Viral videos are “what’s going around.� Here are some family-friendly quick-picks.
Ever wonder if TV news is "staged" for viewers? Here's living proof. NBC actress, ahem, reporter Michelle Kosinski stayed on script as she paddled a canoe in the floodwaters rising in the streets of Wayne, N.J. to illustrate the severity of the disaster. A few seconds into her live report, two men walked right in front of her canoe through ankle-deep water. That's right. The water barely got the tops of their feet wet. Ms. Kosinski commented during the segment that "it's really tough to control a canoe or boat when you're out in it." Did she mean that it's really tough to use a canoe when you're paddling pavement? Click here for this hilarious video.
So what does the Leader of the Free World do in an unscripted moment? Watch President Bush as he demonstrates the Open Door Policy to the press and to China. Click here to watch the President make his first attempt at stand-up comedy.
Is it news, or is it a parody? This time, a BBC reporter interviews armed men in Iraq. Speaking of uniformed humor, here’s some hilarious video from the United Kingdom.
And one that’s all-too-real, a news anchor who can’t stop laughing.
Here’s some bad behavior caught on tape. These are some folks who shouldn’t even get a lump of coal in their stockings next year.
Even after watching these several times, they’re still astonishing, amazing, stunning, awe-inspiring. How did they do that?
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Questions and Answers
Q How many people have visited your blog?
I have no idea…today I finally figured out how to install a hit counter.
Q What was your reaction to the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel’s treatment of your blog?
Probably took it better than liberal Ralph D’Andrea, who came across like a stuffed shirt. What’s funny is that a blog I sent to the reporter somehow became fodder for Grand Junction Free Press habitual contributor, Michael Ervin. Now, that was laugh-out-loud funny! Imagine, from all the obscure blogs in the blogosphere, that he would happen to comment on the one that I sent to the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel’s reporter as an example of some local blogs!
Q Do you really log onto www.rocketboom.com?
Yes, since I discovered it on some other news site. I don’t always usually okay, I NEVER agree with Amanda Congdon, but she’s really quite entertaining.
Q Do you plan to expand into v-logging?
Yes, right after as each week expands into 8 days that contain 72 hours each.
Q Who is your favorite comedian?
The Fruitcake Lady on the Jay Leno Show.
Q Would you describe yourself as an intellectual or as a class clown?
Yes.
Q Do you consider yourself to be an honest reporter?
I do the best I can to deliver the unvarnished facts. Face it—I don’t have time to add the varnish.
Q Are you pro or anti-war?
I am definitely opposed to just taking it in the chops or turning away from the cries of the helpless and weak.
Q In your opinion, is the War on Terror a success or failure?
We’ve seized and destroyed weapons of mass destruction: Uday, Qusay and Saddam Hussein. These three thugs snuffed out as many as a half million men, women and children, then dumped them into mass graves.
Q Shouldn’t we just pull out of Iraq now?
Yeah, sure, let’s do our level best to ensure that brave men and women in uniform died just so we could create a power vacuum. You idiot! We don’t want our soldiers to die for our country—we want the bad guys to die. If the terrorists want to die to meet the promised 72 virgins, the coalition forces will likely accommodate them.
Q War is hell. You sound like you think war can be justified.
Next time someone breaks into your house and holds your family at gunpoint, tell me that you don’t believe in violence or fighting. Only a total wuss refuses to protect and defend his family. Your country is your extended family.
Q What is your opinion of the separation of church and state?
I’m totally in favor of taking the state out of the free exercise of religion. I also favor putting such questions to a vote of the people, rather than misusing the courts to abridge the fundamental Constitutional rights of American citizens. After all, the Constitution guarantees the “free exercise of religion,� not “freedom from religion.� Presently in our country, we are not allowed to publicly observe or honor Christianity, even though it doesn’t insist on being the exclusive religion or philosophy. However, the philosophy of secular humanism is rapidly becoming the ONLY philosophy allowed in public, and there’s a good argument that secular humanism fits the definition of a religion.
Q Are you pro-life, pro-choice or both?
According to the Constitution, all people have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and the Constitution names them in that order. The pro-abortionists know this, so they have sent their highly-paid lawyers to successfully argue the non-personhood of the unborn. Otherwise, they’d be in trouble with the next little bit of the Constitution, which provides that no person shall be deprived of any of these rights without due process of law. One therefore cannot hold a pro-abortion position and still support and defend the Constitution. It would be interesting to see how putting it to the vote might affect the industry of abortion on demand. It would be refreshing to see legislation that requires abortion providers to disclose the medical diagnosis justifying each abortion they perform. It would be refreshing to see prosecutors go after rape and incest perps by using either the baby’s blood sample or at least make it standard practice to preserve the aborted fetus and therefore the DNA evidence that the perp is the father and therefore has committed the crime. It would also be interesting to see whether victims of rape or incest decide that putting the perps behind bars is worth going through the pregnancy, especially if offenders get an enhanced sentence for subjecting these women to pregnancy as a result of the crime. If it was up to me, I’d enhance the sentences of rape and incest perps with features that would compel them to endure weight gain, constant nausea, aching feet, aching back, endless questions about their condition, and a sign on their foreheads that says “I’m a convicted rapist,� “I raped my daughter/niece/granddaughter etc,� or some other obvious indicator of their “condition.� Of course, this would only work if Planned Parenthood stopped helping perps destroy the evidence…
Q What is your position on marriage?
Here in Colorado, we call it the Mountain Men State. Not the men mountin’ men state. When my husband and I applied for our marriage license, neither of us were free to marry someone of the same sex. To this day, we aren’t free to run red lights, jaywalk, shout fire in a theater unless there really is one, or otherwise break laws, even if we really, really want to break them. It’s just astonishing that some people will shout “discrimination� when in fact everyone is subject to the same laws. Next thing you know, people will sue to have the law of gravity overturned on the grounds that the heaviest among us are unequally subject to it and that’s discrimination,by golly!
Q What is your position on obsolete marriage laws?
Oh, like miscegenation? That was a stupid law. It’s in a society’s interest to be able to grow. Historically, societies who bought into the concept of pure bloodedness tended to be the same ones that intermarried even to incestuous degrees. What was called miscegenation in the old days is what I would call adding some variety and strength to the national gene pool. Same-sex marriage, if practiced by every American, would ensure the extinction of our civilization by eliminating our nation’s ability to maintain an ongoing supply of new citizens.
Dear National Security Agency,
I hereby give you permission to eavesdrop on my email, phone calls, and faxes. Once in awhile I get a Christmas email in Finnish, German, and English from some friends in Europe.
You may hear my grand-daughter babble or the dog barking in the background. Sometimes you’ll hear an old Western turned up a little too loud. Go ahead and read my email, especially the patriotic messages people forward to me. Read my spam messages, too, and be sure and delete them for me while you’re at it.
Sure, I’m unnerved that my government can eavesdrop on me, but less so than a certain number of loudly whining Senators and Congressmen who may now fear that someone overheard the details of some dirty deed or other. Maybe some of them telephoned Saddam to offer some words of encouragement. Funny how the very legislators who are so busy now bashing the President for using his authority to protect the country remained silent when his predecessor used the IRS to harass and intimidate American citizens. They are also studiously avoiding any discussion of the prior administration’s misuse of the FBI to intimidate American citizens.
So go ahead and listen in on an everyday American enjoying the liberties you are trying so hard to protect.
Here are my top secrets:
- I kiss my dog on his nose.
- Years ago I actually liked Barry Manilow.
- When I first heard about the Swash, I instantly knew I wanted to try it.
- Someone gave me a long-stemmed red rose, and it wasn’t my husband.
- My husband saw the long-stemmed red rose and didn’t ask (it was a Mary Kay saleswoman).
- Despite living there three years, I’ve never been lost in Germany.
- Sometimes I read newspapers from Mexico.
- Flying into or from Frankfurt International Airport didn’t unnerve me nearly as much as the single-prop flight from Grand Junction to Denver, and Denver International isn’t patrolled by men in uniform with an Uzi machine gun strapped to one shoulder and the leash of an energetic German Shepherd in the other hand.
- People who just got off the plane from Beirut didn’t scare me nearly as much as the notorious Free Press habitual contributor, Michael Irvin.
- Among other interesting people I’ve met over the years are refugees from Iran, most of whom were Armenians escaping the kind of tyranny we Americans will likely never know, and who know the difference between reasonable searches and a shake-down by totalitarian thugs.
Between the Lines: What You Won’t Read in the News
Secret courts. Bush administration spying on Americans. Nixon-era.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/253334_nsaspying24.html?source=mypi
But wait a minute…this article includes the words “speculation� and author and book. Could it be drumming up interest in the author’s book to generate sales?
Even more entertaining is the article’s claim that the interview subject is an acknowledged authority, but doesn’t mention who acknowledges the subject’s authority. Perhaps he’s a self-acknowledged authority?
A quick biographical sketch of the book author turned intelligence expert reveals that he has written investigative cover stories for the New York Times, the Washington Post Magazine, and the Las Angeles Times Magazine. He’s also a visiting professor at the University of California at Berkeley.
On Monday 26 Dec 2005 his book Body of Secrets was #1,633 on Amazon’s best seller list, but the next day, Tuesday 27 December it had skyrocketed to #791. Ca-ching!
This author has also made the anti-war circuit, such as at www.antiwar.com http://www.antiwar.com/av/?articleid=3440
Operated by http://randolphbourne.org/ which is an anti-war site with (surprise!) an anti-war agenda. He’s appeared on Air America http://shows.airamericaradio.com/ms/node/1067 and a google search of the author turned up an impressive association with anti-Bush, anti-war, liberal, progressive sites, but zip in connection with conservative content.
So here’s the caveat: readers should always remember that the objective of establishment media is to sell their product, which means they are in the business of telling and selling people what they want to hear, which may not necessarily be the truth, the unadulterated truth, or the whole truth.
That this author was invited to speak to an anti-war organization suggests that the said anti-war organization believes the author’s message will be what their anti-war members want to hear. Better still, both stand to profit—book sales and membership fees.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Hot Topic: Immigration
To begin to understand the scale of the immigration question, to comprehend the sheer numbers of illegal aliens stampeding north across the Mexican border into the United States, to visualize the breathtaking magnitude of the problem, one can look to the past. The distant past.Following the call of Manifest Destiny, countless Americans packed up everything they owned into wagons and handcarts to make the trek into the West. Over time, the iron "tires" of the wagon wheels wore deep ruts into the land. In places, the passage of iron wore ruts in the Oregon Trail that even today measure four to five feet wide and a yard deep. More than a century after the last wagon stopped in Oregon City, one stands in awe that so many men, women, children, horses, oxen and wagons passed to inscribe ruts into the land that have endured more than a century. It took 50 years for iron-clad wooden wheels to wear these ruts into the landscape.
These photos show just one popular route used by illegal aliens to cross on foot into the United States.
"Mr. Bush, Build Up That Wall!"
Some argue that constructing a wall between Mexico and the United States is "stupid," most recently, Mexican president Vicente Fox. Arizona's governor, Janet Napolitano cried, "Show me a 50 foot wall, and I'll show you a 51 foot ladder." Sure, human beings on foot might climb a wall, but it's pretty clear that it WILL stop drug dealers who may now conveniently drive their poisonous wares across the border and into American neighborhoods.
A wall may not stop every Tomas, Ricardo or Jose from trekking in search of a better life in the North, but it will greatly deter the high-speed drug-related shootouts that plague families in border communities. A wall will greatly slow the hemorrhage of drugs, most recently methamphetamine, into American communities by reducing the volume of drugs that can physically be carried across the border. Presently, methamphetamine cooked in Mexico rolls north in convoys of 4X4 trucks. This obviously is a far more efficient method of transportation than in the backpacks of illegals climbing a wall.
Aerial photography of the Mexican frontier with the United States illustrates the point. Trails, paths and roads cross the imaginary line between north and south of the border. Some of these appear to be cattle or game trails that conveniently connect on the north side of the border with a dirt, gravel or even paved road. This photo shows a section of the Chisholm Trail, beaten into the earth by the hooves of millions of cattle. These photos portray the damage and filth generated by thousands of illegal aliens crossing the frontier unimpeded in many places by so much as a barbed wire fence. Frequently the alien invaders are so numerous that they march single-file and simply walk across the border to be picked up by smugglers waiting on the adjacent highway.
Despite the evidence, some in Congress cry out against construction of a wall and won't even authorize funding for vehicle barriers to keep drug runners from smuggling thousands of kilos at a time of methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana and other controlled substances. In many places Mexican roads continue across an invisible line marking the border with the United States, where drug-smuggling criminals armed with automatic weapons find no obstacle whatsoever to their vehicles heavily loaded with kilos of narcotics. Someone please show Governor Napolitano a drug-smuggler's truck trapped behind a vehicle barricade so she can begin to understand the effectiveness of a 50-foot wall. She needs to also see the interconnected networks of roads and trails that can be interrupted by a wall that keeps the drug-smugglers' high-speed shootouts south of the border and out of the neighborhoods of America's border communities.
An Invasion of Illegal Aliens, the Welcome Mat, and Word-of-Mouth Advertising
Babies born to illegal aliens on U.S. soil are presently awarded automatic citizenship—and eligibility for Medicaid, food stamps, public housing, and other so-called entitlement programs. It’s hard to find a more effective marketing strategy to encourage an illegal run for our borders than to provide better jobs and subsidized food and housing for those who succeed.
What many United States citizens may not realize is that people from Mexico, Mesoamerica and South America lack the education to comprehend that these benefits are not free. Many of these people are not literate even in Spanish, and the indigenous people may not speak Spanish at all. From their perspective, Norteamericanos are wonderful, generous people who help them apply for everything. Frequently, illegal aliens express pride that their often numerous children are U.S. citizens.
Moreover, once illegals establish themselves in the U.S. the first thing they do is contact their relatives back home to tell them where they are, how they got there, and who helped them. Suddenly that person has become a tremendous marketing tool and public relations person to advertise how to succeed at illegal immigration.
Some decry the movement to eliminate birthright citizenship and accuse its supporters of cruelty to children. However, they fail to account for human behavior in response to change. If birthright citizenship is eliminated, illegal aliens will be far less likely to drag their wives and children on a dangerous journey north precisely because the incentive to do so will have been eliminated for those coming just for public benefits. Thus, elimination of birthright citizenship could arguably save lives. Yes, life as an illegal without status, without access to free medical care, food stamps, subsidized housing, and other public benefits would be harsh, but those conditions would deter the free-loaders.
The other leg of the magnet attracting illegal aliens on the life-threatening journey north is unscrupulous employers who hire illegals, often under-the-table, and can therefore easily subject these people to unsafe or intolerable working conditions. Again, the way to turn off the magnet is to remove the incentive to hire illegals. Employers presently face such miniscule fines that they consider them to be an ordinary cost of business. However, should the fines contemplate the unfair economic advantage gained by the employer through their illegal activity, they will have less incentive to hire illegal workers.
Employers everywhere, especially those dependent on illegals for their economic advantage will invariably wail that they are required to collect documentation, not determine its authenticity. They’re right, sort of.
What they don’t bother to acknowledge is that there are people available who examine identity documents as a routine and have access to resources that permit them to determine in good faith an identity document’s authenticity. Notaries public, particularly those who are members in good standing of a nationally-recognized professional organization, such as the National Notary Association, routinely use identity document verification tools to ascertain the identity of persons. Such notaries are authorized to possess identity document authentication catalogs for both national and international documents. In many states, notaries are required to retain a copy of any document the notary authenticates.
Moreover, employers can check up to ten social security numbers a day free of charge to screen the number provided by an employee for validity and for the state of issue. More numbers may be checked with an inexpensive subscription. To discover whether the social security number belongs to a deceased person, an employer can also use the Social Security Death Index. While these are just screening tools, and quick-and-dirty ones at that, it’s better than making no effort at all. By simply mentioning a social security number check, employers can subtly encourage those about to present a bogus social security number to make a hasty exit while the employer is in the other room to use the computer. After all, persons with bogus social security numbers presumably know they’re fake and won’t want to risk prosecution and deportation. It all comes down to how lucky the illegal worker feels that day, who knows he or she doesn’t have a valid social security number, and now nows that the employer will instantly know that the number the illegal worker is about to present is fake and doesn’t match the worker’s name or belongs to a deceased person.
In short, the authenticity question is not sufficient to excuse employers from making at least a minimal good-faith effort to scrutinize identity documents. Calling on a notary public to authenticate identity documents, particularly driver licenses, is an inexpensive way to minimize acceptance of forged identity documents. Social security number verification tools provide an additional deterrent to presenting nonexistent numbers or those corresponding to deceased persons. Finally, the identity and work eligibility verification tools would be more effective deterrents if the employer involves a notary public and at least one social security number checking tool, and particularly if the employee knows in advance that their documents will be subjected to authentication.
From My Email Inbox: A Child's View of the War on Terror
A friend of my uncle sent this to him, and my uncle sent it to me...
The other day, my nine year old son wanted to know why we were at war...My husband looked at our son and then looked at me. My husband and I were in the Army during the Gulf War and we would be honored to serve and defend our Country again today. I knew that my husband would give him a good explanation.
My husband thought for a few minutes and then told my son to go stand in our front living room window. He said "Son, stand there and tell me what you see?" "I see trees and cars and our neighbor's houses." he replied. "OK, now I want you to pretend that our house and our yard is the United States of America and you are President Bush."
Our son giggled and said, "OK."
"Now son, I want you to look out the window and pretend that every house and yard on this block is a different country."
my husband said.
"OK Dad, I'm pretending."
"Now I want you to stand there and look out the window and pretend you see Saddam coming out of his house with his wife, he has her by the hair and is hitting her. You see her bleeding and crying. He hits her in the face, he throws her on the ground, and then he starts to kick her to death.
Their children run out and are afraid to stop him; they are screaming and crying. They are watching this but do nothing because they are kids and they are afraid of their father.
You see all of this, son....what do you do?"
"Dad?"
"What do you do son?"
"I'd call the police, Dad."
"OK. Pretend that the police are the United Nations. They take your call. They listen to what you know and saw but they refuse to help. What do you do then, son?"
"Dad...... but the police are supposed to help!" My son starts to whine.
"They don't want to son, because they say that it is not their place or your place to get involved and that you should stay out of it," my husband says.
"But Dad...he killed her!!" my son exclaims.
"I know he did...but the police tell you to stay out of it.
Now I want you to look out that window and pretend you see our neighbor who you're pretending is Saddam turn around and do the same thing to his children."
"Daddy...he kills them?"
"Yes son, he does. What do you do?"
"Well, if the police don't want to help, I will go and ask my next door neighbor to help me stop him." our son says.
"Son, our next door neighbor sees what is happening and refuses to get involved as well. He refuses to open the door and help you stop him," my husband says.
"But Dad, I NEED help!!! I can't stop him by myself!!"
"WHAT DO YOU DO SON?" Our son starts to cry.
"OK, no one wants to help you, the man across the street saw you ask for help and saw that no one would help you stop him. He stands taller and puffs out his chest. Guess what he does next son?"
"What Daddy?"
"He walks across the street to the old ladies house and breaks down her door and drags her out, steals all her stuff and sets her house on fire and then...he kills her.
He turns around and sees you standing in the window and laughs at you. WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"Daddy..."
"WHAT DO YOU DO?" Our son is crying and he looks down and he whispers, "I'd close the blinds, Daddy."
My husband looks at our son with tears in his eyes and asks him. "Why?"
"Because Daddy.....the police are supposed to help people who needs them...and they won't help... You always say that neighbors are supposed to HELP neighbors, but they won't help either...they won't help me stop him...I'm afraid....I can't do it by myself Daddy.....I can't look out my window and just watch him do all these terrible things and...do nothing...so....I'm just going to close the blinds.... so I can't see what he's doing........and I'm going to pretend that it is not happening."
I start to cry.
My husband looks at our nine year old son standing in the window, looking pitiful and ashamed at his answers to my husband's questions and he says..."Son"
"Yes, Daddy."
"Open the blinds because that man.... he's at your front door...
"WHAT DO YOU DO?"
My son looks at his father, anger and defiance in his eyes.
He balls up his tiny fists and looks his father square in the eyes, without hesitation he says: "I DEFEND MY FAMILY DAD!! I'M NOT GONNA LET HIM HURT MOMMY OR MY SISTER, DAD!!!
I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM, DAD, I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM!!!!!"
I see a tear roll down my husband's cheek and he grabs our son to his chest and hugs him tight, and says... "It's too late to fight him, he's too strong and he's already at YOUR front door son.....you should have stopped him BEFOREhe killed his wife, and his children and the old lady across the way. You have to do what's right, even if you have to do it alone, before it's too late." my husband whispers.
THAT scenario I just gave you is WHY we are at war with Iraq. When good men stand by and let evil happen son. THAT is the greatest atrocities in the world won't affect him.
"YOU MUST NEVER BE AFRAID TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT! EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO DO IT ALONE!" BE PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! BE PROUD OF OUR TROOPS!! SUPPORT THEM!!! SUPPORT AMERICA SO THAT IN THE FUTURE OUR CHILDREN WILL NEVER HAVE TO CLOSE THEIR BLINDS..."
A friend of my uncle sent this to him, and my uncle sent it to me...
The other day, my nine year old son wanted to know why we were at war...My husband looked at our son and then looked at me. My husband and I were in the Army during the Gulf War and we would be honored to serve and defend our Country again today. I knew that my husband would give him a good explanation.
My husband thought for a few minutes and then told my son to go stand in our front living room window. He said "Son, stand there and tell me what you see?" "I see trees and cars and our neighbor's houses." he replied. "OK, now I want you to pretend that our house and our yard is the United States of America and you are President Bush."
Our son giggled and said, "OK."
"Now son, I want you to look out the window and pretend that every house and yard on this block is a different country."
my husband said.
"OK Dad, I'm pretending."
"Now I want you to stand there and look out the window and pretend you see Saddam coming out of his house with his wife, he has her by the hair and is hitting her. You see her bleeding and crying. He hits her in the face, he throws her on the ground, and then he starts to kick her to death.
Their children run out and are afraid to stop him; they are screaming and crying. They are watching this but do nothing because they are kids and they are afraid of their father.
You see all of this, son....what do you do?"
"Dad?"
"What do you do son?"
"I'd call the police, Dad."
"OK. Pretend that the police are the United Nations. They take your call. They listen to what you know and saw but they refuse to help. What do you do then, son?"
"Dad...... but the police are supposed to help!" My son starts to whine.
"They don't want to son, because they say that it is not their place or your place to get involved and that you should stay out of it," my husband says.
"But Dad...he killed her!!" my son exclaims.
"I know he did...but the police tell you to stay out of it.
Now I want you to look out that window and pretend you see our neighbor who you're pretending is Saddam turn around and do the same thing to his children."
"Daddy...he kills them?"
"Yes son, he does. What do you do?"
"Well, if the police don't want to help, I will go and ask my next door neighbor to help me stop him." our son says.
"Son, our next door neighbor sees what is happening and refuses to get involved as well. He refuses to open the door and help you stop him," my husband says.
"But Dad, I NEED help!!! I can't stop him by myself!!"
"WHAT DO YOU DO SON?" Our son starts to cry.
"OK, no one wants to help you, the man across the street saw you ask for help and saw that no one would help you stop him. He stands taller and puffs out his chest. Guess what he does next son?"
"What Daddy?"
"He walks across the street to the old ladies house and breaks down her door and drags her out, steals all her stuff and sets her house on fire and then...he kills her.
He turns around and sees you standing in the window and laughs at you. WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"Daddy..."
"WHAT DO YOU DO?" Our son is crying and he looks down and he whispers, "I'd close the blinds, Daddy."
My husband looks at our son with tears in his eyes and asks him. "Why?"
"Because Daddy.....the police are supposed to help people who needs them...and they won't help... You always say that neighbors are supposed to HELP neighbors, but they won't help either...they won't help me stop him...I'm afraid....I can't do it by myself Daddy.....I can't look out my window and just watch him do all these terrible things and...do nothing...so....I'm just going to close the blinds.... so I can't see what he's doing........and I'm going to pretend that it is not happening."
I start to cry.
My husband looks at our nine year old son standing in the window, looking pitiful and ashamed at his answers to my husband's questions and he says..."Son"
"Yes, Daddy."
"Open the blinds because that man.... he's at your front door...
"WHAT DO YOU DO?"
My son looks at his father, anger and defiance in his eyes.
He balls up his tiny fists and looks his father square in the eyes, without hesitation he says: "I DEFEND MY FAMILY DAD!! I'M NOT GONNA LET HIM HURT MOMMY OR MY SISTER, DAD!!!
I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM, DAD, I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM!!!!!"
I see a tear roll down my husband's cheek and he grabs our son to his chest and hugs him tight, and says... "It's too late to fight him, he's too strong and he's already at YOUR front door son.....you should have stopped him BEFOREhe killed his wife, and his children and the old lady across the way. You have to do what's right, even if you have to do it alone, before it's too late." my husband whispers.
THAT scenario I just gave you is WHY we are at war with Iraq. When good men stand by and let evil happen son. THAT is the greatest atrocities in the world won't affect him.
"YOU MUST NEVER BE AFRAID TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT! EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO DO IT ALONE!" BE PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! BE PROUD OF OUR TROOPS!! SUPPORT THEM!!! SUPPORT AMERICA SO THAT IN THE FUTURE OUR CHILDREN WILL NEVER HAVE TO CLOSE THEIR BLINDS..."
Friday, August 05, 2005
"He who dares not offend can not be honest."
Sacred Cow Burgers? Anyone who tends to take themselves too seriously may benefit from a visit to Sacred Cow Burgers, a bastion of political incorrectness. Anytime is the right time to laugh at liberals. Thomas Paine got it right when he opined that "He who dares not offend can not be honest."
And honestly, who can help but admire the handiwork of the clever folks at Sacred Cow Burgers, who designed and created the ultimate RINO logo? Maybe they're onto something..laugh at ourselves from time to time and be done with it--so that when the opposition snickers, nobody hears them. That's what drives liberals absolutely nutty--Republicans with a sense of humor. So keep laughing and smiling--it will drive the libs absolutely around the bend.
So go ahead. Do your duty and offend a liberal today, but do it with class: smile!
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Get Your Hands Off My Taxpayer Bill of Rights
In the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Bernie Buescher tipped off the real source of the budget mess. Of Colorado's $6.1 billion general-fund budget, $5.2 billion is beyond legislative control, including Medicaid and public-schools funding, he said. "We control about $900 million, and about $600 million of that is higher ed," Buescher said. Buescher won election to the Colorado 55th House District.
Legislators Becoming Increasingly Irrelevant
Hats off to Bernie, who has perhaps inadvertently revealed a major source of Colorado's supposed budget woes: unfunded and under-funded federally-mandated programs that gobble up resources and supply state legislators with an excuse to make a grab for our Taxpayer Bill of Rights. What an amazing admission--the numbers prove that the Colorado legislature controls only about 15% of the state budget, and are therefore becoming increasingly irrelevant.
Of course, the Taxpayer Bill of Rights must factor into that equation, but the reason that voters added it to the Colorado Constitution was to counter spend-happy legislators. Obviously, the lesson is that if the voters' elected representation will not do their job and make sensible choices, the voters can and will do it for them with the blunt instruments available to them.
Now a number of Colorado legislators come before the voters with much hand-wringing asking voters to approve Referenda C and D. Referendum C, if approved, enables the state to keep more tax revenue. Whether a refund of income tax overpayment or a tax rebate, tax money that's not returned is money removed from the pocket of a taxpayer. Referendum D, if approved, enables the state to borrow money and use the cash from Referendum C to create the illusion that the state nevertheless has balanced its budget. Referendum C: Confiscation. Referendum D: Debt. If this scheme sounds familiar, it's the same battle fought on the federal level, where congressmen use the Social Security Trust Fund to make the federal debt appear smaller than it really is, to spend more money than they really have, to dupe taxpayers into ensuring that government agencies and employees never lack for cash flow or pay raises, which ensures that each government agency always has enough loyal employees and recipients to vote for its continued existence and growth.
Taxation Without Representation
It's not just a state-level issue. Unfunded and under-funded federal mandates, for instance, Medicaid, create programs that states, by federal law, must provide. However, the majority of the federal lawmakers who go to Washington, D.C. and vote for new programs, or even more money for existing ones, don't come from Colorado. Therefore, the state's taxpayers are in effect taxed without representation. Simply stated, voters in Colorado for instance who dislike a federal program launched by a coalition of congressmen from other states can't vote the big-spenders out of office.
Unfunded and Underfunded Federal Mandates
In the United States House, which originates spending bills, no single state controls enough votes to avert unfunded programs. Every state's congressman wants to "bring home the bacon." Trouble is, it's someone else's hard-earned bacon that the country's congress converts into pork. Few federal lawmakers read every page of the voluminous spending bills that cross their desks, but they all sponsor spending legislation. Taxpayers in all the states have come to depend on federal programs without a thought for just where that money comes from--their own pockets.
Free Federal Money: The Great Mirage
Worse, much of each state's budget funding is funnelled from the federal level so that states typically provide perhaps 30% of program funding with only 20% coming from the local level. Local governments subsidize their programs with state and federal funds and become dependent on out-of-community cash. In this environment, programs grow without regard to sustainability. In short, there really is no free lunch--in a national emergency or economic downturn, the "free money" makes local and state government even more dependent on tax hikes to maintain accustomed program funding levels. As Colorado representative Buescher inadvertently acknowledged, the result is the loss of control over the budget.
Add the convenient mechanism of payroll deduction, and the taxpayer is lulled away from the harsh truth of a monthly payment for which he must write a personal check as he would for a mortgage, health insurance, utilities, or other recurring expense. There's nothing quite so convincing as recurring monthly bills payable to each level of government to cure each American of the temptation to believe in or expect some level of government to provide "free money."Once in office, legislators lose their ability to see federal money for what it is: cash taken from families, individuals, small businesses, entrepeneurs, large employers etc that no longer
circulates freely in the economy. When the federal government gets it, money tends to stagnate in an inefficient pool of bureaucracy rather than provide capital for productive enterprise and therefore job creation. And that's just the beginning. Not content with confiscating the earnings of productive Americans to pay for Constitutionally-authorized purposes as well as pet projects, the United States Congress habitually raids the so-called Social Security Trust Fund. In short, the federal government deprives Americans of a large share of their earnings while they're workers so that they have little left to save for their retirement--then promptly spends their Social Security contributions as well.Enough is Enough
Taxpayers in all states no longer have recourse or redress through the ballot box against the big-spenders from the U.S. Congressional Districts of other states. Taxpayers can of course write a letter to the worst offenders, but such a letter doesn't carry the threat of "or else." A sample letter serves to illustrate the point:
Dear United States Congressman:
I've been following your voting record on www.house.gov and object to your porkbarrel spending. I pay federal income and Social Security tax, too and want you to stop spending MY money...now. Ok, I admit that I can't vote you out of office, but I want you to stop your runaway spending habits. Never, ever bring home MY bacon to YOUR state. In return, I will never again ask my congressman to bring home YOUR bacon to MY state. Fair enough? There are a few exceptions in the United States Constitution--you've at least managed to read that, haven't you? No? Ok, I'll send you a copy. I do approve of using my bacon for my share of the national defense, for my personal share of our national highway system so we can all get our goods and services to market, to market, and for my share of important things that benefit EVERYONE in the country, not just the folks in your congressional district. You have the census and the budgets for the things that benefit everyone. When I get my bill for my share on a postcard, I'll write the check. Hands-off my paycheck! What's more, regularly send me a statement showing what I owe my country as a reminder of what it costs to be an American. And if there's not enough left over to spend on your pork projects, consider it a wake-up-call that it's time for you get used to living within a budget like the rest of us.
Sincerely,
John Q. Taxpayer
PS: I'm going to write to the Senators to ask them to stop approving your spending bills. I can't vote out 48 of them, but the other two may be paying you a visit soon. I've told them that until they grow a backbone, my friends and I won't vote for them again for anything else. Ever. Not even for dogcatcher. I also taught my Senators a dirty word: filibuster. Sure, you can still waddle up to the trough, but you'll have to see if you get 3/5 of the Senate to vote yes on your bucket of hogwash. And my friends will see to it that our Senators have plenty of interesting material to read for the filibuster so that it will be fun for us peons to watch. We'll start by searching talk radio and the Internet for jokes with YOU as the punch-line. See you on C-SPAN!
Colorado Attorney General Watch
Republican John Suthers, appointed by Governor Bill Owens to the Attorney General's office, raised $42,736.92 between January and April 2005 in his bid for four more years as Colorado Attorney General. By the the end of June, he had already increased his growing warchest to over $108,000.
Suthers' predecessor in office was Ken Salazar, who vacated the office on his election to the United States Senate. Salazar's committee for election to Colorado Attorney General ran six-figure balances that peaked at $652,767.94 in July of 2002.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Howard Dean on Republicans
“You know, Republicans are not very friendly to different kinds of people� – June 8, 2005
Sojourner Truth with President Abraham Lincoln
“…A lot of them have never made an honest living in their lives� – June
2, 2005
Part of a rail split by Abraham Lincoln.
“ we need to talk about Christian values and how
they are Democratic values….not Republican� – April, 11, 2005
“I hate what Republicans are doing for this country. I really do� – May 22, 2005
About 75% of all servicemembers vote Republican. They love their current Commander-in-Chief. They viewed the previous one with contempt.
“Republicans are corrupt. You can’t trust them with your money and you can’t trust them with your votes� – April 19, 2005
Historic campaign poster
“You know, Republicans are not very friendly to different kinds of people� – June 8, 2005Sojourner Truth with President Abraham Lincoln
“…A lot of them have never made an honest living in their lives� – June
2, 2005Part of a rail split by Abraham Lincoln.
“ we need to talk about Christian values and how
they are Democratic values….not Republican� – April, 11, 2005“I hate what Republicans are doing for this country. I really do� – May 22, 2005
About 75% of all servicemembers vote Republican. They love their current Commander-in-Chief. They viewed the previous one with contempt.
“Republicans are corrupt. You can’t trust them with your money and you can’t trust them with your votes� – April 19, 2005
Historic campaign poster
Independence Day Parade 2005--Grand Junction, Colorado
Prize-winning entry: The Grand Mesa Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution entered the Independence Day Parade and won 1st Place as well as $100. The parade theme this year was "Saluting Those Who Serve." This prize-winning Independence Day Parade entry represented servicemen from every war beginning with the American Revolution.
Mesa County Republicans Turn Up Heat on Local Dems
If local Dems thought that their new chair could defeat the local GOP, they thought wrong. Lois Dunn and her Executive Board are meeting monthly at the new GOP headquarters at 2764 Compass Drive in the 2nd floor meeting room. ALL local Republicans should try to attend Board Meetings as frequently as possible. The next Board Meeting is on Tuesday July 12th at 5:30 pm.
While each party strives for dominance, the Mesa County GOP currently leads in public and media presence. Word on the street is that the local Dems are no-shows at the Farmers Market. Meanwhile, Mesa County Republicans and the Mesa County Republican Women keep a booth staffed each Thursday evening, rain or shine. Janet Blackman, 1st VP of Mesa County Republican Women has recently landed some high-profile special guests such as United States Congressman Tom Tancredo. Janet has also peppered the airwaves and print with PSAs for monthly luncheons to attract even more Republicans to participation in the GOP.
And Lois Dunn, local GOP chairwoman, has scored TV advertising on Fox, MSNBC, CNN and other outlets. Interested readers who like the TV message and want to help fund more may go to the party's website and print out a donation form to complete and send to the Mesa County Republicans with their check for at least $15. For the minimum $15 donation, donors receive a quarterly newsletter and access to the party's online resources and community. Those wishing to support TV and radio advertising, membership expansion, more effective communications, and Republican candidates will want to contribute generously.
Republicans who want to show their appreciation for the hard work the Central Committee Team and the Mesa County Republican Women Team have done may contact
Lois Dunn, Mesa County Republicans Central Committee Chair
Cammie Hammer, President of Mesa County Republican Women
If local Dems thought that their new chair could defeat the local GOP, they thought wrong. Lois Dunn and her Executive Board are meeting monthly at the new GOP headquarters at 2764 Compass Drive in the 2nd floor meeting room. ALL local Republicans should try to attend Board Meetings as frequently as possible. The next Board Meeting is on Tuesday July 12th at 5:30 pm.
While each party strives for dominance, the Mesa County GOP currently leads in public and media presence. Word on the street is that the local Dems are no-shows at the Farmers Market. Meanwhile, Mesa County Republicans and the Mesa County Republican Women keep a booth staffed each Thursday evening, rain or shine. Janet Blackman, 1st VP of Mesa County Republican Women has recently landed some high-profile special guests such as United States Congressman Tom Tancredo. Janet has also peppered the airwaves and print with PSAs for monthly luncheons to attract even more Republicans to participation in the GOP.
And Lois Dunn, local GOP chairwoman, has scored TV advertising on Fox, MSNBC, CNN and other outlets. Interested readers who like the TV message and want to help fund more may go to the party's website and print out a donation form to complete and send to the Mesa County Republicans with their check for at least $15. For the minimum $15 donation, donors receive a quarterly newsletter and access to the party's online resources and community. Those wishing to support TV and radio advertising, membership expansion, more effective communications, and Republican candidates will want to contribute generously.
Republicans who want to show their appreciation for the hard work the Central Committee Team and the Mesa County Republican Women Team have done may contact
Lois Dunn, Mesa County Republicans Central Committee Chair
Cammie Hammer, President of Mesa County Republican Women
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Palmer County, Colorado?
Grand Junction citizens held an enthusiastic meeting on the last day of the old year for the purpose of adopting a petition to send to the Legislature praying for a new county, with Grand Junction as the seat and to fix the boundary lines of the same. Following are the boundaries of the territory asked for:
"Beginning at the northwest corner of Pitkin county, running thence south along and with the western line of Pitkin county to the divide between the waters of the Grand and the north fork of the Gunnison river: thence southwesterly along said divide to the southwestern extremity of the Grand mesa: thence south to the southern boundary line of Gunnison county: thence west along said boundary line to the boundary line of the State of Colorado: thence north along said boundary line to the northern boundary line of Gunnison county and thence east along said boundary of Gunnison county to the place of beginning."
Governor Crawford moved they amend the motion to allow the committee to fix the eastern boundary line at some point between Escapalants (sic) and Domingues creeks. The motion was carried and seconded.
On motion of Governor Crawford, it was decided unanimously to name the new county after Colorado's most enterprising man, "a man without whom many of the rich mining regions of this state would have lain undeveloped and probably unknown. He has tunnelled our mountains, climbed their summits, and brought prosperity to almost every town along the line of this road--General Palmer, President of the Denver & Rio Grande Railway. Palmer county, a monument he certainly deserved."
Dolores News (Rico, Ouray County):1883 Jan 06
Grand Junction citizens held an enthusiastic meeting on the last day of the old year for the purpose of adopting a petition to send to the Legislature praying for a new county, with Grand Junction as the seat and to fix the boundary lines of the same. Following are the boundaries of the territory asked for:
"Beginning at the northwest corner of Pitkin county, running thence south along and with the western line of Pitkin county to the divide between the waters of the Grand and the north fork of the Gunnison river: thence southwesterly along said divide to the southwestern extremity of the Grand mesa: thence south to the southern boundary line of Gunnison county: thence west along said boundary line to the boundary line of the State of Colorado: thence north along said boundary line to the northern boundary line of Gunnison county and thence east along said boundary of Gunnison county to the place of beginning."
Governor Crawford moved they amend the motion to allow the committee to fix the eastern boundary line at some point between Escapalants (sic) and Domingues creeks. The motion was carried and seconded.
On motion of Governor Crawford, it was decided unanimously to name the new county after Colorado's most enterprising man, "a man without whom many of the rich mining regions of this state would have lain undeveloped and probably unknown. He has tunnelled our mountains, climbed their summits, and brought prosperity to almost every town along the line of this road--General Palmer, President of the Denver & Rio Grande Railway. Palmer county, a monument he certainly deserved."
Dolores News (Rico, Ouray County):1883 Jan 06
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Colorado Gov-Watch 2006
Party Watch: Asymmetrical Warfare
In the Press: Identity Thief Strikes Well-Known State Official
Election Rights Watch: Legislation Enables Identity Thieves to Commit Vote Fraud
In the Know: Vote Centers Rejected in El Paso County
Charge of the Blind RINOs: Correction
Referendum C Watch: The Great Divide
Colorado Gov-Watch 2006
So far, the Draft McInnis for Governor committee has kept its cards close to the vest. Registered agent Natalie Meyer, former Colorado Secretary of State, filed papers for Draft McInnis in April, but McInnis has not yet filed candidate papers with current Secretary of State, Donetta Davidson. Based in Pueblo, the Draft McInnis for Governor committee presently shows a zero balance and an incomplete “view candidate� page. McInnis was among the prospective governor candidates making the rounds at the April Lincoln Day Hoedown Dinner hosted by the Mesa County Republican Women.
Recap of Previously Reported Items in Gov-Watch
If Bob Beauprez is a committed contender in the 2006 race for Colorado governor, it won’t be obvious on the ledger until after July 15, when the next round of campaign finance reports are due to the Colorado Secretary of State. Presently, his exploratory campaign shows a zero balance.
Maybe it’s really too early in the race for governor candidates to be in fundraising mode. The announced or exploratory Dems who’ve pulled state papers also show zero balances.
However, Marc Holtzman has already reported $396,787.71 on hand—not bad for an exploratory committee. And that was as of March 31. Holtzman was last seen in Mesa County at the annual Lincoln Day Hoedown organized by the Mesa County Republican Women.
Party Watch
Mesa County Republicans interested in attending the Executive Board meetings may have some difficulty tracking down date, time and location. While the new website has been enthusiastically received, the calendar so far has not included Executive Board meetings since April.
Meanwhile, the local (D)onkeys have wasted no time organizing their forces in preparation for what is shaping up to be an all-out war. Among other things, they have a list of over 1,000 volunteers and contacted them back in May to update their records. They’re also organizing an army of volunteers to provide each precinct captain with a list of people to cover their respective precincts. More to the point, their leadership lists their executive board meeting at the top of their calendar so that the rank-and-file can stay informed of their party’s strategic activities, get involved, and shoulder a good share of the workload.
Previously Reported in Party Watch
Locally in Mesa County, the (D)onkey party has shaken a money tree somewhere. Their 2004 Spring Fling annual fundraiser netted around $4,000 according to their treasurer’s report. However, this year’s fling flung $12,500 into their war chest from 308 paid dinners at $25 a plate. Debate is open on the question of whether locals paid for the plates. For a party that historically can’t get its party assembly attendance into triple digits, a triple-digit dinner implies that they have somehow snatched wallets and warm bodies from elsewhere.
Big picture: if the (D)onkey party can pull this off in conservative Mesa County, how are they doing in the rest of the state? With so many open R seats in 2006, the legislature could become even more firmly rooted in the Dem column if GOP fundraising and organizing fails to keep pace. With the governor’s mansion opening for occupancy, the famous Owens veto pen may go into retirement if the elephant is too starved to stave off a jackass invasion.
In the Press
Who would be dumb enough to attempt to cash a convenience check in the name of John Suthers-- Colorado Attorney General John Suthers? Yes, identity fraud is thriving in Colorado. In fact, the June issue of the Colorado Notary Bulletin reveals that the Federal Trade Commission ranks Colorado 5th in the nation in the number of reported cases of ID theft.
Election Rights Watch
Notwithstanding the troubling prevalence of identity fraud in his state, Colorado Governor Bill Owens signed SB 106, legislation that among other things, would remove the current provision requiring that a notary public witness the mark of a voter who is unable to write when notifying the county clerk of a change of residence. Now the statute allows any person to witness the mark of such a voter, but there is no provision that this witness be either impartial to the transaction or that the request even be made at the clerk’s office. Thus, a fraudulent-minded person could write up a “personal letter,� “witness� the voter’s signature, and then change that voter’s residence on the county voting records. Worse, there is no requirement to establish that the person can’t write, show that the person knowingly submitted change of residence, or to prove the person’s identity. Since the Secretary of State’s office has a mailing list of all Colorado notaries, mails a monthly newsletter to them, and even thoughtfully provides the mailing list to the National Notary Association and other reputable organizations who sell notary supplies, it’s inconceivable that no effort has been made to call upon Colorado notaries to witness such signatures to protect these especially vulnerable voters from identity fraud.
Amidst the hot-bed environment of identity fraud nationwide, one is left to wonder if the true name of the federal H.A.V.A. legislation should be the “Help Anybody Vote Act� rather than “Help America Vote Act.�
In the Know
The Mesa County Vote Center Taskforce rolls out its findings from 5:30 to 7:00 pm Tuesday June 14 in the Old Courthouse. El Paso County discovered that Vote Centers would cost from $1.24 to $1.7 million dollars, far more than the $807,698 for polling place elections. Survey results of election preferences showed that vote centers were the least preferred for the mail-ballot 2005 election. For the 2005 off-year election, respondents preferred the polling place and mail ballot election over vote centers—in that order. El Paso County’s Vote Center Task Force also discovered that those who voted early or absentee would likely continue to use those methods and not use vote centers.
Here in Mesa County, it seems counter-intuitive to spend a large amount of money implementing vote centers because at least half our voters prefer early or absentee voting. That’s a lot of money to spend to serve perhaps half the voters and that only every other year.
Correction to Charge of the Blind RINOs
Republicans in Name-Only have unfortunately lost sight of the big picture: firing upon a fellow Republican at the local level can contribute to disastrous results downrange. Just ask Senator Mark Hillman, who had to vacate his Majority Leader office in the Senate in part because some people around the state broke ranks and strengthened the opposition with their votes, volunteer hours and even their money. By supporting the left flank, RINOs position the left to put more bodies and therefore votes in the liberal/socialist/progressive column, which makes destructive legislation that much harder for the remaining traditionalist Republicans to kill.
Dems recaptured the Colorado legislature—shamefully, with the help of around 200 in-name-only Republicans in Mesa County who listed their names in paid newspaper advertising, contributed cash to the Dem candidate, and blasted a fellow Republican at every opportunity in the papers to throw the 55th HD back into Dem hands. True to form, the lefty legislature had barely moved into their new offices before crafting Referendum C in the liberals’ ceaseless quest to eviscerate the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR). Colorado taxpayers even now complain about escalating property tax rates, and especially the onerous business personal property tax which strangles high-capital industries which also provide the best paying jobs. In the words of Ronald Reagan, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!� Blasted by the state treasurer as a failure in leadership, this referendum is likely to be merely the first in a series of steps toward repealing the Taxpayers Bill of Rights and returning to the pre-TABOR era of steeply escalating taxation.
RINOS have poor eyesight. A charging RINO is especially hazardous because it is too nearsighted to see who or what is trampled underfoot. In this case, their blind charge herded the legislature back into the D column and rewarded even freshman liberal legislators with powerful committee assignments. Locally, the donkey party members and chair must be laughing themselves silly as they recall how local Republicans spent their own money to spank the Senator from District 7 out of the Joint Budget Committee to replace him with their freshman Dem rep to the 55th HD. Of course, every dollar spent by a RINO to advance the Dem cause is money the Dems don’t have to spend…And incredibly ironic as it may seem, the GOP senator from District 7 participated in the same RINO charge that trampled him right out of the majority party and into a smaller office at the state capitol. (Wonder what kind of hangover that was when he woke up to find the Dems in the large offices and in charge.)
Referendum C Watch
Representative Josh Penry, Colorado House District 54 spoke out against Ref C on Monday June 13 to a full house at the Mesa County Republican Women luncheon. Acting Treasurer Mark Hillman and his predecessor, Mike Coffman are both on record against Ref C.
Inexplicably, Club20 maintains a pro-Ref C position even though the referendum lacks any provision to commit funds in the interest of Western Colorado and its citizens. Rather than serving as “the Voice of Western Colorado,� Club20 seems to be more in league with Front Range money and interests than voicing the interests of Western Colorado taxpayers.
For instance, the Colorado Municipal League officially supports Referendum C (HB 05-1194) and its sister Referendum D (HB 05-1333). The lobbyist staffers at the League claim a 70% success rate in the legislature on bills the League supports. However, an infrequently viewed campaign website belies a lack of broad support for these measures. So far, the website’s endorsements area lacks any entries. However, the committee has reported over $230,000 in contributions, raised during April alone. Nearly all of that was contributed by the Denver Chamber of Commerce—Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation. Possibly anticipating income opportunities from bonds if Ref D passes, the Colorado Bond Dealers Association contributed $10,000. And the Colorado Bar Association contributed $50,000.
Previously Reported in Referendum C Watch
“During a briefing ordered by Democrat leadership, budget staffers indicated that the Legislature was facing $340 million in “budget cuts� this year and next. Capitol staffers work tremendously hard to report facts without partisan spin, but the majority party’s purpose for convening the joint session was clear: to lay a foundation for dismantling the spending limit in the Taxpayers Bill of Rights.
“Over the next 118 days, something amazing happened. Budget writers avoided those projected cuts and even increased general fund spending by $480 million over two years – all without changing TABOR.
That’s not to say that everything’s rosy as far as the eye can see. Under current projections, the 2006-07 general fund budget will increase by just $6.9 million, while the state refunds $512 million.�
--Senator Mark Hillman, The Capitol Review
Referendum C spending is already off to a healthy start. The spree begins with the SB 237 Healthy Business Healthy People Program (Keller, Green) The enactment of this bill is contingent on Referendum C passing in November. If Referendum C passes, the bill earmarks $15 million for this new program. As reported by Colorado Counties, Inc county commissioners urge caution in proceeding with the earmarking of Referendum C funds before the measure passes in November. Even the Colorado Progressive Coalition admits that Referendum C can be used for new spending: “Earmarking of funds for new programs and services may crowd out needed funds to restore past cuts and could result in scaling back current services.� For folks not familiar with quaint agricultural terms like “earmarking,� an earmark is used to identify livestock such as pork, and in Ref C’s case, pork and bull.
Outgoing treasurer Mike Coffman blasted Referendum C as “nothing more than a temporary solution.�
“This plan is unfair to the taxpayers since it will do nothing to address runaway, mandated spending. There's nothing balanced about this proposal since it places the entire burden on TABOR and taxpayers.
Simply put: This proposal defers making the difficult decisions on a long-term solution to others, and represents a failure of leadership.�
In his May 4, 2005 edition of Treasur-E Notes, Coffman provided a clear view through the fog of smoke and mirrors of whether or not $1 billion really has been lost in funding to state services over the past few years. In just one page he lays out the facts, concluding that
“Unquestionably, state general fund expenditures today are at a level significantly lower than they would have been if the state had collected enough revenue to increase spending at an annual rate of six percent. On the other hand, it is clear that total state spending never actually decreased in any year of the recession.
These are the facts. Thus the question: does the inability to increase spending to the allowable limit constitute a cut in spending or does a cut have to be an actual decrease in spending. You decide.�
Party Watch: Asymmetrical Warfare
In the Press: Identity Thief Strikes Well-Known State Official
Election Rights Watch: Legislation Enables Identity Thieves to Commit Vote Fraud
In the Know: Vote Centers Rejected in El Paso County
Charge of the Blind RINOs: Correction
Referendum C Watch: The Great Divide
Colorado Gov-Watch 2006
So far, the Draft McInnis for Governor committee has kept its cards close to the vest. Registered agent Natalie Meyer, former Colorado Secretary of State, filed papers for Draft McInnis in April, but McInnis has not yet filed candidate papers with current Secretary of State, Donetta Davidson. Based in Pueblo, the Draft McInnis for Governor committee presently shows a zero balance and an incomplete “view candidate� page. McInnis was among the prospective governor candidates making the rounds at the April Lincoln Day Hoedown Dinner hosted by the Mesa County Republican Women.
Recap of Previously Reported Items in Gov-Watch
If Bob Beauprez is a committed contender in the 2006 race for Colorado governor, it won’t be obvious on the ledger until after July 15, when the next round of campaign finance reports are due to the Colorado Secretary of State. Presently, his exploratory campaign shows a zero balance.
Maybe it’s really too early in the race for governor candidates to be in fundraising mode. The announced or exploratory Dems who’ve pulled state papers also show zero balances.
However, Marc Holtzman has already reported $396,787.71 on hand—not bad for an exploratory committee. And that was as of March 31. Holtzman was last seen in Mesa County at the annual Lincoln Day Hoedown organized by the Mesa County Republican Women.
Party Watch
Mesa County Republicans interested in attending the Executive Board meetings may have some difficulty tracking down date, time and location. While the new website has been enthusiastically received, the calendar so far has not included Executive Board meetings since April.
Meanwhile, the local (D)onkeys have wasted no time organizing their forces in preparation for what is shaping up to be an all-out war. Among other things, they have a list of over 1,000 volunteers and contacted them back in May to update their records. They’re also organizing an army of volunteers to provide each precinct captain with a list of people to cover their respective precincts. More to the point, their leadership lists their executive board meeting at the top of their calendar so that the rank-and-file can stay informed of their party’s strategic activities, get involved, and shoulder a good share of the workload.
Previously Reported in Party Watch
Locally in Mesa County, the (D)onkey party has shaken a money tree somewhere. Their 2004 Spring Fling annual fundraiser netted around $4,000 according to their treasurer’s report. However, this year’s fling flung $12,500 into their war chest from 308 paid dinners at $25 a plate. Debate is open on the question of whether locals paid for the plates. For a party that historically can’t get its party assembly attendance into triple digits, a triple-digit dinner implies that they have somehow snatched wallets and warm bodies from elsewhere.
Big picture: if the (D)onkey party can pull this off in conservative Mesa County, how are they doing in the rest of the state? With so many open R seats in 2006, the legislature could become even more firmly rooted in the Dem column if GOP fundraising and organizing fails to keep pace. With the governor’s mansion opening for occupancy, the famous Owens veto pen may go into retirement if the elephant is too starved to stave off a jackass invasion.
In the Press
Who would be dumb enough to attempt to cash a convenience check in the name of John Suthers-- Colorado Attorney General John Suthers? Yes, identity fraud is thriving in Colorado. In fact, the June issue of the Colorado Notary Bulletin reveals that the Federal Trade Commission ranks Colorado 5th in the nation in the number of reported cases of ID theft.
Election Rights Watch
Notwithstanding the troubling prevalence of identity fraud in his state, Colorado Governor Bill Owens signed SB 106, legislation that among other things, would remove the current provision requiring that a notary public witness the mark of a voter who is unable to write when notifying the county clerk of a change of residence. Now the statute allows any person to witness the mark of such a voter, but there is no provision that this witness be either impartial to the transaction or that the request even be made at the clerk’s office. Thus, a fraudulent-minded person could write up a “personal letter,� “witness� the voter’s signature, and then change that voter’s residence on the county voting records. Worse, there is no requirement to establish that the person can’t write, show that the person knowingly submitted change of residence, or to prove the person’s identity. Since the Secretary of State’s office has a mailing list of all Colorado notaries, mails a monthly newsletter to them, and even thoughtfully provides the mailing list to the National Notary Association and other reputable organizations who sell notary supplies, it’s inconceivable that no effort has been made to call upon Colorado notaries to witness such signatures to protect these especially vulnerable voters from identity fraud.
Amidst the hot-bed environment of identity fraud nationwide, one is left to wonder if the true name of the federal H.A.V.A. legislation should be the “Help Anybody Vote Act� rather than “Help America Vote Act.�
In the Know
The Mesa County Vote Center Taskforce rolls out its findings from 5:30 to 7:00 pm Tuesday June 14 in the Old Courthouse. El Paso County discovered that Vote Centers would cost from $1.24 to $1.7 million dollars, far more than the $807,698 for polling place elections. Survey results of election preferences showed that vote centers were the least preferred for the mail-ballot 2005 election. For the 2005 off-year election, respondents preferred the polling place and mail ballot election over vote centers—in that order. El Paso County’s Vote Center Task Force also discovered that those who voted early or absentee would likely continue to use those methods and not use vote centers.
Here in Mesa County, it seems counter-intuitive to spend a large amount of money implementing vote centers because at least half our voters prefer early or absentee voting. That’s a lot of money to spend to serve perhaps half the voters and that only every other year.
Correction to Charge of the Blind RINOs
Republicans in Name-Only have unfortunately lost sight of the big picture: firing upon a fellow Republican at the local level can contribute to disastrous results downrange. Just ask Senator Mark Hillman, who had to vacate his Majority Leader office in the Senate in part because some people around the state broke ranks and strengthened the opposition with their votes, volunteer hours and even their money. By supporting the left flank, RINOs position the left to put more bodies and therefore votes in the liberal/socialist/progressive column, which makes destructive legislation that much harder for the remaining traditionalist Republicans to kill.
Dems recaptured the Colorado legislature—shamefully, with the help of around 200 in-name-only Republicans in Mesa County who listed their names in paid newspaper advertising, contributed cash to the Dem candidate, and blasted a fellow Republican at every opportunity in the papers to throw the 55th HD back into Dem hands. True to form, the lefty legislature had barely moved into their new offices before crafting Referendum C in the liberals’ ceaseless quest to eviscerate the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR). Colorado taxpayers even now complain about escalating property tax rates, and especially the onerous business personal property tax which strangles high-capital industries which also provide the best paying jobs. In the words of Ronald Reagan, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!� Blasted by the state treasurer as a failure in leadership, this referendum is likely to be merely the first in a series of steps toward repealing the Taxpayers Bill of Rights and returning to the pre-TABOR era of steeply escalating taxation.
RINOS have poor eyesight. A charging RINO is especially hazardous because it is too nearsighted to see who or what is trampled underfoot. In this case, their blind charge herded the legislature back into the D column and rewarded even freshman liberal legislators with powerful committee assignments. Locally, the donkey party members and chair must be laughing themselves silly as they recall how local Republicans spent their own money to spank the Senator from District 7 out of the Joint Budget Committee to replace him with their freshman Dem rep to the 55th HD. Of course, every dollar spent by a RINO to advance the Dem cause is money the Dems don’t have to spend…And incredibly ironic as it may seem, the GOP senator from District 7 participated in the same RINO charge that trampled him right out of the majority party and into a smaller office at the state capitol. (Wonder what kind of hangover that was when he woke up to find the Dems in the large offices and in charge.)
Referendum C Watch
Representative Josh Penry, Colorado House District 54 spoke out against Ref C on Monday June 13 to a full house at the Mesa County Republican Women luncheon. Acting Treasurer Mark Hillman and his predecessor, Mike Coffman are both on record against Ref C.
Inexplicably, Club20 maintains a pro-Ref C position even though the referendum lacks any provision to commit funds in the interest of Western Colorado and its citizens. Rather than serving as “the Voice of Western Colorado,� Club20 seems to be more in league with Front Range money and interests than voicing the interests of Western Colorado taxpayers.
For instance, the Colorado Municipal League officially supports Referendum C (HB 05-1194) and its sister Referendum D (HB 05-1333). The lobbyist staffers at the League claim a 70% success rate in the legislature on bills the League supports. However, an infrequently viewed campaign website belies a lack of broad support for these measures. So far, the website’s endorsements area lacks any entries. However, the committee has reported over $230,000 in contributions, raised during April alone. Nearly all of that was contributed by the Denver Chamber of Commerce—Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation. Possibly anticipating income opportunities from bonds if Ref D passes, the Colorado Bond Dealers Association contributed $10,000. And the Colorado Bar Association contributed $50,000.
Previously Reported in Referendum C Watch
“During a briefing ordered by Democrat leadership, budget staffers indicated that the Legislature was facing $340 million in “budget cuts� this year and next. Capitol staffers work tremendously hard to report facts without partisan spin, but the majority party’s purpose for convening the joint session was clear: to lay a foundation for dismantling the spending limit in the Taxpayers Bill of Rights.
“Over the next 118 days, something amazing happened. Budget writers avoided those projected cuts and even increased general fund spending by $480 million over two years – all without changing TABOR.
That’s not to say that everything’s rosy as far as the eye can see. Under current projections, the 2006-07 general fund budget will increase by just $6.9 million, while the state refunds $512 million.�
--Senator Mark Hillman, The Capitol Review
Referendum C spending is already off to a healthy start. The spree begins with the SB 237 Healthy Business Healthy People Program (Keller, Green) The enactment of this bill is contingent on Referendum C passing in November. If Referendum C passes, the bill earmarks $15 million for this new program. As reported by Colorado Counties, Inc county commissioners urge caution in proceeding with the earmarking of Referendum C funds before the measure passes in November. Even the Colorado Progressive Coalition admits that Referendum C can be used for new spending: “Earmarking of funds for new programs and services may crowd out needed funds to restore past cuts and could result in scaling back current services.� For folks not familiar with quaint agricultural terms like “earmarking,� an earmark is used to identify livestock such as pork, and in Ref C’s case, pork and bull.
Outgoing treasurer Mike Coffman blasted Referendum C as “nothing more than a temporary solution.�
“This plan is unfair to the taxpayers since it will do nothing to address runaway, mandated spending. There's nothing balanced about this proposal since it places the entire burden on TABOR and taxpayers.
Simply put: This proposal defers making the difficult decisions on a long-term solution to others, and represents a failure of leadership.�
In his May 4, 2005 edition of Treasur-E Notes, Coffman provided a clear view through the fog of smoke and mirrors of whether or not $1 billion really has been lost in funding to state services over the past few years. In just one page he lays out the facts, concluding that
“Unquestionably, state general fund expenditures today are at a level significantly lower than they would have been if the state had collected enough revenue to increase spending at an annual rate of six percent. On the other hand, it is clear that total state spending never actually decreased in any year of the recession.
These are the facts. Thus the question: does the inability to increase spending to the allowable limit constitute a cut in spending or does a cut have to be an actual decrease in spending. You decide.�
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)