Mike Rosen commentary on Colorado Supreme Court retention elections in Nov. 2010: “a great time to balance the scales”

by CTBC Director | 10:23 pm, November 18, 2009

The Clear The Bench Colorado message – ‘vote “NO” on the unjust justices of the Colorado Supreme Court in November 2010 to restore accountability to the judiciary and bring back balance to the bench’ –  is being picked up by an increasing number of astute observers of the state of affairs in Colorado.
Thanks to an [...]

R Block Party November Meeting: Giving Thanks

by elpresidente | 12:24 pm, November 18, 2009

Please Join R Block Party as we Give Thanks for Those Who Ran, Those Who Won and Those Who Run We had some significant victories this month… Let’s build on it – Plans for 2010 are underway! ************************************ An invitation to all candidates who have joined us in the past, and all candidates who are [...]

Arm Yourself with Knowledge … Fight Back Against Senate Democrat Tactics

by Ben DeGrow | 9:15 am, November 18, 2009

Update, 12:30 PM: If you have the same experience as I did, you’ll find the voice mail in Senator Bennet’s D.C. office to be full. Then go ahead and call the regional office near you. You’ll likely talk to a tired-sounding staffer who will take your message in opposition to the Baucus health care bill [...]

Still more “jobs created or saved” lies and errors

by Rossputin | 2:21 am, November 18, 2009

After the Associated Press broke the left-leaning media’s cone of silence about the Administration errors and/or lies regarding jobs “created or saved” with so-called “stimulus” money, other would-be journalists and even Democratic politicians have found a bit of courage and are castigating the reported statistics.

On Monday, ABC News reported more than $100 million in spending and hundreds of “jobs created” in congressional districts which do not exist, both in the US and in territories such as the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Investors Business Daily calls it simply “Stimulus Fraud.”

The Administration has deleted at least 60,000 jobs “created or saved” so far from their prior reports – roughly 10% of the total.  And that’s probably just a start.  The Washington Examiner has already mapped out more than 75,000 bogus job claims.  It’s an admission of such egregious errors that even Rep. David Obey (D-MI), the powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, is slamming the White House: “The inaccuracies on recovery.gov that have come to light are outrageous and the Administration owes itself, the Congress, and every American a commitment to work night and day to correct the ludicrous mistakes.”  He added “Whether the numbers are good news or bad news, I want the honest numbers and I want them now.”  I’m guessing he’d much prefer them if they were good news for the Democrats, but they won’t be.  That said, I applaud Mr. Obey for his accurate criticism of the Administration, something far too few Democrats have been willing to do.

Republican congressman Darrell Issa (CA) sent a letter to the Chairman of the “Recovery Act Transparency and Accountability Board, Earl Devaney, with this question and suggestion: “Are you able to certify personally that the number of jobs reported as ‘created/saved’ on www.recovery.gov is accurate and auditable? If you are unable to do so, will you commit to incorporating some kind of qualifying information such as an asterisk or footnote to accompany the presentation of this information, warning visitors to the web site that the information is no accurate and auditable?”  Devaney has already replied, saying he can’t make such a certification.

Nobody should be surprised that the government is either incapable of managing data or telling the truth or both.  After all, what do you want from a government web site which cost $18 million just for its latest redesign?

All of this makes the July ad put out by the RNC look almost prescient:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMuQZTgciNE

At some point…and that point might be now…the Administration’s claims of jobs “created or saved” will become a joke, even among Democrats.  I’m sure Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi will attempt to quote recovery.gov statistics with a straight face, but nobody will take them seriously.

Of course, an administration which almost seems to make being a tax cheat a requirement for a high-ranking position should not be expected to have high standards when it comes to emphasizing the truth.  What’s needed now is for enough of the kool-aid drinking Democrats and open-minded independents to begin to recognize these people for what they are: scheming statists for whom the end (government control of everything) justifies any means necessary.

Illegal aliens can seek safe crossing in federal “wilderness” lands

by Rossputin | 2:16 am, November 18, 2009

From the “Are you kidding me?!?” files comes this remarkable story by the Washington Times describing how “Environmental laws put gaps in Mexico border security“.

The title, while disturbing enough, puts a nice face on a remarkable problem that shows just how confused our federal government’s policies and priorities are.

The article reports that the National Park Service is preventing the Department of Homeland Security from installing parts of the “virtual fence” along our border to prevent illegal aliens crossing there.

A little more from the article:

In a remarkably candid letter to members of Congress, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said her department could have to delay pursuits of illegal immigrants while waiting for horses to be brought in so agents don’t trample protected lands, and warns that illegal immigrants will increasingly make use of remote, protected areas to avoid being caught.

The documents also show the Interior Department has charged the Homeland Security Department $10 million over the past two years as a “mitigation” penalty to pay for damage to public lands that agencies say has been caused by Border Patrol agents chasing illegal immigrants.

Read the article yourself and wonder just who is running our nation…and why.

Health care bill punishes medical device innovation

by Brian Schwartz | 1:30 am, November 18, 2009

Jeff Scialabba at the Ayn Rand Institute has written a two-part blog post on how HR 3962 would punish medical innovation. Part one is about the benefits of medical devices and the cost of bringing them to market. It begins:
America is the world leader in medical device innovation, producing more new medical devices annually than [...]

Family DNA Matching Risks Police Abuses

by Ari Armstrong | 12:58 am, November 18, 2009

Earlier this year, I criticized a new law that allows police to take DNA samples from people they arrest for a felony, absent any criminal conviction. As the Denver Post summarized, “The bill was amended to allow police to take DNA tests upon arrest but for the sample not to be processed unless a person is charged. The sample will be destroyed if no charges are filed.”

As I noted, the law will “encourage police and prosecutors to arrest and charge people just to get a look at their DNA.”

Now that Denver police have advanced a program to match crime-scene DNA to samples on record, it is no longer a question of whether the law will be abused, but when.

Michael Roberts writes for Westword, “Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey… [has] been working with colleagues in the Denver Police Department’s crime lab, among others, to prove the efficacy of a method able to connect DNA not in law-enforcement databases to samples from family members…”

Morrissey told Roberts, “We’re running [a sample] against the DNA of somebody else whose sample we obtained legally.”

Except that obtaining somebody else’s DNA legally is now trivially easy. You just come up with some plausible complaint against a person and arrest him. Voila — a legal DNA sample.

So let’s say the police suspect Joe Blow of committing some crime, but they can’t easily find Joe Blow. But they know where to find Sam Blow, Joe’s brother. If only we could figure out if the DNA we found belongs to Joe! All we need to do is get a look at Sam’s DNA. And if Sam isn’t feeling so cooperative…

I do not doubt that taking DNA samples from everybody in the population would help solve more crimes. Hell, we could get a database going with every single person’s fingerprint, DNA, eye scan, special markings, and so on. We could also install every newborn with a barcode and GPS tracker. Update: CNN also carried the story on the DNA tests. Defense attorney Stephen Mercer told CNN, “If they want to drive down the street and do no-knock searches of homes, they would catch bad guys. But at what cost to our society?”

Or, we could retain our liberties. “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated…”

November 25 update: “Panel: British police arrest people just for DNA samples.” Coming soon to a Colorado city near you?

Denver GOP Caucus And Assembly Intro

by elpresidente | 11:45 pm, November 17, 2009

Denver GOP Caucus And Assembly Intro View more presentations from Denver County Republican Party.

Senate District 16: Rob Witwer, Dan Maes Out; Penry Touts Cheri Gerou

by Ben DeGrow | 11:03 pm, November 17, 2009

Update, 11/18: Count out another one, too. Ali Hasan left a comment following my earlier speculation that included his name as a possible candidate: “Sorry Mount Virtus, but I won’t be getting into SD16 at all – I got my eyes on a different race. Honestly, Don Ytterberg ran a great campaign and he would [...]

Clear The Bench Colorado Director Matt Arnold appearing at Weld County Republican breakfast club Wednesday morning

by CTBC Director | 5:56 pm, November 17, 2009

Clear The Bench Colorado Director Matt Arnold is the featured speaker at this Wednesday’s (18 Nov) Weld County Republican Breakfast Club meeting (doors open at 6:30 AM, event/speaker begins 7AM – please note the change of venue for this week’s meeting).
Join Matt at Wednesday morning’s meeting to learn more about the Mullarkey Court’s repeated assaults on the Colorado Constitution, the resulting [...]

Flagrant Foul – Healthcare Basketball

by Mr. Bob | 3:48 pm, November 17, 2009

well done video #obamacare #healthcare #tcot #teaparty

Recovery.gov Fail: $1.1 Million Per Stimulus Job in Jeffco May Be Low

by Ben DeGrow | 2:10 pm, November 17, 2009

Earlier this month I did a little research on the Obama administration’s multimillion-dollar Recovery.gov website and found that one Jefferson County, Colorado, job was created for every $1.1 million spent.
And now we find that dollar figure in fact may be low! Why? Among other reasons, $6.4 billion of stimulus money has been spent in phantom [...]

The Real Guantanamo Bay

by Mr. Bob | 11:00 am, November 17, 2009

#tcot #gitmo #navy #teaparty #gwot
Good people doing good work down there…oh yes and Keith Olbermann is a propaganda piece for the enemy just in case you didn’t know.

November Survey: Ken Buck’s Support Rises, Jane Norton Seen as Strongest

by Ben DeGrow | 9:07 am, November 17, 2009

Introducing the top-line results from the 3rd edition of the survey of Colorado’s political temperature. Participation dropped to 281, but results still demonstrated some remarkable consistency. As always, thanks to those of you who took the time to help out!
Coming later in the month will be an analysis of some key crosstabs and correlations. But [...]

Diggs Brown Joins CO-4 Race

by Night Twister | 8:05 am, November 17, 2009

Diggs Brown formally announced his candidacy for the Fourth Congressional District of Colorado at the Best Western Hotel in Loveland Colorado on Saturday, Nov. 16th. Many in the district have been waiting for Diggs to return from his tour in the Army and announce his candidacy. There was a good turnout at the [...]

Connie Hair reports on the Senate’s inside game for health care reform

by Rossputin | 4:30 am, November 17, 2009

Over at HumanEvents.com, Connie Hair has writte one of the most interesting “inside baseball” political articles I’ve ever read, in this case about how the Senate might maneuver to pass health care “reform”.

It’s a must read for anyone who wants to understand what’s about to happen:

See “Alan Frumin May Determine Fate of Obamacar”, Connie Hair, Human Events, 11/16/09
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=34444

David Goldhill on the disfunctional health care system

by Rossputin | 4:17 am, November 17, 2009

David Goldhill, author of a fascinating and troubling article entitled “How American Health Care Killed My Father“, spoke at a Cato Institute event recently.  His roughly 20-minute talk is one of the most important, thought-provoking opinions on the issues of health insurance, the structure of the health care system, and how Americans seem to irrationally think differently about health care than about anything else – to the great detriment of us all.

You can listen to Goldhill’s talk at THIS link (or right click to save it), or just click the play button below (if you can see it in your particular browser).  I urge you to listen, think, and share this must-hear discussion:

This talk distributed in a recent edition of Cato Audio, a monthly audio CD which I highly recommend you subscribe to. It will expand your intellectual horizons…and they’ve recently lowered the price!  Click HERE to learn more.

1948 Cartoon: “Make Mine Freedom”

by Rossputin | 2:45 am, November 17, 2009

Thanks to Karen K. for sending along this link.  The cartoon is over 9 minutes long, but enjoyable and essentially timeless.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVh75ylAUXY

Democrat State Sen. Dan Gibbs to Forego Re-election: Start Speculating

by Ben DeGrow | 12:19 am, November 17, 2009

New RMA member Don Johnson reports that Democrat state senator Dan Gibbs will not run for re-election in his mountain district in 2010. A good opportunity for the Dead Guvs to pine that state lawmakers aren’t paid well enough.
Suddenly, SD16 has to look a lot more appealing to Republicans. Last time around Gibbs beat Don [...]

Barack Obama Could Use Some World Leader Greeting Etiquette Refreshers

by Ben DeGrow | 11:59 pm, November 16, 2009

(H/T Gene Kinsey) It appears President Obama could have used some world leader greeting etiquette refreshers before giving a deep, subservient bow to the emperor of Japan:

Yes, there are more pressing issues at hand. But for having just a few minutes to spare this evening, I couldn’t pass up this one.

Mitt Romney: An excellent Republican.

by David K. Williams, Jr. | 8:42 pm, November 16, 2009

I just saw an advertisement on Facebook for a group that supports Mitt Romney.

Obama Mao T-shirts Banned in China, Popular in USA

by El Marco | 8:26 pm, November 16, 2009

Updated – November 16 2009 – by El Marco
While China bans Oba-Mao T-shirts and cracks down on consumers and producers, it’s an entirely different story in the U.S. Capital. The popularity of Obama iconography around the world is indisputable, but who can match the audacity of those who cater to the cult of Obama just a [...]

Big Government Health Care PSA

by Mr. Bob | 10:09 am, November 16, 2009

#tcot #teaparty #healthcare #obamacare

In case you haven’t seen it, the above is a spoof ad in reponse to one made by Will Farrel(see below).

Hiding Behind Legislation – When Convenient

by Justin Longo | 9:12 am, November 16, 2009

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. “They call it illegal immigration for a reason. Keyword being ILLEGAL.” Then the conservative goes on to talk about how awful it is that workers from other countries disrespect our laws, and how it proves they are criminals at heart because of their complete disregard for our immigration [...]

Humor: The Big Political News You May Have Missed Over the Weekend

by Ben DeGrow | 9:03 am, November 16, 2009

Because I’m finally getting around to putting out a press release (below the fold) with the important details — click on “Fullscreen” for easy readability:
Non Candidacy Release 111309
For those not clever enough to catch on yet, the above document is a satire and not intended to be taken seriously.

Obama to focus on deficit reduction? Now that’s funny!

by Rossputin | 4:00 am, November 16, 2009

Last Friday, Politico.com reported that President Obama will announce in the upcoming State of the Union speech a new focus on spending discipline and deficit reduction.

[Ed: Pause a few seconds here to allow readers to stop laughing.]

Even the somewhat left-leaning Politico was repeatedly skeptical in their article, noting that “it will be tough for many Democrats to sell themselves as deeply concerned about spending after voting for the stimulus, the bailouts, the health care legislation and a plan to address global warming, four enormous government programs.”

One of the more interesting implications of such a statement by Obama, regardless of how laughable, is its implications for cap-and-trade legislation, which even supporters acknowledge will involve very large amounts of government spending.

An Obama statement that he wants to focus on deficit reduction will give Senators (the House has already voted and passed a bill) leeway to vote “no” that they might not otherwise have had. In other words, if Obama claims to want to reduce spending and deficits, he substantially decreases the chances of cap-and-trade passing.

One angle which Politico didn’t mention, and which might be too scheming even for this jaded viewer of politics, is that cap-and-trade is known by the Administration not to have enough votes in the Senate to pass and that they are looking for a graceful way out of the failure of their second biggest legislative priority (after the destruction of our health care system.)

Of course, a Democratic Congress and a Democratic president are even less likely to cut spending than were a Republican Congress and Republican president (whose massive spending was part of the reason for their well-deserved electoral thumpings in 2006 and 2008).

If Barack Obama actually tries to force spending cuts, I’ll gladly support him in that (while noting that it will be impossible for him, even if he were to get a lot done in that area, to cut even a modest fraction of the spending increases he has already put in place.)  That said, I don’t believe he will offer more than lip service to spending cuts and I don’t believe he will use much political capital to try to force the hand of House and Senate leaders to whom he has so far ceded all responsibility and leadership for his policy agenda.

The most likely outcome of Obama claiming to want to reduce spending is several million citizens having a good laugh.  During such tough economic times, I suppose that’s better than nothing.

A pro-soldier YouTube video with 28 million views (so far)

by Rossputin | 2:30 am, November 16, 2009

The following video does not need any comment from me except to say please watch it and please share it.

For more about the video and the 15-year old girl who created it, please see THIS article by Salena Zito.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ervaMPt4Ha0

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me….you can’t get fooled again.

by David K. Williams, Jr. | 9:01 pm, November 15, 2009

Colorado GOP Chairman Dick Wadhams, in a Westword article, recognizes the problem his party has:

Candidate Search 2010 Interviews

by Night Twister | 2:15 pm, November 15, 2009

I’m here at the Budweister Event Center in Loveland, CO for Candidate Search 2010. I was going to summarize the points of each of the candidates, but things went too fast and furious and I didn’t have the full text of the questions beforehand. Therefore, I’ve decided to just post some of my [...]

Democrats Changing Their Tune About Bush-Cheney

by Mr. Bob | 11:27 am, November 15, 2009

#tcot #gay #Hillary #Bush #teaparty
Interesting article from a self described Gay Hillary supporting group from Chicago “comes out” this week that they were wrong, dead wrong about GW, Dick Cheney and Laura Bush.

Thank you former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush

We know absolutely no one in Bush family circles and have never met former President George W. Bush or his wife Laura.

If you have been reading us for any length of time, you know that we used to make fun of “Dubya” nearly every day…parroting the same comedic bits we heard in our Democrat circles, where Bush is still, to this day, lampooned as a chimp, a bumbling idiot, and a poor, clumsy public speaker.

Oh, how we RAILED against Bush in 2000…and how we RAILED against the surge in support Bush received post-9/11 when he went to Ground Zero and stood there with his bullhorn in the ruins on that hideous day.

We were convinced that ANYONE who was president would have done what Bush did, and would have set that right tone of leadership in the wake of that disaster. President Gore, President Perot, President Nader, you name it. ANYONE, we assumed, would have filled that role perfectly.

Well, we told you before how much the current president, Dr. Utopia, made us realize just how wrong we were about Bush. We shudder to think what Dr. Utopia would have done post-9/11.

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