H/T Mount Virtus

Non-union employees of some public school districts in Colorado are required to opt out of paying dues each year during a very short window of time. What happens when something urgent causes a worker to miss submitting their paperwork on time?

That’s right, they pay their dues. They don’t care about your husband’s Parkinsons disease, or your son’s medical disabilities. They only care about your money. You should be thanking them that they let you opt out in the first place.

Independent Teachers of Colorado helps teachers and other public school employees know their options. What these unions are doing is perfectly legal. That needs to change, and it will only change if we elect Republicans to the state Senate and House.

Night Twister

Like most registered voters in Colorado, I received my Primary Election ballot in the mail last week. Ballots are due by August 10th, but I’ve already made my decisions so I’ll be mailing it in tomorrow. There are only 4 competitive races on my primary ballot. I’ll start with the only Federal race, and move to State and Local races afterwards.

Senate

This race is between Ken Buck and Jane Norton. There’s been more than enough written about this race, so I’m not going to get into the details. As far as I can tell, there’s little discernible difference between the candidates. They’re both conservative and would likely vote the same way on all major legislation. I’ve said for some time now that I really don’t have a preference here, but I have my ballot now, so I’m at the point of choosing.

In the end, I based my decision on two issues, which are fundraising ability and electability vs. Michael Bennet, the likely Democrat candidate. Jane Norton has shown herself able to raise the kind of money necessary to battle Bennet, and in my opinion would do better in a head-to-head fight against him.

Governor

When Bill Ritter announced he would not run for a second term, this race became more competitive. It was a shoe-in for the Republican candidate before then. Even still, I had this race at “Leans Republican” until the past month. It was then that Dan Maes chose to pay the rest of his CoH to pay campaign finance violations without a fight and then just two weeks ago it came out that Scott McInnis plagiarized works that he submitted to obtain campaign contributions. I had planned to vote for McInnis, especially after Maes paid his fines, but now I find neither candidate worthy of my vote.

Because of this, I will be an undervote for the GOP Governor Primary.

Treasurer

I find little difference between J.J. Ament and Walker Stapleton. As with the Senate race, I’m going with who I believe has a better chance to beat the Democrat incumbent, and that is J.J. Ament.

Larimer County Sheriff

This election is between Carl Bruning and Justin Smith. This one came down to who I believe would better protect our Second Amendment rights. That candidate is Carl Bruning.

Crossposted at Mount Virtus

It’s hard to believe it’s been three years since I began posting at RedState. Like many, I began writing about well-known national issues, but after the 2008 elections, I started focusing more on State and Local issues. I worked with a couple of local City Council candidates, including the traditional knocking on doors and making phone calls. We won one and lost one. I wrote and in-depth diary about getting involved with local politics, including lots of links and information for activists.

The Obama economy has taken a personal toll on my family. To help make ends meet I’ve been working two jobs, traveling on business, going to school (only 4 weeks left), and trying to finish raising my kids. It just hasn’t left very much time for blogging, as those of you who know me have noticed. For the foreseeable future, this won’t likely change.

I’ll still be involved in local politics when I can. We have some important state Senate and Assembly races. Next year, if time allows, I plan to run for a place on the local School Board. As for blogging, I already stopped writing diaries at my own site, though I plan to keep it running in case I decide to pick it back up later. I’ll write the occasional diary at Mount Virtus where Ben Degrow has been kind enough to allow me to guest blog.

As for places like RedState, I doubt I’ll do much more than comment now and then. Who knows, maybe things will change in the future and I’ll have time to be more active. For now, I have higher priorities. Taking care of my family has to come first, and that’s all I really have time for right now. It’s been a fun three years.

This isn’t a goodbye diary, just I’ll see you when I see you. Feel free to post the bunny though if you must.

Night Twister

Tom Wiens, candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in Colorado currently held by Michael Who? Bennet has announced that he is dropping out of the race and has endorsed Ken Buck. This is a significant development in this race, as many people thought that Wiens would do more harm to Buck’s election chances than Jane Norton’s.

Ken Buck won 77% of the delegates at the State GOP Assembly this past weekend, which was not surprising after Norton and Wiens stated they would bypass the Assembly process and petition onto the ballot. This leaves the Primary race between Buck and Norton. Early polls showed Norton with a significant lead, but Buck has been closing the gap in recent months.

It will be interesting to see how much of a difference the Wiens endorsement makes, especially in light of the rumored Sarah Palin endorsement of Jane Norton that never materialized. Otherwise, the issues in the race remain pretty much the same. Norton has been able to raise more money than Buck, but now has to successfully petition onto the ballot. Buck has to show that now that he’s on the ballot and has the support of the delegates that he can improve his dismal fundraising numbers.

Meet Ryan Frazier, candidate for United States House Congressional District CO-07.

We’re sending Ed Perlmutter home in November.

In the words of Ross Kaminsky,

How to encourage women to stop blindly voting for Democrats.

H/T Amy Oliver at the Independence Institute

Check out Mothers Against Debt

Below is an actual letter sent out last week to the employees of a company doing business in Colorado. It is presented without comment. The names of the company and the individuals have been redacted.

Staff:

When people say elections don’t matter, that their vote doesn’t count, and that they cannot make a difference – they are wrong!

In the past few weeks and months we’ve seen a series of legislative efforts that will, in short order, result in a number of increases in expenses, and decreases in revenues, for ______. Passage of the Obama Health Care Bill by Congress will result in a huge six figure hit to ______’s bottom line; without offering any modifications to our existing health insurance offerings for qualified staff members. Passage of legislation in Colorado this past week, last week’s implementation of new regulations in Kentucky, and legislative modifications elsewhere will all reduce ______’s revenues in the payday loan arena.

I’ve personally witnessed ____ and ____ wrestle with the financial ramifications associated with these many outside political efforts that will adversely impact the entire company’s profitability. It’s been an agonizing few months and the new Colorado payday loan law was the final straw. It became clear that changes must be made on the corporate level.

When I came to ______ I pledged to both ____ and ____ that I would always do my level best on behalf of the company; that I would always put the company first. After looking at the numbers it became clear we need to make adjustments to our payroll. We have many good and wonderful people here at ______ and none of us wants to have to lay anyone off. Those are the most painful of business decisions.

Given the five million dollars they pay me annually (that’s a joke) I realized I could assist the company’s bottom line by removing myself from the payroll. However, like anyone else, I have my own pile of bills to pay. But, unlike many others, I have some outside options.

This morning I informed ____ that I would like to take 2 to 3 weeks off to explore some of those options. One option is related to a call I received in March from several investors in ______ who approached me to consider managing a new financial services company they expect to launch this fall. I will be traveling west, in the coming days, to better evaluate that option.

I’m anticipating a return to Fort Collins after Memorial Day and tendering my resignation. In the meantime I will work with ____ and the District Managers to ensure a smooth transition. If I do leave the staff of ______, I trust my bride of 27 years will leave her position with ______ and follow me west. ____ and I have asked that she be given an opportunity for her to train a possible replacement. If we remain, ______ would benefit from a second person trained to fulfill those duties, if ____ could not. If we leave, her replacement would be ready to fill her shoes.

If this scenario unfolds as I believe it will, ____ will be filling my shoes. I believe he can handle the job (with the able assistance of 7 awesome District Managers) and I heartily recommend him for a “promotion” to this very enjoyable position of working with District Managers and Store Staff on a daily basis. Enjoyable?

You bet! I’ve had a wonderful time working with and for each of you; and wish the very best for you all. This “______ Experience” has been rewarding and the friends I’ve earned in the process will bless me to the day I die.

In parting, let me leave you with an extremely important message. Elections Do Count! Don’t vote for slogans or a pretty smile. Local, State, and National leaders need to be elected based up the merits of their positions and the content of their character.

All the Best!

Your friend,

____…

Cross-posted at Mount Virtus

H/T BlueCarp

The State knows where you live. They think you have a nice car and a house. You are its subject. And they will find you if you do not comply.

Night Twister

After reading this , this, and especially this by Erick Erickson at RedState, I felt it necessary to write a response. A little background would be helpful first, however.

Over the past decade, Colorado conservatives have taken a beating. In 2000, we held the Governor’s Mansion, the state House and Senate chambers, both U.S. Senate seats, and 5 of 7 House seats. Even so, Colorado’s history includes dramatic swings from Democrat to Republican leadership. Much has been made of Colorado’s Purple State status recently, but in reality it has always been this way.

During that decade, there was a parade of failed campaigns, including former congressman Bob Beauprez (Gov), Pete Coors (Senate), Bob Schaffer (Senate), and even incumbents like Marilyn Musgrave (CD-4) were soundly defeated. This had as much to do with campaign mistakes as it did with the ton of outside money that came to Colorado for progressive candidates and the increasing apathy of conservative voters for the lack of fiscal discipline among GOP politicians both statewide and nationally.

The races for Local, State and U.S. House and Senate seats in Colorado have been interesting this cycle, to say the least. We’ve seen candidates come and go and some switch to other races. I detailed much of this in my Colorado Political Analysis diary that I did for RS back in December. Even since then, we’ve had some changes. Bill Ritter (Gov) is no longer running for re-election, and Diggs Brown (CD-4) has dropped out and endorsed Cory Gardner.

Initially, the CO Senate race was between Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier and Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck. There were and are some other bit players out there, but they’ve never had a chance to gain more than lower single-digit support from the voters. Frazier was the darling of the Tea Party crowd, and especially popular with small “L” libertarians and many mainstream Republicans. Both he and Ken Buck struggled early on to raise enough funds to get the attention of the national organizations.

Enter rumors about NRSC involvement. Many of us were concerned that they were going to do in Colorado what they had done in Florida with Charlie Crist. Fortunately, after significant backlash from the grassroots in Colorado, they decided to stay out of it. While there have been individual endorsements and fundraising events by members of the NRSC, they’ve been hands-off officially as an organization. Ryan Frazier was eventually convinced to drop his Senate bid and run for U.S. House District 7 against Ed Perlmutter.

Then Norton entered the race, and for a long time it was down to just her and Buck. Tom Wiens recently entered the race, and has pretty much just been using his own wealth to fund himself. He does have enough of a following to play spoiler, and we’ll just have to wait to see how that goes.

This race is really about a single issue, and that is previous support for Referendum C, and how it undermined the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) in Colorado. TABOR requires a vote of the people before the state legislature can raise taxes. That is, unless you call them fees, or elimination of tax exemptions and get a liberal state Supreme Court to agree with you, but that a discussion for a different time. During Bill Owens’ (Gov) first term, he supported a Referendum that would redirect TABOR refunds due to the people to local schools and state universities. As should have been expected, those funds never really made it to the schools and ended up being used for more government social programs.

Jane Norton was Bill Owens’ Lieutenant Governor during his second [updated] term. As is the case with our President and Vice President who are elected as running mates, so is the case in CO with Gov & Lt. Gov. It should not surprise anyone that she supported his initiative in this capacity. Whether or not she personally supported the idea is certainly up for debate, but she also has a very reasonable excuse for having done so. I’m quite sure that Dick Cheney did not personally support everything GWB did (and has in fact now said so), but you would not have known it by his words and actions during their time in office.

Ken Buck has been using this fact against her, and rightly so, as people will always wonder about her support for it. Buck has the luxury of not having to take a position on it back then, so we’ll just have to take his word for it that he did support it as many other conservatives did at the time. Ken Buck has a campaign consultant that made a lot of money off running ads in favor of Ref. C. Does that implicate him? Josh Penry thinks so. As you can see from my comment on the diary, I also believe the issue is fair game for both sides.

Erick also brought up Norton’s decision to petition onto the ballot, as though this was some sort of second-class way to get there. Norton easily has enough delegates, but is likely just covering her bases. The idea that she’s ignoring the grassroots is inaccurate. My friend and fellow Rocky Mountain Alliance and People’s Press Collective blogger Ben Degrow has interviewed her, as has Ross Kaminsky, and it’s clear she’s been reaching out to the grassroots organizations since she entered the race, though she’s stepped that up a lot more in recent months. She’s also raised a lot more money than Buck, and has the money to cover her bases.

The bottom line is that whether Buck or Norton wins the primary, they have an equal chance of beating Senator Who? in November, and their votes after election will be the same on every major issue as far as we can tell. I believe this race should be left for Coloradans to decide. This race is nothing like what’s going on in Florida, and should not be treated as such. I have no problem with Erick Erickson supporting Ken Buck any more than I do members of Congress endorsing either candidate. Let’s keep this about the real issues though.

The really important elections this cycle aren’t federal ones anyway, at least not here in CO. With re-districting coming up, it’s important that we regain the Governor’s mansion, and at least one of the State chambers, and most importantly send the four Supreme Court justices back to private practice where they won’t be able to legislate from the bench and ignore our State’s Constitution any longer.

If you want to support important candidates and causes in Colorado, support Joshua Sharf for State House District 6. There are other worthy candidates too, in the CO House, and in the CO Senate. Support the Clear the Bench Colorado cause to send those justices home. As for Ken Buck and Jane Norton, I wish them both well, and will be very pleased whoever wins the primary. Then we can concentrate our efforts where it’s really important, and that is to send Michael Bennet back home.

Cross posted at Mount Virtus

Colorado Democrats, unable to make up any ground in the polls, have found another way to perpetuate their existence. They have proposed legislation that would re-vamp the voter registration laws in Colorado. From the Denver Post’s Jessica Fender,

Among the provisions in the still-under-construction legislation: allowing same-day voter registration; pre-registering 16-year-old Coloradans; requiring a mail ballot unless communities opt out; and allowing third parties to collect and deliver completed ballots.

Republican Senator Greg Brophy sees this power play for exactly what it is,

Making such sweeping changes just months before the election is tantamount to changing the rules of the game in the fourth quarter. This just doesn’t pass the smell test.

For those that think this proposal isn’t filled with possibilities for voter fraud, Brophy continues,

Brophy said the measure being mulled over would also make it easier for people to vote twice since it requires even major elections be done via mail-in ballot unless citizens opt for physical polling places. Another major concern is that third party organizations would be allowed to collect ballots from voters and deliver them at a later date. This means organizations like ACORN could collect ballots from voters and then hold onto them for up to 10 days.

Sen. Dave Schultheis, R-Colorado Springs also expressed concern that the proposal would make it easier for illegal immigrants to vote.

You can’t even rent a movie at Blockbuster without showing an ID, and now we want to make it easier for people to vote without even giving the state enough time to verify who they are or whether they are here legally.

The Democrats know they’re in trouble in Colorado. Poll after poll shows their power eroding around them, from the state Senate and House to the Governor’s mansion and at least three Congressional districts.

If they are successful in pushing these changes through, it’s very likely that they could solidify their power in the state, and it would be extremely difficult to change that any time in the foreseeable future.

Scott Gessler, candidate for Secretary of State said,

State Democrats deliberately timed this bill until a few weeks before the end of the legislative session, in order to limit debate and jam through hundreds of changes at the last minute. This is a Chicago-style political power play.

Apparently, the democrats here have learned well from their fearless leader in Washington.

Night Twister

Peace Action West responded to Diggs Brown’s response to the a survey about foreign policy that I wrote a diary about last week. Their response is so full of logical fallacies that it would take a month to deconstruct. Most of it is an appeal to authority of a list of dubious foreign policy experts (really, Arnold Schwarzenegger?). Rebecca Griffin tries to play off of Brown’s humorous introduction with one of her own.

I am an advocate of a smart foreign policy that actually makes Americans safer. You’re someone who thinks a 30,000-pound bunker-busting bomb is a “diplomatic tool.” This is not going to be pretty.

Smart Foreign Policy to Rebecca is to send some civilians into a combat zone with who knows what to talk with terrorists who would just as soon kill them and themselves into living peacefully together. The reference to Goodwin’s Law was a good one, well except that Diggs referred to many other treaties that were broken through the years and recently. The entire article is a pick-and-choose to reinforce their talking points. They gloss over or completely ignore important aspects of Brown’s response; primarily that he has been there, and they have not.

Read More →

Have you ever wished a political candidate would dispense with the usual evasive answers and speaking, but never really saying anything? I found a candidate that has done just that. Diggs Brown was sent a survey by Peace Action West, a liberal peacenik group. Here are some partial excerpts from Brown’s response:

Do you support negotiating with Russia for deep reductions down to 1,000 or fewer weapons in our arsenals? Do you support the larger vision of taking practical steps to reach the elimination of nuclear weapons?

I’m going to assume from the title of your organization and the tone of your first question that this is going to be an interesting questionnaire. So let’s dispense with the usual political double-talk. I’m a Green Beret. You’re something called “Peace Action West”. This is not going to be pretty.

Read More →

Your State/District is next.

Love and kisses,

48

H/T to Neil Stevens for the original idea.

Betsy Markey (D, CO-4) has been working hard lately to convince the voters in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District that she is a fiscal conservative. So hard, in fact, that she claimed to have voted against the TARP funding bill even before she took office (listen here for yourself).

Umm, I voted against the TARP funding, umm, you know when, of course that was actually, uh, voted on before I came in to, to office, the first half of that money, the Troubled Asset Relief Program, that’s the money that went to the big banks…

This is what happens when you have to pretend to be something you’re not. You start claiming to be against unpopular spending legislation in which you didn’t even participate. Markey joined the Blue Dogs recently in another attempt to convince voters she really cares about their pocketbook.

Unfortunately for her, her voting record is available to anyone that is interested in looking into it. In her first two months in office she voted for $1.2 trillion in new spending. This doesn’t include her vote for Cap and Trade legislation, and her strong support as a co-sponsor of the proposed Card Check bill.

And about those green jobs for Colorado that she promised if Cap and Trade were to pass? The only way it’s going to happen is if your tax dollars fund it. There’s this little problem with customers that don’t exist.

Betsy Markey is a shopaholic when it comes your tax dollars, her claims of fiscal conservatism and organization memberships notwithstanding. The truth is, she votes with her party 94% of the time. Thankfully, we have some great candidates in CD-4. One of them will send her on her way in November if people will look at her actions and not just her words.

Crossposted at Night Twister

The hilarious hypocrisy of Harry Reid.

Is it any wonder that we don’t take the mainstream media seriously? Surely there’s one or two investigative reporters left that would’ve been able to find this video and show the utter hypocrisy of Harry’s last minute manager’s amendment that didn’t just add amendment’s to the legislation, but completely changed it so no one would know before it was time to vote.

Open? Transparent? “Most ethical congress in history?”

I’d say the network producers should be ashamed of themselves for not reporting this, but sadly shame is no longer something experienced by these people.

H/T Rossputin.com

Night Twister

H/T to Rossputin.com

Well, at least not in the form it passed the legislature.

France’s Constitutional Council has struck down a carbon tax that was planned to take effect on January 1st. The council, which ensures the constitutionality of French legislation, said too many polluters were exempted in the measure and the tax burden was not fairly distributed.

Sound familiar? It should.

Not reading Rossputin.com every day? You should be. He’s one of the top voices in Colorado, a member of the Peoples Press Collective, and certainly the best and most reasoned libertarian voice I’ve ever heard.

Night Twister

From the diaries by Erick. This is MASTERFUL.

Update: I was interviewed by Amy Oliver at KFKA 1310, an AM Talk Radio station in Greeley, Colorado about this diary. You can listen to the archive here. I also plan to update the section on the Governor’s race in the near future now that Bill Ritter has announced he is no longer going to seek re-election.

Colorado is a beautiful and diverse state with a rich and vibrant history. The landscape varies from the corn fields on the Eastern Plains to the Rocky Mountains which boast 50 fourteeners (mountains over 14,000 ft. elevation), to the lush green Western Slope. It was from the top of one of those fourteeners, Pike’s Peak (from the top of which on a clear day you can see twelve states), that Katharine Lee Bates wrote,

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!

Colorado’s history dates back at least to the Anasazi of Mesa Verde. The Overland Trail went through Colorado. Just northwest of Fort Collins, wagon ruts can still be seen. This pioneering spirit still lives in many within the state. Colorado is rich with natural resources, including minerals, shale oil, and natural gas. Farming and ranching are still large industries here. Our ski resorts are famously known, possessing some of the best powder in the world. Colorado sits along the Continental Divide, and for this reason water is our most precious resource. The rivers that flow from Colorado provide water for a number of other states.

Colorado’s political landscape is unique, in that it is a microcosm of voting behavior of the nation as a whole, usually leading the national trends. When I moved here almost ten years ago, the Governor’s Mansion, both U.S. Senate seats, five of seven U.S. Congressional seats, and both State Senate and House chambers were controlled by Republicans. Today, the situation is completely reversed and the Democrats are in control. Fortunately, due to the Democrats’ mismanagement in Washington and Denver, we have the opportunity to turn the tide back in our favor. Colorado is a frequent battleground for political groups trying to sway the state one direction or the other.

Read More →

Congressman Alan Grayson (FL-08) has asked Eric Holder to investigate Angie Langley, founder of the website MyCongressmanIsNuts.com for election law violations. How exactly could free speech be characterized as a violation of election law? Well, according to Grayson, Langley does not live within his district, and has therefore lied to election officials. That’s right, because the website name is mycongressmanisnuts.com, she’s perpetuating a lie.

Will Eric Holder declare MyCongressmanIsNuts to be a Hate Group, and prosecute everyone involved including Langley? Not only has he asked the Attorney General to investigate her, but he’s also found her guilty and wants her fined and imprisoned for five years. Grayson is now assuming the roles of all three branches of government all by himself. Perhaps that is why his own website is called MyCongressmanHasGuts.com.

Besides the fact that MyCongressmanIsNuts.com is obvious parody, which has been upheld as protected speech for a long time, Grayson’s shallow attempt to silence his critics rings hollow. Just watch the video for yourself.

I agree with Langley. Alan Grayson is nuts. Central Florida residents need to get rid of this guy in 2010. You can help by donating and getting involved at MyCongressmanIsNuts.com

Night Twister

The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled today that authorities in Weld County violated the rights of illegal immigrants when they seized their tax records during an identity theft investigation. This is yet another example of liberals legislating from the Bench in Colorado. The Washington Times has more on the story, including some quotes from Congressman Tom Tancredo.

This state supreme court is by far the most willing to [make findings] based on the strength of the political argument . . . and it’s been that way for years.

Other examples of unconstitutional rulings from this Kangaroo Kourt include:

* Unconstitutional Property Tax Increases (Mill Levy Tax Freeze)
* Unconstitutional elimination of Tax Credits & Exemptions (tobacco tax exemption, etc.)
* Unconstitutionally re-defining Taxes as Fees (Colorado Car Tax, Ritter Gun Tax)
* Unconstitutional expansion of eminent domain property seizures (Telluride Land Grab)
* Unconstitutional usurpation of legislative power (judicial redistricting)

Fortunately, here in Colorado there’s something we can do about it. Matt Arnold heads an organization called Clear the Bench Colorado. Supreme Court Justices must be approved by the voters to retain their seats. Justices Michael Bender, Alex Martinez, Nancy Rice and Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey need to be removed from the bench. Most voters ignore judicial ballot issues, but these can be some of the most important votes cast.

If you are in Colorado, check out Clear the Bench Colorado to see where you can get involved.

Night Twister

If they’re going to complain about being YouTubed, you might as well have some fun with it, right?

H/T WhoSaidYouSaid via Peoples Press Collective