Our Future Leaders Program, better know here as our “student exploitation program” brings in young impressionable college student from around the country and give us the opportunity to corrupt them. It is a great little program.

These young people come in from all around the country, around the world in fact, and we put them to work, important work. And we have had one of the most impressive groups this last summer. They washed my car without streaks, learned not to over-starch my shirts, found out that if Kopel doesn’t get three, count ‘em three, olives they’ll be cleaning martini off the ceiling. Yep they’re more than just interns, they’re learning what it takes to make a great think tank work.

If you or someone you know would like to be an intern with us please visit our Web site or contact Anne McIntyre at 303-279-6536 or anne@i2i.org. We are accepting applications for Fall semester.

Between beer runs our future leaders actually work for the cause. Tune into iVoices to hear Justin Longo, a graduate of George Mason University, warn of the exploding growth in local governments. Also, Katherine Berezowskyj from the University of Michigan exposes how the General Assembly must believe Colorado is in a constant state of emergency with more than 75 percent of all legislation tagged with the “safety clause.”

Plenty of attention has been given to Denver’’s new ProComp teacher performance pay system, including a new book published by Harvard Press. But policy analyst Ben DeGrow has taken his turn breaking down ProComp and proposing how it could be improved and expanded for other Colorado schools to use. Check out the new Issue Paper Denver’s ProComp and Teacher Compensation Reform in Colorado.

Independence now has a presence of facebook.com for folks who want to have a cyber conversation about all things Independence. If you don’t know what Facebook is, ask someone under 30.

Despite warnings from opponents, the public is hot for HOT lanes. Revenue from the year-old HOT lanes along I-25 far exceeded expectations. Tune into Independent Thinking as I moderate a spirited discussion between Duane Fellhauser, director of Douglas County Public Works and State Representative Spencer Swalm about expanding HOT lanes in the Denver Metro Area. That’s this Friday night at 8:30 pm on KBDI Channel 12.

But since the state legislature and the governor passed an unconstitutional tax increase, I have little choice. The Colorado Constitution clearly states that any change of tax policy which increases tax revenue must first go to a vote of the people. Dah. Governor Bill Ritter’s “Children’s Amendment” (which amazingly doesn’t guarantee a penny of the expected $1.7 billion new tax to go to children) raises property taxes without asking first.

And my momma said gentlemen were supposed to ask first.

Last week our lawyers blanketed all the school districts and counties in the state with open record requests on all school district TABOR override elections. We want to see if the local school district actually told voters that by saying yes to keeping excess tax revenues that they were saying yes to freezing mil levies and raising taxes – which is what Senate Bill 199 does

The governor’s press secretary called our request for public documents a “tasteless stunt.” Good to know how the guv feels about open records. Read all about it in the Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, Grand Junction Sentinel, and the Colorado Springs Gazette.

So why doesn’t the legislature and the governor respect Coloradans enough to simply ask first? What are they afraid of?

David Kopel reviews long-haired guys in tights at Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s “All’s Well that Ends Well.”

In a more scholarly pursuit, Kopel analyzes recent Arab/Israeli negotiation for Radio Free Europe, July 26, Russian language edition.

Apparently more people than I thought actually read 600 page books! Maybe Kopel simply has too much free time. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows–One Week Later. July 29, 2007, on “Your Show ,” Hosted by Adam Schrager. Channel 20 KTVD/ 9USA, Denver. Video. Script.Be sure to catch Kopel every other week as a media critic for the Rocky Mountain News. This week he blows a hole big enough to fly a 747 through the myth that long-haul air travel produces more CO2 than driving the same distance in a SUV.

I know summer is almost over, which is why I only have one book on my must read list.  I suggest
you read it, too: Charles Koch’’s latest The Science of Success. Mr. Koch is one of the most well-respected free market advocates and co-founder of Koch Industries, the largest privately-owned company in the U.S. In his book, the “principled entrepreneur” articulates the philosophy that companies, public or private, should use in order to succeed. Check out these reviews: The American and the Houston Chronicle.