Sunday, February 19, 2006

Ritter for governor? Susan Barnes-Gelt gives Bill Ritter a ringing endorsement in her column in today's Denver Post. She writes, "Ritter may fail the glad-handing, good ol' boy, political animal test. He is serious, smart, principled and comfortable in his skin. "He passes the authenticity test with flying colors - an exam that Bob Beauprez would surely fail. "Bill Ritter has a vision for a successful Colorado. He understands that until we address the challenges to K-12 and higher education, our workforce won't be able to meet the demands of the 21st century. "He also recognizes that the federal government will not solve the health care and health insurance dilemmas. He knows that state leadership is critical to controlling prescription costs, insurance burdens and health care access. He is committed to convening a broad, informed process to examine best practices and come up with a Colorado solution." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 8:15:29 AM    comment []

Amendment 38 - Petition Rights Amendment John Andrews is urging voters to pass Amendment 38 this fall. He writes, "Through the years, however, concentrated power at the capitol and courthouse has undermined the effectiveness of citizen petitions on street corners. Petitioners have found themselves stymied by bureaucratic stalling tactics and shut out by legislative word games. Now, watchdog groups have a proposal to make the process fair again. It's called the Petition Rights Amendment, or PRA. Voters will see it on the November ballot as Amendment 38. "PRA offers common sense in signature checking, ballot titles and protest rulings; impartiality in the voter guide and by public agencies; petition elections every November and by all local governments; uniform rules statewide; and no more phony emergencies by the legislature to suspend petition rights. What a fraud for citizen review of even such routine legislative bills such as a kids' license plate (SB 100) or an arts council reshuffle (SB 49) to be blocked by a 'public peace and safety' clause. "Election 2006 may feature petition votes on illegal aliens, eminent domain, classroom spending and traditional marriage (all currently leading in the polls), as well as marijuana and abortion (currently trailing). But your most important vote may be a 'yes' on the Petition Rights Amendment itself. We need to make sure that the formula holds true, that citizen petitions in fact remain greater than concentrated power." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 8:10:04 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2006 John Orr. Last update: 3/2/06; 7:38:18 AM.