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Baseball Players Stump for EFCA: A Bad Way to Mix Sports and Politics

Here's the latest, greatest example why sports and politics don't mix .... At first, when I read this posting from the Right to Work blog, I thought I had another solid reason to cheer against the New York Yankees for whatever is left of the World Series:Mark Teixeira has a $100 million contract to play baseball with the Yankees. Good for Mark. But it’s too bad that this multi-millionaire is stepping to the plate on behalf of the union bosses by advocating for the Card Check Forced Unionism bill. But then I followed the link and found that two of the 12 Forced Unionism baseball spokesmen were Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino of the Philadelphia Phillies. And horror of horrors, my favorite hometown pitcher Justin Verlander is a … [Read more...]

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Pelosi’s Version of Obama Care “Worst Bill Ever”? Close Enough to Reject

Is Nancy Pelosi's 2,000-page version of Obama Care "the worst bill ever" -- as the editors of the Wall Street Journal describe it? I doubt it. After all, that's some pretty stiff competition. But if you're busy having to defend the so-called health care reform legislation from the charge of "worst bill ever," the Democrats in charge of Congress risk a massive political backlash in 2010. Will my own Congressman Ed Perlmutter vote for the deficit spending, middle-class taxes, rationed care, and greater government control of medicine? If so, he'd better be watching out for Republican Ryan Frazier -- who quite ably lays out the top 12 reasons to reject Nancy Pelosi's health care monstrosity. Check out the Patient Power Now blog to find … [Read more...]

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Wow: Obama Stimulus Spending in Jefferson County at $1.1 Million Per Job

In a recent diary at Rocky Mountain Right, Mike Robinson finds that the Obama stimulus bill created 654 jobs in Douglas County at a cost of $131,548 per job. Using the same Recovery.gov website, I learned that Douglas has nothing on my own Jefferson County. According to my calculations, $244,783,814 in ARRA "stimulus" money has been spent in Jeffco. How many jobs created? 221.39 ... For a total of $1,105,667.89 per job. As bad as $230,000 per job nationwide (presuming no union featherbedding is going on) is for stimulus spending, Jeffco really has felt the short end of the stick. Kind of like construction jobs anywhere. Far and away the biggest single Jeffco award went to Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, in Golden: nearly $160 … [Read more...]

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Rally With the Tea Party Express in Denver’s Civic Center Today at 5 PM

The Tea Party Express rolls into Denver today for a 5 PM Election Day 2009 rally featuring Joe The Plumber. Angry about the Pelosi-Obama health care monstrosity? Fed up with the billions in "stimulus" money that's done so little for jobs and the economy? Here's your chance to show your support for limited government, liberty and fiscal responsibility:Date/Time: Tuesday, November 3rd at 5:00 pm Rally Location: Civic Center – Greek Theater 100 W 14th Ave Denver, CO 80204 As Joshua points out, today is a busy day of important elections (not to mention the school board election here in Jefferson County) here in Colorado and back East. If you are able to vote in one of these important races (or know someone who is) and haven't … [Read more...]

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GOP Surprise: Dave Schultheis to Retire, Tom McDowell to Succeed Him?

From CBS4 Denver, foot-in-mouth State Senator David Schultheis (R-Colorado Springs) has pulled a surprise and announced he's not running for re-election in 2010. Does this make former blogger and self-proclaimed "big tent" Republican candidate Tom McDowell the frontrunner in Senate District 9? It's no secret that Tom once was a frequent visitor to this blog, and has left his share of comments that speak for themselves. All I can say is he seems to like to pick fights over imagined disputes. If nominated and elected, I hope he shows more tact than his predecessor. … [Read more...]

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Remembering Grandpa Two Years Past the 100th Anniversary of His Birth

Two years ago today I posted a brief memoir in honor of what would have been my Grandpa's 100th birthday. It was uplifting to go back and re-read what I wrote then -- something that seldom happens with the many things I write here. I wouldn't change anything, except to add an update. Thanks to my brother's experimentation, I now have a recipe for popcorn that very nearly resembles Grandpa's very special, almost-world-famous concoction. In the past week I've made myself a few batches -- even ate one batch while watching one of the World Series games. Good memories of good times nearly brought to life. While I won't be undertaking another series on gratitude this November, I'm still thankful for the legacy of my grandparents. … [Read more...]

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State of Colorado’s Republican Race for Governor: After Penry, the Deluge?

Chuck Plunkett is one of the more liberal members of the Denver Post's editorial board, but he's a straight shooter. And his Friday posting on the state of Colorado's Republican primary for governor -- "Whither Tancredo?" -- is full of spot-on insights, such as:Party insiders say the problem is that the campaign [Scott] McInnis has structured to date has created a vacuum that conservatives abhor. And: … [Read more...]

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Finding a Home for “What I’m Thankful For”: Reflecting One Year Later

Last year at this time I was in the middle of writing a 20-part blog series on "What I'm Thankful For." While I have no plans in reprising the series for 2009, I have created a new permanent page on the site with links to each post -- from "The Legacy of My Grandparents" to "Vision" and everything in between. Eleven days until the official Thanksgiving holiday, and it's never too early to start reflecting on the need for more gratitude in each of our lives. … [Read more...]

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Democrat State Sen. Dan Gibbs to Forego Re-election: Start Speculating

New RMA member Don Johnson reports that Democrat state senator Dan Gibbs will not run for re-election in his mountain district in 2010. A good opportunity for the Dead Guvs to pine that state lawmakers aren't paid well enough. Suddenly, SD16 has to look a lot more appealing to Republicans. Last time around Gibbs beat Don Ytterberg (now the chairman of the Jefferson County GOP) by a nearly 3-to-2 margin. But the political environment makes the seat a lot more competitive for Republicans in 2010, and I don't see any scenario where they can win back the majority without it. If the rumors haven't already started to circulate, allow me to ask: Will first-term Rep. Cheri Gerou in HD 25 make the leap? Might someone coax former Rep. Rob … [Read more...]