by John Hazlehurst Published: March 13,2010
Tags: John Hazlehurst
One of the most memorable political images of the past year has to be that of a man in his late 60s at one of the Tea Party rallies holding a sign which read, “Keep your government hands off my Medicare!” Proponents of health care reform seized upon the sentiments thereby expressed as evidence of the [...] [...]
by John Hazlehurst Published: January 8,2010
Tags: Colorado Springs Leadership Institute, John Hazlehurst, Leadership Pikes Peak, Operation 6035
Got an email on Monday from a reader who shall remain anonymous. Here’s the text: “John, Perhaps with your exposure to matters of a civic nature you can explain the relationship between: DreamCity 2020 — Project 6035 — Leadership Pikes Peak — Center for Creative Leadership. I have about 4 terabytes of space dedicated to their studies, reports, [...] [...]
by John Hazlehurst Published: December 18,2009
Tags: John Hazlehurst
I spent a few minutes chatting with one of our state representatives early this week, and politely inquired what we might expect to come out of this year’s legislative session, which will begin Jan. 4. “You can expect nothing,” he said. “We have no money.” That might be an understatement. The recession might be officially over, but it’s [...] [...]
by John Hazlehurst Published: December 11,2009
Tags: John Hazlehurst
For me as a kid — as indeed for all kids — Christmas was a time of hope and fear. Hope: get something really cool. Fear: get something that your parents or grandparents thought to be cool, but that you knew, thanks to your snarky friends/siblings, was not merely undesirable but actively embarrassing. I don’t remember the [...] [...]
by John Hazlehurst Published: November 25,2009
Tags: John Hazlehurst, Olympics
Wasted a part of a sunny Saturday afternoon last weekend sitting through this season’s mega-disaster movie, “2012.” And no, the mega-disaster featured therein doesn’t have anything to do with the re-election of President Barack Obama, but with the end of the world. Not that I want to spoil the plot for you, but I particularly liked [...] [...]
by John Hazlehurst Published: November 13,2009
Tags: City Council, John Hazlehurst
During Monday’s “budget markup session,” City Council members couldn’t stop using three apparently interchangeable phrases. They promised to concentrate upon providing “essential city services,” “vital city functions” and “core city services.” In the view of every one of our nine elected officials, public safety comes first. And after public safety comes yet more public safety, and if [...] [...]
by John Hazlehurst Published: November 6,2009
Tags: John Hazlehurst
Last week, we featured a feel-good look at the nine best things ever to happen to our sometimes benighted community. This week: a sourly opinionated account of the seven worst events in our city’s checkered history. Is the field of Armageddon located right here in Colorado Springs? Have we, like Job, been sorely tested by fate [...] [...]
by John Hazlehurst Published: October 30,2009
Tags: John Hazlehurst
Stuff happens, as the old saying goes (bowdlerized for this family friendly publication). We in the media tend to concentrate on the bad stuff, because that’s news. As a veteran reporter once put it, “If I go to a neighborhood, and 40 houses aren’t burning to the ground, my editor doesn’t care. Show me the one [...] [...]
by John Hazlehurst Published: October 23,2009
Tags: 2c, John Hazlehurst
The ballots are in the mail — but the check isn’t. Less than two weeks from today, we’ll know whether Colorado Springs voters have approved a cumulative 10 mill increase in city property taxes. For supporters of issue 2C, the prospects are not encouraging. Private polling shows that Springs residents regard the proposal with skepticism. Battered by the [...] [...]
by Staff Writer Published: October 16,2009
Tags: John Hazlehurst, USOC
The U.S. Olympic Committee deal ended as it began — in confusion and secrecy. It had been widely assumed that the city would market $31 million in certificates of participation to pay for the deal on Tuesday. A few minutes before Tuesday’s council meeting began, reporters from a variety of media buttonholed councilmembers, asking for comment. Scott [...] [...]
