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Monday, December 12, 2005
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Alito for Supremes?
The Moderate Voice: "Is it just US? Or do others (of both parties) find Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist as being a curious combination of the sincerity of Uriah Heep and the less lovable aspects of Republican Richard Nixon and Democrat Al Gore? We read stories like this and (a)shudder, (b)realize that any strategy he embraces is likely to be the worst one possible, one that will boomerang on the GOP: 'Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Sunday he is prepared to strip Democrats of their to ability to filibuster if they try to stall Samuel Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court.'"
Iraq the Model: "The voting has begun...The political bodies used SMS technology for campaigning for the first time; more than 20 lists and parties sent hundreds of thousands of messages via cell phones throughout the country; I for instance received one of those messages."
Political Wire: "'Propelled by his popularity at home, Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia has begun a major foray onto the national stage, raising millions of dollars for his likely presidential bid and visiting states already being courted by potential 2008 contenders,' the New York Times reports. 'Staking out territory in the middle, Governor Warner has played down core Democratic issues like abortion rights, even though he supports them. At the same time, he has emphasized themes like fiscal discipline, school accountability, the streamlining of government services and gun rights.'"
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
6:44:23 AM 
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Annual Meeting for Colorado River Water Users Association
This is the week for the annual gathering of the Colorado River Water Users Association in Las Vegas, according to the Arizona Republic. From the article, "Seeding clouds. Pulling weeds. Desalting sea water. Diverting flow from rivers two or three states away. Is this where Western water management is headed, to the realm of last-resort ideas? Maybe. The water managers prefer to call them creative strategies, but there's no denying that the seven Colorado River states are looking beyond traditional approaches as they try to stretch ever further a water supply weakened by population growth and persistent drought. The states want to avoid a bruising legal battle over what happens if the river can't meet demands in future years, which is why those ideas and others will be on the table this week."
Category: Colorado Water
6:27:01 AM
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Southern Delivery System
Here's a story from the Colorado Springs Gazette about the new CEO of the city-owned Colorado Springs Utilities, Jerry Forte. From the article, "Forte, 51, reaffirmed in a recent interview the utility's commitment to build the controversial billion-dollar Southern Delivery Water System, which some council members have said is the biggest utility issue facing the city. Forte said he continues to believe the project is the best way to ensure the city has enough water to meet growth needs and to serve as a backup to the utility's transmountain water system. But he acknowledged it probably will be the last major water project the utility does, and it won't get done without winning the cooperation of various southern Colorado governments and water agencies. He said the project is close to earning the long-awaited backing of southern Arkansas Valley officials, and he believes earlier agreements forged with the city of Pueblo and the Pueblo Board of Water Works will stand despite continued opposition from some in that community, including the publisher of the Pueblo Chieftain newspaper. The project calls for piping water the utility owns in Pueblo Reservoir to a reservoir to be built on Colorado Springs' east side. With a second phase that envisions the expansion of Pueblo Reservoir, the project would supply enough water to meet the growth of the city through 2040. Despite a steady drumbeat of negative editorials and news stories from the Chieftain; new land-use regulations from Pueblo County that would make the project difficult to build; and continuing reticence by Colorado's congressional delegation to push for the expansion of Pueblo Reservoir, Forte remains confident about the future of the project...Forte and Southern Delivery project manager Gary Bostrom said the city eventually will need to reuse its water, along with expanding its number of wells in the Denver Aquifer and leasing or buying agricultural water rights. But Forte said it isn't time to turn to those less-attractive alternatives. Forte said the utility owns the water in Pueblo Reservoir and has a reasonable expectation under Colorado law to use it."
Category: Colorado Water
6:17:18 AM
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Petition Rights Amendment
Here's a story from the Rocky Mountain News detailing some of the issues around the Petition Rights Amendment [December 12, 2005, "Easier petition rules at issue"]. From the article, "The initiative was written by Doug Campbell, a Jefferson County resident active in pro-Taxpayer's Bill of Rights and anti-abortion efforts; Douglas Bruce, author of the 1992 TABOR; and Dennis Polhill, a senior fellow at the Independence Institute who has been active in initiative education efforts nationally. 'It's the job of government to implement initiatives, not to stand in the way,' Campbell said. The Petition Rights Amendment covers both initiatives and referendums. An initiative is a measure put on the ballot by citizens that amends the state constitution or changes laws. A referendum is a measure put on the ballot by citizens that allows voters to change a law passed by the legislature."
The Petition Rights Amendment on the ballot next year, in part: Requires all initiatives, even local ones, be voted on during November general elections; Removes the odd/even year restriction that determines when issues can appear; Extends the petition circulation period from six months to a year; Transfers the authority to invalidate a signature from an elections employee to a district court judge; Shortens the time limit for challenging an initiative; Limits governments from enacting so-called safety clauses, which prevent citizens from overturning laws by use of a referendum; Extends citizen initiatives to all levels of government, including counties; Limits language on the ballot to 75 words or less; Restricts government resources from being used in any way to fight or support a measure; imposes a minimum $3,000 fine on any government entity and all employees involved; and forbids tax dollars from being used to reimburse or defend any employee involved; Requires a citizen vote to change any portion of the petition process; Allows petition organizers to describe their initiative in their own words in any government-distributed ballot information booklet."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
5:44:40 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/14/09; 7:54:08 PM.
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