contributing columnist
-
Just because Dems really are out to get them, GOP-ers don’t have to be so paranoid
—
by
HUDSON: PARANOIA RUNS DEEP For the second time in less than a month, a Republican legislator has expressed their suspicion that Colorado’s leaders are actively colluding with the White House for the express purpose of embarrassing them. It’s enough to make you break out your copy of Richard Hofstader’s famous 1963 essay, The Paranoid Style…
-
Pinnacol’s golden goose: When unintended consequences produce a windfall
—
by
It will soon be two years since Channel 7’s Tony Kovaleski ambushed the Executive Director and several of Pinnacol’s Board members at the Pebble Beach resort, living the lush life of the 1% — green fees, spa treatments, luxury suites, first class airfare and gourmet meals. Not bad duty for the managers of Colorado’s government…
-
Bledsoe understood the Legislature better than anyone else at the Capitol
—
by
Whenever politicians step into mud puddles of their own making, wags are quick to label them as “poster boys or girls” for term limits. Carl “Bev” Bledsoe, to his credit, was a poster boy for the advantages of seniority and lengthy legislative service. There simply aren’t adequate adjectives to characterize his political skills. Bev was…
-
Bledsoe understood the Legislature better than anyone else at the Capitol
—
by
Whenever politicians step into mud puddles of their own making, wags are quick to label them as “poster boys or girls” for term limits. Carl “Bev” Bledsoe, to his credit, was a poster boy for the advantages of seniority and lengthy legislative service. There simply aren’t adequate adjectives to characterize his political skills. Bev was…
-
Republican “liberty” concerns unfortunately don’t seem to extend to actual people
—
by
During its Extraordinary Special Session, House Republicans in the Colorado Legislature flubbed the opportunity to demonstrate that their opposition to the jack-booted thuggery of the ‘nanny’ state extends beyond the virtual persons constituted in corporations. Early in the regular session, they were swift to rush to the defense of oil and gas drillers unreasonably required…
-
Women politicians and their fashions — the messages they send
—
by
Many citizens of this country admit to being embarrassed that the United States, the leader of the free world, has yet to elect a female vice president or president. Veep, an HBO vehicle for Seinfeld alumna Julia Louis-Dreyfus, will do nothing to allay their concerns. Even the name of the show evokes a wince…
-
Paul Sandoval earned the right to have people come to him and ‘kiss his ring’
—
by
When I was elected to the Colorado Legislature in 1978, Paul Sandoval was elected to a Senate seat. He had already served several terms in the House, where he entered as its youngest member. Aside from Santa Claus, Paul is the only person I’ve known whose eyes genuinely twinkled. Coupled with an acerbic sense of…
-
What should we expect from “TBD”?
—
by
Governor Hickenlooper has shagged dozens of his “closest friends” to participate in the “TBD Colorado” process, with the lofty goal of creating “public policy recommendations for improving Colorado’s quality of life.”The TBD groups, and yes, it’s TBD, like “To Be Determined” because no-one is quite sure what the outcomes might be, are tasked with offering…
-
May 1862: A Civil War status report after one year of protracted fighting
—
by
In the coming months, I look forward to writing in more detail about 1862, including tragedies (like Antietam and Fredericksburg) and triumphs (like the Emancipation Proclamation) which are part of this year’s Sesquicentennial remembrance, as well as other core antebellum and post-bellum issues. For this week, however, since so many readers of The Colorado Statesman…
-
Our drug habit is killing Central America
—
by
“He’s a born again revolutionary,” Carlos, a prominent Nicaraguan businessman says of his country’s President, Daniel Ortega. We’re in Managua, the capital, with a group of six potential donors. The goal is to raise money for several non-profits, especially Empowerment International, an educational program started by Kathy Adams from Lyons, Colorado that has changed the…