U.S. Senate See Full Big Line

(D) J. Hickenlooper*

(R) Somebody

80%

20%

Governor See Full Big Line

(D) Joe Neguse

(D) Phil Weiser

(D) Jena Griswold

60%

60%

40%↓

Att. General See Full Big Line

(D) M. Dougherty

(D) Alexis King

(D) Brian Mason

40%

40%

30%

Sec. of State See Full Big Line

(D) George Stern

(D) A. Gonzalez

(R) Sheri Davis

40%

40%

30%

State Treasurer See Full Big Line

(D) Brianna Titone

(R) Kevin Grantham

(D) Jerry DiTullio

60%

30%

20%

CO-01 (Denver) See Full Big Line

(D) Diana DeGette*

(R) Somebody

90%

2%

CO-02 (Boulder-ish) See Full Big Line

(D) Joe Neguse*

(R) Somebody

90%

2%

CO-03 (West & Southern CO) See Full Big Line

(R) Jeff Hurd*

(D) Somebody

80%

40%

CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado) See Full Big Line

(R) Lauren Boebert*

(D) Somebody

90%

10%

CO-05 (Colorado Springs) See Full Big Line

(R) Jeff Crank*

(D) Somebody

80%

20%

CO-06 (Aurora) See Full Big Line

(D) Jason Crow*

(R) Somebody

90%

10%

CO-07 (Jefferson County) See Full Big Line

(D) B. Pettersen*

(R) Somebody

90%

10%

CO-08 (Northern Colo.) See Full Big Line

(R) Gabe Evans*

(D) Yadira Caraveo

(D) Joe Salazar

50%

40%

40%

State Senate Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

80%

20%

State House Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

95%

5%

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
April 09, 2018 06:17 AM UTC

Monday Open Thread

  • 26 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

“Integrity means that you are the same in public as you are in private.”

–Joyce Meyer

Tweet
Share

Comments

26 thoughts on “Monday Open Thread”

      1. And our favorite shill-boy 2 Live Drew posted last night.  Either he got out of jail, or they gave him some blogging privileges. Wonder how harsh the Virginia Department of Corrections is.

        1. Virginia wasn't shill boy's problem.  Putin put him in the Lubyanka because of his ineptitude.  If he screws up again, he'll go to the Lefertovo, the one Russian prison worse than the Lubyanka.

      1. Hey man!!!  How was prison?  Or are you still there and they gave you minimal blogging privileges?  Were you incarcerated in Virginia for your actions with the tiki-torch brigade, or Lubyanka because Putin was punishing you for sucking as a troll?

      2. Geez, Gerbils.  Sure wish your President Trump hadn't promised Putin to leave Syria to him and Assad so they could victimize innocent Syrians.

        Oh yeah, and how about Trump's forbidding the entry of Syrian refugee kids?  You support that policy, right?

  3. As we continue our descent into the New Feudalism…

    The Corporate Plan to Groom U.S. Kids for Servitude by Wiping Out Public Schools

    Lafer pored over the activities of business lobbying groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) – funded by giant corporations including Walmart, Amazon.com, and Bank of America—that produces “model legislation” in areas its conservative members use to promote privatization. He studied the Koch network, a constellation of groups affiliated with billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch. (Koch Industries is the country’s second-largest private company with business including crude oil supply and refining and chemical production). Again and again, he found that corporate-backed lobbyists were able to subvert the clear preferences of the public and their elected representatives in both parties. Of all the areas these lobbyists were able to influence, the policy campaign that netted the most laws passed, featured the most big players, and boasted the most effective organizations was public education. For these U.S. corporations, undermining the public school system was the Holy Grail.

     

    After five years of research and the publication of The One Percent Solution, Lafer concluded that by lobbying to make changes like increasing class sizes, pushing for online instruction, lowering accreditation requirements for teachers, replacing public schools with privately-run charters, getting rid of publicly elected school boards and a host of other tactics, Big Business was aiming to dismantle public education.  

    The grand plan was even more ambitious. These titans of business wished to completely change the way Americans and their children viewed their life potential. Transforming education was the key.

    1. Yawn. Another report from the fever swamps of the uber left conspiracy foundry.

      Actually, in my experience, most business people support higher educational standards.  It's the Bible-thumping crowd that fights against pubic education because it undercuts their 6,000 year – old earth theory.

      1. Koch Brothers apparently believe that education is crucial, so they are going to destroy public schools to save it. How the Kochs are trying to shake up public schools, one state at a time Public support for private schools. Public schools stripped of all those pesky regulations and limits on contracts between districts and teachers. End the "certification" nonsense, as anyone can teach. End the university's dictating of educational standards and advocacy of methods. Use "efficient" measures like on-line instruction and computer-based instruction.

        What always gets to me is the enthusiasm for various solutions, the things that "should" work according to their ideology.  As if there hasn't been research on student achievement in various sorts of schools. And the pretty clear consensus that some students will adapt and be okay no matter where they are, some families will find a way to get their kids educated no matter what form of schooling is offered, and focused attention on a method of measuring will bring "success" by some students on that measurement.

        There is no such thing as "separate, but equal."   Money matters. Districts with declining amounts of money have decaying achievement in a narrowed set of educational outcomes.

        Kids with engaged parents do better. Kids with multiple adults taking a personal interest in them do better. Kids from communities with high expectations and hopes do better. Kids with professionals in teaching and administration do better.

        I have no idea why the Kochs don't want to invest the time and effort to develop a society that clearly enables parents to be involved, with other adults taking a personal interest in the kids, communities that set high expectations, and school systems that value and reward expertise. But thus far, they don't.

        1. Amazon no longer funds ALEC.  John is quite correct, however, that the Kochs despise public education.   They don't speak for all business, however.

        2. +K12, JohninDenver

          What always gets to me is the enthusiasm for various solutions, the things that "should" work according to their ideology.  As if there hasn't been research on student achievement in various sorts of schools. And the pretty clear consensus that some students will adapt and be okay no matter where they are, some families will find a way to get their kids educated no matter what form of schooling is offered, and focused attention on a method of measuring will bring "success" by some students on that measurement.

          There is no such thing as "separate, but equal."   Money matters. Districts with declining amounts of money have decaying achievement in a narrowed set of educational outcomes.

          Well said. And what gets to me is when curriculum developers and textbook / test companies do spurious "research" on what "should" work, and then sell their product to needy school districts to pilot and be the guinea pigs for what is too often a product that does not fit the kids we have in the classroom. Grrrr. Pet peeve.

          "It's research-based – will you help us prove our research?"

  4. I have always liked this quote but integrity is not the same as class.  You can be the same in private as you are in public but if you are a jerk in both situations then you are still a jerk.

    1. Obama – Same person in public and private with class

      Trump – Same person in public and private with no clue what class is.

      Evangelicals – Who the hell knows whether they believe what they profess?

  5. Cancer risk near oil, gas operations 8 times higher than upper EPA limits, study finds
    Report: Concentrations of hazardous gas 41 times higher within 500 feet of drilling sites

    "The study provides further evidence that people living close to oil and gas facilities are at the greatest risk of acute and chronic health issues due to air pollutants emitted by those facilities," Pam Milmoe, Boulder County's Air Quality Program coordinator, said in the statement. "The results underscore the importance of not locating extraction facilities near homes, schools and recreation areas, and having policies that require effective monitoring and reducing emissions from oil and gas facilities, for sites already in those areas."

    The study's authors did acknowledge that more research was needed, noting "substantial uncertainties." Evidence about the risk to oil and gas workers was clear, they said, but less certain were the impacts on "non-occupational populations" such as nearby residents.

  8. Grim news for America:

    The national debt, which has topped $21 trillion, is expected to soar to more than $33 trillion in 2028. By then, debt held by the public will almost match the size of the nation’s economy, reaching 96 percent of gross domestic product, a higher level than any point since just after World War II and well past the level that economists say could court a crisis.

    The fear is that rising deficits will drive up interest rates, raise borrowing costs for the private sector, tank stock prices and slow the economy, which would only drive the deficit higher.

    Of course, if your plan was to suck up all the wealth and leave a permanent underclass comprised of say, 99% of the population with no safety net, then congratulations —  it's working!

    “The CBO’s report exposes the staggering costs of the GOP tax scam and Republicans’ contempt for fiscal responsibility. In their craven haste to give corporations and the wealthiest 1 percent massive tax breaks, Republicans saddled our children and grandchildren with trillions of dollars of debt.”

    “From Day 1,” he said, “the Republican agenda has always been to balloon the deficit in order to dole out massive tax breaks to the largest corporations and wealthiest Americans, and then use the deficit as an excuse to cut Social Security and Medicare.”

    1. I guess, if we’re lucky, we’ll get half of an economy back . . .

      . . . someday?

      “I’m the king of debt. I’m great with debt. Nobody knows debt better than me,” Trump told Norah O’Donnell in an interview that aired on “CBS This Morning.” “I’ve made a fortune by using debt, and if things don’t work out I renegotiate the debt. I mean, that’s a smart thing, not a stupid thing.”

      “How do you renegotiate the debt?” O’Donnell followed up.

      “You go back and you say, hey guess what, the economy crashed,” Trump replied. “I’m going to give you back half.”

      Isn’t this about where the Laffer crew offers more tax cuts for the wealthy, as their surefire way to stimulate more growth and increased tax revenues? . . .

Leave a Comment

Recent Comments


Posts about

Donald Trump
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Lauren Boebert
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Yadira Caraveo
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado House
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado Senate
SEE MORE

415 readers online now

Newsletter

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop with regular updates!