Claudette Konola
 
I spent some time reading the websites of the Republican candidates for House District 54 last evening. David Cox doesn’t seem to have one. Both Ray Scott and Bob Hislop have very professional looking websites, although none are hanging out the way I am by blogging every day. It is hard to see where they stand on issues, other than by linking to news articles written about them, blogs where they have responded to questionnaires, and/or personal observation.

Scott  clearly bought into Grover Norquist’s adage about drowning government in a bathtub. In his remarks at the forum-to-which-I-was-not-invited, he said that he would sell all land and equipment held by the state of Colorado, and put the money in a rainy day fund to help counties when they take over the functions of state government. Given the story in today’s Sentinel about reshuffling in the staff at the CBI, I’m wondering what Scott has planned for law enforcement in Colorado. I’m also wondering if he knows that some of the land owned by the state is leased, and the revenue from the leases goes to support schools.

Cox seems to know that state money goes to support schools, but he has a secret plan to stop state funding of education, but get more money into the hands of parents with kids in schools.  When asked about it, his only comment was, “It really can work.” So, Show me.

Hislop wants to repeal the mill levy freeze. It is an unpopular freeze, but nobody ever wants to talk about the other side of the budget equation—the money goes to schools. What I can’t figure out about Hislop is why he wants to represent us in Denver. His experience and his website speak to protecting us against terrorists, but I‘m not sure how repealing the mill levy freeze and starving schools is going to raise a standing army. I think he is confusing Denver with Washington D.C.

Homework:

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/articles/cbi_to_solve_backlogged_forens/ß article about backlog at Colorado Bureau of Investigation

http://colorado.mediamatters.org/items/200712150001ß article about distortions in reporting about mill levy freeze

http://www.thebell.org/node/1198  ß Article about the impact of mill levy freeze on schools