In the great red state of Colorado we are blessed with possibly the
worst governor in America. The honorable Bill Owens. Luckily we only have 2 more years till this schmuck is gone and we can continue the conversion of Colorado into a blue state. We already have both the state house and the state senate in Dem hands. With a new Dem senator and Dem house seat in 04 we are well on our way. But with Owens it is his lack of focus on his job in the face of major educational and budget problems and the pandering to voters in the city and state which is very sports rich and passionate about its sports that agitates me.
Lets look at some of the problems.
Class Sizes Are Among the Largest in the Nation: With an average of 23 students per class, Colorado has the 5th largest average elementary school class size in the nation.
Public School Spending Is Among the Worst in the Nation: Colorado ranks 4th worst in the country in the total taxable resources spent on public education. Education spending by the State of Colorado and its localities amounts to just 2.9% of its gross state product.
Student/Teacher Ratio Is Among the Highest in the Nation: Colorado ranks near the bottom (40 of 50) in the number of students for each teacher.
Schools Need Major Repairs: Colorado school buildings need major improvements. Thirty-two percent (32%) of Colorado schools have a building that needs extensive repair or should be replaced -- 26% of the schools have crumbling roofs, 28% have bad plumbing, 37% have poor ventilation, and 63% have an unsatisfactory environmental condition. Thirty-three percent (33%) of Colorado schools lack power outlets and wiring to accommodate computers and multimedia equipment in classrooms.
FY 2003 State Budget Deficit (millions of dollars) = 558
Deficit as Percent of State Budget = 9.2%
FY 2004 Budget Deficit (millions of dollars) = 900
Deficit as Percent of State Budget = 13.4%
As of December 2002, state estimates showed that the Colorado General Fund would need to be tapped for an additional $738 million to balance the budget.
Bill Owens solution. A sports TV show on the local cable channel called Bill Owens Sports Connection. Its a weekly dicussion show covering such worldly topics as steroids in sports and the Hockey lockout. In fact you can contact the Governor and let him know what you think of his show. Check the schedule, he even managed to get a prime time slot at 7PM.
This guy is an asshole. Pure and simple. He got involved in the Ward Churchill episode calling for his resignation when it is none of his business to step into an academic arena. He travels all around the country and world without providing a detailing of where he went on taxpayer time and money. Just another Rethug asshole with friends in high places. I even saw a thread on Free Republic calling for him run for Pres in 08. LOL. I only hope he does so he can lose.
P.S. I don't regularly go to Free Republic, it was just something I stumbled upon.
UPDATE: Just another
example of just how big an asshole this guy is