Junk Politics
In the June 11 Denver Rocky Mountain News [LG1], Ken Gordon, Colorados House minority leader, called for a special session of the Colorado General Assembly to discuss youth violence. Despite a 1993 special legislative session that banned juvenile possession of handguns, Mr. Gordon fears children may die if we fail to limit youth access to guns. He wants more reasonable restrictions. Even though these restrictions are the same measures that populate the laundry lists of laws proposed groups dedicated to disarming private citizens, Mr. Gordon still claims to support the constitutional right to bear arms.
Mandatory Bicycle Helmets
Summary: House Bill 1103 bill assumes that parents do not sufficiently protect their children against the risk of cycling head injuries. It would replace parental decisions about appropriate risk with a government rule that would fine the parents of children who do not wear bicycle helmets when cycling.
What the Bill Does: Parents of anyone under 16 years of age who is operating or riding a bicycle on a public roadway, bicycle lane, or bicycle path and who is not wearing an approved bicycle helmet as the helmet was designed to be worn would be at fault. They will be cited for a class B traffic infraction with a minimum of a $15 fine.
It's Elementary
Should public school teachers in Colorado promote homosexuality in their elementary school classrooms? The teacher training video, “Its Elementary,” assumes that teachers should and portrays how this is being accomplished in schools across the nation. The video was aired by local Channel 12, KBDI, after being rejected by the national Public Broadcasting System as too controversial.
Academic Frauds
Efforts to stoke public fears that the electromagnetic fields emitted by power lines, home wiring, and household appliances can cause illness have been a growth industry for some time. Fringe environmentalists applaud any finding likely to induce anti-technology hysteria and trial lawyers salivate over the prospect of damage settlements wrenched from the deep industrial pockets. Research money continues to flow despite an existing body of evidence overwhelmingly suggesting that there is no cause for concern.
