Tackling the political beast

Below are my issues and story ideas for my political beat reporting.

1. Elections Initiatives/Issues
- Officials are encouraging voters to vote by mail to prevent long waits at the polling places because there are 18 ballot issues for Coloradans to vote on. What is being done to make mail in voting more accessible?
- Protect Colorado's Future recently launched a campaign against Amendments 47, 49, and 54 and stated that the measure puts our police officers at risk--what facts is this suggestion based on, and what is the police response to it?
- With only 76,047 signatures required to get an initiative on the ballot, people have started arguing that Colorado is becoming a testing ground for political movements. What does that mean for Colorado voters?
- 2008 has seen both the appearance of the Freedom From Religion Foundation in the capitol and the arrival of Amendment 48 on the ballot. How are these two forces at combat with one another, or are they?
- The Colorado Safe Workplace Initiative (Initiative 93) sounds like a good idea in concept, but is opposed by the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce and the Colorado Association of Commerce. What are their objections and how are they relevant?

2. Elections candidates
- Wayne Allard (R) is vacating his seat. How does this affect Colorado as a swing state, particularly since Mark Udall (D) is leading in the polls?
- The Western Slope has been listed as one of the top battlegrounds for candidates in this year's election. What issues will win this election on the Western Slope?
- Nader is coming back to Colorado for an encore speech (he also spoke during the DNC). What third-party candidates are vying for a place on the Colorado ballot? Has there been any increase in third party campaigning in Colorado since it's transition away from being a solidly red state?

3. State funding allocations
- The boom and bust economic model has already started playing out with Colorado revenue from mineral lease sales. What is the fall out for local communities, like Weld County, where those resources are being extensively tapped but their compensation is coming in lower than projected?
- The Joint Budget Committee meets on Sept 22 to forecast their Sept budget and hear discussions from the Departments of Labor & Employment, Education, Personnel, Human Services, and the Legislative Department. What decisions will they arrive at, if any, and what priorities will they indicate for the 2009 budget.
- State departments are required to submit their budgets to the Joint Budget Committee by November 1. Which department is submitting what? How it is different from last year? What surprises might have appeared that may become problems in 2009?
- The Members of Senate and House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committees requested roughly $31 million more for their 2008-2009 budget than they did for 2007-2008 to help pay for the continued costs of supporting the war in Iraq, which breaks their trend of a budget at $172, $152, and $172 for 05-06, 06-07, and 07-08. Why the increase? Did they receive it? How is it being spent?
- How is Colorado managing the balance between developing higher education public schools, like CU, compared to continuing to have K-12 schools ranked as one of the lowest in funding in the nation? What is the success rate for students coming from a poorly funded K-12 school and entering college?

4. Legislation, legislators, and the environment
- Canadian law places serious strictures on mining companies, right down to checking that the mine activity isn't interfering with water flow in the area. Does the U.S. have similar regulations? Why or why not? And how were they developed?
- What are companies that have recently begun drilling in Weld County doing to check water quality? Does the government monitor or require any of those checks?
- In 2007, the Center for Native Ecosystems had tracked the Parachute Penstemon and DeBeque Milkvetch to only a handful of locations in Garfield County, and specifically, on the Roan Plateau. In the year of drilling since then, are there any locations where these wildflowers still exist? Was the Center able to collect seeds for a seed bank from them to prevent complete loss of that species? What are the prospects for protecting those species and other endangered species on the Roan Plateau after this summer's round of mineral lease sales?
- Gov. Bill Ritter campaigned on building a "New Energy Economy" for Colorado that included more renewable sources for power for Colorado. What work has he done on those projects since his election in 2006? How do his goals mesh with or conflict with the energy policies touted by presidential nominees John McCain and Barack Obama?
- Ken Salazar has fought drilling on the Roan Plateau and pushed for the development of renewable energy sources around the state. The "Gang of 20" that he participates in has just released a new draft of the New Energy Reform Act of 2008. What are the goals and principles of this act and what could it do to bring green energy sources to Colorado?