A preeminent challenge lying ahead for our elected Congress to tackle is the mounting debt and out-of-control spending that grew under Republican leadership and accelerated in the past few years with Democrats in charge. No one is better prepared to help equip you to do your citizen’s part in taking on this challenge than my friends at Mothers Against Debt. Their new video on the idiocy of unemployment benefits as economic stimulus is a real hoot. Enjoy:

Update, Noon: Here is the one-page summary of official recommendations made to the Douglas County Board of Education by the School Choice Task Force’s “Option Certificates” subcommittee.

So unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past couple weeks, you may have heard Douglas County — one of Colorado’s largest school districts — is considering the adoption of a local voucher-style private school choice program. Independence Institute blogger “Eddie” has covered the story well here and here.

With all the coverage in the Denver Post, it’s not surprising that plenty of readers wanted to weigh in with letters published in Sunday’s Perspective section. I was disappointed to see most of the letters rely on misinformed premises and/or produce shoddy arguments. As a result, I feel impelled to respond. (more…)

Despite the massive negative advertising campaigns and attempts to distract the voters with other issues, a major point that weighs on voters is what candidates want to do vis a vis federal government spending. Nowhere is this concern more salient than in the U.S. Senate race between Republican Ken Buck and appointed Democrat incumbent Michael Bennet (trying to hide his allegiance to President Obama’s agenda from Colorado voters).

You and I may not have time to analyze the details of how the respective candidates’ proposals will affect the already bloated federal budget and the debt my children already face, but the National Taxpayers Union (NTU) has done the work for us. Here’s the basic breakdown:

• Ken Buck’s total agenda would reduce net spending by $1.405 billion, a modest start in the right direction — though as the Heritage Foundation has shown, there is room to cut $343 billion from next year’s budget
• On the other hand, Michael Bennet’s total agenda would increase net spending by $7.345 billion, more of the same bad policy medicine we can’t afford

That’s a projected difference of $8.5 billion, frankly not a lot in the scheme of the mammoth federal budget but an indicator nonetheless of some key differences on a major issue. Thanks to NTU for at least clearing up matters a bit.

Update, 10/29: Jessica Corry has a more thorough take on the topic in her latest Huffington Post column. She writes: “Shame on Cary Kennedy, now revealed to be just another typical career politician who will do anything to save her job.” Read the whole thing.

It’s the last week in October. A pro-Republican Tea Party wave is coming through Colorado and the nation, carrying away Democrat officials who broke faith by pouring on their Progressive policies, spending your money recklessly and racking up debt. Some Democrats are more out of touch than others.

For state treasurer Cary Kennedy, there has been her revealing moment of wanting to “drive a stake through” your constitutional taxpayer protections. But generally she has projected a moderate image, even as she often goes to bat for the liberal team.

There is a very real threat that the wave will carry Cary away and that a more fiscally conservative Republican Walker Stapleton — with real-life private sector business experience — will carry the day. Stapleton has a small but genuine lead in the polls heading into Election Day. That’s when you know it’s Democrat Desperation Time. (more…)

Editor’s note: This post is a guest contribution authored by U.S. Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R – CA).

Every two years Americans hold their members of Congress accountable. If they have done a good job representing them they send them back to Washington, but if they fail to lead they can be replaced.

The last few years, we’ve seen the effects of failed Democratic policies. Unemployment is too high, businesses are uncertain about the future and are holding back from hiring and investing, and we’re trillions of dollars deeper in debt.

Americans want fresh, new, conservative leaders to find solutions to these problems. Today in Colorado, I campaigned with one of those new leaders, Young Gun candidate Ryan Frazier.

(more…)

Over the past couple days the editors of the Denver Post have issued their endorsements for 10 key state house and 5 key state senate races. If we presumed these were the only races to change hands and that all went the way favored by the Post, we’d end up with a deadlocked state house (32-32-1) and a preserved Democrat majority in the state senate (19-16).

In summary, here is what the Denver Post supports as the state legislature’s new Republican freshman class:

• Libby Szabo (HD 27)
• Robert Ramirez (HD 29)
• Karen Cullen (HD 18)
• Mark Barker (HD 17)
• Keith Swerdfeger (HD 47)
• Ellen Roberts (SD 6)
• Bob Rankin (SD 5)

From the races they weighed in on, here are a few other Republican freshman state legislators we very well could see, even though the Post didn’t back them: (more…)

This is a great piece of news to read today from my next Congressman Ryan Frazier, and it comes not a moment too soon:

Former 7th CD Rep. Bob Beauprez Backs Ryan Frazier, Declares Perlmutter Corrupt

More evidence Washington has changed Ed Perlmutter

Aurora, CO – Ryan Frazier, candidate for the 7th Congressional District, today announced the endorsement of former 7th Congressional District Rep. Bob Beauprez. Beauprez honorably served in the seat for 4 years before running for governor.

Incumbent Rep. Ed Perlmutter’s (D-Golden) desperate campaign has consistently tried to use Beauprez’s comments in the primary election against Frazier, rather than defend a 98.3% voting record with Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,” Beauprez said. “Ed Perlmutter voted for a health care bill a majority of people didn’t want, a stimulus that didn’t work, bailouts to companies that padded his own campaign funds, and he inserted a sweetheart deal into legislation that benefited a bank in which he owns stock.”

Beauprez is referring to a Washington Times article that reported Perlmutter’s abuse of Congressional power to sneak in an amendment to the Cap-and-Trade bill that would’ve benefited a large bank which he partially owns.

“Perlmutter is not only wrong, he’s corrupt,” Beauprez concluded. “That’s why I’m supporting Ryan Frazier – someone who actually knows what the people of the 7th District want and need.” [link added]

Yesterday it was the 30-second Amendment 63 animation of Obamacare-inspired jailhouse fear. Today, one of my Independence Institute colleagues did it again. Compliments of Mothers Against Debt, sit back and enjoy two minutes worth of educational programming you won’t see on PBS:

Not on PBS, but it does have a little bit of that Schoolhouse Rock flavor — minus the funky 70s music. Regardless, the important message is one we all need to latch onto.

Republican state treasurer candidate Walker Stapleton, fresh off an endorsement from the Colorado Springs Gazette, has unveiled a clever gimmick to drive his message home as we reach the closing weeks of election season. Called Bounce The Bureaucrat, it highlights the campaign’s primary message of Stapleton’s private sector experience versus incumbent Democrat Cary Kennedy’s career in government jobs.

The cute bouncing graphic of Cary Kennedy — who once famously declared her support for a ballot measure to “drive a stake in the heart of” your constitutional taxpayer protections — not surprisingly leads users to Stapleton’s fundraising page. The race could be a close one. As of last week’s campaign financial reports, Kennedy had raised $762,681 and spent most of it to have just over $30,000 on hand. Along with $250,000 in loans, Stapleton had raised $574,028 and was left with nearly $320,000 in the war chest.

Colorado Democratic Attorney General candidate Stan Garnett has unleashed campaign broadsides at incumbent Republican John Suthers for accepting campaign contributions from members of the payday lending industry while fulfilling his legal duty to help write new industry regulations. Certainly not illegal, but Garnett contended that Suthers should avoid the appearance of impropriety and return the contributions.

But should the same standard apply, of all campaigns, to Stan Garnett? What about accepting campaign contributions from attorneys with pending cases before the state, cases the Attorney General will have to defend. Should Garnett return these contributions? (more…)

Colorado drivers, look around you. Okay, keep your eyes on the road. Of course. But if you’re motoring along highways throughout the state, you may see one of the 100 famous Who Said You Said billboards spread throughout Colorado (86 in the Denver metro area and 7 each in Fort Collins and Grand Junction):

The billboards invite citizens to “Stop Payment” on reckless ?spending by visiting WhoSaidYouSaid.com and send “Stop Payment”? notices to those officeholders. Federal spending has ballooned to $3.7 trillion, we have a $1 trillion budget deficit and are $13 trillion in debt.

Take some time today and send these representatives a “Stop Payment” notice.

Breitbart TV has taken notice of the billboard campaign; why not you? If you’re around Denver or one of the other two cities anytime in the next month, then you can get in on the scavenger hunt excitement…. (more…)

We already knew that my Congressman, liberal Democrat Ed Perlmutter, can twist himself into knots defending the Death Tax. But today Perlmutter went further, providing the decisive vote on the House floor (210-209) to adjourn Congress to keep from voting on extending the Bush tax cuts that would provide relief to my family and millions of others.

Thirty-nine Democrats voted against adjournment to give a chance to debate tax relief. But not Ed Perlmutter. The official response from the campaign of Republican challenger Ryan Frazier:

“Ed decided to skip town early rather than vote to get our nation’s economy back on track,” Tyler Q. Houlton, Ryan Frazier’s Campaign spokesman, said. “Ed would rather put his reelection chances above the interests of our constituents here in the 7th Congressional District.”

As my fellow Colorado blogger Rossputin notes about the narrow margin on the adjournment vote: “The Obama/Pelosi/Reid agenda is now officially on life support…” Perlmutter has helped to ensure the IV drip continues a little while longer.

Time to come home for good, Ed. Time to come home.

Update, 10:30 PM: In an email this evening, Republican candidate Tim Leonard responded to the charge from his Democratic opponent as follows:

After one debate together, she clearly knows that her statement of my position is erroneous. I have used clear language to state that my position is to reduce our state government spending to equal our tax revenues — currently estimated to be a $1.1B budget decrease. And I have been equally clear that I support an “across the board” reduction in all the funded areas of our state government.

So to represent to the public that I would support absorbing 100% of our budget shortfall within public education is a purposeful misrepresentation for the benefit of fooling voters. This is the very definition of “negative campaigning”. I would hope she retracts her statement, apologizes for misleading voters, and better adheres to her pledge of running a positive campaign.

Jeanne Nicholson is a Democrat running for one of the Colorado state legislature’s most competitive races this year: Senate District 16. In an email sent out yesterday morning, she regurgitated an alleged statistic that lies somewhere between misleading and utterly meaningless:

…In these uncertain times public schools are under attack. My opponent in this race is calling for a billion dollar cut to the state’s education budget. I don’t need to tell you that a budget cut on this scale would devastate our public schools already ranked 49th in the nation in funding per student.

First of all, it should be noted there is no evidence I can find that Nicholson’s Republican opponent Tim Leonard has made any sort of a call. But that just looks like the usual election season hyperbole. What I am more concerned about is the absurd claim that Colorado ranks 49th in per-pupil K-12 funding. I’ve debunked it time and again before. But here we go again for the record so other candidates, officials and groups this year avoid repeating the spurious claim: (more…)

An interesting political poll is out today, commissioned by the group Public Notice and conducted jointly by The Tarrance Group and Hart Research. What’s interesting for this time on the calendar is that it asks no questions about candidates or ballot issues. But the results from 500 likely Colorado voters (asked between Sept 12 and 15) offer some valuable, if not terribly surprising, insights about the upcoming election:

• 68% of likely voters say government spending is too high; only 10% say it is too low….
• Nearly two thirds (61%) named government spending among the most important issues to their vote….
• Nearly two thirds (65%) say government spending is a factor in their own financial situation….
• The perceived impact of government spending reaches across all income levels, from those making less than $30,000 per year (61%) to voters making $100,000 and over (56%)….
• Voters are cynical about the nation’s fiscal future: less than half (39%) believe they will see another federal budget surplus in their lifetime.

(more…)

Colorado state representative Sara Gagliardi — a fiscal liberal and union ally — is right at the top of the list of Democratic incumbents whose seats are in jeopardy this fall. Having confirmed to appear at the September 13 Metro North Chamber and MetroNorth Newspaper candidate forum (screenshot of video below), Gagliardi was nevertheless absent. A vulnerable seat and an inability to show up to nonpartisan community candidate debates: Which is the cause and which is the effect?

(more…)