A question of preschool or tests
Thursday, HB1091 The Preschool Bill, was debated in the Colorado State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Committee.
Here are the facts:
HB1091 "The Preschool Bill" takes the public money that exceeds the federal testing mandates of No Child Left Behind and invests it in the Colorado Preschool Program.
For the past 10 years Colorado has over spent on average $6,467,319.00 every year. The annual cost to provide an at-risk child preschool is $2,817. If passed, this bill would allow 2,295 MORE 4-year-olds the opportunity to attend preschool. According to a recent report by the Colorado Department of Education, nearly 8,000 identified at risk children were unable to attend preschool due to a lack of funding.
Education bills are ordinarily heard in the Education Committee, House bill assignments are at the discretion of the Speaker, Frank McNulty (R-Highlands Ranch).
The State, Veterans, & Military Affairs committee is comprised of 9 members:
4 Democrats - 3 women, 1 man; two are Hispanic and two who are white.
5 Republicans - 5 men, white
More than 50 students, parents, teachers, and citizens, many who had taken a day off of work, waited three hours to hear the testimony.
21 people signed up to provide testimony in support the preschool bill, 4 signed up to oppose.
The Vice-Chairman, Representative Coram (R), notified the audience that there would be one hour allocated for the bill.
Two Republican Committee Members asked questions of the bill sponsor, Representative Judy Solano (D - Brighton). This is standard protocol AFTER public testimony is heard and before the vote is taken.
After 1/3 of the hour had been consumed by questioning from Representative Mark Waller (R), Rep. Coram announced that there would be 20 minutes given to supporting testimony and 20 minutes given for opposing testimony. Rep. Solano explained that there were only 4 to oppose and 21 to support and requested each person be given 3 minutes to provide public input. That request was denied. Someone shouted from the audience, "Why won't you listen to the voices of parents and teachers?"
6 people rushed through the statements they had carefully prepared for this day: 1 preschool Administrator, 1 representing homeless mothers from catholic charities, 2 educators, and 2 students.
The proponents argued that the half billion spent on testing had not improved a single outcome. Preschool, an evidenced based intervention, has a proven record of effectiveness in raising student achievement and improving outcomes for children.
3 people provided opposing testimony: 2 corporate executives and 1 social studies teacher. Twice the executives reminded the committee, "Their companies donate a lot of money to education." The men argued the importance of Social Studies and the need for more testing in that area. Social Studies is NOT currently tested.
Last year the State Board of Education, (all white), had voted to expand state standardized test to add more hours to test Social Studies. CSAP, renamed TCAP requires students undergo timed testing for an average of 12 hours every year.
Throughout this entire process, eleven little children from the Threats Daycare, Aurora, sat patiently in the first two rows coloring and twirling small American flags.
Their little brown faces went unrecognized. It was as if they were invisible. The conversations were about tests - not about children. Seeing this, Representative Solano invited the 3 and 4 year olds to stand up. Under the instruction of their teacher, Mr. Scott, they counted to ten in five languages. These children want so badly to learn and succeed, not according to a test or a state standard, but in accordance with their own hopes and dreams.
The question of whether Colorado's most vulnerable children will be given test sheets or preschool will be answered this Wednesday, February 29th starting at 1:30. The Preschool Bill, HB1091 was carried over. The hearing will continue in Room 0112 at the Colorado State Capitol. The decision is in the hands of the Republican majority in the State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Committee. Stay tuned...and better yet...show up and watch for yourself.
When: Wednesday February 29th at 1:30
Where: Colorado State Capitol, Rm 0112
Republicans have expressed their hatred of many segments of our society. Typically egged on by Conservative Media nutcases such as Limbaugh and Hannity, Rosen and Caldara - long may he be fired from radio, and any number of Mini-Limabaugh imitators both local and national, the list is too much for any one blogger to document. Women, Teachers, Union members, Firefighters, Police, Auto workers, soldiers, voters, Postal workers, the poor, the middle class, and on and on and on have all been the victims of their vitriol.
In what is looking like a coordinated attack on Girl Scouts of America, the latest salvo comes from Rep. Bob Morris, R-Fort Wayne. The lawmaker declined to sign a letter of resolution congratulating the Girl Scouts on their hundredth anniversary last week and thanking them "for the strong positive influence it has had on the American woman."
Not so fast. Morris explained couldn't sign because "he did some Web-based research and found allegations that the Girl Scouts are a tactical arm of Planned Parenthood, that they allow transgender females to join, 'just like any real girl,' and encourage sex."
Parent refusals have increased every year since high-stakes testing began.
In 2011 there were 1,427 parent refusals for CSAP, 2,070 tests not completed, 594 students withdrew before completion, and 90 listed as incomplete due to extreme frustration.
In 2010 there were 324 parental refusals, 519 tests not completed, 157 students withdrew before completion, 20 were listed as incompleted due to extreme frustration.
Small-government rabble-rouser and convicted tax evader Douglas Bruce received a sentence Monday of 180 days in jail followed by strict probation, and on the same day, prosecutors announced that the IRS requested copies of the evidence against him.
First Assistant Attorney General Robert Shapiro said he handed over the case file Monday but doesn't know whether federal authorities will launch their own investigation into Bruce and his now-defunct charity, Active Citizens Together (ACT).
Bruce's sentencing drew the curtain on a rare criminal tax-evasion case at the state level, and one Bruce could have potentially avoided had he cooperated with the Department of Revenue.
Denver District Judge Anne Mansfield commented on Bruce's "reprehensible" behavior during the trial and wondered aloud whether he could last six years on a strict form of probation that will lay bare for authorities every last detail of Bruce's finances.
"It was apparent during the trial itself, the defendant had absolutely no regard for the rule of law," Mansfield said. "His behavior is used to gauge his likelihood of success on probation. It requires abiding by strict rules. I have serious reservations Bruce can be successful."
If you are like me, you are probably still poking your finger in your ear trying to figure out if you heard Mitt Romney correctly when he called himself a "Severely conservative Republican." That one goes in the gaffe hall of fame for numerous reasons. Here is a new radio ad that my organization AmericanLP has going up on ABC Radio in Michigan later this week.
Who is Mitt Romney?
Voiceover from Romney 'I was a severely conservative Republican.'
Severely conservative???
The word 'severely' is most commonly used to describe the following: Disabled, depressed, ill, limited, injured.
So, Michigan conservatives, Mitt Romney basically thinks conservatism is like a 'disease.'
If you're a moderate/independent Michigan Republican, how do you feel about a politician who doesn't believe in anything, but implies, 'I'll pretend to be a diseased extremist, even if I think it's crazy?'
Mitt Romney's father, George Romney was a great Michigan governor who always spoke his mind. He stood up to his church and GOP extremists regarding civil rights.
But Mitt Romney? Has he ever stood up for something unpopular?
Mitt Romney, he's not his father's son. Mitt Romney thinks he can 'brain wash' the rest of us.
Paid for By AmericanLP, not associated with a candidate or candidate's committee.
Thank you for selecting, once again, someone by the name of Rick Santorum, who will never be elected President by the American people...not even with Tim Tebow, or that RINO Jesus himself on the ticket.
Senate Passes FAA Authorization Bill with Anti-Union Elements
Despite fierce opposition from major transit unions, the Senate yesterday gave final approval to the FAA Authorization bill, a five-year extension that removes uncertainty from the FAA, approves a next-generation air traffic monitoring system and, in Harry Reid's telling, creates hundreds of thousands of jobs. But unions were unhappy about changes to labor law insisted upon by House Republicans, and they expressed betrayal at the hands of Senate Democrats. (Ho hum. -Ed.)
But 37 Democrats supported the bill, including Commerce Committee chair Jay Rockefeller, Majority Leader Harry Reid, and top leadership members Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin. Here were the 15 Democrats who opposed it:
Not worthy of mention to Dayen were Colorado Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet, both of whom voted for a bill that makes it more difficult for unions to exist and for middle class workers to maintain quality employment and working conditions. Both senators will give justification for their votes on this bill and say it's just one vote of many.
But the pattern is clear and well-established with our 2 Democratic senators. And it is nothing to write home about. Though Mark Udall writes, and tries, he continues to be a milquetoast who compares quite poorly to his blood-relation senator from New Mexico. Bennet, like his political benefactor Bill Ritter, has shown a complete disregard for labor and unions.
In case you don't trust this Cheetoh-stained blogger, take a peek at Ed Schultz, former Republican and expert on Upper Midwest values, discussing on the tube:
a quick diary on a clear violation of the First Amendment. Josh Fox who made the documentary "Gasland" was ordered arrested by House Republicans for attempting to film and report on a hearing concerning fracking in natural gas drilling.
From Huffpo's Zach Carter:
In a stunning break with First Amendment policy on Capitol Hill, House Republicans directed Capitol Hill police to detain a highly regarded documentary crew that was attempting to film a Wednesday hearing on a controversial natural gas procurement practice. Republicans also denied the entrance of a credentialed ABC News news team that was attempting to film the event....
Approximately 16 officers entered the hearing room and handcuffed Fox amid audible discussions of "disorderly conduct" charges, according to Democratic sources present at the arrest.
The Democratic Party and President Obama's re-election brain trust are doing cartwheels and giving each other high-fives over the news that Newt Gingrich is surging in the polls in Florida and won the South Carolina primary.
"Thank you, thank you, and thank you. We couldn't have done it better ourselves! You have just voted for a candidate who is viewed unfavorably by 60% of American voters according to the non-partisan Public Policy Polling organization! If there is less popular American politician not currently serving time in prison, we are not aware of one. We are hoping and praying that other Republican Primary voters follow your example and vote for Newt "open marriage" "grandiose" "dump your wives as soon as they get sick" Gingrich in future primaries.
We believe voters selected Newt for Two Reasons: 1. By calling Obama the "Food stamp President" Gingrich let voters know that he shares their belief that a black man should not be allowed to be in the White House unless he is a butler. 2. When Newt showers liberals and the media with contempt, he's damn good at it. You really get the idea that Newt hates and resents liberals. Whereas voters get the feeling that Romney personally likes liberals and the media and gets along with them most of the time.
If the GOP does nominate Gingrich, Obama's re-election is virtually guaranteed. Obama could appoint Willie Horton as Secretary of Defense and turn Camp David into a crack house and still easily beat the cartoonishly detestable Newt Gingrich in a general election."
Today's Republican Party is full of talented and accomplished leaders, like Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana and former Governor Jeb Bush of Florida. Sadly, not one of these leaders has chosen to run for President.
Instead, the Republican Party is left with the greatest collection of four clowns since Shemp joined the original Three Stooges.
Witness the following:
1. Mitt Romney. Romney is so awkward and politically tone death that he makes Michael Dukakis and John Kerry look like Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan. Before our eyes, Romney is morphing from a leading candidate for president into a leading candidate to star in a remake of the "Grey Poupon" mustard commercials. Romney might not be a low-IQ, homophobic bigot like some candidates, but he makes Louis the XIV seem like a man of the people. It seems only a matter of time before Romney announces in a debate that the person who had the greatest impact on his life was Leona Helmsly when she said "only the little people pay taxes.
2. Newt Gingrich. Where to begin? Newt isn't the most detestable politician you can think of; he is the most detestable human being you can imagine. Period! Newt is the sort of person who if he asked for your permission to marry your daughter or sister, you would offer him a large sum of money to leave quietly and move to another state, or else. If you close your eyes and try to imagine a politician who is utterly repugnant at every single intellectual, moral and even physical level, you would not be able to come up with something worse than a Newt Gingrich.
3. Rick Santorum. Rick Santorum has all the wit, charm and class of that guy in high school who threw your gay cousin in the dumpster behind the cafeteria. The more you get to know Santorum, as the good voters of Pennsylvania did, the more you want to kick him out of office by nearly 20 points, as the good voters of Pennsylvania did.
4. Ron Paul. Ever meet a Ron Paul supporter, and not just at a Klan rally or Hitler reenactment party? Have you ever talked to a Ron Paul supporter for 10 minutes? Case closed.
While we at AmericanLP are working tirelessly to support President Obama and all Democratic candidates at the Federal level and we are pulling for every tactical advantage we can get, we have to confess that something doesn't seem right here. This is starting to seem too easy. It's almost like the Republicans are throwing away the election needlessly. The four remaining GOP Presidential candidates is the greatest collection of political losers ever assembled with the possible exception of when David Duke dines alone.
Suncor Energy Inc., Canada's largest energy company, said second-quarter profit rose 4.1% as higher oil prices countered a decline in output.
Net income climbed to $562 million, or 36 cents a share, from $540 million, or 35 cents, a year earlier, Calgary-based Suncor said Thursday in a statement.
The Free Market, as defined by Republicans, let's you extract energy at low cost with minimal safety requirements. It gives free license to take the profits of your efforts without taxation and with no further responsibilities to anyone but your shareholders and Board, nevermind the Benzene at 48 times its normal accumulation in you and your family's drinking water.
I'm interested in campaign contributions made to Frank McNulty and any state board member from McGraw Hill or their affiliates.
Last year McNulty failed to move SJM11-0004 to the House floor for a vote. The memorial sent a clear message opposing No Child Left Behind, NCLB. SJM11-0004 was passed 27-3 in the Senate and adopted unanimously in the House Education Committee. Subversive efforts to expand CSAP and protect McGraw Hill profits have already begun. We'd like to connect the dots if anyone has got some time to do a little digging and PAC back checking.
President Obama raised quite a few eyebrows this morning when the White House announced a recess appointment for Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. It was an unusual display - congressional Republicans abused the rules and told the president to just accept it, and Obama effectively responded, "No."
As it turns out, this more combative attitude goes beyond the CFPB. Greg Sargent has this scoop this afternoon.
Obama is also set to use recess appointments to install his picks to the National Labor Relations Board, according to White House officials and others familiar with ongoing discussions.
The move, which is arguably as important as the Cordray appointment, will ratchet up opposition from Republicans and make this an even bigger fight, since they have been attacking the NLRB regularly for its moves to streamline union elections and inform workers of their rights.
Obama is set to appoint Sharon Block, Terence Flynn, and Richard Grifin to the board - something unions have made a big priority for them in the new year.
A little late, but this is the kind of thing he was elected to do no matter how mono-partisan it is perceived to be. Speaker Boner:
"This is an extraordinary and entirely unprecedented power grab by President Obama that defies centuries of practice and the legal advice of his own Justice Department."
"Breaking from this precedent lands this appointee in uncertain legal territory, threatens the confirmation process and fundamentally endangers the Congress's role in providing a check on the excesses of the executive branch."
Here's unprecedented, courtesy of those very same Republicans:
Barack Obama invoked Teddy Roosevelt the other day. Who the hell ever heard of "Osawatamie"? And I readTheodore Rex! We had another President who got famous quotes only half-right, if that. There's another Republican, Grover Norquist, who's said a few things of his own that have stood the test of time:
"I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub."
And....
"Bipartisanship is another name for date rape."
He's the unelected leader of Congressional Republicans and hasn't let them falter or waiver in their support of Millionaires and Billionaires and the taxes they should-be-but-aren't paying.
And our wonderful President, The Weekend at Bernie's of Bipartisanship, while sorta talking tough, is getting ready once again to cave to ruthless and soulless Republicans as our economy is in a death stall, has forgotten the key part of the quote of his most recent lecture subject in that small Kansas town:
"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far"
Democrats, and the President, need to get that big stick out, beat Republicans over the head with Fair and Popular and Just and Democratic, and quit being such a God-damned Nice Guys and start being a Mean Old SOBs. Just as Teddy Roosevelt would have.
Republicans And Business Groups Unable To Find One 'Job Creator' Who Opposes A Tax On Millionaires
From the article:
NPR put out a request to Republican offices and the business groups that have been lobbying against the surtax to find business owners who'd be affected. Unsurprisingly, Republican leadership and the business groups came up empty:
We wanted to talk to business owners who would be affected. So, NPR requested help from numerous Republican congressional offices, including House and Senate leadership. They were unable to produce a single millionaire job creator for us to interview.
So we went to the business groups that have been lobbying against the surtax. Again, three days after putting in a request, none of them was able to find someone for us to talk to. A group called the Tax Relief Coalition said the problem was finding someone willing to talk about their personal taxes on national radio.
They are probably unwilling to talk about it because it would expose their greed and selfishness. If the number of Millionaires who said they support increased taxes on the wealthy was increased by two, we would be that much closer to reversing the income inequality trend begun under the Ronald Reagan Presidency.
The El Paso County Republicans are incapable of throwing a par-tay, even in honor of the greatest Republican who ever played father to a chimp, without kicking off some sort of internal squabble, protest, riot, flame war, or party purging.
There has been much controversy surrounding the Reagan Gala and its guest speaker Grover Norquist. It is my responsibility to investigate these matters and decide the best course of action as I fulfill my obligations as Vice-Chairman. It is also my duty to be honest and straight forward with the republicans (sic) that elected me.
After being presented with much information and conducting my own meticulous research I have decided that I cannot, in good conscience, attend the Reagan Gala on November 12th, 2011. I say this not to condemn our local party, but rather to affirm my own personal integrity. At best, Grover Norquist has too many leftist, radical Islamic ties that make him a poor choice to be honored at one of our events. In my opinion, his associations and dealings bring into question his commitment to our conservative ideals and beliefs.
Love how the El Paso County Republican Party Vice-Chair gives the Freudian slip to capitalizing his party's name.
Love even more how Grover Norquist is called a "leftist" by a Springs Repub -- Only in Colorado.
And P.S. to Democrats who are witnessing this intra-party frack-up: There are many Colorado independents who do think Grover Norquist is a lefty. I hope those are not the independents you are constantly striving to impress, because I'm not so sure you understand the difference among Colorado's self-described political free-marketeers.
(OH, almost didn't see this from Jason Salzman - who seems to have taken up the dirty job of listening to the endless crazy on Denver's airwaves. I thank you, Jason, for your guts and conscience.)
WASHINGTON-House Republicans have announced plans to cut heating subsidies for the poor, job training and President Barack Obama's "Race to the Top" program providing grants to better-performing schools, as they unveil a massive spending bill for labor, health and education programs.
The controversial GOP measure also seeks to block implementation of Obama's signature health care law, cut off National Public Radio from federal grants and reduce eligibility for Pell Grants to low-income college students.
The policy needs are beyond obvious. Though they've failed this basic test before, it would be politically brain-dead for Democrats, especially Colorado's Wimpy Senators Udall and Bennet, to not fully support the goals behind this speech. (I'm looking at you too, me!)
Republicans will bitch and moan about every fine point, but cannot refudiate the President's challenge that America's greatest leaders have never hesitated to invest in a future that would help their progeny at every turn. Republicans will not and cannot do what's right in today's environment. Democrats will hesitate to do what's right and might fritter away the opportunity while the economy continues to suffer. That is truly the most disconcerting part of this drama.
But I have been waiting for this President Obama for three years. I hope his team in DC sees the light and supports him in this critical plan for our economy. If they don't, then once again his eloquent words will be the narration to an empty dream. This is the dream that was expected by the millions who voted for him in November, 2008. They will never see it without unwavering support from those citizens and leaders who also said "Yes, we can" that election day.
That's the day I voted for President Barack Obama, the president we saw flashes of again last night.
