Dave Chandler

Education Elite Want You to Pay, Pay, Pay

Two Colorado education and the economy stories to deal with today.

First is the outrage of a soaring University of Colorado tuition increase being used in part to pay for raises for six figure administrators and bureaucrats.

CU tuition hike funded raises for Phil DiStefano, other top administrators | Boulder Daily Camera

My response: if you're planning on starting at CU next fall -- don't. Go to community college for a year, enroll in a certificate program, or work and save for the future (if it comes). I would also suggest to the CU regents that a pay freeze is in order ... almost everyone else in government has had to deal with this reality; the $300,000-plus administrators may just have to 'struggle' for a year or two with no raise, uh?

It is an outrage, of course, because this tuition increase is yet another example of the redistribution of wealth from working and middle class Americans into the hands of the elite. This is 'class warfare' being waged by arrogant school officials and athletic 'directors' ... and we are definitely losing this war.

Second, the elite of the Jefferson County school district are intent upon punishing the citizens it serves by cutting programs that enrich and encourage academic success. No more instrumental music instruction in the elementary schools if the scolds get their way. (This has the ring of a coming request for a tax hike this fall, doesn't it?)

Advocates fighting to keep music playing in Colorado schools | Denver Post

My response: music and art are essential ingredients to even a rudimentary education. My solution to the Jefferson school district's financial woes: privatize varsity sports. While physical education classes are also essential, in my opinion, football is not. Let parents and boosters of football and basketball organize their own non-profit competitive sports company and then they can lease the district's fields and courts for use. The school district would save significant amounts of money that could then be used for actual education.

Of course, my suggestion will never, ever be taken seriously -- the only reason public schools even exists for a lot of folks is because of varsity sports. You know ... too much book learnin' just raises a kids expectations and exposes them to 'liberal' influences in the long run anyway.

Lawsuits to Stop Tollway Boondoggle

Most residents of Jefferson County would be quite happy with basic safety improvements to Indiana Street and McIntyre ... but better traffic flow is not what the tollway they call the 'Jefferson Parkway' is about.

This report in today's YourHub.com explains the latest developments in the fight of Golden to stop this boondoggle: Jefferson Parkway fight headed to court - January 12, 2012

First -- this tollway project would not 'complete' the beltway. It is a ten mile stretch of road that doesn't connect with with the Northwest Parkway or C-470. The primary function of this highway would be to spur development of some commercial and mostly residential building on the southern boundary of Rocky Flats.

Second -- this tollway project is a prime example of a very small cadre of insiders and elitists seeking to use government for private gain. Government power would be used to push through this project that they want built by a Spanish corporation (who would run the tollway and receive the revenues). If toll revenues are not forth coming, well, this project has taxpayer bailout written all over it.

Third -- the route of this tollway will not alleviate any traffic congestion in the western Denver suburbs. Numerous studies have so determined. In fact, because travelers would seek to avoid the toll, it would undoubtedly increase traffic on Wadsworth, for instance.

Fourth -- in an era of over $3 a gallon gasoline, air quality issues, and a lingering recession, this kind of tollway is simply an out-of-date, old fashioned concept. Instead of finding hundreds of millions of dollars for this boondoggle, simply doing basic, economical improvements to Indiana and McIntrye streets would be of greatest benefit.

Five -- messing with soils around Rocky Flats is crazy. The greed demonstrated by the promoters of this tollway is clearly on display as the lawsuit in this story shows. Who in their right minds would risk disturbing potential buried plutonium around Rocky Flats ... except 'insiders' looking to make millions of dollars for themselves.

Huzzahs to Golden and Superior for filing their lawsuits!!!

Jeffco Commissioners' Monkey-Business With Our Taxes

There is absolutely nothing 'conservative' or 'fiscally responsible or 'representative' in what the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners have been doing to our public library system. As the letter below very concisely conveys, the county commissioners are subverting the will of the people.

What is it about elected politicians these days that when the electorate speaks and makes a decision, the politicos still think they can ignore the will of the people and just do what they want?

The best remedy to the "we know best" shenanigans of these county commissioners is to remove them from the funding process, remove them as a layer of government between the people and the operation of our libraries -- and establish a library district in Jefferson County.

Of course, these commissioners will fight tooth-and-nail against any diminution of their power and control ... it is what elected politicians tend to do regardless of political party.

A healthy library system is an asset to a community that is incalculable. A well-supported library bespeaks of citizen involvement, of prosperity, of dedication to education.

If you haven't already, go to Save Jeffco Libraries and offer your support.

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Published in YourHub.com for Arvada, Wheat Ridge and Westminster on Thursday, January 5, 2012:

In a recent YourHub letter, Pam Nissler, executive director of the Jefferson County Public Library, explained the library’s serious revenue decline and urged us all to donate to the Library Foundation. We agree. But that’s not the whole story.

Nissler said the library has experienced a $3.4 million decline in revenue since 2008. The interesting question is why? Most of that decline was not caused by tough economic times, but by the Jefferson County Commissioners diverting property tax revenues out of a mill levy voters approved for library services only. In order to increase taxes in Social Services (a good cause but an increase voters did NOT approve), the county took that money out of the taxpayer-approved library levy.

Let’s be clear about the real reason for these library service cuts, layoffs, and reduction in hours: they are paying for the Commissioners’ monkey-business with our taxes. If the library operated as an independent library district like Arapahoe, Douglas, and most other front-range counties, these cuts would not have been necessary. It’s time to get county government out of the library’s business.

By all means, donate to the Library Foundation. It helps fund important programs. But let’s also ensure that the tax money we approved for library services actually gets to the library! Visit www.savejeffcolibraries.org to see what you can do to help.

Tom and Alice Atkins
Founders, Save Jeffco Libraries
Tom is a former chairman of the Jefferson County Public Library Board of Trustees