BackboneAmerica

By Brian Ochsner baochsner@aol.com

Christmas 2005 was a very good one. Santa Claus made an appearance at my parents’ house, and treated me pretty well. The best gifts of all were spending time with family and friends, and eating plenty of home-c0oked food that I’ll have to work off in the New Year. Learned a lot of neat things from other family members that I’ll report in my next post. And now, here are a few belated gifts I wanted to give Backbone readers: (more…)

Join us on radio every Sunday, 5-8pm on 710 KNUS, Denver
To listen online from anywhere, click 710knus.com
—————————————————————————–
This Sunday is Christmas Day, climax of the season that Charles Dickens called “a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time.” I will be with my family that evening, not in the radio studio as on other Sunday nights, and I hope you will be with yours.

But if your activities lend themselves to having the radio on, please join us for a special edition of Backbone Radio with me and my daughter Tina giving a full-length dramatic reading (recorded earlier) of that beloved Dickens classic, “A Christmas Carol.” (more…)

By Krista Kafer krista555@msn.com

This week Colorado said goodbye to one education reformer and hello (or welcome back) to another one replacing him. Clair Orr resigned from the Colorado State Board of Education after two terms of service representing the 4th Congressional District. The Republican Vacancy Committee of the 4th Congressional District chose former Congressman Bob Schaffer to be his replacement. Bob Schaffer represented the 4th District in the U.S. Congress from 1997 to 2003. (more…)

Join us on radio every Sunday, 5-8pm on 710 KNUS, Denver
To listen online from anywhere, click 710knus.com
—————————————————————————–
Are Gov. Owens and President Bush on the right track with their new proposals regarding illegal aliens? What’s to be done about the economic illiteracy that believes taxes grow the economy and price controls encourage abundance? How can Republicans hold the Bob Beauprez congressional seat in suburban Denver when Beauprez runs for governor next year? Why is the Salvation Army the most respected charity in America? What evidence do we have that the Christmas story is historically valid, not just folklore? (more…)

(John Andrews in the Denver Post, Dec. 18) It all started with a teenager giving birth in a stable, while soldiers searched for her baby to kill him. No, it really started long before that, with a couple in a garden throwing away paradise in one act of disobedience. It all ended, anyway, with three crosses atop a skull-shaped hill on a dark afternoon. But actually it hasn’t ended yet, and won’t end until the world itself does.

I’m referring, obviously, to the greatest story ever told, the Christmas story. Christmas is not my subject, though. Books are. The two are closely joined, of course. It is only through a book, the most important book ever written, the Bible, that we know the story of Adam’s fall and Christ’s coming. (more…)

By Krista Kafer krista555@msn.com

The Rocky Mountain News and Denver Post were full of stories this week about mistakes, blunders, and all around poor performance in the public education sector. From missing money, to fishy figures, to poor choices and lost opportunities, K-12 education and higher education had a tough week in the papers. (more…)

The “Head On” debate between former state Sen. John Andrews (R) and former Denver councilwoman Susan Barnes-Gelt (D), seen daily on Colorado Public Television since 1997, began its December series this week. Topics include the defeatist Democrats, immigration, the 9/11 Commission, and a New Year’s look back / look ahead. (more…)

By Brian Ochsner baochsner@aol.com

Perception, vision and whom you listen to — I’ve recently thought about these three things, all of which came together in Al Lewis’ Denver Post column on Dec. 9. It tells how otherwise smart people got fooled because they listened to bad advice from the wrong people. (more…)

By Krista Kafer

Got kids? Do they attend Colorado public schools? You’ll want to see this. Pay taxes? You better look, too. Last week the Colorado Department of Education released School Report Cards for the 2004-2005 school year. Each Colorado school receives a rating of ““Excellent,” “High,” “Average,” “Low,” and “Unsatisfactory” based on achievement data and other school characteristics. The report also states whether student year-to-year achievement as measured by Colorado Student Assessment Program test scores, is improving or declining. The reports also provide a wealth of information beyond CSAP data. (more…)

(John Andrews in the Denver Post, Dec. 4) It’s dusk on a December afternoon. You’re lost in a wintry woodland, cold and scared. It’s snowing hard and getting darker. Suddenly, through the trees, you see the astonishing glow of a lamppost. You’re not out of the woods yet, but now there’s hope. You can start to get your bearings. Better yet, someone put the lamppost there, someone lighted it. Be they friend or foe, the deathly solitude is broken. Cautiously you move toward the clearing. (more…)

Join us on radio every Sunday, 5-8pm on 710 KNUS, Denver
To listen online from anywhere, click 710knus.com
—————————————————————————–
Scroll down to comment section for items cited on the air during this show… a father’s letter to Congresswoman DeGette… and Sen. Joe Lieberman’s courageous article on Iraq
—————————————————————————–
Gov. Bill Owens is more likely to quote Dodger batting averages than poetry. But he doubtless recognizes the Robert Frost line, “I took the road less traveled, and that has made all the difference.” His surprising, less-traveled road to grow the budget and trim TABOR made a big difference this year in both victory at the ballot box and backlash from conservatives, nationally as well as here in Colorado. Where does the road lead now for Bill Owens, a month from his final legislative session (facing emboldened Democrats in both houses) and 11 months from the election of his successor? We’ll talk about it when he joins me in studio on Backbone Radio between 5 and 6pm this Sunday, Dec. 4. (more…)

High speed connection
Medium speed connection
Low speed connection