NoCoPolitics.com

The Morning Papers, 2/29/08

Transportation Meeting

The Larimer County Commissioners met with the Fort Collins and Loveland City Councils last night to talk about transportation issues.

Larimer GOP Assembly Tomorrow

Check-In begins at 8 AM at the Ranch.

More on the Coming Democrat Health Care Cost Hike

(Otherwise known as SB 164, the lift of the medical malpractice limits).

Republicans said the measure, which is being pushed by the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, would cause steep increases in malpractice insurance rates.

"Right at the time we should be trying to lower costs and increase access, this legislation is going in the wrong direction," said Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction.

His amendment to cap attorneys' fees in medical malpractice cases at no more than 10 percent of noneconomic damages awarded was defeated.

Critics said the bill also would make general health care costs rise because doctors would have to start practicing "defensive medicine," ordering extra tests and procedures to back up their diagnoses.

"Physicians will look at more and more ways to cover their butts," said Sen. Bob Hagedorn, D-Aurora, the lone Democrat opposing the bill.

Letting the City Into Your Bedroom

My column in today's Fort Collins Now:

There's a knock on your door. You answer it. The person standing on your front step identifies himself as an employee of the City of Fort Collins. He'd like to inspect your house. You see, some of your neighbors have tipped off the government that you might have more than three unrelated people living together in your rented home.

Would you let him in? Would you let him look around?

Remember, this isn't a police officer. He carries no warrant. He's just a member of the city staff, responding to a complaint from your neighbor.

Again, would you let him in to inspect your living quarters? Your sleeping arrangements?

Suppose you say no. Then what? Should your city government then be able to issue you a citation?

What would you do?

Let's take it a step further. Say you let the city staff member inside. What then? Does he get to inspect your bedroom? Ask why there is an extra toothbrush in the bathroom? Inquire about who is sleeping with whom? Demand to see marriage licenses? Birth certificates?

What's going on here?

This is the three-unrelated law in Fort Collins in action.

Fort Collins DDA Extended

From the Coloradoan:

The Senate Local Affairs Committee voted 6-0 to pass a bill allowing for a 20-year extension of the Downtown Development Authority, which uses sales tax dollars collected in Old Town for redevelopment of the district.

Musgrave Comes Out Against Uranium Mining

From the Tribune:

Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Fort Morgan, has sent a letter to the Board of Larimer County Commissioners urging them to oppose a proposed uranium mine near Nunn.

The letter follows a similar one Musgrave sent the Board of Weld County Commissioners in January asking them to oppose the mine over health and safety concerns.

The Morning Papers, 2/28/08

Democrats' Answer to Health Care: More Lawsuits

Doctors will pay more for insurance.  Rural communities will have a hard time attracting doctors.  And doctors will end up practicing more and more "defensive medicine" - ordering expensive extra tests and procedures to make sure they've covered every possible diagnosis. 

Who pays?  You do.  Sure, if you've got great insurance, you might not see it immediately, but the costs eventually - inevitably - get passed on to you through higher premiums.  The first step to making sure everyone is insured is making sure that we keep costs low.  Democrats love to talk about "health care reform."  They're actually making it more expensive every day.

Today, the Denver Post editorializes against the move to raise caps on medical malpractice lawsuits:

We're troubled by a bill pending in the state Senate that would raise the ceiling on medical malpractice awards — while boosting premiums on malpractice insurance and possibly leading to reduced health care services in already underserved rural areas of Colorado.

Senate Bill 164 by Senate President Peter Groff, D-Denver, would raise the ceiling on "non-economic" damages in such lawsuits from the current limit of $300,000 to a new, inflation-adjusted level of about $462,000.

If that's all the measure did, we could live with it — since Groff's bill doesn't increase the nominal ceiling on malpractice awards of all kinds from its current $1 million level. But the measure goes on to create a new class of "economic damages" for disfigurement and impairment — issues currently classified as "non-economic damages" along with pain and suffering.

Mason Corridor Economic Benefits

From the NCBR:

FORT COLLINS - The Mason Corridor could generate $20.5 million in taxes over the next 25 years and one-time benefits for the city of $108.3 million, according to a newly released economic analysis.

Cost Allocation Analysis in Larimer County?

Larimer County is considering using cost allocation analysis to streamline budgeting and cut costs.

Cost allocation analysis would allow the county to account for not only the direct cost of services, such as materials and employee time, but also support services behind the departments such as human resources and accounting, said Eric Parish, a consultant with MGT of America Inc.

Cleaning up the Labor Mess

Remember when Governor Ritter signed his infamous Friday afternoon executive order allowing state employees to unionize?  They're still trying to mop up the mess in Denver.

The legislation up for debate in the Senate state affairs committee has its genesis in the governor's executive order giving state workers the right to negotiate collectively about workplace safety, efficiency and salaries.

The November order included a no-strike clause, but the attorney general's office later ruled the order does not trump a state law that gives workers the right to strike.

House Bill 1189, which Ritter supports, is an attempt to smooth over relations with the business community. The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and the state chamber supported the bill, while four union leaders opposed it.

Striking is "among the most fundamental of human rights" and workers' "most powerful and effective weapon," said Dennis Creese with the Colorado Building and Construction Trades Council.

The Morning Papers, 2/27/08

The City of Fort Collins, Anti-Business?

I wonder where anyone would ever get that idea...

Under direction from City Council, city staff proposed changes that could not be more arbitrary. In fact, they are just plain goofy because the changes are not needed, are unsupported by data and will not benefit tenants.

When Councilmembers Kelly Ohlson, Ben Manvel, Lisa Poppaw and David Roy enact these changes, windows without screens and carpeting in bathrooms will be illegal. These "egregious conditions" will subject the property owner to a fine of $1,000 per day!

This stuff writes itself in this town.

Infill!  (No, wait...)

Let's encourage infill.  Let's bring people to Old Town...  (But not if it brings people to Old Town?)

Parking in Old Town, already a challenge most days, was the chief concern for about 50 people who packed a city meeting room Tuesday to hear plans for a nine-story downtown hotel and conference center.

...

"Why does everything have to be clumped together right here?" she asked, citing numerous festivals, road races and other activities that Old Town residents deal with.

Nimbyism is a constant no matter where you are, but this is getting ridiculous.

Greeley Water: Planning Ahead

From the Tribune:

Greeley residents pay 90 cents for almost two days of water, but they may end up paying $90 million to ensure Greeley's water future.

Greeley doesn't need water now, but it will by 2030, when demand for water from residents and businesses will outpace supply, said Jon Monson, Greeley's director of water and sewer, in a presentation to the Greeley City Council Tuesday night.

Moreover, Greeley should buy water years ahead of demand because competition from other municipalities such as Aurora will make the resource difficult to purchase in the future when the city needs it, said Harold Evans, chairman of the Greeley Water Board.

The idea: Buy 10,000 extra acre-feet of water now and expand the Milton Seaman Reservoir to hold extra water so Greeley will have the water it needs for the projected 240,000 people the city may be home to by 2050. An acre-foot of water can provide two families enough water for a year.

Methane Sales Approved

"Commissioners approve plan to allow county to sell methane gas"

[Insert Joke Here]

The Morning Papers, 2/26/08

Three-Unrelated Ruling Expected

... as early as this week. 

I read through the legal brief, and perhaps the most interesting point the plaintiffs make is how expansive the enforcement powers of the city are under this ordinance.  They describe a city employee knocking on the door of the house, demanding to be let in to perform an inspection, and threatening a fine if denied entry - all based on a tip from a neighbor.

That's pretty aggressive behavior.  Would you let them into your house? 

It seems to me that the case law would refer to text that reads something like: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

(For the edification of the City Council, that's the Fourth Amendment.)

Weld Commissioner Primaries

Two primaries on the Republican side of the aisle: It's Clair Orr versus incumbent Rob Masden in District 3 and Sean Conway versus Mike Freeman for the at-large seat.

Train Quiet Zones

Commerce City did it:

Commerce City is the first city in Colorado to incorporate "quiet zones" for train traffic, where locomotives are not allowed to blow their horns before or at a section of rail line with one or more consecutive public crossings.

So far, quiet zones have been established at two intersections in Commerce City at a cost of about $15,000 each.

It took the city about 18 months to upgrade the intersections at the Burlington Northern Santa Fe track at East 72nd Avenue and Colorado 2 and at Rosemary Street and Colorado 2 to meet Federal Railroad Administration quiet zone requirements, city officials say.

That includes adding two-quadrant gate arms, flashing lights and bells, and signs warning approaching motorists they are entering a quiet zone. Raised medians also were built to prevent motorists from driving around gates.

A New Tenant at Harmony/Ziegler

From the NCBR:

FORT COLLINS - Stantec Inc. is moving its 40-person team in Fort Collins into the Harmony Corporate Center.

The Edmonton, Canada-based engineering and architectural firm will occupy 10,000 square feet on the second floor of the addition to the Harmony Corporate Center building.

Fort Collins Marketplace

Cottonwood Plaza, the southwest corner of College and Horsetooth, is going to see redevelopment and a new name: Fort Collins Marketplace.

A Canard Repeated

Glen Colton, (writing, inexplicably, in the "Business" section), repeats the same old half-truths, over and over again.

Here's a small sample (he's writing about development along the I-25 corridor):

...having open space and natural areas is one of the main reasons we can attract top companies and employees...

No, it's not.  It's "a" reason.  It's sometimes mentioned as a "minor" reason, but it's not a "one of the main reasons we can attract top companies and employees."

Companies look for a well-educated workforce, a strong transportation infrastructure and a good tax and regulatory system first and foremost.  The environment is a reason.  It is not "one of the main reasons" for businesses.  Ask them.  Don't take an anti-growth activist's word for it. 

(Brief aside: Perhaps the Coloradoan can get someone who has, you know, actually relocated a company to comment on this, instead of trying to "balance" it's business pages with people who are against business.  Do they also try to find people who hate sports to write columns on the sports page?  Can you imagine if countered every sports column with someone who argued against sports leagues and wanted to tear down Hughes Stadium?  Frankly, this is getting embarrassing for the paper.  They're in the awkward position of printing "here's how to attract companies" advice from people who fight against attracting new companies.)

More:

...the importance of the natural environment to our heritage, our economy and our future...

 ...our natural environment, historic Old Town, cultural arts and Colorado State University are key to our unique identity and economic vitality...

...protecting our economic, environmental and aesthetic health...

Notice a pattern here?  Every time you mention the environment, be sure to mention the economy.  Are the two unrelated?  Of course not.  But this is a rhetorical device that the anti-growth activists have adopted.  To them, the economy hinges on the environment. Unfortunately, they make this case while fighting against all of the other, more important things required for a strong economy: transportation infrastructure, a sane regulatory system, and a fair development review process.

Finally:

...our community's vision and planning, which helped us be named "the best place in the country to live."...

Well, this is just flat-out misleading.   Someone needs to go back and actually read the Money Magazine methodology.  The environment, the parks and "vision and planning" were indeed mentioned in the Money Magazine designation, but only as a small component - after the city had gone through all of the preliminary rounds of the competition. 

What were those preliminary rounds?  They focused on the cost of doing business, the cost of living, and education.  It was only after Fort Collins cleared all of those hurdles that the environment came into play at all, and that was only part of a larger "quality of life" portion.

So recognize this overused tactic.  Note who's using it.  Do they really care about a healthy economy?  (I'll give you a hint... in this same column, Colton attacks all of the economic development along I-25).

The Morning Papers, 2/25/08

The Democrats' Answer to Health Care?  Higher Health Care Costs.

They're pushing to allow for even higher damages in medical malpractice suits.

Republicans and at least one Democrat said the bill would drive up costs in the medical profession by requiring doctors to get more expensive liability insurance.

That would cost patients in the long run, as doctors charge more to cover their expenses. Opponents argued that doctors may even perform extra tests, which are expensive, just to guard against a lawsuit.

Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, said on a Senate Republican Web site that the bill moved health care problems in the wrong direction.

“The crisis in health care is a crisis in cost,” he said. “This throws gasoline on the fire.”

So much for their dedication to making health care affordable.

Greeley Chamber Awards

From the NCBR:

Laurie Glendenning of LG Assists was named Ambassador of the Year. Winners Circle Awards were presented to Northern Colorado Paper Inc., Phelps-Tointon Inc. and Startek Inc.

The Leann Anderson Community Care Award, in memory of the woman who owned Anderson Business Resources and was a dedicated community leader until her unexpected death in 1998, went to Greeley restaurant owner Bob Boswell.

Boswell and his wife own Western Sizzlin' Steakhouse in Evans, and are known for their "Friendship Feast" that provides Christmas Day meals to about 1,200 needy residents yearly.

Kopel Column

If you want to read a good analysis of how a press release becomes a story (and of how the facts are sometimes embellished and twisted in the process), read Dave Kopel's Saturday media column in the Rocky.

Further down in the column, he notes that:

The Gannett newspaper chain might buy the CSU student newspaper, The Rocky Mountain Collegian. Although Gannett has not interfered with the two Florida college newspapers it currently owns, the Columbia Journalism Review reports that after Gannett took over the Des Moines Register and The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., it dumbed them both down, mandating short, local fluff pieces at the expense of serious reporting. It's hard to see a benefit from a Gannett takeover.

Gallup v. Fischer

Randy Fischer has a challenger.  From Saturday's Coloradoan:

Donna Gallup's recent battle with breast cancer and the lessons she learned from the process are a big reason the 49-year-old Fort Collins woman believes she is ready to challenge Rep. Randy Fisher, D-Fort Collins, for the House District 53 seat.

Gallup said her struggle through the health-care system gives her a realistic understanding of what many Colorado families face each year as they make decisions about buying expensive medication.

...

Gallup said if elected, she would focus on making it easier for small businesses to operate in Fort Collins and on ensuring senior citizens aren't hurt by inflating property taxes.

Gallup said seniors living on fixed incomes could struggle under the new mill-levy freeze Gov. Bill Ritter implemented with Democratic support in the Legislature last year to shore up education funding in the state.

The Morning Papers, 2/22/08

Local Control... of Forest Management

Makes sense:

U.S. Sen Wayne Allard says the federal government needs to give state and local foresters more control over how they manage the woods because conditions differ so widely around the country.

"You manage a forest in Arkansas much differently than you manage a forest in Alaska," Allard said Thursday after addressing a Colorado State University forestry forum. "You manage a forest in southern Colorado much differently than you manage a forest up here."

More on the Swift Expansion

"Northern Colorado truck dealers could see windfall from JBS-Swift"

A New (sort of) Player in Fort Collins

NewMark Merrill is setting up NewMark Merrill Mountain States, working with Fort Collins' Allen Ginsborg.

Initial projects in Colorado will include the redevelopment of the former Cottonwood Plaza -- now Fort Collins Marketplace -- in Fort Collins, Sheridan Commons (formerly Broomfield Plaza) in Broomfield and Summit Square in Westminster. All together, the three redevelopment projects will total 300,000 square feet and represent an investment of $30 million.

Loveland Downtown

From the Reporter-Herald:

In a Loveland downtown riddled with best-laid plans and discarded studies, a determined few are taking matters into their own hands to bring about the kinds of projects Loveland so desperately wants to see.

Barry Floyd, long a proponent of downtown revitalization and renovation, has labored for eight years to bring tenants and loft apartments into the State Mercantile Building at the southeast corner of Fourth Street and Cleveland Avenue.

ConocoPhillips in Louisville

Editorial in the Post:

The decision of ConocoPhillips to build a new technology and training center on a 432-acre site in Louisville is certainly a coup for the region and the state.

The challenge for policymakers and entrepreneurs alike will be to find ways to leverage that move and continue to position Colorado as a center of innovation in alternative energy technology.

ConocoPhillips, the fifth-largest corporation in the country, plans to build a new facility and conduct research into making liquid fuels from renewable sources, such as crops and non-petroleum feedstocks.

Nickel and Dimed?

The author of the controversial book "Nickel and Dimed," which bemoans the inability of Americans to rise out of lower-income jobs, is going to be speaking in Fort Collins. 

One wonders if they'll also invite this guy as a counter-argument.  (If you haven't read the story, you should.)

English Language Competency

The bill requiring high school grads to demonstrate English competency will go to the floor of the Senate.

Pushback on the Logo

Here and here.

Cricket?

You've seen the billboards.  Here's the explanation.

I've actually got plans to watch tomorrow's match at a friend's house.  Who would have thought...

Aspen Homes Wins Energy Efficiency Award

From the Reporter-Herald:

Loveland-based Aspen Homes of Colorado Inc. has been chosen as the 2008 EnergyValue Housing Award builder of the year.

The award, in its 13th year, was presented by the National Association of Home Builders Research Center, which recognizes energy-efficient practices in the home building industry.

Project Smile

Fort Collins Now covers a great Fort Collins non-profit:

Project Smile, a not-for-profit philanthropic effort to provide dental care to students at Irish Elementary, will hold its “A Night at the Oscars” fundraiser to initiate a campaign to permanently endow the program and to recognize outstanding contributors from the community.

Reality Check

"You know what they say: some things in life are bad. They can really make you mad. Other things just make you swear and curse. When you're chewing on life's gristle, don't grumble; give a whistle, and this'll help things turn out for the best. And... always look on the bright side of life..."

Don Surber:

EVERY night, Lou Dobbs gets on CNN and drones on and on about how the middle class in America is shrinking. It is disappearing along with our jobs at the textile mill.

Woe is us.

Having actually worked at a textile mill, I say the people in Bangladesh are welcome to make my shirts.

...

In 2004, the average home in the United States was 2,349 square feet.

You could fit two of those 1950 homes in that 2004 home and still have room for the family SUV.

...

In 2003, one-eighth of Americans - 12.5 percent - lived below the federal line of poverty.

But the Census Bureau reported that 46 percent of households listed as officially living in poverty actually lived in homes they owned.

And, the Census Bureau reported, 76 percent had air-conditioning.

And, the Census Bureau reported, 75 percent had a car.

And, the Census Bureau reported, 30 percent had two cars.

And, the Census Bureau reported, 73 percent had a microwave.

And the Census Bureau reported, 33 percent had a dishwasher.

And on and on. What were once luxuries for the rich are now the "necessities" of life - at least to listen to Lou Dobbs and other peddlers of the snake oil about the disappearing middle class.

 

The Morning Papers, 2/21/08

Dumb Taxes

The Denver Post has a point:

Why should the owner of a used clothing store have to pay a tax attorney $500 to calculate whether she owes $60 in personal property taxes on the $3,000 computer system she uses to keep track of her sales?

House Bill 1225 by Rep. Joe Rice, D-Littleton, will free some 30,600 small businesses from this burden by raising the exemption on that annoying levy, currently $2,500, to $7,000 over three years. When fully phased in, the change would cost the state $638,000 a year in lost revenue.

We'd go a bit further and a lot faster. We've heard county assessors argue that any taxable account under $10,000 costs more to administer than it's worth. Thus, we'd raise the exemption in Rice's bill to $10,000 immediately — figuring the modest loss of tax revenue would be more than offset by reduced accounting and auditing costs for small businesses and local governments alike.

Every dollar that a business spends complying with regulation is a dollar that they won't spend hiring a new employee or expanding their business.

The Trial Lawyer Giveaway

Worried about runaway health care costs?  How about the availability of doctors in rural communities?

Never fear, the Democrats in the legislature have decided to... allow for more frivolous lawsuits.

Senators Bob Hagedorn and Josh Penry have an op-ed in the Post today.

Colorado's long-standing curbs on reckless and frivolous litigation against doctors are, in fact, the envy of other states. But that is in jeopardy now.

Read the whole thing.

The Mason Corridor 

Eric Nichols writes about the Mason Corridor in the Coloradoan today.

Campaign Finance Reform?

If you want a pretty good overview of how campaign finance "reform" is crushing citizen participation in the political process, read Jessica Peck Corry's "Diary of a Mad Voter".

Jobs in Greeley

Swift is expanding:

JBS-Swift is expanding its fleet of trucks and will be adding several hundred new jobs in Greeley.

The meat company contracts with trucking firms to bring livestock into Greeley beef and lamb packing plants and to take meat from the plant for distribution.

Marco Sampaio, a company spokesman, said Wednesday that initial plans are to buy 150 trucks and trailers, based in Greeley, that will be used to transport product from its United States meatpacking facilities.

The company also plans to base a maintenance facility in the Greeley area to service the trucks. Sampaio said officials had located some land to build that facility, but he would not yet divulge it.

The Regency will Become a Clarion Hotel

In the Tribune:

The Regency Hotel in Greeley has a new owner and will soon have a new name, followed by what the new owners hope will be a better image in downtown Greeley.

...

The new name will be Clarion Hotel and Conference Center.

The Greeley hotel's new general manager, Scott Holm, who helped turn around the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park from 2006-07, said the first order of business is to get the hotel making money.

Green Green

An article about solar energy that begins...

Here's a toast to the superiority of pragmatists over idealists. Of entrepreneurs over bureaucrats. And most of all to those buzz-cut, buttoned-down engineers and scientists of a half-century ago who thought they were just making cheaper transistors – and now may help save the world.

...has some potential.

It's an op-ed by Michael Malone on the ABC News web site from last week.  Who will lead the green revolution?  The entrepreneurs and the innovators.

This takes a singular combination of vision, guts and the kind of strategic thinking that is only found in real, business-oriented entrepreneurs – not in government bureaucrats, or, for that matter, reporters.

...

You may not like their politics, or their attitude, or their style. But if we really do have an energy revolution in this country and free ourselves from our addiction to fossil fuels, it will be because of hard-charging, take-no-prisoners entrepreneurs like T.J. Rodgers — not UN committees, environmental groups, or government officials.