Monthly Archives: November 2006

Navteq to Buy Traffic.com

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Today, Navteq announced that it was going to buy Traffic.com for $179 million. Their goal is to bring maps to life.

My question is if they are going to do that, why are they buying Traffic.com? Traffic.com’s service is horrible. Here in Denver their reports are bad and generic. They tell you there is a problem, but not what the problem is and what to expect. They use a weird rating system to rate how bad the traffic is, but it is not relevant to anything and they don’t tell you how long it was going to take to get where you are going.

Navteq could have done better with different technology. Traffic.com is a site that should just go away.

How I am Voting…

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I haven’t been able to compare and describe all the issues, so I am going to present how I am voting this election.

Federal Office
US Congress District #2: Udall

State Offices
Governor: Ritter
Secretary of State: Coffman
State Treasurer: Hillman
Attorney General: Suthers
State Board of Education, District #2: Hudak
State Representative District #33: Berens
Colorado Court of Appeals: Retain them all

State Ballot Measures
Amendment 38: No
Amendment 39: No
Amendment 40: No
Amendment 41: No
Amendment 42: No
Amendment 43: Yes
Amendment 44: No
Referendum E: Yes
Referendum F: Yes
Referendum G: Yes
Referendum H: No
Referendum I: Yes
Referendum J: Yes
Referendum K: No

If you have any questions or would like to comment, please leave it in the comment area.

Colorado Amendment 43 Ad is False

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I have seen many different ads for politicians, amendments, and referendums. But this has got to be the worst one ever. It makes so many false claims, it is ridiculous. There is no way that this Amendment was put forward to create distractions away from other issues, including Iraq. This is the stupidest thing I have ever seen.

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How you can the war in Iraq and say this Amendment was created to distract voters from that in this election takes it too far.

Only In Boulder – Running Naked down Pearl Street

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This could only happen in Boulder, Colorado.  In the story, “Naked frivolity heats up the night,” that ran in the Rocky Mountain News, over 100 people ran naked down Pearl Street with pumpkins on their head.  With temperatures in the 20′s it must have been quite a cold night.  I wonder how many drinks they had before they took off.  It is amazing they didn’t all fall down.

Operation Education – The University of Idaho Does A Good Thing

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The University of Idaho has done a good thing. It has launched Operation Education. Operation Education was launched on June 20, 2006 and was established US Military personnel who were severely or permanently disabled while serving our country since September 11, 2001 by providing an opportunity to earn a college degree.

The program provides funding that is not offered by the Federal Government and scholarships for the disabled veterans to attend the University of Idaho. It also provides opportunities for their spouse to attend college also on a scholarship.

According to the Universities news release, “The university will provide wounded veterans with financial support and resources – such as tuition, fees and books, on-campus housing, transportation, medical assistance, child care, adaptive equipment, tutoring and mentorship – at its main campus in Moscow, Idaho, to assist veterans and their families as they re-enter civilian life. The university also has plans to partner with corporations around the country to offer internships and assist in job placement.”

Nothing beats giving our military an opportunity after a life-changing event and to give them some thanks for the sacrifices that they have made.

If you know of a person who was injured and is interested in attending college, let them know about this program. If you feel it in your hear to donate, please do.

Referendum J – School District Spending Requirements

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Referendum J is pretty similar to Amendment 39, but there are a few things that Referendum J offers that Amendment 39 does not. I spoke about Amendment 30 yesterday.

Summary
I spoke about Amendment 39 yesterday. Referendum J does everything Amendment 39 does plus it adds a few things.

They both have a at least 65-percent funding for the classroom, but Referendum J adds in Principals, Support Staff, and Support Services provided at the school level. Referendum J also adds an out for school districts by allowing voters to exempt them from the 65 percent requirement and it adds a requirement that standardizes format for school district budgets and the school districts must submit them to the state.

In comparing spending, if these were to pass, 166 schools would have fallen short by a total of $278 million under Amendment 39. Under Referendum J, only three districts would have fallen short by a total of $1 million.

If both Amendment 39 and Referendum J pass, any provision of Amendment of 39 is in conflict with Referendum J, the provision of Referendum J will not be enforced.

My thoughts
I think that Referendum offers a better deal for the State of Colorado. It puts in spending regulations for the school districts, includes more in the 65 percent mandatory spending, and if the local voters feel that 65 percent is too much, they can vote out of the 65 percent requirement. Referendum J also standardizes school district budgets, allowing for a good comparison and understanding on how our schools are funding their operations.

Also, if both were to pass, we could have many lawsuits seeking clarification and guidance from the court on which parts of Referendum J conflict with Amendment 39.

My Vote
Yes on Referendum J.