College Radio Exclusive with Dan Maes from July 22

by Jimmy Sengenberger | 1:00 pm, September 16, 2010

In this hard-hitting interview with Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes, recorded before the August 10 Primary on July 22, Maes answers a range of questions on a variety of issues, fielded by host Jimmy Sengenberger—including his raw thoughts…

Denver School Performance Framework Shows Signs of Reform Progress

by Eddie | 11:38 am, September 16, 2010

The big local education news of the day is the release of the latest results from Denver’s School Performance Framework. SPF — which in this case has nothing to do with how much protection you get from the sun — takes into account a host of measures of how DPS schools are performing, with an [...]

Historic 9/11 Stop the Mosque at Ground Zero Rally

by El Marco | 10:44 am, September 16, 2010

Massive Media Distortion of Massive Rally in New York City New York, NY  September 16, 2010 – by El Marco This year’s anniversary of the 9/11 islamic terrorist attacks brought thousands of opponents and supporters of the controversial “groun…

Tea Party candidate wins in Delaware

by Rossputin | 7:35 am, September 16, 2010

In an election result just as stunning as Joe Miller beating Lisa Murkowski in Alaska, the underemployed (to put it kindly) Christine O’Donnell beat Delaware Congressman Mike Castle, poster child for congressional RINOs, in Tuesday’s Delaware’s GOP Senate primary.  O’Donnell trounced Castle by 6%.

The main difference between the two races is that Miller remains the favorite to win in Alaska while O’Donnell’s victory in Delaware – however sweet for Tea Party activists and however reinforcing of Sarah Palin’s extraordinary influence – makes it much more difficult for Republicans to win that seat.  Indeed, this outcome could be the difference between Republicans taking back the Senate and leaving it in Democrat hands.

For those of us here in Colorado, there are some clear parallels with Dan Maes, namely that the establishment candidate lost (though for very different reasons, with Castle losing because he’s too liberal and McInnis losing because he’s too…McInnis) leaving a candidate unlikely to beat the Democrat.

Actually, O’Donnell has a much better chance than Maes, but still not a great chance.

On one hand, O’Donnell seems easy to beat up.  On the other hand, the GOP establishment both inside and outside Delaware tried to beat up O’Donnell and still got trounced.

It pained me greatly to – for the first time ever – suggest, as I did on my radio show, that it might be better for the country if the RINO won a race because this could possibly be the difference between GOP control of the Senate and leaving it in Dem control, or a tie which is effectively Dem control.

I’m not at all certain that my suggestion was correct.  After all, I’ve always said that RINOs are basically traitors to limited government and the GOP.  Is control of the Senate worth one RINO?  Did I give up principle for pragmatism, and if so was that something I should not be proud of?

[UPDATE: Based on recent revelations about O’Donnell, I retract most of the following paragraph…]

In any case, I certainly hope Christine O’Donnell wins in Delaware.  If she can win the general election, that would be the strongest statement yet of an anti-RINO, anti-government mood in even the squishy blue state of Delaware.  It would also represent perhaps Sarah Palin’s greatest triumph.  Perhaps most importantly, it would send a message that even Michael Steele and Karl Rove can’t ignore that Dick Armey’s desired Tea Party takeover of the GOP is well underway, and that the GOP, as it currently exists, better get on board or get swept aside.  It would be the most welcome development in American politics in a long, long time.

Breaking: Maes Campaign Says Something Intelligent

by Elliot | 10:51 pm, September 15, 2010

I received this in my inbox from the Maes Campaign’s Abraham Reagan, and….well I will just post the pertinent paragraph in full: Are we going to allow the American Constitution Party, a party that does not believe in any immigration, legal or otherwise, to become a major party in our state. We are absolutely against [...]

Are Colorado Doctors Opposed To Amendment 63 Or Not?

by Mike Krause | 1:15 pm, September 15, 2010

The 7,000 plus member Colorado Medical Society (CMS) had its annual meeting last weekend, and the Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590, aka Obama Care) was a main focus of the gathering. The CMS apparently surveyed its membership, and according to an excellent Colorado Public Radio news piece, around half of CMS member doctors think the [...]

Hey, Betcha Didn’t Even Know Obama Addressed Students Yesterday

by Eddie | 11:47 am, September 15, 2010

Flash back to last September. Remember the big brouhaha about President Obama’s speech to schoolchildren? I commented on it a few times. To me the big deal was the creepy notes created by the Department of Education for teachers that promoted a sort of worshipful, service-oriented attitude toward the President. But no need to rehash [...]

Clear The Bench Colorado presents: judicial retention elections and the post-Mullarkey Colorado Supreme Court

by CTBC Director | 9:15 am, September 15, 2010

Clear The Bench Colorado discusses the impact of Colorado Supreme Court rulings leading to a massive expansion of government power (at the expense of YOUR constitutional rights) and vastly increased taxation (such as the “Mill Levy Tax Freeze” property tax increase, the “Dirty Dozen” tax increases and of course the Colorado Car Tax (er, “vehicle registration fee”) increase, [...]

Prudential cheats families of fallen veterans; VA looks the other way

by Rossputin | 8:55 am, September 15, 2010

Although the story is apparently not new (it seems to have been first reported by Bloomberg News in late July), I just heard about it on Bloomberg TV yesterday and it bears mentioning:

The US Dept. of Veterans Affairs made a “verbal agreement” with Prudential Insurance company which has allowed Prudential not to pay lump sum benefits to the families of American soldiers killed in action.  Instead, Prudential has been giving the families checkbooks, paying them a fraction of a percent on the balances sitting in a Prudential account, while Prudential then took the lump sum amount and invested it for their own account, earning over 4% returns for the firm.

For the rest of the story, please read my blog entry at the American Spectator web site:

http://spectator.org/blog/2010/09/14/va-not-being-prudential-with-s

The Democrats’ 97% tax hike lie

by Rossputin | 8:35 am, September 15, 2010

In their op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, Kevin Hassett and Alan Viard are more generous to the Obama Administration than I would be: they call the Democrats’ assertion that a tax hike for the highest bracket of earners would only impact 3% of small businesses a “fallacy.”  I’ll be more direct: it’s a lie.

Their piece for the WSJ can be found here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703959704575454061524326290.html

If you don’t have access to the article, the highlights can be found at the NCPA’s web site here:
http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=19788

The short version:

When Democrats say that only 3% of small businesses will be impacted by a tax hike at the highest bracket of income, they are counting as small businesess the millions of people who have any Schedule C business income, such as someone who has a hobby selling a few things on eBay or in Amazon Stores, and files that particular form with their tax returns even though it’s far from being their primary occupation.

That’s an irrelevant statistic and it’s basically a lie to call those people small business owners.

Instead, the key data point is that “According to IRS data, fully 48% of the net income of sole proprietorships, partnerships, and S corporations reported on tax returns went to households with incomes above $200,000 in 2007.”

Further, “Economic research supports a large impact. A pair of papers by economists Robert Carroll, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Harvey Rosen and Mark Rider that were published in 1998 and 2000 by the National Bureau of Economic Research analyzed tax return data and uncovered high responsiveness of sole proprietors’ business activity to tax rates. Their estimates imply that increasing the top rate to 40.8% from 35% (an official rate of 39.6% plus another 1.2 percentage points from the restoration of a stealth provision that phases out deductions), as in Mr. Obama’s plan, would reduce gross receipts by more than 7% for sole proprietors subject to the higher rate.”

This is an important piece of intellectual ammunition as you speak with friends and colleagues over the water cooler or cocktails while we move into the tax policy war in Congress.  Most people will likely hear the 3% lie repeatedly from the administration and their useful idiots in the establishment mass media.  It’s up to all of us to make sure that as many citizens as possible understand the truth and the potential impact of this tax hike.

Anybody who works for a “small business”, which could be a company with 100 employees or more that just happens to be organized as a Subchapter S company or LLC or other pass-through entity stands a substantial risk of becoming unemployed should Obama, Reid, and Pelosi’s class warfare policy win the day.

Campaign Finance Complaint Filed Against Southern CO Tea Party

by PerlStalker | 7:16 am, September 15, 2010

The Pueblo Chieftain is reporting that Dr. Malik Hasan has filed a law suit against the Southern Colorado Tea Party for campaign finance violations.

The complaint accuses the Tea Party of failing to register with the secretary of state as a politica…

Tancredo remains on ballot

by Rossputin | 7:10 am, September 15, 2010

Although specific language in Colorado law apparently gave Joe Harrington and his co-plaintiff standing to sue over Tom Tancredo’s gubernatorial candidacy, it was no surprise that Judge William Hood refused to remove Tancredo from the ballot.

It seems that Joe has wasted several thousand dollars and perhaps up to $20,000…which I still think is (practically, if not legally) an in-kind contribution to the Maes campaign.

Anyway, between this ruling and yesterday’s Rasmussen Reports poll showing Tancredo ahead of Maes, Dan “Walter Mitty” Maes had a very bad day.

Perhaps all that’s left to be seen is whether Joe Harrington will continue his poorly thought-out quest to portray Tancredo’s candidacy as illegitimate.  If so, all he’ll be doing is making himself look silly.  Joe, you’ve done enough of that already…I suggest you let sleeping dogs lie.  Even you must realize Maes can’t win.  While I don’t want or expect you to say as much, I wish you’d use your considerable energy to help Republicans win winnable races.

9/11 Rallies Clash over NYC Islamic Center

by Ari Armstrong | 12:28 am, September 15, 2010

Special by Bob GlassEditor’s note: While I was in D.C. for September 11, my friend Bob Glass was in New York, and he investigated the rallies both for and against the Islamic Center near Ground Zero (“Cordoba House”). Bob grew up in Queens before movin…

Tacredo Will Remain on Ballot

by PerlStalker | 10:11 pm, September 14, 2010

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper clears his next to last hurdle to becoming the next Governor of Colorado and rendering moot the fine work of Clear the Bench Colorado. District Judge William Hood ruled that Tom Tancredo will be allowed to remain on the b…

ObamaCare in Pictures and CO’s Proposed Amendment 63

by PerlStalker | 9:46 pm, September 14, 2010

The Heritage Foundation has put together a very nice, easy to understand slide show explaining exactly what ObamaCare is going to do to the Federal budget.

Obamacare in PicturesView more presentations from The Heritage Foundation.

I have one nit to…

If a Vote for Maes is a vote for Hickenlooper, a vote for Tancredo is a vote for the ACP Having Major Party Status

by Elliot | 9:41 pm, September 14, 2010

Which is worse? (I’m voting for the libertarian Brown, so don’t ask me!) – but I’d point out the following (which is from wikipedia, so take it for what you will): [The Constitution Party] favors withdrawal of the United States from most current treaties, such as North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the General Agreement on Tariffs [...]

GOP Candidate Dr. Mike Fallon Introduces Himself to Viewing Public

by Ben DeGrow | 8:25 pm, September 14, 2010

Mike Fallon for Congress has gone up on the air in his long shot bid to unseat Denver’s Lefty Democratic Congresswoman Diana DeGette:

For more on Dr. Fallon, see my impressions from our face-to-face meeting this summer.

Tancredo: Politics as Usual Candidate

by Al Maurer | 6:00 pm, September 14, 2010

All of Tancredo’s efforts have been aimed at attacking Maes. He’s the Charlie Crist of Colorado, unwilling to accept the judgment of his party’s voters–especially those upstart, grass-roots Tea Party activists–he’s decided to go out on his own.

College host & PPC contributor to fill in on AM 1310′s "The Amy Oliver Show" Wednesday

by Jimmy Sengenberger | 5:00 pm, September 14, 2010

Jimmy Sengenberger, host of Regis University’s pioneering Seng Center Radio Show and a PPC contributor, will be filling in this Wednesday morning as a guest host on AM 1310′s The Amy Oliver Show.

The program runs 9-11am MTN and will broadcast live onl…

Seng Center 9/9 – Scott Gessler, GOP candidate for Secretary of State

by Jimmy Sengenberger | 3:15 pm, September 14, 2010

In Hour One of the September 9 show, host Jimmy Sengenberger sits down with GOP candidate Scott Gessler to discuss his campaign for Secretary of State, the key issues involved, and the differences between himself and incumbent Bernie Buescher.  To…

Seng Center 9/9 – John Andrews, fmr Colo. Senate President

by Jimmy Sengenberger | 2:15 pm, September 14, 2010

In Hour Two of the September 9 edition of Regis University’s Seng Center Radio Show, host Jimmy Sengenberger discusses Colorado’s 2010 political climate with John Andrews, a former State Senate President.

The two share why they both turned away from G…

NEA Backs Anti-Amendment 63 Campaign: How Does This Help Members?

by Eddie | 1:29 pm, September 14, 2010

Back in March I pointed out how school teachers and other union members who belong to the National Education Association (NEA) have financially supported Obama Care whether they like it or not. This week brings an important update to the story. The NEA donated $50,000 to the committee opposing Colorado’s Amendment 63 “Right to Health [...]

Seng Center 9/2 – Matt Arnold of Clear the Bench Colorado

by Jimmy Sengenberger | 1:15 pm, September 14, 2010

In Hour One of the September 2 edition of Regis University’s Seng Center Radio Show, host Jimmy Sengenberger sits down with Matt Arnold of Clear the Bench Colorado to discuss the three unjust justices on the Colorado Supreme Court who are up for reten…

Proposed Pawnee Shooting Range

by Prospector | 12:59 pm, September 14, 2010

Per a National Rifle Association message I received, the US Forest Service is proposing construction of a shooting range on three acres of the Pawnee National Grassland between Ault and Briggsdale, north of Colorado State Highway 14. The details as I understand them are: 100 yard (rifle) range w/ 8 to 10 shooting positions; Access [...]

New Education Book Raises Questions about School Selection, Carpentry

by Eddie | 12:35 pm, September 14, 2010

As a young edublogger, I hear from a lot of people and groups with their new education book. Some look more interesting than others, including this one that crossed my desktop today from the Capital Research Center (CRC):
The Neighbor’s Kid tells the story of what twenty-four year-old Philip Brand discovered regarding American education when he [...]

Dan Maes perilously close to kicking himself out of debates

by completecolorado | 10:09 am, September 14, 2010

A Rasmussen Poll today shows the following in the Colorado Governor’s race:  Hick 46%, Tancredo 25%, and Maes 21%.
What’s most interesting about these poll numbers is, Dan Maes recently made aggressive comments about how he should not be allowed to participate in major debates should his poll numbers dip below 20%.
CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO. Comments [...]

Tancredo moves ahead of Maes in latest poll; both trail Hick

by Rossputin | 9:57 am, September 14, 2010

Recently, people have told me in comments to blog notes that a vote for Tom Tancredo is a vote for John Hickenlooper, implying that Maes has a substantially better chance to beat Hick than Tancredo does.

Putting aside for the moment the possibility that a judge migh remove Tancredo from the ballot later today, my response was that I thought Tancredo had a better chance to beat Hick than Maes does – though still a very small chance – and that therefore it was a vote for Maes that’s more like a vote for Hick.

A Rasmussen Reports poll released today shows Tancredo now leading Maes by 25% to 21% but both still well behind John Hickenlooper’s 46%.

Maes’ weak showing will be self-reinforcing (whether or not Tancredo remains on the ballot).  It’s become clear he can’t and shouldn’t win, and his being behind a third party candidate will put a fork in what minuscule fund-raising ability he might have remaining.

Conservatives and Republicans should abandon this race and focus their time, energy, and money on winning back at least one house of the state legislature as well as getting Republicans elected to the US Congress and Senate.

Who woulda thunk it? Courage from the Senate

by Rossputin | 7:36 am, September 14, 2010

For those of us used to thinking of the Senate as a home for spineless RINOs, or at least enough such creatures to usually prevent good free-market legislation from passing or allow bad anti-market legislation to pass, Monday provided a breath of fresh air.

Perhaps infused with some backbone by the support of a few brave Democrats who understand the damage that any tax hike would do to an incipient recovery, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced legislation “that ensures that no one in this country will pay higher income taxes next year than they are right now.”  McConnell also added dryly that “only in Washington could someone propose a tax hike as an antidote to a recession.”

McConnell’s move was all the more impressive given the boneheaded statement by House Minority Leader John Boehner on Sunday’s edition of “Face The State” in which he said that he’d vote for extension of the tax cuts which excuded the highest bracket.  The fact that he said he’d do so if that were his only option is all but irrelevant.  Boehner blinked.

According to CBS News, it’s a resurgently pro-growth Senate which is holding line: “a spokesperson for McConnell said today that every Senate Republican has pledged to oppose any attempt to extend the Bush tax cuts that doesn’t include an extension of the tax cuts for the wealthy.”

The Democrats probably welcome this battle, stuck as they are in their class warfare echo chamber. Nor surprisingly, Harry Reid said that extending the tax cuts for the highest bracket would represent “giveaways for millionaires and CEOs who ship American jobs overseas.”

Of course, Harry Reid is, in terms of economics, as dumb as a box of rocks.  He has his formulation exactly backwards; a tax hike on the many small businesses to which the personal tax rate applies will cause those businesses not to start or not to expand.  A tax hike will be the exact cause of jobs going overseas.

As for “giveaways for millionaires”, Reid’s statement betrays the usual Progressive mindset that a rich person’s money belongs to the government first and to the person who earned it only to the extent that government wants to let them keep some.

Reid is suggesting that government accomplish through tax law what any regular person would go to jail for doing: mugging Americans and taking the contents of their wallets.

It’s also worth noting that Reid’s rhetoric about the middle class “deserving to have their taxes cut” ignores the fact that the top 1% of earners pay over 40% of all income taxes.  Defining the middle class as those in a range of about $33,000 in adjusted gross income (the median American taxpayer in 2007) to $113,000 (above which one would be in the top 10% of earners), all of those people combined paid only a quarter of the government’s income tax revenue.  Arguing  that people who pay very little tax “deserve” a tax cut more than those who actually pay taxes deserve it is an argument that only Robin Hood could love.

But that’s what Democrats are: thieves in do-gooders’ clothing.

My thanks and appreciation to the unified Republican caucus in the Senate and the few Democrats standing with them against the tide of economic idiocy and self-destruction.  It remains to be seen whether any of the usual suspects cave in, but at this point perhaps even Olympia Snowe recognizes that good economics is good politics in this election season.

Many Races Up for Grabs, GOP Control of Colorado House Within Reach

by Ben DeGrow | 6:59 am, September 14, 2010

Yesterday it was the final update of the state senate rankings. Now on to the state house. First, the overview: The Colorado House of Representatives has 65 members eligible to serve a maximum of four two-year terms. Every seat is up for election. Currently, the Democrats have a 37-27 majority with former Democrat Kathleen Curry [...]

Parts Of Obama Care Too Much For Even The Obama Administration

by Mike Krause | 9:54 pm, September 13, 2010

The Politico website is reporting that the Obama administration is asking Congress to amend one of the many odious burdens on free-enterprise contained in the massive tax bill health care reform bill, H.R. 3590 (aka Obama Care). According to Politico:
The Obama administration Monday urged senators to scale back a tax reporting requirement in the [...]

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