Mount Virtus

If you’re in Colorado, the place to be today is at one of the Tea Party Express rallies rolling through our state:

• Grand Junction —
  Date/Time:
  Wednesday, March 31st at 10:00 am
  Rally Location:
  1301 East Sherwood Drive
  Grand Junction, CO
• Denver —
  Date/Time:
  Wednesday, March 31st at 4:00 pm
  Rally Location:
  West steps of the State Capitol
  200 E Colfax Ave
  Denver, CO 80203

It will be interesting to see what sort of turnout the national group will draw compared to some of the recent and upcoming events sponsored by local Tea Party groups. Look for coverage of the Denver event later on the People’s Press Collective.

Democrats’ utter lack of fiscal responsibility with our tax dollars — which makes the hypocritical excesses of Republicans in the Bush-era Congress look downright measly — has become a byword, the stuff of legend. So I guess it’s not a huge surprise to see a Colorado Democratic official with a heavily irresponsible fiscal track record mismanaging the party’s own funds, too.

CBS4 Denver has the video scoop on recently resigned state Democratic Party treasurer Elmer “Butch” Hicks — a man with a laundry list history of bounced checks, garnished wages, bankruptcy and bad debt — and the Adams County sheriff’s investigation into missing party funds.

Adams County Democrat Chairman Marty Wisniewski said he “didn’t know” about Hicks’ long-checkered financial past. Obviously, good financial management was not a major prerequisite for the job. And Colorado Democratic Party chair Pat Waak runs such a tight ship that her off-camera response to the CBS4 reporter was a very telling six words: “This is all new to me.” If it were my local party office and my money, I’d be outraged.

But maybe the episode explains why Colorado Lefties are so fixated on shutting down the high-interest rate payday loan operations — even if it leads to the unintended consequences of compelling people to resort to black-market deals with real loan sharks. Not that we can be sure Hicks didn’t use party funds to pay off one of those, either.

(H/T Complete Colorado)

I promised that I would continue to follow up on the story of the secretive Taxpayers for Liberty (TFL) and its reportedly underhanded tactics in Colorado’s U.S. Senate race. For review:

• Taxpayers for Liberty: Who Is This Group Playing in the U.S. Senate Race?
• Time to Denounce Taxpayers for Liberty: Sleazy Tactics & Shadowy Group
• Taxpayers for Liberty Update: Larimer County’s Sue Rehg Tells Her Story

After my initial investigation, the group sent out a press release to declare it was now active in other states, for the first time providing contact information other than a Denver P.O. Box to reach their executive director Andrew O’Neill — who we at least confirmed was not a registered voter here in Colorado.

I decided to give Mr. O’Neill and his shadowy group a chance to rebut my initial findings, to balance the story and present some explanations to clear things up. So I left voice messages with both available TFL phone numbers ( and 720-989-1141) and sent emails to both addresses (mail@taxpayersforliberty.com and andrew@taxpayersforliberty.com) with the following questions: (more…)

Brace yourselves for my “usual thousand words”….

Today Lynn Bartels reports that former Congressman Tom Tancredo has thrown his support behind Lang Sias in Colorado’s 7th CD Republican primary. Quoting from the press release:

In his remarks, Tancredo said of Sias, “Lang will be a great conservative voice in Washington. We talked at length about every issue under the sun – particularly the economy and national security – and he proved himself to be very well-versed and knowledgeable. When you listen to him relate his military background, his experience working with small Colorado businesses and his awareness of international issues, you really get the sense this guy is running for the right reasons.”

“Not to mention,” continued Tancredo, “Lang has the right stuff to go toe to toe with Ed Perlmutter.”

A few things. First, the endorsement didn’t take note of the recent revelation of Lang Sias’ “poor” (or, as I’m hearing, non-existent) Colorado voting record. If Sias had a history of local service in conservative or Republican politics and an active Colorado voting record, Tancredo’s support might make sense in spite of similar McCain connections that he says keep him from backing Jane Norton.

Bartels asked Tancredo why Sias and not Norton:

“I see what you’re saying,” Tancredo said. “But there are differences. I really do believe that Jane’s connection to McCain is far stronger than someone who just worked on his campaign.

“And I voted for McCain, for crying out loud.”

Which if records are to be believed, even Sias didn’t do. Tancredo’s highly debatable claim may be correct for unintended reasons. (more…)

Yesterday our elected Republican officials in Denver came to life with some mighty statements. First, state legislators joined my boss Jon Caldara to urge support for the Defend Colorado from Obama Care ballot initiative, called on Attorney General John Suthers to join the lawsuit of states’ attorneys general against the unconstitutional mandates in Obama Care.

Joshua Sharf has posted complete video and analyses of both press conferences. I urge you to check them out — so we can commend those Republican officials who have shown backbone and continue urging them to stay strong, while also reminding us of the ongoing need to educate members of the old media. In other words, vigilance remains the watchword of the day.

As usual, the People’s Press Collective remains the best place for Coloradans to go to get the latest updated information and perspectives on the unfolding fight to restore health care freedom.

It’s the day after the 2700-page Obama Care monstrosity passed the Congress, proving there really is no such thing as a pro-life Democrat and that Leftist Democrat leaders were determined to shove the highly unpopular taxes, mandates and controls down the throat of the American people … now what?

Dr. Paul Hsieh at Pajamas Media lays out the short-term and longer-term fallout, and the editors of National Review insist that Obama Care isn’t inevitable.

Meanwhile, you can spend a few minutes today signing one or both of the following petitions:

• The Senate Conservatives Fund “Repeal It” pledge (nearly 14,000 strong so far)
• The call to “Repeal Health Care Bill” on ipetitions

On the state level, you can help my colleagues at the Independence Institute Defend Colorado from Obama Care by getting up to speed on the issue, volunteering to gathering signatures and donating to the cause.

Hold candidates to the standard, and support those willing to take a stand on repeal. The cause of liberty and limited government needs us now more than ever. Keep your eyes on the prize, and move forward to November 2010 and beyond, as we can begin to undo most of the bad stuff in legislation.

CBS4Denver reports: Booster Seat Measure Moves Forward in Legislature. The booster seat manufacturing lobby must be thrilled. But seriously… do parents need the nanny Democrats running the state legislature to impose another burden on us? Is the state going to give me a dollar-for-dollar tax rebate when I buy my mandatory booster seat for the oldest Little Virtus?

It’s amazing how any of us survived to adulthood riding around in those metal deathtraps of yesteryear. Why don’t we just get it over with and require all kids to sit into a booster seat until age 12, and then mandate that every driver and passenger must wear a football helmet and padded body suit?

If they didn’t die a long time ago, personal responsibility and common sense appear to be in their final throes. At least good old Dave Williams was there to inject some rationality into the CBS4Denver story:

“Even though something might be a good idea, it doesn’t mean that the government needs to make it a law, and give more power to the police to enforce what may or may not be a good idea,” said the chairman of the Libertarian Party David Williams.

You don’t have to be a Big L Libertarian to recognize that Senate Bill 110 represents good intentions run amok. Fewer areas of our lives remain unregulated? Empower parents, don’t burden and smother us.

After losing votes for days, it looks like the Obama administration has made up ground arm-twisting votes for the government takeover of our health care system. The same day as the liberal Denver Post opined strongly against the legislation, the Post‘s Michael Riley reports that Colorado Congresswoman Betsy Markey — formerly a No vote — has bowed to Democratic leadership and decided to vote Yes (H/T Complete Colorado).

I expect a large voter revolt to ensue. We already know from a recent poll that 58 percent of Markey’s constituents oppose the Obama Care monstrosity. Maybe she doesn’t care about that, you say? Maybe she expects some sort of federal appointment after Cory Gardner unseats her in November? (more…)

A quick follow-up on the ripple effect that has come after I did a little firsthand reporting on the shadowy third-party group Taxpayers for Liberty (click the link if you need a refresher). I had a friendly phone conversation earlier today with Sue Rehg of Larimer County, whose name initially was listed as the group’s registered agent. Here essentially is her story as she recounted it to me: (more…)

A quick update from the Republican state treasurer primary. From a new press release from the Walker Stapleton campaign:

Walker Stapleton, candidate for Colorado State Treasurer, will launch a grassroots statewide petition drive to earn a spot on the Republican Party primary ballot.

“I am really looking forward to starting the petition process,” Stapleton said. “This is a great chance to get out and talk to thousands of registered Republicans across the state about the need to put taxpayers first and put Colorado back on the path to fiscal discipline.” (more…)

On the eve of Colorado Republican caucus gatherings, which this year include a preference poll of statewide candidates (governor, U.S. Senate), here’s a possible glimpse ahead with the release of our March survey results from the Survey of Colorado’s Political Temperature. Major headlines:

• Ken Buck Wins Majority of Votes, Widens Lead Over U.S. Senate Field
• 50 Percent Support Dan Maes, 50 Percent See Scott McInnis as Stronger
• Participants Still Suggest Bigger Numbers for Caucus Participation

Other bits from the survey:

• Survey-Takers Predict 5-Point Victory for Clear the Bench
• Underdogs Make Up Small Ground on CD7′s Ryan Frazier, CD3′s Scott Tipton
• Cory Gardner Still Strong in CD4, Stephen Bailey Tops in CD2
• J.J. Ament Holds Steady Atop Three-Way State Treasurer Field

Thank you to the more than 700 participants in the March edition of the survey — breaking our previous records for participation. The complete release of the survey results is below the fold (click “Fullscreen” for better view): (more…)

Update, 3/17: More to the story: Sue Rehg of Larimer County explains the unfortunate tale of how her name got connected with Taxpayers for Liberty.

Earlier this week I introduced you to the mysterious Taxpayers for Liberty group and their survey results mailing on the U.S. Senate race:

Suffice it to say, the group Taxpayers for Liberty is very fond of Ken Buck, while railing on Jane Norton for not returning the questionnaire and Tom Wiens for filling out the questionnaire identically but having a voting record, or something like that.

If only I knew how nefarious it all was. Frankly, I’m sick of the underhanded tactics and the lack of transparency — most especially in a Republican primary. I asked around about the Taxpayers for Liberty (TFL) survey, and here’s what I’ve found:

1. The Jane Norton campaign says they haven’t seen the survey
2. The Tom Wiens campaign says they had to submit their survey multiple times after they learned that TFL was not acknowledging having received it from them
3. The Ken Buck campaign says it was just another survey that they had no problems filling out and returning

In short, the Taxpayers for Liberty survey is a dishonest and underhanded scheme implemented by a shadowy group, and its “results” utterly worthless. If only we knew the extent of its reach. (more…)

The Antiplanner blog — experts on all things related to transportation — has posted a question (several, really) for Democrat gubernatorial candidate John Hickenlooper to answer:

Based on what we know today, including 40 percent cost overruns, revenue shortfalls, and the trivial amount of congestion relief that FasTracks is expected to provide, would you still have endorsed the 2004 FasTracks ballot measure? If so, then what are you going to do to make sure you are not again hoodwinked by bureaucrats who want to spend more tax dollars on future megaprojects? And if not, then who will you really represent: the voters, or the bureaucracies and special interest groups that want to take as much money as possible from those voters?

Even nice guys who run for governor have to answer important questions. Based on his recent record failing to address other pressing issues, I am not holding my breath for any answers from John Hickenlooper.

This article was originally posted at Ed News Colorado.

Sure, the Colorado Education Association loves to increase funding for K-12 schools and retain member jobs. But sometimes, its pleas for school funding simply don’t add up. Yesterday’s CEA blog entry “Amazon: play fair, support school funding” is just such an example:

In other words, Amazon firing its affiliates does nothing to impact the fact that Amazon.com is still required to collect sales tax or, at a minimum alert their customers to this requirement under state law. The giant retailer is using its political weight to protest losing its tax-free status and having to compete on par with other Colorado retailers.

Why should you care? Because sales tax revenues fund public schools. A portion of all sales tax revenue goes into the State Education fund, the first source for nearly all K-12 public education programs, from the state’s share of Total Program to funding for full-day kindergarten. (more…)

Tuesday night featured another in the latest of well-attended grassroots debate sponsored by conservative or pro-liberty groups: Candidate Debate 2010 in Colorado Springs. It got the attention of one Colorado Pols diarist, and made for a couple humorous anecdotes reported by the Denver Post‘s Lynn Bartels.

After the forum — which included Colorado candidates for U.S. Senate, governor and state treasurer — a poll was taken of forum viewers. Some have reported the results collected by text message, but have overlooked the paper ballot results. I checked with one of the event organizers, and was given the following official results including both types of ballots (I tallied the percentages myself), for those who are curious to know them: (more…)