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Sunday, October 1, 2006
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Here's a story about Referendum I from the Cortez Journal. They write, "It was a tough crowd for Sean Duffy, who was trying to convince two dozen mostly gray-haired Republicans why they should give gay people domestic partnership rights. Duffy, a self-described conservative Republican and former aide to Gov. Bill Owens, is leading the campaign for Referendum I, which voters will see on the November ballot. On Friday, he debated Al Knight, a conservative columnist for The Denver Post, at a meeting of the Colorado Lincoln Club. 'My sense of the Republican Party has always been that we're the party of fairness, and we're the party that wants to fix gaps in the law,' Duffy says. Ref I, he said, would fix several gaps for gay people who are in committed relationships but don't have the same rights as married people. Ref I would not grant the benefits that federal law gives to married people. Under Ref I, domestic partners would get the rights to share a partner's health or worker's compensation insurance, to make medical decisions for a partner and inherit a partner's property. Knight, however, said the Ref I campaign rests on the 'fundamental dishonesty' that domestic partnerships would not change the definition of marriage. But Ref I would make gay partners legally equal to married people, he said."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
8:48:17 AM 
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Here's a look at Amendment 44 from the Cortez Journal. They write, "Throughout the campaign, Tvert has tried to force his opponents to compare marijuana to alcohol. He took the same tactic in a heated debate against Suthers on Sept. 26. Suthers is running for re-election against Democrat Fern O'Brien. Suthers rejected Tvert's argument that marijuana is safer...
"The federal Institute of Medicine supports many of Tvert's arguments about alcohol. Marijuana users, according to a 1999 IOM study, are less likely to be dependent than alcohol users, and their withdrawal symptoms are usually milder."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
8:46:05 AM
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The Denver Post editorial staff has endorsed Bill Ritter. From the opinion piece, "Colorado stands at a crossroads that will require a firm grasp of policy and the sure hand of leadership. Bill Ritter and Bob Beauprez are dueling for the right to succeed Gov. Bill Owens in a race that could define the future of our state for a decade or more...
"We're proud, and a little surprised, to endorse Ritter's candidacy for governor. We know him as a tough prosecutor who served with distinction as Denver district attorney for 12 years. The DA's office isn't an obvious launching pad for statewide office, but Ritter entered the campaign early, never blinking in the face of would-be rivals. He used his months of obscurity to develop an impressive policy agenda (and fundraising effort) that has left Congressman Beauprez in the shadows. Ritter's background, his record in law enforcement and his centrist bearing have made a strong impression as he worked his way across all 64 Colorado counties...
"Ritter is not easily pigeon-holed. He doesn't have a legislative voting record, and his views on today's hot-button issues don't seem to emanate from pollsters or focus groups. He's cut from the cloth of Roy Romer, a pragmatic governor who worked both sides of the aisle to get things done. Ritter has committed to creating a bipartisan cabinet that will represent all Coloradans, not just his party."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
8:42:16 AM
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Oil and gas development and renewable energy are a source of conflict for our gubernatorial candidates, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "Congressman Bob Beauprez calls his energy platform 'Clean Energy Colorado.' Bill Ritter has a 'Seven- Point Plan for a New Energy Economy.' Both candidates paint rosy futures in their plans for a state they vow will become a leader in renewable energy, a resource for environmentally sound fossil-fuel development and a model of energy efficiency. It's how they would get there that makes energy one of the more testy issues in the gubernatorial race.
"Ritter has criticized Beauprez for his environmental record, while Beauprez has lashed back that Ritter has no record: His background is in prosecution rather than lawmaking, which Beauprez equates to a lack of experience. The League of Conservation Voters added Beauprez to its 'Dirty Dozen' list of lawmakers who score low for their voting records on environmental and public health issues. Ritter has criticized Beauprez's votes to give royalty subsidies to oil- shale developers, to exempt oil and gas companies from the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act, and to cut more than $20 million from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden.
"The next governor of Colorado will have to wrestle with emotional battles engendered by record oil and gas drilling and the emergence of oil shale as an alternative to foreign oil. Both candidates have visited the oil fields in northwestern Colorado, but have different ideas about how to proceed."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
8:23:49 AM
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© Copyright 2006 John Orr.
Last update: 11/1/06; 7:44:32 AM.
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