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Monday, May 21, 2007
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Women's rights
Political Wire: "New Gallup Poll: 'Americans hold a complex set of beliefs about the legality of terminating a woman's pregnancy. The majority want the Supreme Court to uphold its 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision which protects abortion rights. Most Americans also say abortion should be legal only under certain circumstances, and believe there should be a ban on 'late-term' or 'partial-birth' abortions. But when the entire issue is distilled to the labels most commonly used on each side of the debate -- pro-choice vs. pro-life -- the public is split nearly down the middle.'"
"2008 pres"
6:52:15 PM 
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WRDA and the Rio Grande
The Alamosa News is running an article about the WRDA and what it means for the Rio Grande River basin. They write, "Due to the efforts of U.S. Senator Ken Salazar, the Water Resources and Development Act of 2007 includes $25 million for restoration and management of the Rio Grande. The act, which passed through the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, includes millions of dollars for Colorado water projects with the largest amount, $25 million, for the Rio Grande Environmental Management Program in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. The program provides for restoration and management of the Rio Grande and its Alamosa and Conejos River tributaries. 'That is important for us because we need to make sure we are protecting our compact entitlements in the San Luis Valley and the Rio Grande Basin,' Salazar said."
Thanks to SLV Dweller for the link.
"colorado water"
6:23:33 PM
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Aaron Harber guest: Howard Dean
Check out Aaron Harber's interview with Howard Dean. The regular broadcast will be on Friday night (9:00 p.m.) and Sunday (2:00 p.m.). They're breaking the Internet rule of thumb -- Use Flash to display video, although it's cool that they have QuickTime.
We think that it's cool that the show is up on the website ahead of the broadcast. They also keep it around for awhile if you miss it.
"2008 pres"
5:49:53 PM
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Iraq
Andrew Sullivan: "There are murmurings afoot - from disgruntled Republican Congressmen to a skeptical defense secretary to a maverick but refreshing Republican candidate, Ron Paul. My column in the Sunday Times is on this strange and perhaps fleeting convergence."
"2008 pres"
5:35:07 AM
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2008 and the U.S. Supreme Court
Talking Points Memo: "It may seem a little early -- OK, it is a little early -- to consider motivating factors in the 2008 presidential race, but Tom Goldstein emailed me with a heads-up on a terrific piece he wrote about the election and the future balance of the Supreme Court. While acknowledging upfront that justices' retirements are unpredictable, Goldstein makes a compelling case that the next president will likely be in a position to name at least two, possibly three, members of the high court."
"2008 pres"
5:33:30 AM
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? for President?
Political Wire: "In the latest Des Moines Register Iowa Poll, John Edwards leads the Democratic presidential race with 29% support, followed by Sen. Barack Obama at 23% , Sen. Hillary Clinton at 21% and Gov. Bill Richardson at 10%...In the Republican race, Mitt Romney 'has sprinted ahead' of his rivals and now leads with 30%, followed by Sen. John McCain at 18% and Rudy Giuliani at 17%."
eyeon08.com: "Hotline discusses the Des Moines Register's new poll of Iowa likely caucusgoers. They say the numbers should be taken seriously, so I will. In this poll Mitt Romney gets 30% of the vote, John McCain gets 18%, and Rudy Giuliani gets 17%."
"2008 pres"
5:30:52 AM
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Immigration
From today's Denver Post, "What Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo calls amnesty, Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado calls a 'time of purgatory.' There, in a few words, are the yin and yang of immigration reform. Salazar is - to put it mildly - a cautious politician. But, like Tancredo, he has thrown himself willingly into the middle of one of the country's most rancorous debates. Salazar helped craft and promote the immigration bill the Senate begins debating today. The bill has the potential to help solve one of America's most vexing dilemmas - the presence of 12 million undocumented immigrants. It also has the potential to alienate constituents because the bill allows illegal workers to get temporary but renewable four-year visas called 'Z visas.' Undocumented employees must pay a $1,000 fine to get a Z visa. It is the first step in an eight- to 13-year journey to permanent legal status that costs a total of $5,000. The rub comes because Z visas let once-undocumented folks keep jobs and stay in this country legally as they try to get permanent status. Z visas, along with a guest worker plan that allows 400,000 people a year into the country for two years at a time, have set Tancredo and others on the left and right to howling. Immigration is an emotional flash point. It could easily spark a political backlash. Salazar said he is willing to take the risk."
TalkLeft: "Here come the detention camps."
"2008 pres"
4:58:17 AM
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Runoff
Here's a short article about snowpack and projected runoff, from the Colorado Springs Gazette. They write, "Last winter arrived early and often, but overall, Colorado's water supplies for everything from drinking to rafting are about average. Parts of Colorado are drier than normal, particularly the Western Slope, but the Arkansas River Basin had 122 percent of its average precipitation this winter, and snowpack was about 77 percent of the average for this time of year last week -- better than most recent years. Colorado Springs and southeastern Colorado depend heavily on the basin. The South Platte River Basin is even healthier. Last week, the South Platte still had 103 percent of the average snowpack for this time of year. A foot of snow fell in northern and eastern El Paso County April 25, and a major storm socked the high country -- more than 20 inches fell on Pikes Peak -- on May 8. The 47-inch snow depth recorded at Glen Cove that day was the most since monitoring began in 2004."
More coverage from the Denver Post. They write, "The Yampa River basin in northwestern Colorado, for instance, is down to about 29 percent of its average snowpack, and officials along the Gunnison River are expecting only about half of the normal flows as spring turns into summer...
"The reservoirs along the South Platte all are nearly full - weeks ahead of schedule - and metro-area water suppliers are in rare jubilant spirits even while they continue to encourage water conservation among their customers."
"colorado water"
4:44:11 AM
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Farm disaster on the South Platte
Here's part two of the Greeley Tribune's "reg" editorial board series on the impending farm disaster up on the South Platte. From the opinion piece, "So what are some possible solutions to the situation? Ideally, an emergency session of the Colorado Legislature would be the first step to give farmers some relief at least through the 2007 growing season. But Gov. Bill Ritter and the Democratic majority of the legislature apparently don't see the need for such a session...
"Some long-term actions:
"Put authority back in the State Engineer's office that has been stripped by the Colorado Supreme Court, then better fund that office, so it can better administer the state's rivers.
"Funding has been stripped from the Colorado Water Board over the past few years. Find ways to better fund that entity, which in turn could make it easier for water organizations in the state to get financial resources to build water storage projects.
"Develop methods of measuring the amount of water during extreme storms, such as have been seen this spring, that rush down the South Platte River and is added to the river's aquifer. There is the technology available to measure that water, which then could be counted as part of irrigation well replacement plans.
"Develop first- and second-use plans with municipalities whereby cities would get first, and even second use of water, but then let agriculture have second or third use of that water for irrigation purposes rather than recycling effluent back to the cities that use that water to irrigate parks, golf courses, thereby using that water to extinction.
"Develop water cooperatives between agriculture, municipalities and recreational concerns that allows for the transfer of water between members of those cooperatives. That would include the idling of farm ground during dry stretches but provides a financial safety net for farmers who agree to idle irrigated land for a specific period."
"colorado water"
4:36:25 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/14/09; 9:15:10 PM.
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