Rollie Heath is used to sticking it to Coloradans without asking for permission. Last year, he carried a number of bills that raised taxes on Colorado businesses and citizens without asking their permission. And now the Denver Post is reporting that the kids used as political props in Heath's tax hike press conference were there without their parents' permission.

We wondered aloud yesterday whether parents had in fact given permission for Rollie Heath to flesh-peddle their fourth graders to push his tax increase.

WhoSaidYouSaid was first on the case, reporting last night that the Douglas County school system said the teacher made a "misstep" in allowing the kids to be used in that way. The children's parents were apparently so furious that, according to WhoSaidYouSaid, the media relations department for the school system had to call around to all the TV stations and ask that the children's image not be broadcast. 

The Denver Post picked up the story today reporting some interesting details. Looks like the Tax Hike Team convinced the kids' teacher into using the class for the photo op.

Randy Barber, a spokesman for Douglas County schools, said the class had planned a tour of the Capitol long before Heath ever scheduled his press conference the same day in the building. A supporter of the tax increase proposal approached a parent chaperone with the class and asked if the group wanted to participate in the press conference, and the teacher of the class agreed, Barber said.  

“I don’t think they understood what the event was fully about,” Barber said.  

The school district does not permit students to engage in political activities on school time, and certainly not without parental consent, he said.

Nice, real nice. We can imagine it now: some liberal activist feels their argument isn't strong enough on it's own, so they grab a group of harmless children to shove their argument "it's for the kids" down our throat. If you can't make your argument without props, you probably don't have a good argument.  

We must wonder aloud again: Who was the "tax hike supporter" referenced in the Post article? Any enterprising folks out there want to look into that?  

While some liberals have tried to misconstrue our disgust with this case, saying we are against discussing kids at all in regards to education, that's clearly not our point. We are against using kids as props to make your point. And it's even worse to do it with someone else's kids, especially when they don't know you're doing it.