Archive | March, 2010
PERA: Rolling in dough, or rolling the dice?
In a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed, Andrew Biggs of the American Enterprise Institute neatly summarized the problems inherent in public employee pension plans such as our own PERA. The article (http://www.aei.org/article/101814) pointed out that the actuarial assumptions embedded in the projected funded ratios of these multi-billion dollar structures, which are meant to have sufficient assets to [...]
Continue reading...Geezers stump for strong mayor
26. March 2010
The campaign to change the form of government in Colorado Springs has begun in earnest. “Citizens for Accountable Leadership”, the brainchild of Colorado Springs developer David Jenkins, sent out a press release yesterday announcing that Chuck Murphy, Andy McElhany, and Mary Ellen McNally would chair the group, which so far has seven announced supporters. Norwood [...]
Continue reading...Why Culbreth-Graft quit
22. March 2010
Winston Churchill once said “I have not become the King’s First Minister in order to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire.” In that context, Penny Culbreth-Graft’s sudden resignation becomes more understandable. She had not, as some claim, lost the confidence of city council. She was not under siege. She doesn’t, as far as [...]
Continue reading...An alpha dog for the city?
19. March 2010
On February 10, our 15 year-old Chesapeake Bay retriever, Bucky, left this mortal plane. I was heartbroken. Bucky had been with me since he was a puppy. He was constant, loving, irascible and untrainable. Our friends learned to put up with Bucky, the quintessential Alpha dog. Somehow, he never quite understood that I was the [...]
Continue reading...Good news, bad news from the caucuses
17. March 2010
Last night’s caucuses held a few surprises, to the delight of some. Good news for Republicans: it looks as if Scott McInnis made at least two good decisions, as his race for the Governor’s mansion gathers steam. After shelling out $467 to an “image consultant,” he shaved his 1980′s mustache and changed his hair color [...]
Continue reading...Culbreth-Graft and the Wall Street Journal
15. March 2010
This afternoon at 3 p.m. city council will meet for a closed-door personnel session to evaluate the performance of city manager Penny Culbreth-Graft. There’s nothing extraordinary about the session. It’s one of series of such meetings, held annually to assess the performance of the five council appointees: the city manager, the city attorney, the city [...]
Continue reading...The city needs a weak leader
10. March 2010
Ours is a predictable city. Those of us who have spent a couple of decades (or more) at the foot of Pikes Peak know that: It snows in April. The hail will get your tomatoes in July. Douglas Bruce will submit lunatic initiatives during every election, and some will pass. Residents of the city core [...]
Continue reading...Meet our city’s new mayor
8. March 2010
Judging from recent election results, a majority of Colorado Springs voters will support any reasonable measure to cure the city’s ills, as long as the measure doesn’t involve the dreaded “T” word. That may be why a proposal to change the city’s form of government to the so-called “strong mayor” system has gotten so much [...]
Continue reading...Who will buy the Gazette?
4. March 2010
The Gazette’s parent, Freedom Communications, is expected to exit from bankruptcy within six weeks. Under the company’s plan for reorganization, secured creditors led by JPMorgan Chase & Co. will own all of the company’s equity. That won’t last. The banks must, by law, divest themselves of their interests in the company within five years. In [...]
Continue reading...Marijuana, mercantilism and my cornfield
1. March 2010
Sen. Chris Romer (D-Denver) is not the first politician to see the, um, revenue potential in the de facto legalization of marijuana, but he’s grabbed the issue with all the enthusiasm of the newly-converted. As the Denver Post reported Thursday: “Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, said he intends to amend a bill that creates regulations for [...]
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30. March 2010
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