long ago."

Category: Colorado Water

6:49:50 AM

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