This has the potential to become a tremendous wedge issue in Colorado.

From MyDD

Colorado Dems are goddamn geniuses
by Colorado Gringo

Colorado Dems made Republican legislators choose between family and business. Any guesses on which one they picked? The idea is essentially that parents should be allowed to take a certain amount of unpaid leave from their jobs in order to attend activities their children are taking part in. More family time, better families, and the effect on general productivity would be slight if any. In other words, a great idea.

From 9news.com:

"If passed into law, Senate Bill 21 would require any employer with 10 or more employees to permit an employee to take up to 40 hours of unpaid leave a year. Employers may require that the leave be taken in a maximum of 2½ -hour segments."

This bill hasn't been passed by the full Senate yet, only by the Business, Labor and Technology Committee; but the point is that it was passed there on a party line vote: Democrats for families, Republicans for business. Absolutely beautiful.

As coloradopols.com points out, this is a clear indication that if made to choose, Republicans are going to defend business against absolutely everything: Soccer moms, Nascar Dads, 5-year olds with lolly-pops, whatever.

This is great legislature and an example that should be emulated by Dems from states across the country, as well as by the national party. Yet another great idea from Western Dems.

Anybody know of some other good, Dem wedge legislature, particularly in the category of families against business?

Shouldn't be any great surprise that once again, the Rethugs are placing the interests of big business ahead of the family. After all, they only care about the wealthy; those of us making less than a million a year can go pound sand.

MyDD also has another interesting post... on converting a limited republican government into an unlimited hereditary one.

This essay is from 1792.

Looks like maybe we weren't so crazy by referring to "Lord God King Preznit Georgie-boy-and "He Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken" (aka the dickless one). Seems an awful lot like what is going on now...