It’s the last day of 2008, and time for a quick month-by-month retrospective. The following are posts I’ve selected as the best posts for each month:

• January: Why did Ritter Leave Worker Protections Out of His Order?
• February: Getting the Whole Story Behind Ritter’s Climate Action Plan
• March: High-Ranking Democrat: Property Tax Hike Not Just for Schools
• April: What Was All That Money Doing in Ritter’s Inaugural in the First Place?
• May: Colorado Dems Fail to Lead or Take Responsibility, Irony Lost on Dead Guvs
• June: Bill Ritter, Tax Increases, Unions, and the Colorado Supreme Court
• July: Majority of Coloradans Don’t Think Bill Ritter is Doing a Terrible Job
• August: It’s Official: Colorado Government 100% Unionized, Thanks to Bill Ritter
• September: Romanoff & Kennedy: Saving TABOR’s Heart by Driving a Stake Through It
• October: Conservative Lesson from CoDA: Time to Latch on to Transparency Issue
• November: Amendments 47, 49, & 54 as Good as Grandma’s Freshly-Baked Cookies
• December: Democrat Cary Kennedy: Protecting Coloradans from Open Government

Notice any themes developing? I didn’t think so. Anyway, I hope my handful of faithful readers enjoyed that brief walk down memory lane. On to 2009….

Tune in at 9 PM local Mountain Time this evening for the seventh edition of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio. The year-end episode will take a look back at some of the big stories of 2008 and feature a discussion about Israel’s current military campaign against Hamas.

Don’t forget. If you miss the live broadcast of tonight’s show, you can go back and download the podcast, or just use the handy widget on my sidebar to listen directly from Mount Virtus.

It was nice to take a couple days off blogging to celebrate Christmas. Around the house we have a 2-year-old who definitely was interested in getting “more” presents but also who is just beginning to see that Christmas is mainly about the Savior’s birth. She sat still to hear one of us read a version of the biblical Christmas story 5 different times over the 2 days. Good times. Memorable times.

Around here we hear a lot of the toddler rendition of “Away in a Manger”. She also has a fairly decent grasp on “Joy to the World.” Other songs she doesn’t sing but likes to request: Jingle Bells and Happy Birthday to Jesus.

Last night, after we baked the cake for Jesus’ birthday (a first-time tradition for our family), we had to explain that Jesus wouldn’t be coming over to visit us in the usual sense. A little hard to grasp at her age. But the older Virtus girl was quite adamant that Jesus likes his cake. (Perhaps an instance of clever, 2-year-old logic: If Jesus likes his cake, wouldn’t it be good for all of us to have some more?)

Anyway, winding down here, blogging will be light until 2009. I look forward to spending more time with the family, eating more (yes, you read that right), sleeping in when possible, catching up on reading (got a few new books for Christmas), calling a few friends I haven’t connected with in awhile, watching a little (not a lot of) football, even spending time on a fun non-blogging writing project or two.

In the meantime, I’d like to dispel any rumor that my name has been put into consideration for the U.S. Senate seat to replace Ken Salazar. Reports that I may have been contacted by the governor’s office for an interview cannot be confirmed. Such an idea is probably a little bit too far out of the box. However, it hasn’t been ruled out that I might get a token spot on an as yet-unconfirmed Blue Ribbon Committee to make recommendations in the Senate replacement process.

The cover of the Christmas Day edition of the Rocky Mountain News featured a story on two churches – Denver’s oldest and Denver’s newest. The latter is the Providence Bible Church. Several years ago I met the eventual pastor and co-founder of Providence, Jason Janz, and have since agreed to be a prayer partner for the growing church. I am excited to read the updates of this exciting ministry that Jason sends out.

It’s a blessing to see more attention brought to this work:

Providence Bible Church is a multiethnic congregation launched 12 weeks ago in Five Points. Using the media-savvy instincts of his generation, Pastor Jason Janz, 35, spent early donations on creating a DVD to tell Providence’s story.

The one-time rebel knew what kind of church he wanted: “Could there be a church which had people from all different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds worshipping together, just like in the New Testament?”

Janz put the idea to about eight supporters, all jobless, “whose only resources were their time and hearts.”

That was enough. This Christmas season, Providence is welcoming about 175 worshippers, including blacks, whites, Hispanics; wealthy people, the poor; even ex-offenders. [link added]

I don’t have much to add, just a word of encouragement that you might read the whole story, visit the church’s website, get a glimpse of what God is doing through this new ministry in Denver, and consider including Providence and its leaders in your prayers as well.

Tune in at 9 PM local Mountain Time this evening for the sixth edition of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio. Confirmed co-hosts are Joshua Sharf and El Presidente. The guest will be Jim Pfaff, Colorado state director of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation and keeper of the site Opinion Times. Topics of discussion will include AFP Colorado’s new report “Keeping Colorado Competitive”.

Don’t forget. If you miss the live broadcast of tonight’s show, you can go back and download the podcast, or just use the handy widget on my sidebar to listen directly from Mount Virtus.

It only took seven weeks after the voters of Colorado said no to a statewide proposal that would have gutted the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) – a proposal pushed by a campaign that heavily outspent the opposition – for the Democrats to be back at it again.

From today’s Denver Post:

Rollie Heath, a Boulder Democrat elected to the Senate, said that as lawmakers grapple in the coming session with cutting as much as $600 million from the budget because of declining revenues, they should also look at TABOR, a revenue-capping provision of the state’s constitution.

The state is in a timeout from TABOR’s tax-revenue limits, but that timeout expires in 2010, when Colorado will have to begin refunding to taxpayers any revenue it collects over TABOR’s prescribed limit.

“We’re hamstrung,” Heath said. “Not only does it put a limitation, it takes away your flexibility. We desperately need flexibility right now.

Sounds like my family’s budget.

Of course, TABOR has nothing to do with the projected $600 million shortfall in revenues. Even with the Democrats in charge at the State Capitol, I have a hard time seeing how Heath’s proposal gets very far. But they could prove me wrong.

With all the alleged foresight of those who backed Referendum C and raised our taxes, it appears they did nothing to help save for this eventuality. Now is the time for prudent and creative budget-cutting in state government, not talk of pulling the rug out from under taxpayers’ feet. Nevertheless, putting the Democrats in charge apparently means the latter approach.

Okay, we’re light on the politics here for a little while. It’s too close to the sacred celebration of Christmas, and most people are completely tuned out anyway.

Last night, the older Virtus girl (still nearly 2 months shy of her 3rd birthday) gave us a remarkably clear and *almost completely accurate rendition of “Away in a Manger”–the first verse lyrics with a little melody, anyway. Little things like that show the spirit of Christmas is growing in our household. So much to be thankful for (yes, we ARE rich), and many extra blessings beside.

Fancy presents are nice (but overrated–if I see one more of those annoying Lexus commercials, I think I’ll scream), though there aren’t as many of them this year. Baked goodies I can rarely resist, and thanks to friends & family we have no shortage. But it’s moments like last night that make me rejoice and laugh the most. You can’t put a price tag on it.

Merry Christmas to all!

*My favorite tweak she gives to the real lyrics is: “The stars are in the bright sky look down where He lay….”

In an editorial today that could herald the great advance of Colorado’s upcoming legislative session, the Denver Post lauds a proposal by Rep. Don Marostica (R-Loveland) and Sen. Mike Kopp (R-Littleton) that would place the state government’s check register online. Marostica made a similar legislative proposal in 2007, but was shot down with a ridiculous $2 million fiscal note from legislative staff. (Cost money? It’s much more likely to save taxpayer money.)

One line from the Post editorial jumped off the page when I read it:

Marostica again plans to sponsor a bill to create just such a site, and treasurer Cary Kennedy has supported the plan in theory, but wants some citizen protections in place. [emphasis added\

Uh, what? Clarification, please? It’s easy to support many things “in theory”. However, Democrat treasurer Cary Kennedy is concerned about protecting citizens from open government? From open government? That’s what it sounds like. And it sounds plausible. After all, this is the same Cary Kennedy who worked during the last election to “drive a stake in the heart” of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.

For those who want more information on the Marostica-Kopp transparency proposal, below the fold is a recent YouTube video interview: (more…)

Hey, Colorado, guess what? Leave the Democrats in charge in your state for too long, and taste the fruits of bad fiscal judgment. Witness this Face The State story about my own state senator:

Audio from April 3 uncovered by Face The State reveals Sen. Moe Keller, a Wheat Ridge Democrat and chairwoman of the Joint Budget Committee, optimistically arguing that Colorado’s economic future is a bright one, even though Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke predicted on that same day the country was headed into a recession. “We do not have a projection from our economists that we are going into a fiscal train wreck,” she said.

Moe Keller and her fellow Democrats at the State Capitol are just happy to spend your money while the spending is good. Her assessment is representative of a party comfortably in power for too long and far more concerned with using the state budget to feed its special interest friends than to save for a rainy day. Don’t you think it’s a little myopic for the Democrats at the State Capitol to pretend like there are no economic forecasters outside of the paid legislative staff?

It’s not like this is an isolated incident. Rather, it’s symptomatic of a Democratic party whose state leader Bill Ritter is more than eager to gamble with your taxpayer dollars. (more…)

Earlier this week brought the sad news that my friend Jim Cannon, one of the founding members of the Rocky Mountain Alliance, had passed into eternity. Many tributes have been written.

Yesterday was Jim’s memorial service. The family asked me to share a few words about Jim on behalf of the bloggers. Here it is (with links added, where appropriate): (more…)

Complete Colorado is breaking a story about 10 different Colorado mayors requesting a total of $2.25 billion in federal pork. The biggest ask (go for the gusto, right?) comes from Colorado Springs at $1.25 billion. But the most interesting request hails from the People’s Republic:

The city of Boulder asked for $6 million to “…[p]rovide funding to convert 60 hybrid electric vehicles to Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles with Vehicle to Grid technology. The cars are part of the City of Boulder, Boulder County, and the University of Colorado fleets.” The retrofit of each vehicle, therefore, would cost $100-thousand dollars a piece.

I haven’t seen a cost-benefit analysis, but how much is really gained by switching to the Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle technology? I’m guessing it’s going to take a long time to save $6 million.

As for the others, it was interesting to see my hometown of Arvada on the list for a relatively modest $4.6 million in requested aid for street and bridge repair. I think it may be time for a little more investigation into these projects and the available funding streams.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from my freedom-loving friends at Liberty on the Rocks:

Singing along with the chorus can be quite a cathartic experience, given all the recent federal government bailouts.

When it comes to the federal bailouts, I think this letter from Grover Norquist to President Bush (PDF) just about says it all.

It’s Friday, so I’m keeping it light and to the point. Besides the close proximity to the Christmas holiday and other reasons, I’m just too mad about our lame-duck President Bush copping to the auto bailout and too mystified by the intensity of the Senate appointment process for Governor Ritter to replace Ken Salazar.

So here goes an opportunity for a few laughs: Yesterday, a friend introduced me to the It’s Lovely! I’ll Take It blog, which glibly pans bad real estate listing photos (something in the spirit of this humorous masterpiece of a book). If you’re looking for something a little more Christmas-y, you ought to read “Twas the Night Before Single-Payer” posted by Dr. Paul Hsieh over at the We Stand FIRM blog.

I’ve written before about the bad deal for workers if Congress passes the poorly-named Employee Free Choice Act (aka union card-check legislation). But what kind of impact could it have on the economy? In a recent 8-minute iVoices podcast interview, Barbara Comstock of the Workforce Fairness Institute says it’s “more of a threat” than the proposed bailout of the Big 3 auto makers:

As my good friend Joshua Sharf frequently remarks about putting the Democrats in charge:

Progressively more intrusive. Progressively more expensive. Progressively more restrictive.

Sadly, the disease is all over Washington D.C., with no apparent hope for recovery any time soon. Hold on to your hats. And your wallets.

Remember, Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio is on the air tonight at 9 PM local Mountain Time. El Presidente – one of tonight’s co-hosts – has the details.

I’ll be maintaining blog silence for a little while, having received the news earlier today of my friend Jim Cannon’s premature passing. His loss is our pain, but his relief from great suffering, at home with the Savior.

Speaking personally, my life is richer for having known Jim – one of the founding members of the old Rocky Mountain Alliance. He leaves me with fond memories of his courage, graciousness, and compassion, in the face of extremely trying physical struggles.

Please keep Jim’s family in your prayers most of all. More to come later. In the meantime, Snaggletooth also has some kind words to share.

I can feel the pain of my home state of Michigan (and no, I’m not referring to the bitter cold temperatures we’re experiencing here along the Front Range).

The angst coming from the Motor City and its environs is palpable. One of the most poignant examples, at least from my perspective, relates to a scheduled weekend appearance by Kentucky’s U.S. Senator (and former Detroit Tigers pitcher) Jim Bunning. Detroit Free Press columnist Brian Dickerson ripped Bunning a new one after the Republican Senator voted against the UAW’s federal government bailout deal.

Dickerson wrote:

He may be losing his marbles, but U.S. senator and ex-Tiger pitching great Jim Bunning still has big brass cojones.

After all, most of the GOP senators conspiring to kill a House rescue package for Detroit’s auto companies wouldn’t have the guts to set foot in Michigan this week, much less hawk their autographs to beleaguered Michiganders at $55 a pop.

But Hall of Famer Bunning — a vocal opponent of the auto loans — will do both of those things Sunday when he journeys to the deepest heart of UAW country.

He’ll sign baseballs ($35), posters ($45) and jerseys or gloves ($55) from noon to 2 p.m. at the Gibraltar Trade Center in Taylor, then head over to Solidarity House to knock back a few cold ones with UAW President Ron Gettelfinger.

I’m kidding about the Gettelfinger part, of course; Bunning more likely will be wheels-up before the sun sets on Metro Airport. I just hope he has the good sense to make the round-trip to Taylor in a Detroit-manufactured vehicle — even if it does cheese off Toyota, whose largest American plant is in Bunning’s home state of Kentucky.

The next morning, Gibraltar Trade Center ownership ended up pulling the plug on the event. (Good thing Al Kaline, Alan Trammell, and Ernie Harwell aren’t in the Senate.) (more…)

(Via Michelle Malkin) The Labor Pains blog has a great visual and links to the huge labor contracts negotiated between the United Auto Workers (UAW) and Detroit’s Big Three:

Ever wondered what a UAW contract looks like? Here is all 22 pounds of it (in this case, Ford’s 2,215 page 2007 master contract; Coke can is for scale and because I was thirsty).

I’ll tell you this much, those 2,215 pages don’t include much regarding efficiency and competitiveness. What you’ll find are hundreds of rules, regulations, and letters of understanding that have hamstrung the auto companies for years.

One of my claims to distinction (certainly not fame) is I have read all 45 or so collective bargaining agreements between Colorado school districts and teachers unions. Without going back to look, my guess is you would have to stack all 45 agreements together to match the volume and weight of the UAW agreement pictured at Labor Pains.

The comparison somewhat reminds me of this SNL classic commercial parody.

A great read for this Friday is Paul Chesser’s well-documented rant in the American Spectator. He gets it rolling as follows:

Someone please tell me it’s about to end. That it’s O-V-A-H in New England. That’s it’s D-U-N in Rio Linda. That it’s fini in France and finito in Italy.

I’ve experienced a build-up of evidence that undermines climate change alarmism, and I’m at the tipping point. My head has formed a canopy of truth-trapping that can only contain so much before my circuits overheat, blood pressure elevates, and my faith in broad-based common sense melts away. So please: polish it off in Poznan — wishful thinking, you might think, but signs point to the beginning of that end. Read on.

As global warming pathologists insist that increasing carbon dioxide drives planetary meltdown, scientists who actually watch the climate trends — as well as all the forces that affect it – see something different. They observe unchanging (if not declining) temperatures over the last dozen years despite increased global CO2 emissions during the same time period. They see Antarctic ice swells despite a greater media emphasis on Arctic ice (PDF) loss. They see a current warming bias across temperature monitoring stations; a cooling pattern since 1997; and a valid theory that solar cycles affect climate change more than any other phenomena.

It goes on. Public support and interest in the increasingly shaky theories of climate change alarmists are on the wane. In retrospect, maybe the 2008 Presidential campaign with the nominees of both major parties subscribing lock, stock, and barrel to theories of anthropogenic global warming disaster someday soon will look like a bizarre anomaly. Same for our current Governor Bill Ritter’s obsession.
(more…)