Chris Romer is a freshman Colorado Senator. He's a bright fellow with a degree from Stanford in economics and more than 20 years of experience in the private sector as a public finance investment banker, specializing in municipal and state budgets. The son of former Gov. Roy Romer, he has a good political pedigree. He describes himself as a "lifelong Democrat," but I don't necessarily hold that against him. After all, Ronald Reagan was once a Democrat.

Romer was awarded a seat on the Education Committee. Since Colorado governments - at all levels, combined - spend more money on education by a wide margin than on any other governmental activity, this is an important post.

Romer's first legislative effort was to sponsor a perfectly sensible bill, Senate Bill 73, that would require Colorado public schools to "adopt English language competency as a graduation requirement for high school students" starting in 2012. Whatever else students might learn in our public schools - from algebra, to Jay Bennish's anti-capitalist "geography," to multiculturalism - who could disagree that English language proficiency is the single most essential area for opening up opportunities to success in our society? This is especially true, today, with so many more students entering our schools with a first language other than English. Most of us would imagine that after 13 years of K-12 education, this is an achievable task.

Well, silly us. As a rookie politician, Romer was quickly instructed as to the error of his ways by veteran Senate Democrats. More specifically, by a squad of veteran Democrats who were put in the Senate by the teachers' unions to do their bidding. As the Rocky Mountain News reported, "Democrats, many of them retired teachers, gave freshman Democratic Senator Chris Romer a tongue-lashing."

Former teacher, Sen. Sue Windels, chair of the Senate Education Committee, and the unions' chief enforcer in the Senate, "painted Romer as a wild-eyed newbie who lacks understanding of the state's challenges in funding K-12 education." Said Windels, "Sen. Romer, I welcome you in the legislature, but you will learn your optimism will be dashed." (Translation: "This isn't about 'optimistic' reforms. It's about power politics. Forget the kids or the taxpayers, no legislation affecting public education gets through this body unless it serves the interests of the educratic establishment and has the blessing of the teachers' unions.")

Then Windels reportedly offered up this gem: "What you're asking of every one of our school districts is to shift (italics mine) money in their budgets."

(Translation: "Good heavens! The audacity of asking a government entity, funded with taxpayer dollars, to shift money within its budget! That smacks of prioritization.

("Sure, taxpayers have to shift money within their household budgets every day, as do companies within their business budgets. But this is public education. Educrats can't be expected to make these kinds of difficult choices.

("More money, you fool! Give us more money! The union is committed to paying teachers more, not prioritizing among programs. Amendment 23 wasn't enough. It's always more money. Oh yeah, and 'it's for the children!' ")

From his background, Romer understands public finance and state budgets. He just hasn't been co-opted by the teachers' unions - yet. (Rest assured, they'll work on him.) His bill might push schools to adopt English immersion, a far better approach than the crutch of bilingual education. But the unions have opposed English immersion. They have a stake in bilingual education since it's the rice bowl of many of their rank and file who specialize in this area, and, politically, it's a hot button for Hispanic activists, another Democratic constituency.

Windels' Education Committee dispatched SB 73 to Appropriations, where the majority can quietly bury inconvenient bills. This is how educrats initiate "optimistic newbies."

Mike Rosen's radio show airs daily from 9 a.m. to noon on 850 KOA. He can be reached by e-mail at mikerosen@850koa.com.