Update, 5/20: John Hawkins at Right Wing News has posted the following petition to the NRSC (to which I have added my name at the end):Dear Senator Cornyn, We the undersigned believe that the National Republican Senatorial Committee should be committed to serving ALL the members of the Republican Party. Additionally, the NRSC should be focused on defeating Democrats, not Republicans. Towards that end, we believe it was completely inappropriate for the NRSC to endorse a candidate in the Florida primary race. Therefore, we request that both you and the NRSC alter your position on the Florida Senate race, maintain neutrality, and promise to spend no money directly or indirectly in that race. Sincerely yours, Ben DeGrow Mount … [Read more...]
Barack Obama Would Play Jimmy Hoffa by Getting Union Bad Guys Off
Yesterday the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standards reported its 900th conviction of union leaders for criminal activity. From the press release:During the month, OLMS obtained three convictions, seven indictments and court orders of restitution totaling more than $80,000. The office’s totals for fiscal year 2008 (which ended on Sept. 30, 2008) are 102 convictions and 130 indictments, with restitution of more than $3.2 million. The bulk of the cases involved the embezzlement of union funds. “The triple-digit numbers of indictments and convictions obtained by OLMS in the 2008 fiscal year demonstrates that criminal activity in unions is still a major problem. This problem points to the critical role … [Read more...]
Amendment 54 Ad Spotlights Remedy for No-Bid Contract Corruption
Colorado's Amendment 54 proponents have taken their case to the airwaves for the first time [Video Updated]: The case of state senator Abel Tapia receiving hundreds of thousands in no-bid government contracts over 10 years was first brought to light by the Denver Post back in April. But as the ad correctly points out, Amendment 54 would create an electronic database of no-bid government contracts searchable by Colorado citizens. You can find the explanation for my endorsement of Amendment 54 and thumbnail explanations of all the measures on my guide to the 2008 Colorado ballot. ^^^^^^^ Most of the HP2-Q01 servicing HP desktops, workstations and notebooks and Cisco 640-553 implementing IOS network security students are … [Read more...]
Jon Caldara and Denver Post Agree on Amendment 49: Stop the Presses!
As of today, the Denver Post becomes the fifth major Colorado newspaper to line up in support of Amendment 49, the Ethical Standards initiative (H/T Ethical Standards). One line from the Post's lead editorial shows how truly remarkable a development this endorsement of Amendment 49 is:It prevents state and local governments from collecting dues for labor unions or other groups that use such funds to elect or lobby the very public officials who hire them and set their salaries and benefits. It's a modest but important ethical rule that will help keep partisan politics, with its echo of the 19th century "spoils system," out of the merit systems that regulate most state and local government jobs. We usually don't agree with the … [Read more...]
Hank Brown on Video: “Amendment 49 Keeps Lobbyists in Line”
Earlier I linked to the audio of former Governor Bill Owens and former U.S. Senator Hank Brown giving their endorsements of Amendment 49, Colorado's Ethical Standards initiative. Compliments of Ethical Standards Now, here is a longer version of the Hank Brown Amendment 49 radio ad set to YouTube video - "Amendment 49 keeps lobbyists in line": (Full disclosure: I also happen to work for the Independence Institute, which has provided the intellectual ammunition behind Ethical Standards.) … [Read more...]
Amendment 47 Moves Past Frivolous Legal Attacks to Make Public Case
A common and repeated tactic of the Left this year has been to throw frivolous legal challenges at ballot initiatives they don't like in an effort to keep Coloradans from deciding the issues themselves. Well, last Thursday the Denver Business Journal reported that a judge has tossed out legal complaints against one certain initiative:A Denver District Court judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit from opponents of Amendment 47, the so-called “right-to-work†ballot initiative that would bar labor unions from collecting mandatory dues in workplaces that engage in collective bargaining. Incidentally, the same publication endorsed Amendment 47 only days before (subscription required). Meanwhile, Fred Barnes at the Weekly Standard has an … [Read more...]
NEA Endorses Obama, Giving the Rest of Us a Reason to Vote McCain
Did you need a reason not to vote for Barack Obama? Perhaps need a reason to vote for John McCain? If I'm not convinced already, this press release from the National Education Association sure helps to push me in that direction:National Education Association President Reg Weaver announced today that he will ask the 9,000 locally elected delegates to the Association's Representative Assembly to take a formal vote to recommend that NEA's 3.2 million members support Barack Obama in his bid to become President of the United States.... The contrast between Obama and McCain on issues that matter most to NEA members – the economy, education and health care – is indeed stark. Obama opposes using public tax dollars to provide financial … [Read more...]
Wil Armstrong for Congress
Having accepted an invitation, today I met with Wil Armstrong - Republican candidate for Colorado's 6th Congressional District. Nationally-known Congressman Tom Tancredo has stepped down after five terms in office, and four candidates are vying to replace him for the safe Republican seat. The other candidates are Secretary of State Mike Coffman, State Senator Ted Harvey, and State Senator Steve Ward. Unlike the other three, Wil Armstrong has never held elected office. But in a time when many Republican voters are frustrated with the fiscal irresponsibility of their own elected officials and are clamoring for change, he considers the lack of experience a strength. Instead, Armstrong has been a successful entrepreneur and a dedicated … [Read more...]
John McCain?
Sen. John McCain wins Florida and all 57 of its delegates - well, congratulations then. Rudy to drop out and endorse McCain? Conservatives should feel used. Though one of Rudy's biggest supporters, Patrick Ruffini, makes a compelling case for Republicans to get on board with Romney:When it comes to the electability question, don’t focus on horserace numbers. Focus on the fundamentals. After weeks of fawning coverage, and weeks of seeing the press swooning for Obama and beating down Clinton, John McCain is no better than tied against Hillary. When it was last Clinton vs. McCain as the frontrunners, he ran worse than Giuliani and was seen as less dynamic. I expect that with either Romney or McCain, the race would settle into a 3-6 point … [Read more...]
NY Times for McCain, Republicans for Romney
The New York Times endorsed John McCain for the Republican nomination:In 2006, however, Mr. McCain stood up for the humane treatment of prisoners and for a ban on torture. We said then that he was being conned by Mr. Bush, who had no intention of following the rules. But Mr. McCain took a stand, just as he did in recognizing the threat of global warming early. He has been a staunch advocate of campaign finance reform, working with Senator Russ Feingold, among the most liberal of Democrats, on groundbreaking legislation, just as he worked with Senator Edward Kennedy on immigration reform. Why not just hang a lead weight around the McCain campaign? Well, say no more. The Old Gray Lady is for the "maverick" Arizona Senator, which gives … [Read more...]