February 2007 - Mark Hillman

Desperate supporters of Amendment 41 are arguing, some even with a straight face, that their attempt to rewrite their monstrosity after voters enshrined it in the constitution is no different from what occurred after passage of Amendment 27 a few years ago.

Early in 2003, they point out, the legislature wrote "clarifying language" to smooth 27’s rough edges regarding campaign finance. That’s all they want the legislature to do today with Amendment 41, they insist. So what’s the big deal?

The big deal? Let’s see: How about two wrongs don’t make a right? As a Rocky editorial complained in 2003 (and remember, we opposed 27 just as we opposed 41 last fall), one popular legislative plan amounted to "a brazen attempt to get around the strict campaign contribution limits that had been approved by voters in last year’s Amendment 27."
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Former GOP senate leader disputes 41 rhetoric

February 15, 2007July 19, 2016 Mark Hillman

Source: ColoradoSenateNews.com

A former Senate Republican leader, who carried legislation to enact a campaign-reform amendment approved by voters in 2002, says his bill was fundamentally different from a now-pending attempt to exempt large groups of people from voter-approved Amendment 41.

Mark Hillman, who served as Senate majority leader in 2003-04 and as minority leader in 2005, was Senate sponsor of a 2003 bill that implemented Amendment 27. Hillman disputes current claims that the bill made substantive changes to Amendment 27 in the way that some now propose for Amendment 41, the government-ethics law voters adopted last November.

“Legislators are in a real bind. Either they uphold the plain language of the constitution, which is the first oath that they take, or they do what is politically popular and ignore the plain language of the constitution.”
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The Disaster that is ‘Mexifornia’

February 14, 2007July 19, 2016 Mark Hillman

Victor Davis Hanson’s two-part follow up to his book, Mexifornia, was published Feb. 6 by Investor’s Business Daily, and it’s a must-read on immigration.

Excerpts:

"The debate no longer splits along liberal-conservative, Republican-Democrat or even white-brown fault lines. Instead, class considerations more often divide Americans on the issue. The majority of middle-lcass and poor whites, Asians, African-Americans and Hispanics wish to close the borders. They see few advantages to cheap service labor because they are notso likely to need it to mow their lawns, watch their kids or clean their houses."
"I chronicled in Mexifornia the aomaly of angry protesters waving the flag of the country they vehemently did not wish to return to …."
"Every time an alien crosses the border legally, fluent in English and with a high school diploma, the La Raza industry and the corporate farm or construction company alike most likely lose a constituent."

Blame game bedevils Amendment 41

February 12, 2007July 19, 2016 Mark Hillman

What if your state senator or representative voted for a bill based on what they were told it would do, rather than what the bill actually said in plain ol’ black and white?

What if the actual text of that bill put some rather outrageous things into state law and, when pressed further, your elected legislator explained, "Well, I never actually read the bill before I voted on it"?

Would you pat him or her on the head and say, "Aw, that’s OK. We know you are busy, so we’ll just ignore the part of the law you didn’t read and instead apply only what you say you intended for it to do"?

Is that what you would say?

No, I didn’t think so. (more…)

Our troops deserve our support

February 4, 2007July 19, 2016 Mark Hillman

I have never been more discouraged by the prevailing attitude in our country than I am now as we face serious choices about the war in Iraq and the consequences of failure.

Four years ago, the U.S. Senate voted 77-23 to authorize the war in Iraq; the House followed suit 296-133. Upwards of 70 percent of us supported removing Saddam Hussein and replacing him with a democratically-elected government.

Today, the poll numbers are virtually reversed. Majorities of Americans now believe going to war was the wrong thing to do, that sectarian violence cannot be resolved anytime soon, and that President Bush’s plan to send deploy more troops is a non-starter.

It’s not hard to understand why. The "news" from Iraq is almost never good – perhaps because it’s much easier to report bombings and body counts from the safety of a news bureau than it is to interview regular Iraqis who, in so many parts of the country, are benefiting from schools, jobs and opportunities that wouldn’t exist were it not for America’s intervention.
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