The 208 Commission will present its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly today, and you can bet the house it’s a listing of more ways the government can interfere in the healthcare system. Now don’t get me wrong, the system is flawed and some definite changes are in order. However, we believe we need less government involvement, not more. Our own Healthcare Policy Center Director Linda Gorman, along with R. Allan Jensen, (both 208 Commission members) have written a Minority Report response to the Commission’s findings (see the press release here). If 40 page documents aren’t your thing, check out the op-ed written by Linda Gorman and Ari Armstrong that does a good job of outlining some of the key points in the full report.

For those not in the innermost environmental circles, today is National Global Warming Teach-in Day.  Hoo-ray!  And in honor of this occasion and in order to get you prepared for our “Cool-Aid” event on February 11th, we’d like you take this global warming quiz.  It’s real good stuff, especially the warning it gives at the start of the quiz:  “Caution:  This section contains sound science, not media hype, and may therefore contain material not suitable for young people trying to get a good grade in political correctness.”

Just when you think you’ve seen the last of Dr. Jerry Wartgow, he’s back in action again. After speaking at our hugely successful education event and doing a podcast with Pam Benigno, he said, “What the heck,” and came on my TV show Independent Thinking. Former Colorado Education Commissioner Dr. William Moloney will be joining former DPS Superintendent Dr. Jerry Wartgow in discussing some of the reasons why school reform has failed. The show will air tonight at 8:30 p.m. on KBDI channel 12 and will be repeated the following Tuesday, February 5th at 5 p.m.

How to explain this in a way even I could understand? Remember those old Roadrunner cartoons? The coyote puts on the “Acme Rocket Roller Skates” to catch Roadrunner, but the skates propel him over a cliff instead. Well, replace the coyote with leftist hit groups Media Matters and ProgressNow and that’s pretty much what happened with the whole “bitch slap” thing.

Now it even gets better! Thanks (again) to FreeColorado.com, we now know that ProgressNow’s own website used the term “bitch-slap.” The very same website faking a hissy-fit and calling for my head uses the term “bitch-slap!” Apparently humorous slang terms are harmless when the left uses them, but hateful when I do. Hmmm.

The Colorado Springs Gazette opined, “Caldara has labored tirelessly over the years to protect Colorado taxpayers from dubious state and local spending schemes, including grandiose and unnecessary public transportation proposals. Today he heads the Independence Institute, a nonprofit that advocates less government and more freedom. That’s why leftists at ProgressNowAction want to silence him, and they’ll use any lame excuse they can concoct.”

As ProgressNow’s spokesman (and not me) said to the Gazette – “Caldara has a tremendous sphere of influence.” Who the hell knew?

It all has lead to a great fundraising idea from our own Julie Mallon: T-shirts proudly boasting, “I got bitch-slapped by Jon Caldara…And I loved it!” First ones go to Media Matters and ProgressNow. Call it a bitch-slapback.

In case you haven’t been following the Bruce Randolph School saga, Ben DeGrow is here to give you the lowdown in our latest ivoices.org podcast. As a once failing school with the lowest rating in Colorado, Bruce Randolph set out to make some changes to better the lives of their students. After some much needed improvements, they pulled themselves out of failing status. With success in hand, they looked to continue to make improvements, but they needed the freedom to do so. The principal and teachers asked for more freedom to continue what they started. The school board voted a resounding yes to more freedom and less bureaucracy. Union officials however, said no and shot down most of the wiggle room Bruce Randolph desired. We will continue to keep you up-to-date on the latest.

Fool me twice, and I’ll call you Senator.

I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve been lied to endlessly about this TABOR “timeout.”  First, it was the severe underestimate of how much of your money government would end up keeping.  Then came the unconstitutional property tax freeze – which was also underestimated.  Is it no surprise that now, after all the billions collected, higher education is still “strapped for cash.”  Amy Oliver has written a wonderful op-ed on the irony of having the ability to submit the largest budget in Colorado history for 2008-09, yet still say with a straight face, “we need more.” *hint*  One reason could be that spending on programs not associated with Referendum C have grown twice as fast as spending on education and health care.

Get out the date books.  We are hosting a free night of environmental hysteria on Monday, February 11th beginning at 5:30 p.m. with a reception followed by our program at 6.  Paul Chesser, director of Climate Strategies Watch, is our esteemed guest and will discuss the well-funded and suspiciously out-of-state special interests behind the climate frenzy.  You may remember Paul from a recent ivoices.org podcast with Amy Oliver.  “Cool-aid” and di-hydrogen monoxide will be served to wash down the atomic hot wings and genetically modified “korn” product.  Let the hysteria begin! 

So we can estimate the size of our carbon footprint, rsvp to 303-279-6536 or go here.

As reported in the Rocky Mountain News, some boys seem to have their panties in a bunch over my passing use of the term “bitch slap” on the radio. And as a guy who has been politically bitch-slapped for nearly 15 years, I know the term well. On air I asked Ann Coulter if she thought Hillary got bitch-slapped by Obama in the last debate. But you see there was just one small little hypocritical problem – the leftist group wanting to “Imus” someone here in Colorado didn’t think anyone would look at the phraseology of their own team. As reported by Ari Armstrong’s FreeColorado.com the same professional victims didn’t mind when Westword and other media outlets used the term dozens of times.

Just a few examples – Radio leftist Randi Rhodes of Air America Radio: “Bush takes a bitch-slap, Backs down on wage-slavery.” James Carville: “We need guys like you guys who are doing really good work to, in essence, you know, bitch slap the bitches…” “Wilbur” from Daily Kos: “We are being bitch slapped big time… Yes, the lefty blogosphere is being bitch slapped…” And the list goes on and on.

To fake being offended by slang your owns left-wing friends use liberally, without your complaint, is transparent at best and truly delicious to witness. But how very sad for these people. These folks pretend a hissy-fit by someone else using their own words. It can only mean they are willing to deny who they are, and what they value, in order to attack those they wish to bring down.

For me, at least I know someone is listening to my radio show other than my mother.

We are going to continue to beat that dead horse as long as we keep getting brilliant things like this:

© 2008, Benjamin Hummel. To see more cartoons like this go to www.politixcartoons.com.

Reminder: Big education event here at the Institute tonight. It’s not too late to RSVP and attend!

Isn’t it great when a favorite band of yours goes around the country, touring from state to state in promotion of a new album?  That’s great stuff.  Well what about an organization, backed by a rich group of investors, going from state to state promoting “green” public policy initiatives?  What if these out of state promoters advocated policies that, to their admission, are morally beyond scrutiny and standard cost-benefit analysis?  Listen as Amy Oliver discusses this group – who they are, what they are doing, and who they are trying to influence – with Paul Chesser from Climate Strategies Watch.  You might be surprised who they’ve already influenced here in Colorado.