Dug up fresh, daily.
TESTIFIED: Not all parties were equal among those called to weigh in at the state’s Interim Committee on Fiscal Stability last week. Carol Hedges, senior analyst at the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, articulated a clear vision of an overarching problem with an eye toward solutions. “We at the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute believe history shows we cannot cut our way out of our perpetual budget crisis. It is time to expand the scope of our review to include the revenue side of the equation.” No one is taking responsibility for revenue policy, she points out. Colorado’s income tax computer system is 46 years old. Spending is reviewed endlessly. Tax credits and exemptions, almost never. There’s a lot more. Full testimony here (pdf).
MONEY: Bush cousin Walker Stapleton is running to be state treasurer. Today he announced that he raised the most campaign cash in a single quarter of any non-incumbent ever: $138,211. Does that surprise? Stapleton is in real estate, of course, same as was his cousin Neil Bush, the ignominious head of crony Colorado money laundering scheme Silverado S&L. Walker wants to look after your tax dollars. His is a “pro-taxpayer message.”
DEGREES: Walker Stapleton has an MBA from Harvard, same as does his uncle George W(alker) Bush. The degree explains a few things.
FAIR AND BALANCED: Denver Archbishop Chaput considers the media, disturbed by its power and its biases. Chaput, though, has more trouble with The New York Times than he does with Fox News. Here he is on 2008 campaign coverage: “Who keeps our news media honest? Who holds them accountable for humiliating one political candidate while fawning over another? … [R]eaders can’t impeach the editor of The New York Times — though some people I know would find that a happy thought.” As a Christian might say: He is beholding a mote and considering not the beam!
TOXIC ASSET: The U.S. Energy Department is scoping Grand Junction as a mercury dump site. Locals are invited to share their feelings at an evening meeting scheduled for July 21. Quote: “At first blush, the idea of storing mercury in Grand Junction didn’t sit well with U.S. Rep. John Salazar.”
NEW FRANCE: “Ou est la Liberté, Égalité, et Fraternité?” Happy Bastille Day!
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Written and compiled by David O. Williams and John Tomasic.
