Wednesday, September 6, 2006

Davidson for Regent At-Large? Brian Davidson, candidate for Regent At-Large, answers Stephen Ludwig's assertion that Mr. Davidson would support concealed weapons, with a permit, for faculty and staff. From Colorado Confidential: "I'm shocked by that assertion," he said. "You have to understand the context in which that (Pikes Peak Firearm Coalition) survey was administered. The question had to do with law abiding citizens with concealed weapons." "My initial thought was my father who was an arson investigator. He and a lot of his colleagues typically get those permits. I had no intention of supporting students and faculty members to bring firearms onto the campus. I fully support the university's policy to prohibit these weapons on campus." "I'm a physician I work in a trauma center. I work with people who've been shot, people who have died, because of what someone has done to them with a firearm." Sounds like a non-issue to us. "denver 2006" 9:27:42 PM

ElectoralVote.com:2006 Say hello to ElectoralVote.com:2006 Andrew Tannenbaum has re-launched the website he ran during the presidential election. They write, "Welcome (back) to electoral-vote.com. As many of you know, during the 2004 election, this site tracked the 50 state polls + D.C. on a daily basis, reporting on the electoral vote count continuously. The site was the most popular election site in the country, drawing almost 700,000 visitors a day. It was in the top 1000 Websites in the world and the top 10 blogs in the world. The 2004 data and maps are still online. Just click on '2004 Election' above to travel backward in time. "Due to popular demand, we are back in operation again, now tracking the Senate 2006 races and to a lesser extent, the House. There is a wealth of new data, links, and other information, some of which may surprise you. For example, which party controls the governor's mansion in the six bluest states? (Hint) The links in the menu below the map lead you to a large collection of Web pages about politics in general and the upcoming congressional election in particular. It is suggested that everyone read the Welcome page and General FAQ in any case." Here's the RSS feed. Thanks to Political Wire for the link. Here's the Coyote Gulch post the day that the good Dr. revealed that he was behind ElectoralVote.com . 9:15:20 PM

War on terror Captains Quarters: "George Bush gave a long-overdue speech on the American efforts to use intelligence and captured terrorists to keep the US homeland safe from attack. He announced the transition of detained high-value terrorists from secret holding facilities to Guantanamo Bay in preparation for military tribunals, once Congress approves the legal framework for such a process, and related the myriad links discovered through their interrogation." Josh Marshall: "Maybe I'm missing something. But President Bush's announcement today of the transfer fourteen accused terrorists from secret prisons abroad to Guantanamo Bay seems pretty elementary in terms of political strategy, no? "As we speculated last night, President Bush wants to gin up a hail mary pre-election political fight over the constitution (no pun intended) of military tribunals for accused terrorists. This election-timed stunt is intended to put fourteen faces on the president's fight over the rules for his kangaroo courts." The White House has published The President's National Strategy for Combating Terrorism. "2008 pres" 8:56:48 PM

Immigration Colorado Confidential: "What started as a group of vigilantes roaming along the U.S. Southern border - with reported ties to neo-Nazis - has officially established clubs in Denver and Colorado Springs. In a news story in the Colorado Springs Independent this week, Minutemen chapter president Jeff Henry likens his group to a sort of neighborhood watch program - 'albeit one that seeks to ferret undocumented immigrants out of the city and back over the southern U.S. border.' The Minutemen now have more than 200 chapters in 38 states." "2008 pres" 8:49:41 PM

Ritter video faux pas Coyote Gulch asks that the Ritter campaign post video in other formats besides Windows media. Some of us out here do not run software from MS. It shows an inclusive attitude to reach out to Linux, UNIX and Macintosh users. We refer you to the video page at Hickenlooper for Mayor. "denver 2006" 8:40:50 PM

Aaron Harbor: U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer This is cool. From email from the Aaron Harbor show: "The broadcast of ... which features an exclusive one-on-one interview with United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer is scheduled for Friday, September 8th, at 9:00 pm and Sunday, September 10th, at 2:00 pm on PBS Station KBDI-TV Channel 12, Colorado Public Television. The program also now is available for viewing 24/7 at www.HarberTV.com." "2008 pres" 8:36:33 PM

Ritter for governor? Coyote Gulch has always encouraged candidates to start weblogs. We maintain that short entries with links can help explain positions on issues or, as Bill Ritter is doing, answer allegations from the opposition. Here's a short post from Bill Ritter's weblog on the issue of his record on crime. "denver 2006" 7:17:03 AM

Mortgage Moms Colorado Confidential: "Following up on its piece on how the 'security moms'-moms concerned about terrorism-who helped push the GOP victories in 2002 and 2004 may be leaning Democratic now, the Washington Post today reports on the political label of the moment: 'mortgage mom.' What's a mortgage mom? That would be 'voters whose sense of well-being is freighted with anxiety about their families' financial squeeze.' Even as the GOP makes plans to make security issues its major focus in the remaining weeks that Congress is in session, Democrats are betting that economic fears will trump those relating to terrorism. Among the statistics brandished: that the inflation-adjusted median hourly wage of most workers fell by two percent since 2003 according to the Department of Labor, that the annual inflation rate has exceeded four percent for three consecutive months, and that household debt is rising. In particular, the ratio of financial obligations, mostly mortgage and consumer debt, to disposable personal income rose to 18.7 percent earlier this year, the highest level in modern times, notes the Post." "denver 2006" 7:12:57 AM

Follow the money Can't See the Center ..." "The Rocky Mountain News devotes some ink to a subject discussed here at length: the contributions of liberal Colorado millionaires to 527 committees. I'm glad this issue is getting some attention. But the article once again demonstrates how difficult this money is to track. The reporter, Stuart Steers, says that in 2004, Pat Stryker, Tim Gill, Jared Polis and Rutt Bridges "poured in a combined $1.6 million" for state legislative races. 'Most of that money went into '527' independent committees.' I believe that vastly understates the amount of money the Stryker brigade contributed to the Democrats' takeover of the Legislature. If you look up these four contributors at the IRS's website, their contributions to three major 527s -- the Coalition for a Better Colorado, the Alliance for Colorado Families, and the Alliance for a Better Colorado -- totaled $1.93 million. Beyond that, they dropped another $750,000 in state-regulated contributions. A lot of that went for Initiative & Referendum campaigns, but they maxed out on direct contributions to a lot of legislative candidates, too. So as opposed to the Rocky's $1.6 million, I think it's closer to $2.5 million -- and the four spent another $2.5 million on national causes." "denver 2006" 7:11:09 AM

Ludwig or Davidson for Regent At-Large? Colorado Confidential: "Today Stephen Ludwig, the Democratic candidate for an at-large seat at the University of Colorado (CU) Board of Regents, brandished his Republican opponent's position that concealed weapons ought to be allowed on campus as a sign that he is 'completely misdirected.' The CU regents established a ban of concealed weapons in 1994. After the state legislature approved a bill in 2003 that expanded the state's conceal-carry laws, then-attorney general Ken Salazar affirmed that the regents had the authority to enforce the ban. As I first reported here, Brian Davidson, the Republican candidate for an at-large seat on the CU board of regents, earned the endorsement of the Pikes Peak Firearm Coalition (PPFC). In answer to a questionnaire from the group, he had stated that 'A person with a permit should be allowed to carry their [sic] weapon essentially without regard to place or situation.'" Here's Stephen Ludwig's weblog post on the subject. "denver 2006" 7:08:07 AM

Fall ballot: Early Childhood Education The Rocky Mountain News editorial staff is urging voters to reject the .12% increase in the city's sales tax to fund early childhood education. They write, "In at least one key respect, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's proposal to raise the sales tax to subsidize preschool is the best plan of its type we've seen - not just in Denver but anywhere. We were sorely tempted to support it. In the end, however, we couldn't - for reasons we'll outline in a moment. Voters should reject it when they go to the polls this fall... "Still, the measure's weaknesses are significant, too. Among them: "People are not all of one mind about what constitutes good early education. Yet according to language approved by City Council, "The preschool provider shall agree to participate in a three-part quality improvement system that includes an introduction to quality, establishment of an objective quality rating for the preschool, and development and implementation of a quality improvement plan ... "That may sound good, but what happens to providers who don't agree with what the city wants them to do? Or suppose they just find the paperwork too burdensome? We worry that the system would, perhaps inevitably, push toward more institutional settings - by emphasizing credentials, for example, or other indicators favoring certain types of providers. And we fear it could undermine the ability of smaller, private care settings that many parents prefer. "Six of seven members of the board of directors of the nonprofit corporation that would run the program would be appointed by the mayor. The remaining member would come from the City Council and be chosen by that body. This means a group of mostly anonymous individuals only indirectly accountable to the public would enjoy tremendous discretion to set standards governing the quality rating system. "The city estimates that the average tuition credit would be $5,265 per child up to family incomes of $50,000. But the ordinance doesn't say that; the actual numbers will be determined by a community advisory board. How many children would participate, and what percentage of eligible children would that comprise? To be decided. How many would have been in preschool anyway? Unknown. "The city charter does not mention preschool education. The city should be cautious about diving into activities outside its core responsibilities. When it wants to raise taxes for a new task, officials ought to be able to look voters in the eye and report that the city's basic needs are being fully met." "denver 2006" 7:02:26 AM

Reservoir levels Summit Daily News: "Steady High Country precipitation during the summer has left the area's reservoirs in good shape, with plenty of storage. Healthy water levels in Dillon and Green Mountain Reservoirs recently led Colorado River managers to declare a water 'surplus.' Even with demand from the senior Shoshone water right, there's enough water in the system to enable releases benefiting endangered Colorado River fish, said Scott Hummer, the Blue River Basin water commissioner for the State Engineer's Office. That means healthy water levels in the Blue River below Green Mountain Reservoir, flowing at 923 cubic feet per second as compared to mean early September flows of 565 cfs. Below Dillon Reservoir, the Blue River was flowing at 201 cfs Tuesday (177 mean flow for the date), and other local streams are also near historic averages, Hummer said. Denver Water is currently diverting about 33 cfs through the Roberts Tunnel. The average for this date is about 100 cfs, he said. "According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, reservoir storage across the Western Slope was right around 100 percent of average at the end of July, but well below normal east of the Continental Divide. The Upper Rio Grande Basin is the worst off, with reservoir storage at 39 percent of average and only 55 percent of last year's storage for this date. The South Platte and the Arkansas were at 76 and 61 percent of average storage respectively at the end of July." "colorado water" 6:42:53 AM

Local government to regulate watersheds? Grand Junction Daily Sentinel: "The Grand Junction City Council will decide tonight whether to adopt an ordinance aimed at protecting the city's watershed or refer the measure to the November ballot. Council members will hold a public hearing and then choose to either approve the ordinance as written or place it on the Nov. 7 ballot and let city voters decide. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 250 N. Fifth St. Organizers with the Concerned Citizens Alliance, a local chapter of the Western Colorado Congress, led a charge in July to put the issue to voters. The alliance collected 4,270 signatures for a petition demanding the ordinance - nearly three times the 1,580 necessary to place a question on the ballot - and turned them over to City Hall. In the end, 2,635 were confirmed as those of city voters. The environmental group is pushing for the ordinance as oil and gas companies eye drilling on Grand Mesa, where Grand Junction and Palisade's municipal watersheds are located. Last month, the Bureau of Land Management issued leases for land in both municipalities' watersheds to Genesis Oil and Gas of Kansas City, Mo., but suspended the leases for a year to give the company time to work with Grand Junction and Palisade on its plans. A majority of council members suggested three weeks ago they would likely adopt the ordinance, saving the estimated $40,000 cost of a ballot issue and making it easier to amend the ordinance. An ordinance adopted by the voters could only be changed by the voters. Council adoption of the ordinance is fine with Bill Grant, as long as any changes don't overhaul the measure, he said." "colorado water" 6:33:09 AM

Beauprez for governor? Grand Junction Daily Sentinel: "As the weekend's Club 20 debates approach, visitors and politicos arriving in Grand Junction will notice two prominently located billboards and a radio advertisement released Tuesday deriding Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez's support of Referendum A. Carrie Doyle, executive director of the Colorado Conservation Voters Campaign Fund, a group aimed at educating voters on statewide candidates' views on conservation issues, said she hoped the advertisements would make voters more aware of U.S. Rep. Beauprez's stance on the vital issue of water... "Doyle said the ads place a special focus on Beauprez's support of Referendum A, which would have allowed the state to go $2 billion into debt to finance unspecified water projects. 'When he comes to the West Slope he talks about protecting our water, but he supported Referendum A,' the radio ad says. Western Slope lawmakers, including former Rep. Matt Smith, R-Grand Junction, attacked the referendum as a license for the Front Range to steal water from the other half of the state. The referendum, which Ritter opposed, died by a two-to-one margin statewide... "Rep. Mark Larson, R-Cortez, who has endorsed Beauprez's opponent, Democrat Bill Ritter, told The Daily Sentinel that despite Beauprez's assertions that he is, in fact, conservation-minded, his votes in Congress show that Beauprez supports causes alien to the Western Slope. 'We believe in being tough stewards, but we also believe that water is a precious resource,' Larson said. 'We want a balance with oil and gas, and we have not seen that in the congressman's record.' Larson emphasized Beauprez's support for a bill that would have given manufacturers of MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl ether), a gasoline additive, protection from liability if the chemical leaked into groundwater supplies. (The language dealing with MTBE never made it into the final version of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.)[...] "Marshall said he questioned Larson's comments based on the fact the representative endorsed Beauprez earlier this year. Larson, however, told The Daily Sentinel on Tuesday that he never endorsed Beauprez. He said Marshall was distorting a discussion earlier this year they had during the spat between Beauprez and then-Republican-gubernatorial-candidate Marc Holtzman. He said he told Marshall that Holtzman's aggressive politicking, including Holtzman's coining of the phrase 'Both Ways Bob,' disgusted him." "denver 2006" 6:26:31 AM

Fountain Creek management Colorado Springs has a new plan to deal with sewage spills into Fountain Creek, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "A new plan by Colorado Springs Utilities would capture sewage spills into Fountain Creek by diverting the entire flow of the creek through a former irrigation ditch into holding ponds. The water then would be pumped back about one mile through a pipeline to the city's main treatment plant before being released back into Fountain Creek, according to a plan still being formulated. Cost is estimated to be just under $10 million, which is less than the $13.2 million price tag utilities put on an inflatable dam plan abandoned last month. The size of the holding ponds - an estimated 18 million gallons - is based on past non-storm sewage spills, said Bruce McCormick, utilities chief water services officer... "...spills of more than 300,000 gallons from broken lines on Sand Creek in June 2005 caused by a large storm would not have been captured by the diversion, but a spill of 44,000 gallons in January during an operation to repair sewer lines would have been contained. The diversion also would not be effective against a spill not discovered for several hours, such as the release of 26,400 gallons after vandals used rocks to plug a manhole in May 2005. It also would not prevent bacteria levels from spiking during storms... "Most of the cost associated with the Stubbs-Miller Ditch project is not from the diversion structure itself, McCormick said. Other major cost items will include expanding one pond and constructing another to hold an estimated 18 million gallons, a milelong pipeline to return water to the Las Vegas Treatment Plant and electrical improvements at the site to power pumps and the diversion gate, McCormick said. Colorado Springs Utilities chief Jerry Forte first told Pueblo City Council about the inflatable dam concept in February, but provided few details. In August, the utilities backed away from the inflatable dam, citing the relative expense and the reliability of the system during a power outage. The new diversion plan should be complete by mid-2007." "colorado water" 6:12:29 AM

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