About that cool education plan in Colorado ...

The Tribune carried this op-ed piece from New York Times columnist Frank Bruni, all about how Colorado has this really cool education reform plan on its ballot.

— In Colorado, a bold plan for better schools — Frank Bruni | The New York Times"... The state is on the precipice of something big. On Election Day next Tuesday, Coloradans will decide whether to ratify an ambitious statewide education overhaul that the Legislature already passed and that Gov. John Hickenlooper signed but that voters must now approve, because Colorado law gives them that right in regard to tax increases, which the overhaul entails. Arne Duncan, the nation's education secretary, has said that the success of Amendment 66, which is what voters will weigh in on, would make Colorado "the educational model for every other state to follow."It's significant in many regards, especially in its creation of utterly surprising political bedfellows. ..."

Which include charter school backers, the Democratic governor, Republican legislators, teachers unions and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

But that last, especially, is what inspires some fervent opposition to the plan, Amendment 66:

— New York mayor tries to buy another Colorado election — Colorado Springs Gazette Editorial"New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants Colorado as his personal plutocracy and is willing to spend. If he succeeds, Coloradans will be subject to laws and politicians bought and controlled by an outside demagogue."Bloomberg, the man who tried to control how his constituents consume soft drinks and salt, has never received a vote in Colorado. He has never lived here. Yet, he's paying for ads that tell Coloradans to spend their hard-earned wages on the Amendment 66 tax increase - a deceptive attempt to channel more than $1 billion a year to state government under the guise of helping children. ..."