Book Bans: News Miner 98
An effort to criminalize 'bad' books, income taxes, Silverton in tension, auto theft, wage controls, abortion, police abuses, the McClain trial, and more.
Book Bans: Complete Colorado published my new article, “Would-be Colorado book banners are the ‘baddies’.” An excerpt: “We are not just talking about conservatives wanting to get certain books removed from the shelves of public schools libraries or of local tax-funded community libraries. . . . Instead, we’re talking about conservatives who want to literally ban books by sending government prosecutors after people to enforce criminal statutes regarding allegedly ‘obscene’ books. The letter in question—signed by the El Paso County Republican Party; Moms for Liberty, El Paso County; Take Back Our Schools; Pastor Jeff Anderson, a ‘Senior Advisor’ to Rep. Doug Lamborn; and other organizations and individuals—is addressed to the District Attorney for the Fourth Judicial District, Michael Allen. The letter specifically calls for felony prosecutions carrying penalties of up to 18 months in prison and $100,000 fines. Those who actually care about the First Amendment will see this letter as an abomination.” I also briefly review one of the books on these conservatives’ “naughty list” and find it to be “a great family-values story” that the conservatives in question should read to “learn some empathy and common decency.” Read the entire piece.
Photo of Nazis burning books: German Federal Archive via Wikimedia
Income Taxes: Art Laffer and Jared Polis write (paywalled), “If there is an excess in tax revenues above population growth and inflation, as defined by TABOR, that means tax rates should have been lower but were not. The law serves as a signal that tax rates have been too high. The proper response to this signal is not to have it keep signaling, but to get the message and cut tax rates permanently.” The Independence Institute released a policy report along these lines.
Silverton: The New York Times has an article about the clashes in Silverton between the old-timers and the newcomers. A particularly ridiculous fight came about when a town trustee declined to say the Pledge of Allegiance. I’ve never understood why some conservatives get so worked up by something written by a socialist. The consequences of this spat were serious: people started sending in death threats to the mayor, who had suspended the recitation of the pledge, and the fascistic Proud Boys came to town over the issue. One person told the paper, “Trump had opened the spigot of being openly mean and just bad to other people.” But some people were cool. The reporters write, “Community Builders would try to shut off that spigot by bringing residents together in the smallest of groups, away from microphones and public spaces, to see if they could find a common vision for Silverton’s future.”
Auto Theft: 9News, October 23: “13 individuals have been indicted on a total of 121 counts related to alleged motor vehicle thefts and burglaries that occurred at Denver International Airport, Adams County, and throughout the Denver area.” City Cast Denver: “Denver is no longer the car theft capital of the country. . . . [N]ew legislation and a mission from the governor’s office gave [the Auto Theft Prevention Authority] the tools to turn around not just Denver’s auto theft problem, but to bring down year-over-year auto theft rates across Colorado in 2023 by 23%.” A good start!
Wage Controls: Analise Romano: “Most Colorado restaurants are preparing to raise menu prices, add service charges and trim their staff and operating hours next year to counter soaring inflation and labor costs, [the Colorado Restaurant Association] says. . . . The group said mandated minimum wage increases at the state and local levels are ‘wreaking havoc on restaurants’ profitability statewide.’” Minimum wages guarantee that people still working in the industry in question make a certain wage; they do not guarantee that as many people will continue to work in the industry. Hey, I can pay myself nothing to make food at home instead! Related from Axios: “Denver restaurant workers’ wage growth has slipped considerably compared to pre-pandemic levels, . . . Square’s new third-quarter restaurant industry report” says.
Abortion: AP: One result of widespread abortion bans is that, where they’re legal, “delays . . . can lead to abortions that are more complex, costly and in some cases riskier—especially as pregnancies get further along.”
Sigh: Now Auon’tai Anderson is running for legislature. Democrats rule the roost now, but voters are not going to put up with infinite amounts of nonsense.
Police Abuse: Denver7: “City of Loveland reaches $400K settlement with man wrongly accused in DUI arrest. According to the lawsuit, the department fostered a competitive culture of DUI arrests, which came with bragging rights, more funding and equipment—even when the driver was not under the influence.” The man was arrested “even after he blew zeros during a breathalyzer test.”
McClain Trial: CBS Colorado: “Testimony from an anesthesiologist revealed that there was no medical reason to give ketamine to Elijah McClain.” McClain’s death remains an outrage. To restate, McClain did absolutely nothing wrong, and police had no good reason to detain him in the first place. Whether you call the killing a “murder,” beyond question is that the police and paramedic killing of McClain was a horrific injustice.