My vote

Good morning readers. 

Somewhere, someone has been dancing around a maypole and bringing burnt offerings before the Electronic Computer Genie...for truly, there has been a ghost in my machine.  Working around this imp has led to considerable delay in my postings, but I do hope you'll forgive my tardiness.

With Election Day looming, perhaps some of you remain undecided in how you'll cast your ballot.  To answer the most pressing question of the many who are wondering:  yes, you will receive an "I voted sticker" when dropping off your ballot at Centennial Hall. 

For what they're worth, what follows are my endorsements.

District #11 Board of Educators - Loma, Busby and Mann
If you count yourself a conservative (and I do), these three represent the only hope for our kids to be offered real, solid, and traditional educational opportunities.

(In a future posting, I'll discuss some of the radical Progressive educational theories and concepts that threaten to destroy our schools, our communities, our nation and our world; you'll want to hold onto your wigs, lest they flip.) 

Issue 300 - Yes
I don't always agree with him, but I definitely admire Doug Bruce and his frugal fearlessness; without TABOR, our city would have no reserves at all.  But talk about "green" money grubbing hypocrisy: it is an outrage that the poeple of Colorado Springs are being fined, taxed, and otherwise dissuaded from collecting rainwater.  Fret not, enterprising grubbies, for the pain you'll notice is sure to be slight, since the revenue loss of each raindrop will be phased in over time - unlike D#11's eight wham-bam-thankee-ma'am public elementary school closures earlier in the year.

(...and yes, I am still grousing about that - and will continue to do so; that huge and hasty decision has adversely affected so many people, and stands to destroy whole neighborhoods...all, for what?  We've yet to be shown the purported cost savings of that move - and I wouldn't recommend that we all hold our breath until we do.) 

Issue 2C - Yes
"A City Worth Fighting For?" I'd venture to say it's even a city worth dying for, but that's not on the ballot (though there's always next year...)

Do I buy any of this "painful budget cut" hooey?  Nah.  Why?  Because we apparently had the means to quickly and effortlessly produce $53 million dollars to bribe - er, I mean, convince - the U.S. Olympic Committee into staying put.  I could go on...but really, my own personal reason for believing it's folly not to vote "Yes" on 2C can be summed up in two words:  Glenn Gustafson.

As some of you are already aware, Mr. Gustafson is the Chief Financial Officer for Colorado Springs School District 11, and is largely responsible for those public school closures mentioned above...as well as the closure of Irving Middle School - which he himself attended.

Mr. Gustafson happens to be an esteemed member of the City of Colorado Springs Sustainable Funding Committee - you know, those big-hearted folks who decided this summer to stop watering neighborhood parks, lock up public restrooms, turn off the watering hose that leads to the Uncle Wilbur and Julie Penrose fountains, and cancel the Fourth of July fireworks in Memorial Park.

"Park, schmark!  Those peons can go pee up a tree, for all we care.  Hey!  Hold on just a minute here...perhaps there's a sustainable and untapped revenue stream we hadn't even considered..."

Listen, folks:  Everybody has a pet project; everybody is loyal to something.  Senators don't shut down the orphanage where their mom was raised, philanthropists are sure to remember the charity they first helped out, writers are prone to pen winsome prose about their hometown...so what kind of person pushes to close his alma mater middle school?

I'll tell you what kind:  the kind that'll shake down your grandmother, and take candy away from your baby; the kind that will say "I promise" while his fingers are crossed behind his back.  The kind that will squeeze blood from a turnip, just because he hankers for a warm glass.

When the citizens of Colorado Springs failed to pass the last mill levy override, Glenn "The Punisher" Gustafson saw to it that all of those schools closed - for no good reason - and made sure that those least able to absorb the shock would take it all.  In so doing, he revealed his true turncoat nature.  And, if 2C doesn't pass, the rest of you had better prepare to be disciplined.

*Bottoms up*