If we are to be successful, pro-liberty groups and individuals are going to have to be more collaborative. There is strength in numbers. To a good extent, this movement has begun in Colorado -- with the People's Press Collective, Liberty on the Rocks, and other projects. But plenty of work remains to be done on many levels. Kudos to all those in the trenches. On the most recent episode of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio we talked with blogger and online activist Ken Marrero about -- among other things -- his work with the national Tea Party movement and the development of a group called American Liberty Alliance. It turns out that as of today Ken is now the executive director of this national grassroots movement. It's an … [Read more...]
Is Democrat Jack Pommer Just Screwing Up a Lot of Paperwork Again?
Face The State has the details about the Boulder Democrat:On the April 16 report, [state representative Jack] Pommer lists campaign contributions from registered lobbyists and special interest groups made on February 5. The date is significant, as it falls exactly a month into the legislative session. Under Colorado campaign finance law, it is illegal for lobbyists or special interest groups that lobby to give or solicit money for the campaigns of state office-holders while the legislature is in session. "The way the law reads, it says lobbyists shall not give," said Rich Coolidge, spokesman for the Secretary of State. "The burden falls on the lobbyist." Lobbyist contributions came from Jane Urschel of the Colorado Association of … [Read more...]
Mark Hillman Cuts Through Deception Used Against Amendments 47, 49, 54
Another prominent, respected Colorado voice joins the chorus of those denouncing the nonsensical attacks against Amendments 47, 49, and 54. Former state treasurer Mark Hillman makes a couple of terrific points in his piece:Amendment 49 (â€ethical standardsâ€) prohibits state and local governments from intercepting a worker’s paycheck to collect dues or contributions for unions, lobbyists or any other special interest. It simply requires all interest groups to ask supporters directly for their contribution, rather than use government payroll systems as their collection agency. Groups from the National Rifle Association to the Sierra Club rely on voluntary contributions, so why can’t labor unions and other special … [Read more...]
CoDA’s “Educate the Idiots” Members Biggest Funders of Protect Colorado’s Future’s Campaign of Deception
If you haven't seen or heard it by now, Colorado's "progressive" Democrat coalition got a little more behind-the-scenes exposure yesterday than they would like. A series of slowly leaked documents by Face The State are uncovering the inner workings of the coalition - known as the Colorado Democracy Alliance (CoDA). The light of the day has given us some useful insights. We are starting to see what the Left's agenda for Colorado is, why they have coordinated the spending of so much money to take over the state legislature, the governor's office, and so much more. No document has received quite as much attention as this one:In a confidential internal memorandum obtained by Face The State (PDF), the Colorado Democracy Alliance outlines a … [Read more...]
Protect Colorado Future’s Deception Starting to Get Monotonous
Protect Colorado's Culture of Corruption Future, opponents of the good government reforms Colorado Amendment 49 and Amendment 54, must be going after the world record for most deceptive campaign. They're certainly making a run for it, as their latest effort may take the cake. In today's Rocky Mountain News, CBS4 reporter Raj Chohan dissects their latest out-of-this-world fable:A new political commercial suggests that a trio of Colorado ballot measures would give special breaks to multinational corporations such as Halliburton. The 30-second spot comes from a union-backed group called Protect Colorado's Future. Ad: This is a voter alert. Colorado ballot amendments have built-in loopholes. Amendments 49 and 54 would not apply to … [Read more...]
Taxpayer Resources Used to Campaign Against Colorado Amendment 46
Despite Governor Bill Ritter's denial, a state official acknowledged to the Rocky Mountain News that Ritter's administration used official taxpayer resources to invite people to an anti-Amendment 46 campaign event (H/T Face The State):Even as Ritter announced his opposition, Amendment 46 backers complained his administration had used state resources to campaign against the measure, which would be a violation of state law. Ritter denied that. But later, his director of economic development, Don Elliman, acknowledged his office had used state time to invite people to a Sept. 22 forum on Amendment 46, which featured a well-known opponent of such measures, but no one who supported them. "We blew it," Elliman said. "It would appear from … [Read more...]
Hypocritical Attacks from Opponents of Amendment 49 and Amendment 54
No doubt the political season is upon us, and the hypocrisy of large special interest groups is on display. Nowhere is this more true in our state than with the political group Protect Colorado's Future. Their spokesman said in an interview last week with Channel 7:"When you have these out-of-state, or narrow corporate interests trying to divide Coloradans, it's bad for all Colorado," said Jess Knox, wearing a pin that says, "No on 47, 49 and 54." So Protect Colorado's Future wants to make a big deal out of "out-of-state" campaign funds? Well, as Face The State points out today:It’s no secret that out-of-state money is flooding Colorado from both sides. In the unions’ case, the out-of state money is coming from the pockets of … [Read more...]