Rabbi Shmuley Boteach: Obama’s Jewish Charm Offensive

by Rossputin | 4:26 am, May 25, 2010

H/T Mike R.

In one of the most aggressively anti-Obama articles I’ve ever seen on the Huffington Post, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach (whom I had the chance to meet some years ago when he was promoting his then-new book, Kosher Sex) suggests that Jews should not be fooled by Obama’s smooth talk regarding Israel and strong rhetoric against Iran when his actions prove he doesn’t believe what he’s saying.

If I had to pick one crucial sentence from Boteach’s article, it would be these words about President Obama: “Simply stated, the man does not seem to hate evil.”

Please read Rabbi Boteach’s entire article at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-shmuley-boteach/obamas-jewish-charm-offen_b_586966.html

Legal challenges to ObamaCare – updates

by Brian Schwartz | 3:00 am, May 25, 2010

A couple of updates on the legal challenged to ObamaCare health control legislation (HR 3590):
The first is by Ilya Shapiro at Cato:Update on the Legal Challenges to Obamacare. A particularly notable section:
At least one enterprising analyst [Greg Scandlen] has determined that the 2,400-page bill lacks a severability clause.  This means that if one [...]

Ken Buck, Dan Maes, Scott McInnis Nominations at Colorado Republican State Assembly

by T.L. James | 11:15 pm, May 24, 2010

UPDATED: finally added the Dan Maes video — sorry about the technical delays. 20100522 Dan Maes Nomination and Acceptance Speeches from El Presidente on Vimeo.

CEW and Colorado “not-so” Independent continue tag-team “disingenuous” spin on campaign finance reporting, continuing baseless (and erroneous) attacks on Clear The Bench Colorado

by CTBC Director | 11:11 pm, May 24, 2010

“First they ignore you; Then they ridicule you; Then they attack you; Then you win.”      Mohandas K. (Mahatma) Gandhi
Clear The Bench Colorado is firmly within the 3rd phase of Gandhi’s aphorism; following the filing earlier this month of an unfounded “campaign finance complaint” by notorious leftist attack group “Colorado Ethics Watch” (CEW, pronounced “sue” – it’s [...]

Tom Weins Endorses Ken Buck

by Al Maurer | 10:51 pm, May 24, 2010

In an email to supporters toady, Tom Weins wrote that he was dropping out of the senatorial campaign and lending his support to Ken Buck. Weins did not participate in the state assembly and was planning to petition on to the ballot. After Ali Hasan, he is the second candidate to announce that he will [...]

Mountain Bike Racer Charged with Felony In Leadville Race, Pleads to Misdemeanor: DA Hurlbert Drops Felony Against Wendy Lyall Under Public Pressure

by Laura Victoria | 7:55 pm, May 24, 2010

Colorado Mountain bike racer, Wendy Lyall,  who used her friend’s registration  number to ride in a Leadville race last year and was charged with a felony,  appeared in court today and plead guilty to a misdemeanor trespass charge.   DA Mark Hurlbert dropped the felony criminal impersonation charge he originally filed against her, and instead [...]

Monday market comment

by Rossputin | 2:38 pm, May 24, 2010

I’ll keep this short because I didn’t trade today…

The market got hit hard in the last hour on continued fear about European problems, and who can blame investors for selling now and asking questions later.

The Euro fell about 2 full cents against the US Dollar, which is a very large move.  As long as the Euro is so volatile, the stock market will also remain a risky place to be.

It’s particularly interesting to note that gold was up about 1.5% today…something which over most of the past couple years has only happened on days when the US dollar was weak (because a weakening dollar means that the price of gold would drop in terms of foreign currency.  Since there are buyers at a particular number of Euros that means the price in dollar terms should go up if the USD gets weaker, all else being equal.  (The same applies to oil and most other commodities which trade primarily in dollars.)

For gold to be strong when the USD is strong is a very worrying sign.  It points to substantial fear of instability, fear of there being any decent financial safe haven.

You don’t want to be making a lot money in gold.  It’s like when you get a big check from your homeowner’s insurance policy: it means that something quite bad is happening (or has happened.)

I think the market will remain volatile for weeks.

For traders, looking for volatility spikes to sell out of the money options (both puts and calls) will probably be a good strategy, but it’s only for sophisticated traders who are willing to take risk.

DMYR May General Meeting featuring American Furniture Warehouse Founder and CEO Jake Jabs

by Brett Moore | 1:01 pm, May 24, 2010

[ May 25, 2010; 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] Join DMYR May 25th for our May General Meeting. This month we are pleased to welcome American Furniture Warehouse Founder and CEO, Jake Jabs.

Widely known as an innovator and a pioneer in the home furnishings industry, this self-taught businessman credits his success to the basic American philosophies of hard work, long hours, self confidence, the [...]

Tom Wiens to endorse Ken Buck over Jane Norton

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 12:05 pm, May 24, 2010

The Greeley Tribune is reporting that Tom Wiens will drop out of the U.S. Senate race and endorse Ken Buck over Jane Norton for the Republican nomination to oppose appointed Senator Michael Bennet or Andrew Romanoff.
This is not a surprise. Wiens never was a real contender and didn’t work very hard on his campaign. He couldn’t even get serious backing in his home county of Douglas. Therefore, his endorsement doesn’t mean as much as the fact that he won’t split the vote with Buck against Norton who will have to beat Buck by herself. 
Many will see this as the third strike against Norton in as many days.
On Saturday, Buck gained a lot of publicity and momentum at the GOP state assembly.
Satuday night, Sarah Palin failed to endorse Norton as widely expected, but given Palin’s outspoken support of Rand Paul on Sunday, that may have been a blessing in disguise.
And today, Wiens drops out, forcing Norton to figure out how to stop Buck.

On Frugality and Campaigns

by Al Maurer | 12:00 pm, May 24, 2010

Do you wonder why political campaigns cost so much money? I did and I saw some contrasts this weekend at the GOP State Assembly. The clearest contrast, I think, was between the McInnis and Maes campaigns. On signs and stickers it was probably a tie since all the campaigns try to put up as many [...]

Solution to Government Failure: More Government

by Mike Krause | 11:33 am, May 24, 2010

In the May 12 Denver Post, President Barack Obama wrote that the financial crisis “forced taxpayers to foot the bill for irresponsible practice on Wall Street” and that the financial regulation bill (what the president calls “Wall Street reforms”) moving through Congress will, among other things, end the “worst abuses and irresponsible practices we’ve seen [...]

Ninth Circuit Remediation: U.S. Supreme Court to Rule on School Choice Again

by Eddie | 10:40 am, May 24, 2010

Not that it’s a huge surprise, but we’ve learned the U.S. Supreme Court will agree to take a second look at the Ninth Circuit decision striking down Arizona’s 13-year-old individual scholarship tax credit program. The American Federation for Children reports this morning:

Supporters of school choice programs that provide children with educational opportunity will once again [...]

Daily Kos Backs Romanoff

by Jimmy Sengenberger | 10:20 am, May 24, 2010

Andrew Romanoff has been a solid guest on Regis University’s Seng Center radio show TWICE – back in December and then again last month, during both of which he was willing to answer strong questions relatively effectively.  After interviewing him twice for extensive periods of time, my assessment has been that while we disagree on [...]

State Employee Suffers Under Union Executive Order: Where’s Hick?

by Ben DeGrow | 6:32 am, May 24, 2010

Coming off this weekend’s big Republican State Assembly, we have heard both leading Republican candidates for governor — Dan Maes and Scott McInnis — declare the repeal of Bill Ritter’s union executive order. I think we all get the point of how the policy is a raw deal for Colorado taxpayers. But what about state [...]

Will Dan Maes, Scott McInnis propose real spending cuts?

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 6:03 am, May 24, 2010

Michael Barone makes the case that Republican Congressional candidates must propose real spending cuts to catch the attention of angry voters. Tentativeness, slight of hand and false promises won’t work, he warns.
In Colorado, the question is, will Republican gubernatorial candidates, Dan Maes and Scott McInnis, get real about balancing the state’s budget with spending cuts instead of—wink, wink—promising they won’t go to voters with tax increase proposals? So far, the signs are not good. Both candidates are making promises that they probably can’t keep, and they’re avoiding offending government contractors who promise to fund their campaigns. They’re me-tooing each other and making liberal Democrat John Hickenlooper look conservative.
When businesses and individuals get in economic and financial trouble, they take drastic moves to avoid bankruptcy. They stop borrowing, sell assets, stop spending on new ventures and cut back on maintenance. 
Politicians, on the other hand, figure they can use taxpayers’ money to make themselves more powerful. In California, New York, Illinois, New Jersey and other states dominated by Democrats, politicians have put their governments on the verge of bankruptcy, and they’re still not coming to grips with their problems. They’re taking care of their campaign contributors who are taking care of their careers.
McInnis, the long-time state legislator and then member of Congress seems to be playing that game, and Maes, the rookie, seems to be saying, “Me, too.”
What they should be promising is that if elected they will use their veto powers to put a halt to all new capital spending on infrastructure that the state is in any way involved in. Colorado’s roads and bridges are fine. We don’t need all of the new intersections that are being built at great, inflated prices, and we can live with what we have until our budget is balanced, taxes are cut and the economy stablizes.
Until the state can afford to do more, fix the pot holes and broken pavement and patch a few bridges. Don’t build new roads, buildings, university labs or other public facilities.
Political fundraisers will object:

“But that will put overpaid construction workers and their employers out of work.” Yep. Anybody who builds a business that serves only one customer takes a risk that that customer will stop using them someday for whatever reason. Bad decisions like that should not be the taxpayers’ problem.
“But that will make Colorado lose it’s share of federal spending on infrastructure.” Yep. Help the feds balance the federal budget.
“But funds in the transportation fund have to be spent.” Change the law. Use the funds to balance the budget. Cut the Democrats’ recent vehicle tax and fee increases. Put money in consumers’ pockets so they can help rebuild the economy and survive the recession that millions still are suffering.
“But the construction workers will lose their homes, file for bankruptcy, leave the state and expand our Medicaid and welfare costs.” Yep. Millions are being hurt by over spending, and if government spending isn’t brought under control, we’ll all lose our homes and file for bankruptcy.
“But then we won’t get the campaign contributions we need to win elections and stop the Democrats.” Yep. And they won’t get those contributions, either. Live with it.
“You just don’t understand the complexity.” Not the details, but I understand that politicians are screwing things up, and I’ve had enough of that same old same old.
“If you’re so smart, let’s sit down together and you can show me how to cut the budget, line by line.” Nope. That’s your job. Do it for once.
“I’ll be voted out of office if I do the right thing.” Poor baby.

Heartland Institue 4th Annual Climate Change Conference

by Rossputin | 5:27 am, May 24, 2010

As I’ve mentioned in a prior brief note, I had the opportunity to attend the Heartland Institute’s 4th Annual Conference on Climate Change in Chicago last week.  A very basic summary of a conference which provided a tremendous amount of information and fascinating conversation is now up on the Human Events web site:

See “Heartland Conference Gave Global-Warming Skeptics Great Ammunition“
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=37128

For those of you interested in the topic of the science, economics, and controversies surrounding “climate change”, I highly recommend you watch several of the videos on the Heartland Institute Conference video page (also linked to in the Human Events article.)

Lindzen and Monckton are especially great, but they’re all worth your time.

I should add that the Human Events article is much more of an overview than an in-depth summary because of the constraints of space.  If any of you wants more info from my notes about any of the speakers I happened to see, just let me know and I’ll send you some.

Also, one subject that came up at the conference, raised by Pat Michaels among others, was the idea of starting a new peer-reviewed journal on climate science. The idea arose following the Climategate e-mails showing that warmist “scientists” have done all they can to corrupt the peer-review process to keep non-warmist scientists from getting published. Such a project would need funding, perhaps on the order of $50,000.  If you or anyone you know would be interested in being involved with such a project (by which I mean primarily in helping to fund it) please let me know.

I have uploaded the raw, unedited notes (the ones that I typed, not the ones I wrote on a pad which weren’t very many anyway) here:

http://rossputin.com/blog/media/HeartlandNotes.pdf

I really spent more time listening than note-taking so there isn’t much there, but I hope you’ll find it interesting to peruse.

Best,
Ross

Mandatory insurance violates your medical privacy

by Brian Schwartz | 1:30 am, May 24, 2010

Dave Kopel notes:

Among the lawsuits filed against Obamacare is a class action in the Southern District of Mississippi. Class representatives, for residents of Mississippi who do not wish to be subject to the health insurance purchase mandate,  include State Senator Chris McDaniel and Lt. Governor Phil Bryant. The complaint is available here …
The 29-page complaint contains [...]

2010 GOP State Assembly: The Interviews

by elpresidente | 7:41 pm, May 23, 2010

PPC interviewed 24 attendees at Saturday’s GOP State Assembly, including candidates, delegates, and activists. Candidates interested in obtaining video of their segment can email info-at-peoplespresscollective-dot-org. If you enjoy the coverage provided by PPC, please consider a donation to help keep the video cameras running! Former State Senator and State Treasurer and current RNC Committeeman Mark [...]

Ali Hasan keeps his word, drops out of Treasurer’s race

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 6:41 pm, May 23, 2010

Ali Hasan has ended his campaign to be the Republican nominee for state treasurer after receiving 20% of the votes at the state assembly Saturday, well below the 30% needed to get on the ballot without petitioning on. On his web site, Hasan said that he promised to respect the votes of the delegates and the assembly process. Therefore he won’t petition onto the primary ballot against J.J. Ament, who received some 80% of the delegates’ votes, and Walker Stapleton, who is petitioning onto the ballot. Hasan showed that he’s an attractive person and a hard worker with great platform skills. Delegates just decided Ament is more qualified to be Treasurer. h/t Ex-Pat Ex-Lawyer.

Grassroots Trifecta at the GOP State Assembly

by Al Maurer | 5:45 pm, May 23, 2010

Surprise wins ant the GOP state assembly

Betsy Markey’s “hopey changey” impersonation of Sarah Palin

by Kelly Maher | 4:02 pm, May 23, 2010

Among U.S. Rep. Betsy Markey of Colorado, Barack Obama when he was running for president, and Sarah Palin, who REALLY has the hope and change thing down? Let’s go to the video…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wxGFEEmxqk

Rand Paul and Civil Rights

by Chuck Moe | 12:57 pm, May 23, 2010

southernavenger — May 20, 2010 — When Rand Paul won the Kentucky Republican Primary for US Senate in a landslide, he was immediately attacked by both the Left and Right–and for the same reason.

Sarah Palin rebrands herself as Rand Paul Republican; she’s toast; he should be

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 8:56 am, May 23, 2010

Sarah Palin has rebranded herself as a Rand Paul Republican. She’s toast. And he should be for saying that provisions in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that ban racial discrimination at lunch counters, in hotels and in other public places violate the constitutional rights of private businesses. 
On Fox News Sunday, Palin tried to blame the media for sensationalizing Paul’s immoral and politically dumb comments. By defending Paul, she has become a Rand Paul Republican, and that will kill any chances that she’ll ever be nominated for president, much less elected. In the Politico story, however, it’s not clear that she was asked if she agrees with Paul’s comments. She didn’t have to be, because she failed to condemn the remarks while she had a chance.
As I said when Palin was hired by Fox as a contributor, that assignment would show what a shallow person she is. She proved that this morning.
Colorado Republican candidate Jane Norton must be relieved that Palin didn’t endorse her run for the U.S. Senate during an appearance in Denver last night.

Welcome to Diversity University

by Rossputin | 7:07 am, May 23, 2010

This is pretty good…especially if you’ve seen what colleges are turning out lately:

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=37099

Ali Hasan Ends Colo. Treasurer Bid – Will Not Attempt Ballot Petition; Mark Hurlbert Should Follow Suit in Senate District 16

by Laura Victoria | 6:05 am, May 23, 2010

Ali Hasan, a Republican  candidate for Colorado Treasurer, just announced on his website that he will not seek to petition his way on the August primary ballot.  Hasan’s  announcement follows a stunning loss at yesterday’s Colorado Republican State Assembly, where J.J. Ament won 79 percent of the vote and Hasan only 20 percent.  By failing to [...]

Sarah Palin in Denver: “America we got snookered!”

by elpresidente | 11:20 pm, May 22, 2010

Meanwhile, in other Colorado political news, Sarah Palin was in town–no endorsements, however.  

Arizona immigration law: enforcing unjust laws are unjust

by Brian T. Schwartz | 9:57 pm, May 22, 2010

U.S. immigration policies are unjust, and Arizona’s attempt to enforce these policies perpetuates the injustice.  Immigration restrictions prevent peaceful and ambitious individuals and families from seeking a better life. Restrictions violate the rights of employers to hire who they please, whether they are from Colorado, India, or Mexico. “The fundamental problem with America’s immigration system [...]

Colorado GOP state assemblly’s winners and losers

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 9:06 pm, May 22, 2010

Ben DeGrow offers a roundup of the winners and losers at today’s Republican State Assembly.

Colorado Republican State Assembly: Review of Winners and Losers

by Ben DeGrow | 8:10 pm, May 22, 2010

Today was the Colorado Republican State Assembly, and a lot of first-time delegates filled the floor and the seats. Energy and enthusiasm clearly were higher than I’ve seen in the past few election cycles. I spent much of my time today conducting more than two dozen videotaped interviews of officials, candidates and delegates for the [...]

Colorado GOP State Assembly Results: Dan Maes Stunning Upset of Scott McInnis in a squeaker, Ken Buck and JJ Ament Cruise to Victory

by elpresidente | 6:37 pm, May 22, 2010

**Update–Ben DeGrow has posted his list of winners and losers from today’s assembly. Dan Maes: “Wow.” Maes 49.35% (1741) McInnis 48.89% (1725) JJ Ament 79% Ali Hasan 20% Ken Buck 77% Cleve Tidwell 15% As Lynn Bartels of the Denver Post notes, Joe Geschwendtner (Governor), Walker Stapleton (Treasurer), and Tom Wiens and Jane Norton (Senate) [...]

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