The 49th Parallel

by Joshua Sharf | 10:28 pm, May 17, 2011

How many states can be 49th?  Let us count the ways. A few years ago, my friend Ben DeGrow noticed that whenever the subject of budget restraint touched on public education, the state teachers union would immediately make one of two claims: either the state was 49th in school spending, or would be after the [...]

Health Pushing $3 Billion Tax Hike

by PerlStalker | 9:47 pm, May 17, 2011

It’s no surprise but Sen. Rollie Heath is proposing a rather significant tax hike. How significant? $3 billion dollars over five years. After all, when people are facing hard times, the thing they need most is less money in their paychecks and more exp…

A million here, a million there…

by completecolorado | 4:46 pm, May 17, 2011

…and pretty soon, you’re talking real money!
Kudos to CBS4 investigative reporter Brian Maas for shining some light on a City of Denver health insurance audit, specifically looking for “free riders.”  By finding false or fake dependents, or finding spouses who really weren’t spouses at all, the city estimates it will save between $1.5 and $2 [...]

Harry Reid Secures ObamaCare Waiver for…NEVADA

by Mr. Bob | 2:02 pm, May 17, 2011

The Health and Human Services Department announced late Friday that Nevada had secured a statewide waiver from certain implementation requirements of the Obama administration’s health care law, because forcing them through, the department found,

Health Insurance Exchanges and the GOD Law

by Vande Krol | 1:37 pm, May 17, 2011

SB-200, the law that will establish Colorado’s health insurance exchange in compliance with ObamaCare has passed the general assembly and is on its way to the governor’s desk for signature.  I was at the committee hearing where it passed its f…

General Assembly Unveils New Logo

by Jon Caldara | 12:14 pm, May 17, 2011

Denver, Colorado — Onlookers stood in amazement as the first pieces of swag were unveiled in front of the west steps of the Colorado state capitol building. The historic items? Two pens and one tote bag. Normally a couple of pens and a bag originating from the Colorado General Assembly don’t make news, but these [...]

Another “Win-Win” Education Idea: Texas Takes a Look at Taxpayer Savings Grants

by Eddie | 9:59 am, May 17, 2011

The movement to grow educational freedom and opportunity seems to be growing all over the nation these days. How many of you guessed Texas would be the next place for a proposal like Taxpayer Savings Grants to pick up steam?
The Taxpayer Savings Grant Program allows parents and guardians of school-age children to apply for a [...]

Romney even worse than Gingrich on health care

by Rossputin | 9:54 am, May 17, 2011

The Cato Institute’s Michael Cannon blasts presidential hopeful Mitt Romney with both barrels regarding Romney’s responsibility for, and refusal to back away from, Romney care and thus Obamacare.

As Cannon says, “Romney claimed, ‘Our plan was a state solution to a state problem.’ In fact, it was neither.”

Read the entire piece here…and encourage Mitt Romney to admit his mistake before it’s too late and before he does even more harm not just to his own ambitions but to the pro-liberty fight against socialism:

http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Columns/2011/May/051611cannon.aspx

Freedom Stories: The Entrepreneur and the Immigrant

by Ari Armstrong | 9:42 am, May 17, 2011

Earlier this month Brian Vande Krol and Luis Tavel delivered speeches about some of their personal experiences. Vande Krol notes that he enjoys “extreme sports” such as skydiving, but the real risks to his life and success come from onerous bureaucrati…

Colorado’s ‘Campaign Finance Laws’ challenge the Constitution, chill free speech, and curtail civic participation

by CTBC Director | 8:05 am, May 17, 2011

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
1st Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified 15 December 1791
Ruling [...]

Paul Ryan goes on the offensive

by Rossputin | 5:23 am, May 17, 2011

Many people, including it turns out my father, have serious questions about the political wisdom of Paul Ryan’s approach to Medicare reform. My father’s problem with it is that he thinks it will be used to hand Barack Obama re-election. I disagree that the Dems will be that effective with it, though I agree they’ll try as “Medi-scare” tactics have worked for them in the past.

[Update: I love this quote by Ryan about Gingrich: “With allies like that, who needs the left?” (Whole story here.]

I am very pleased to see Congressman Ryan go on the rhetorical offensive with his op-ed today in the Chicago Tribune. For those of you who are uncertain of the merits of Ryan’s plan, or for those times when you’re at a cocktail party with liberals or “moderate” Republicans who need an injection of policy spine, keep Ryan’s words and ideas in mind:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-oped-0516-budget-20110516,0,3799859.story

Ryan also said that he believes Gingrich doesn’t understand the Congressman’s budget plan:
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/16/3631314/us-rep-ryan-gingrich-misunderstood.html

Update 2: PJTV points out March interview in which Gingrich calls Paul Ryan’s upcoming budget “bold”:

This Weekly Standard piece about Ryan’s budget plan is also important intellectual ammunition:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/print/articles/radical-gradualism-paul-ryan_557012.html

Still, as The Hill reported yesterday, offering any sort of Medicare reform, much less a substantial one, is fraught with political peril and the Ryan plan may already be hurting Republicans:
http://thehill.com/homenews/news/161309-gops-big-medicare-gamble

If voters turn against Medicare reform – a reform that has NO impact on current recipients or soon-to-be recipients – they will have much to regret as they vote to bankrupt their children and grandchildren so that today’s voters can get the “government cheese” of retirement healthcare. It’s sad to see how many people have apparently forgotten what country they live in and what has made this country great.

Making the First Amendment Part of the Conversation

by Ari Armstrong | 10:43 pm, May 16, 2011

That Colorado’s campaign laws chill free speech when it comes to speaking out for or against ballot measures is now established, incontestable fact. The reams of dense legalize, the onerous reporting requirements, and the risk of getting sued simply ke…

If it’s for the children, please explain…

by Amy Oliver | 4:33 pm, May 16, 2011

Yawn. Another press conference with State Senator Rollie Heath, chairman of the “Unimaginative Failure” (a.k.a. the Long Term Fiscal Stability Commission), promoting another tax increase for the takings coalition.
This time Heath plans to collect enough signature to put a temporary K-12 education tax increase on the ballot that would raise the state’s income tax rate [...]

If it’s for the children, please explain…

by Amy Oliver | 4:33 pm, May 16, 2011

Yawn. Another press conference with State Senator Rollie Heath, chairman of the “Unimaginative Failure” (a.k.a. the Long Term Fiscal Stability Commission), promoting another tax increase for the takings coalition. This time Heath plans to collect enough signature to put a temporary K-12 education tax increase on the ballot that would raise the state’s income tax [...]

Panel Event Featuring John Fund of the WSJ

by Jon Caldara | 2:58 pm, May 16, 2011

Bills like HB 1072 and SCR-001 have reminded us that the assaults on our initiative and referendum rights are not going anywhere. This coming Thursday, May 26th, we’ll be addressing these assaults on our rights as Colorado citizens to petition our government. We are holding a panel event at the University Club that will feature [...]

Trump will not run for president

by Rossputin | 11:05 am, May 16, 2011

Donald Trump has announced that he won’t run for president. For me, it’s no surprise. Trump couldn’t even handle being the brunt of jokes at the recent Correspondent’s Dinner in Washington, DC and I doubt he ever intended to allow his tax returns to be seen.

Trump is in many ways a buffoon but he also brings an unfiltered voice to the political debate which many people find refreshing. I do hope he will keep going after President Obama on policy rather than personal issues, though I also hope – but don’t expect – that he’ll stop with his economic idiocy regarding trade deficits with China. Trumps views about free trade are dangerously wrong.

If we never hear from Trump again in the world of politics, that would be just as well, though his ego and desire to boost his TV ratings make that outcome unlikely.

Colorado Congressional Redistricting, Episode V (Abdication) – or, Why bother with a state legislature?

by CTBC Director | 9:12 am, May 16, 2011

In the latest development in the sad, sorry saga of Colorado Congressional Redistricting this year, Representative Ed Casso (D-Commerce City) announced Friday his intent to abdicate the legislature’s constitutional responsibilities – preemptively giving up any future legislative role in defining Colorado’s Congressional district boundaries, and completely removing the process from any public accountability.
Currently, the Colorado Constitution, [...]

Dead men walking

by Rossputin | 7:19 am, May 16, 2011

Within days of their officially entering the presidential fray, two Republican Oval Office aspirants may have torpedoed what little chance they might have had with disastrous answers on Sunday morning television.

Texas Congressman Ron Paul began his interview with Fox News Sunday’s Chris Wallace by properly, if not entirely effectively, explaining that the “General Welfare” clause of the Constitution can’t mean what liberals want it to mean by pointing out that if the government had the power to do anything it deemed necessary, the rest of the Constitution, including the 9th and 10th Amendments would not have needed to be written. It was the sort of talk that endears the crusty congressman to Tea Party activists and others who are aware that those who wrote the Constitution had particular timeless principles in mind.

But the questioning soon turned to Ron Paul’s comments a couple of days earlier about the Navy SEAL raid to get Osama bin Laden being “unnecessary.” Chris Wallace pressed Paul on the latter’s apparent objection to the US not telling Pakistani officials about the raid in advance:

WALLACE: Well, I know. But I’m asking you – do you think if we have told the Pakistanis, that they wouldn’t – they would have kept our secret?

PAUL: Well, go by history. Did they help us arrest about 15 other vicious criminals and deliver them – the people responsible for the bombing in 1993? They had helped capture them and bring them to us. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, they helped us capture him.

Please read the rest of my article for the American Spectator here:
http://spectator.org/archives/2011/05/16/sundays-disqualifiers

Lawmaker Wants to Remove Accountability from Redistricting Process

by PerlStalker | 9:05 am, May 15, 2011

I guess the Democrats are tired of pretending.

Rep. Ed Casso, D-Commerce City, said Friday that he intends to carry a bill next year that seeks to appoint a commission on redistricting rather than leaving the process to state lawmakers.

Right, b…

Backbone Radio, May 15, 2011: Congressman Paul Ryan

by Rossputin | 6:25 am, May 15, 2011

Audio archives for this show:

Segment 1 – Intro; Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul disqualify themselves
Segment 2 – State Senator Greg Brophy on redistricting and a wrap-up of the 2011 Colorado legislative session
Segment 3 – INTERVIEW OF CONGRESSMAN PAUL RYAN
Segment 4 (included in Segment 3 this week)
Segment 5 – Doug Fain, author of The Phantom’s Song, on his book, politics, economics, and more
Segment 6 – More with Doug Fain

From Ross Kaminsky:

In our first hour of this week’s edition of Backbone Radio, we’ll first talk about news of the week, including Barack Obama’s immigration speech in El Paso and the ongoing debate over whether or not the government should release photos of a dead Osama bin Laden.

We’ll also talk with State Senator Greg Brophy about the just-finished legislative session and the Democrat shenanigans regarding redistricting. You’d think that even Governor Hickenlooper would be ashamed by the behavior of his party.

In our second hour, we have The Big Interview: nearly the full hour will be my interview of Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI), Chairman of the House Budget Committee. ‘nuf said…you won’t want to miss it.

And in our third hour, we’ll be joined by Douglas Fain, author of The Phantom’s Song, a fascinating novel (though with plenty of real-life experience informing the characters and the plot) about the Vietnam War – and not just from an American perspective. I think you’ll find it most interesting, not least because the author himself flew more than 200 combat missions during the war.

Please join me by listening to (and calling in to) this week’s Backbone Radio program from 5 PM to 8 PM on 710 AM KNUS in Denver and 1460 AM KZNT in Colorado Springs.

If you’re not in range of the radio waves, you should be able to listen to the show online by clicking HERE.

I hope you’ll actively participate in the conversation with me: Call the studio at 303 696 1971.

Public’s Alleged "Right to Know" Should Not Trump Free Speech

by Ari Armstrong | 10:55 pm, May 14, 2011

The Colorado Springs Gazette published my latest op-ed on Colorado’s campaign laws. In this piece, I address the question of whether the public’s alleged “right to know” the financial details of political advocacy can justify the violation of the indiv…

2011 Colorado Assembly Wrap Up

by PerlStalker | 10:31 am, May 14, 2011

The Colorado News Agency has a run down of all the legislation that came through the Colorado Assembly this year. I’m reproducing it all here, with their permission, for future reference.

Overshadowing everything on this list is the failure of the As…

A Test For Governor Daniels

by Joshua Sharf | 7:08 pm, May 13, 2011

In a decision guaranteed to bring outraged barons all over America to the defense of their castles, the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled, in the course of one week, that 1) you don’t have the right to block a policeman from entering your home without a warrant, and 2) they don’t need to knock to [...]

Colorado’s Campaign Laws Throw Common Sense Out the Window

by Ari Armstrong | 12:49 pm, May 13, 2011

The following article by Linn and Ari Armtrong originally was published May 13 by Grand Junction Free Press.It is December of 1787. You hold an intense interest in a revolutionary document, the proposed Constitution for the United States. Will you spea…

Redistricting East

by Joshua Sharf | 12:32 pm, May 13, 2011

The Omaha World-Herald this morning reports on Nebraska’s redistricting debate, mostly centering around the Omaha district, the only one that could possibly elect a Democrat Congressman: State Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh, the main architect of the GOP map, denied that politics played a role, saying he never looked at voter registration numbers. He said his main [...]

Education Action Group’s Top 10 Indiana Reforms List No Laughing Matter

by Eddie | 10:52 am, May 13, 2011

An email blast sent out Thursday by the Education Action Group (EAG) Foundation highlighted a list of “top 10 education reforms passed by the 2011 Indiana General Assembly.” If you follow this blog at all, you know right off the top what some of the biggies are — including limiting the topics open for teachers [...]

Reed and Obama Meddle in Boeing Decisions to Bring Jobs to South Carolina

by Mr. Bob | 10:41 am, May 13, 2011

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How about Daniels-Bachmann?

by Rossputin | 7:22 am, May 13, 2011

So the hats are flying into the ring. Just a brief few comments about some of the players so far:

Mitt Romney: Romneycare is a massive albatross for the former Massachusetts governor. He’s right to give a 10th Amendment argument about health care experiments in the states being preferable – and constitutional – whereas a federal “one size fits all” plan like Obamacare is neither. But his continued “no apologies” approach to Romneycare, including backing the “individual mandate”, namely the requirement by the government that you buy insurance as a condition of being alive in that location, is utterly unacceptable. Until he changes that view – and I doubt he will – it’s a deal-breaker for me even though I generally like, or at least tolerate, Romney otherwise. That said, Romney is moderate enough that he stands a decent chance of winning the general election if Republicans would vote for him. The problem is that the GOP should not nominate, for the second time in a row, a guy who so many conservatives and libertarians would have to hold our noses to vote for. A McCain-like thus outcome remains quite possible.

Newt Gingrich: Probably the smartest guy in the field, but he has a couple of big problems: First, and the lesser of the two, is what Michelle Malkin called a “lunch-losing video” of Gingrich and Nancy Pelosi sitting on a couch together pleading for action on climate change. Agreeing with Nancy Pelosi on anything, but particularly on a massive anti-capitalist hoax like man-made climate change, is electoral poison. While that’s a poison he may be able to find the antidote to, the fatal (in my view) toxin is seen in this CBS News headline: “Gingrich Admits to Affair During Clinton Impeachment“. Republicans have a persistent gender gap with women, i.e. women prefer Democrats to Republicans by something like 7% more than men do. It’s a huge hurdle to overcome for a Republican victory and one which I think Gingrich can only worsen. Gingrich is a big thinker, but if he’s the Republican nominee we’re probably looking at a second Obama term.

Tim Pawlenty: I still don’t know enough about the guy. He seems to have a decent record but also came across in the recent debate as having too much of a politician’s smarmy smiling script-reading insincerity. If he can get over that and start appearing real, he could be an appealing candidate. Pawlenty is taking a very different tack from Mitt Romney when it comes to past policy mistakes: he’s changing his position, namely on “climate change.” He’s already being called a flip-flopper on the issue, but I don’t think that charge hurts him the way Democrats want it to since his new position is pro-economic growth and pro-jobs during a time when that’s by far what people care most about. It will be interest to see how “mea culpa” versus Romney’s “no apologies” plays out. I expect Pawlenty to highlight that difference in any debate.

Ron Paul: Can’t win despite his criticisms of the Fed resonating with more people now than a few years ago. Also, while I agree with Paul’s general view that we shouldn’t be the world’s policeman, his immediately isolationist foreign policy is not just unrealistic but dangerous. Also, one rap against John McCain is that he would have been the oldest man ever elected president. Well, Ron Paul is a year older than McCain and this election is 4 years later; Ron Paul would be 77 when taking office if he were to win the presidency and I don’t think the public will want to give a job that demanding to a man of that age, as “age-ist” as that might sound. Would you want to give a job that intense to a guy who will soon turn 80?

Herman Cain will be in; good guy, gets good response at events, but probably can’t get enough traction to win. Will certainly enjoy what he brings to the debates.

Donald Trump is an econo-moron buffoon. I hope he doesn’t run and he certainly won’t do well in early primaries.

Mitch Daniels will likely run, especially since Haley Barbour is out. He remains my current best idea, though I wish he didn’t seem to go out of his way to alienate parts of the GOP base. Still, his expertise in budgets and his record in Indiana will be hard to match in an election season where people want steak, not sizzle.

Michelle Bachmann: No way to go from short stint in House of Representatives (from Minnesota, no less) to the White House. Although she’s slightly gaffe-prone, Bachmann is extremely smart, well-spoken, and (having met her and spoken to her in person) quite attractive, the importance of which should not be understated in politics. Let’s go with a Daniels-Bachmann GOP ticket – rounds up the establishment and the Tea Party with what I think is a winning pair.

Mike Huckabee: I still say he doesn’t run.

Sarah Palin: I still say she doesn’t run, though smart people I know say she risks becoming irrelevant if she doesn’t run. My take is that she risks becoming irrelevant if she does run but loses.

John Huntsman: Might run, but he worked for Obama which will annoy a few people. Also comes from Utah, a very small (electoral vote-wise) state, which is not usually where we see the nominees ending up being from.

On Intrade.com, Mitt Romney is trading about 23% to be the nominee. Pawlenty is about 15% and the Huntsman a surprising 12.5%. Daniels around 9%, Huckabee around 8.5% (I should sell some of that), Palin 5%, Trump 4.2%, Gingrich 4%, Cain and Bachmann each around 3.5%.

Finally, I’d suggest that the crowded field is not the negative for the GOP that the Democrats and media would like us to believe it is. As I heard someone say on TV, they’ll do the usual belittling of the field by calling them the “Seven Dwarfs” or something like that, but who listens to Katie Couric anymore? Instead, the debates should provide the opportunity to show the GOP as a party with real ideas – and much better ideas than the anti-American, anti-capitalist views of the current Administration.

I’m looking forward to watching the nominating process go forward; I just wish there were more candidates I could be enthusiastic about. As of today, it’s hard for me to give any candidate other than Mitch Daniels even a grade of B as a candidate. Even though he’s not in yet, I’ll give Daniels a B to B+ and hope that he can do some extra credit work to get into the A- range. Running with Bachmann would be a good start.

How health “reform” punishes ambition & increased earnings

by Brian T. Schwartz | 5:30 am, May 13, 2011

More fallout from ObamaCare (HR 3590), reported by Daniel P. Kessler: Consider a wife in a family with $90,000 in income. If she were to earn an additional $3,700, her family would lose the insurance subsidy and be more than $10,000 poorer. In addition, she would also pay more in income and Social Security taxes. [...]

Denver Mayoral Runoff Debate: Videos

by elpresidente | 6:00 pm, May 12, 2011

All of last night’s runoff debate between former State Sen. Chris Romer and Denver City Council member Michael Hancock is available. 630 KHOW’s Craig Silverman and Dan Caplis moderated the debate, while the Denver Post’s Chuck Plunkett emceed. Videos after the jump . . .

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