So now what?

The Election

I'll share with you folks what I am going to do but I bet many of you have already guessed.  I'm going to vote for Tom Tancredo.  Tom entered the race at the behest of the Chairman of the Republican Party of Colorado.  He suspected dirty dealings but decided it would help the party.

Now there are a lot of folks out there that don't believe that.  Well, you are entitled to your opinions just as I am entitled to mine.  When I look at the cast of characters we have seen in this Tragedy, the guy that seems to have the cleanest hands and the most arrows in his back is Tom Tancredo.  For some reason I always lean towards the guy with the most arrows in his back.

I encourage each of you to go out and look at the issues and the standing of the candidates on those issues.  I encourage you to ignore party affiliation for one office in one election.  I hope you will vote for the person that you believe is best suited to lead Colorado and deliver principled, common-sense policies........who is on the ballot.

The Aftermath

Over at the American Spectator site I have been involved in a discussion.  I said that if this were ecumenical court, I'd vote to excommunicate the Pope or, in this case, Wadhams. Then I would examine the possible ways to pick up the pieces and salvage something for the people that support the Colorado Republican Party in good faith--because they have been SHAFTED by the folks that were supposed to be looking out for them and advancing conservative principles (again).

I would explore the possibility of throwing my endorsement behind Tancredo and then wooing him back to the Republican Party if he is elected.  The other possibility is to endorse the Constitution Party and encourage the Conservatives to go over there.  I think I'll propose both:

Vote for Tom and then watch the Republicans we send to represent us, at the State and national levels, this election.  If they do the same thing the Repubs did in '94, then join the Constitution Party or Libertarian Party (research both) and don't look back.  If they campaign on Conservative principles and then act like piggy prostitutes (selling themselves for money and setting up shop at the pork trough) then it is time to go looking for a party that will support our principles.

Political parties are formed by like-minded groups.  They are not groups of people who randomly joined together to vote, they are groups who share a belief in specific principles. It therefore stands to reason that if a political party abandons the principles that are core to a segment of its membership, in pursuit of the votes of a different group, or simply because they find it convenient, that segment should deprive that political party of its support. Failing to do so encourages the polticians to ignore the will of the very people who elected them.  Sound familiar?  Such nonsense is how citizens lose control of their government and one should question the motives of anyone that encourages party over principle.  I know it is hard to believe but we have some folks in the party that believe that our elected officials know best and we should just hush up and follow the leader.  They encourage elitism with their nonsensical advice.

It is time for some real, lasting accountability.  Tell the Republican leadership that the party is in an eight year job interview.  Hold them accountable.  We are responsible for the elitism in Washington, D.C..  We no longer expect our representatives to be as truthful and responsible as our employees--yet that is exactly what they are. If your child's teacher lied to you would you hold him accountable?  It is our failure to enforce the same responsibility for our representatives that we expect of ourselves and those around us that has allowed the "Grand 'ol Party" to not be so grand.  We, as Americans and as Republicans, are responsible for our party. 

When You Find Your Attention Slipping

Here are a few things to help keep your attention focused:

This political science paper examines the way the liberal elements of the Republican Party began to find success by lying about their beliefs to appear more conservative.  Many consider it a "how-to" manual: "The Impact of Intra-party Conflict on Electoral Outcomes: The Case of the Republican Party in the South, 1980-2000", Paige L. Schneider, Dept. of Political Science, University of the South.

The US Debt Clock: Watch it all slip away

Remember the anger, against our Republican piggy prostitutes,  that swept us out of power and swept Obama in.  Don't just be mad at Acorn.  Don't let it happen again.

( - promoted by Rocky Mountain Right - )

Tom is a good man. He has backslid a couple of times but, overall, he is a good man. I live in Parker (Tom's former Congressional district) and I am one of the folks that voted for him every time I got the chance.

That said, the campaign has become very nasty with a LOT of backroom dealing and disavowed comments. The RINOs have spent the last several weeks throwing mud at Tom and calling him everything under the sun. He made some statements about not joining a third party that have come back to haunt him. The RINOs and the party-line-over-the-cliff lemmings have really been out for blood.

If I were Tom, I'd be really mad that the party--and PEOPLE--that I took so much abuse supporting and so many bulletts defending would turn so violently on me. Amidst resounding declarations that I was "finished in the Colorado Replublican Party" I might just fly the middle finger and stay in until the bitter end.

I mean, what's he got to lose? Truth be told, the abuse I have taken for defending him from those RINO [not fit for print] has very nearly got me to the point of voting for him to teach the dang RINOs a lesson. They tried to push Norton on us--who McCain recruited, funded and campaigned for, and then tried to play down their mistake with McInnis and take a shot at the Tea Party by pretending to back Maes. Their ultimate goal with Maes, when he self-destructed as anyone with a brain knew he would after meeting him, was to be able to look condescendingly at the Tea Party and 9/12 folks and say, "See, we told you so. Now let us ex spurts handle the politics".

With that all in mind, I have moments of wondering why I should vote for Norton if she is on the ballot.

Lesson: Root out the RINOs from leadership. In this single campaign they were able to take out Maes, then prop him up, talk Tancredo into ruining his chances for a further office by waving the conservative flag at him and telling him it really WAS best for the party, then turning on him and then position their RINO Senate candidate that lost to Ken Buck as the Republican candidate for Governor.

Two words: Shark Tank

....and Wadhams said he thought McInnis was untrustworthy?  Look in the mirror, man!

So, here I go touching the "third-rail" in Colorado politics right now.  It got me kicked off of redstate.com and even had folks saying things like "Stay far, far away from my state", not realizing I am in his back yard. :->

The reality is that Dan Maes is NOT going to win this.  I was really disappointed when, like a real man, Tom Tancredo offered to leave the race and allow another Republican to be nominated if Dan Maes would leave the race.  Like a real politician, Dan Maes said "No".

Now, we are all unhappy with the prospect of Hickenlooper becoming governor.  Let me remind everyone that we were all really upset about Carter being elected, Clinton and now Obama too.  Have any of you folks stopped to think about what the election of those folks did for Conservatives?  Candidates that espoused Conservative values were "shoo-ins" after those folks got elected.  Nevermind that most of those elected were really RINOs wearing Conservative clothing.  Nevermind that, as soon as folks weren't watching as closely, they did everything they could to stomp out the real Conservatives that got elected.  Nevermind that the folks that do the vast majority of the work at the grassroots levels are Conservative and nevermind that it is the Kenesian and inte(R)nationalist policies of Karl Rove and Bush I & II and the "moderate" wing of the big tent party that lost the majorities that the Conservative grassroots worked so hard to get.

What to say about political parties?  Oh, yea: (from http://www.laughtergenealogy.com/bin/history/politics.html)

___________

Political parties did not exist in 1789. Washington despised the idea of political associations, formed in such a way as to pit one group of citizens against another. In his farewell speech in 1796 he said:
 

[While speaking on the subject -- The very idea of the power and the right of the people to establish Government presupposes the duty of every individual to obey the established Government.]

"All obstructions to the execution of the Laws, all combinations and associations, under whatever plausible character, with the real design to direct, control, counteract, or awe the regular deliberation and action of the constituted authorities, are destructive of this fundamental principle, and of fatal tendency. They [political parties] serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation, the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and, according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the ill-concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common counsels, and modified by mutual interests.

"However combinations or associations of the above description may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people, and to usurp for themselves the reins of government; destroying afterwards the very engines, which have lifted them to unjust dominion."

________

Conservatives need to break away from the Republican party and become a force of our own.  The antics of Steele and Wadhams as well as John "I was a POW" McCan't, "No, don't take Baghdad" Bush and "Go take Baghdad" Bush, Mitch "Moderate leftist" McConnell and the poor excuses for Representatives leading the House Republicans, etc. are excellent examples that CONSERVATIVES AREN'T WELCOME IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.  Bring your votes but leave your opinions at the door and don't say anything about it or we'll kick you out!

I was on Capitol Hill for the 104th Congress, a.k.a. the "Republican Revolution", with Newt "Gushing about Clinton's friend Alvin Toffler" Gingrich's "Contract With America".  I worked for a Conservative Republican freshman from Texas (No, I'm not from Texas).  I helped (B-1) Bob Dornan (California) take on the inte(R)nationalist wing under Gingrich by bringing an American "security consultant" named Giles Pace, working for the Bosnian Muslims in Tuzla, Bosnia, to the US to testify in front of the National Security Committee prior to the American entry into the Bosnian conflict.  It wasn't even a year after the sweep of the House by Republicans singing the Conservative Anthem that all of the REAL Conservatives were pushed to the side like so much trash, cut out of the debate and literally told to be silent in meetings and the elitist,     inte(R)nationalist, "neocons" were already complaining about how the "Contract" was chafing them and how they weren't going to do that again.  

The point is that we are going to be taken again if we are not careful.  We need to support principle over party EVERY TIME.  If we don't we will continue, on the State level, to have weak-kneed apologetic moderates that are then pushed out in favor of someone who actually has beliefs.  Since the Republican party is dedicated to stifling Conservatives the only folks allowed to run who have beliefs are the Progressives.  The result is a constant trend to the left with no ground re-taken by Conservatives.  On a national level we will have a repeat of the neocon death march with the resulting international entanglements, budget deficits, expansions of big government, elitist snobbery, pandering to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and anyone else with oil or money policy.  What we WON'T have is a principled, moral, Constitutional government that reflects the Will of the People.

The Republicans have had their chance.  They have ridden the Conservative horse for too long without giving it food, water or rest.  Now it is time to unseat these morally gray usurpers and strike out on a truly Conservative course.  Change will not come in days or months but in years.  Yes, anything worth doing takes patience and hard work but wouldn't it be nice, for once, to not have to want to kick yourself when you walk out of the voting booth?  Wouldn't it be nice to hear someone defend the Constitution the way you do and actually win a debate with the liberals as opposed to just giving in and constantly compromising with the left? The Republican moderates have shown, in no uncertain terms, that they are willing to compromise to strength.  They have been doing it for years with the Progressives.  Isn't it about time to start pulling this country back in the right direction? 

Stop letting the moderates own delivery of the Conservative message.  Let's make them compromise with us instead of the Progressives.

I support Tom Tancredo and Sarah Palin and I DO NOT apologize for it.

I was recently banned from my former blogging site, redstate.com.  I was banned because I took issue with the Republican party here in Colorado and their choices for guberrnatorial candidates.  I outlined the issues that led me to believe that neither Maes nor McInnis are a viable choice to represent me.

I went on to rail against the moderate Republicans that are currently taking issue with Tom Tancredo's entrance into the race.  I called them weak-kneed and cowards for being afraid to back a strong conservative and called-out the fact that this is not the first time that Conservatives have found themselves shunned by the "important" people in the party.  I also drove home the point that the Republican party is not Conservative but, rather, Republican.  I called out the fact that the inte(R)nationalist, so-called "neocon", wing of the party (formerly referred to as "country club" Republicans), have been responsible for the very things that caused us to lose the majorities in the House and Senate that we fought so hard for in the 1990-1994 timeframe.  I pointed out that they had brought us the Department of Homeland Security, Bailout I, Desert Storm, MFN for China, a huge debt, a huge deficit, restrictive rules of engagement for our soldiers on the ground, failed nation-building in Iraq and Afghanistan and, more importantly, Barry Soetoro, aka Barak Obama.

I called for Conservatives to stand up and vote their conscience.  I also declared the Kenesian-believing, inte(R)nationalist wing of the party to be my enemy and told them point-blank that I am coming for them--That I was "going to kick your butts our of the party leadership, so help me God".

I did a "what if?" excercise on the possiblity of Hickenlooper being elected and pointed out my belief that if we end up with a Governor that is a liberal in disguise and will compromise-away all of what we stand for then I believe that we are better off with Hickenlooper because the entire state would be likely to swing hard to the right afterward.

I expected that folks reading it would be able to tell, quite clearly, that I am thinking for the long game and would rather be very well positioned for the long term and poorly positioned for the short term than to be well positioned for the short term and poorly positioned for the long term.

Little did I realize how far the mainstream neocons had fallen.  I expected searing comments and significant amounts of debate.  I expected name calling and discussion.  I expected freedom of and the clash of ideas.

I did not expect heavy-handed censorship.  I did not expect a site advertising itself as "conservative" to completely ignore one of the founding principles of this country.  I, ignorantly, did not expect a repeat of history:

 These are the fruits of the policy of statesmen who have risen from beggary to opulence, from obscurity to distinction, whose private mansions are more splendid than our public buildings, and whose fortunes are exalted in exact proportion to the decline of the interests of the state. What is the cause of this change? The simple fact, gentlemen, that formerly the people, having the courage to act, and to see service in person, controlled our statesmen and was master of all our emoluments; and any of the citizens in general was content to receive from the people his own share of honor or office or advantage; whereas now, it is the statesmen that dispose of our emoluments; it is through their agency that everything is done; while you, the people, gentlemen, reft of all your strength, stripped of your treasure and allies, have become mere underlings and appendages, and are satisfied if your statesmen present you with a dole from the festival fund, and the manliest part of all! you are even grateful for receiving from them what is your own all the while. They coop you up in the city, and entice you to your pleasures, and make you tame and submissive to their hands. But it is impossible as I hold to have a high and noble spirit, while engaging in petty and mean pursuits: men’s pursuits must necessarily have an influence on their character. I should not be surprised if, for merely mentioning these matters, I were to suffer more than those who are themselves responsible for the state of things. It is not every subject on which you permit your boasted liberty of speech: I wonder that you have permitted it to-day.  But if, gentlemen, you would only renounce these practices and be ready to take to the field…you might, you might perhaps, secure some solid and important advantage.

The Greek Statesman Demosthenes (384–322 BC), in the Third Olynthiac 

 Unfortunately, the much-boasted-of "liberty of speech" has been denied to me on Redstate.  Not only that but my comments were even mis-charaterized by Neil Stevens, the editor that banned me and attempted to block my access to the site. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________

 [No, you don't get to promote the election of a Democrat, or shill for a Constitution party whack job, at RedState. Begone. – NS]

 He'll stay away from RS, too.

Neil Stevens Tuesday, August 3rd at 12:44AM EDT (link)

I've heard many people claim that they are tired of "Washington Insiders" making back room deals. They are tired of the corruption and graft that takes place inside the Beltway.  This type of activity does occur, and occurs in the highest levels of our government. Currently, Rep. Charlie Rangel (one of the most powerful Congressmen in the U.S.) is facing the house ethics committee (for ethics charges) that he'll probably cut a deal with in order to avoid any serious punishment. There are many other examples I could provide that demonstrates the lack of integrity in our government, but the purpose of this post is to point people to the real solution that will fix this problem.

Where do Congressmen and Senators come from? We elect them from the areas we live, and then send them to Washington D.C. to represent our interests. In other words, they come from our localities (or the states we live in for Senators).

The ethical problems don't come from Washington, they come from home. It's not as if our representatives cross over into our nation's capitol and then they magically become corrupt. This is a long pattern of behavior that began long before any of the current members of Congress became Congressmen. Many were elected to lower offices before their rise to Congress, and their behavior rose with them.

Many people turn a blind eye to the back room deals, graft, or corruption that happens at home. People want to focus on the political machine nationally, but refuse to fight the machine locally. If we want to fix Washington, we must fix the problems here (or wherever you may live). Hold local leaders accountable. Demand transparency and campaign fairness where you live. Don't let patronage occur in your area, and don't vote for who's next in line or who's paid their dues. Vote for principle, character, and integrity regardless of political experience. Elect people who will fight and get results, not people who want to feather their own nests.

This happens where you live and it happens because no one really cares for some reason. I implore everyone to start paying attention and start holding local leaders to a higher standard.

Michelle Morin made a very good quote that everyone needs to hear. She states, “Whomever the people choose is, by definition, a 'viable' candidate.”

Let's choose men and women of honor and not fall prey to the tricks that most in the establishment would try to use.

With the pounding that the GOP recieved in the last two rounds of elections, '06 and '08 many people expected things to change.  Well, they got they wanted. Things changed... but not for the better. Instead deficits increased, more and more jobs were lost, and people feel that the government is more broken than ever.  With the wave of disatisfaction many "experts" and people feel that the GOP is going to make a strong come back in the '10 gubernatorial, congressional and senatorial elections set to take place.  With the shift in power diverging more to the middle lets hope that this forces all branches of the government to take a hard look at their actions and do what is right for their constituents.

 ( - promoted by Rocky Mountain Right - )

( - promoted by Rocky Mountain Right - )

In the 1972 movie, “The Candidate”, Robert Redford plays the part of Bill McKay, a Senate Candidate who wins a crucial election in a huge upset.  McKay has never served in public office before.  Towards the end of the election, in his first quiet moment, McKay asks his campaign manager, “What do I do now?”  On December 1, 2009 a number of Douglas County School Board Members are asking themselves the same thing.

After a bruising off-year election in which the Douglas County voters turned their school board topsy-turvy, the December Board Meeting saw the swearing in of four board members, Meghann Silverthorn, Doug Benevento, Dan Gerken and John Carson (re-elected).  In case there was any doubt that the board was heading in a new direction, the selection of President and Vice President showed change was coming.  The election had evolved into a Union endorsed slate versus a GOP endorsed slate.  After a huge turnout, the GOP endorsed slate prevailed.  The AFT Union is still in place so future negotiations with the new Board should be interesting.

John Carson was elected President and Ryan Stuart was elected Vice President of the new Douglas County School Board.  The vote was unanimous in each case.  David Hart, the District’s Financial Officer was selected at Treasurer and Nona Eichelberger was retained as Board Secretary with Anita Gray stepping in as Assistant Secretary.

The transition from old regime to new regime had its awkward moments but the graciousness of outgoing Vice President Emily Hansen smoothed out any rough edges.  Defeated Board President Kristine Turner was a no show for this eventful day.  After the existing board approved the certification of the election results, the new members were sworn in by District Court Magistrate Beth Eliot Dumler.

Mike Robinson is Senior Partner at Robinson & Henry P.C., a Castle Rock Law Firm.

( - promoted by Rocky Mountain Right - )

There is a saying,  “give the people what they want, and they'll come out for it.”   It appears the citizens of Douglas County, CO  wanted to see Big Labor’s hand picked school board candidates kicked out of office and that’s just what the citizens delivered this 2009 election year.  The 2009 race saw a 72% increase in voter turnout over the last school board election.  A total of 45,180 voters cast mail-in ballots this year.  When the ballots were counted, the GOP backed candidates ran the table.

In most election years, our local economy has been healthy and school money issues took a back seat.  This past year, the school district had a significant drop off in revenues.  Instead of making any significant cuts in areas that affect Union workers, the board decided to make cuts in services to school children and their parents.  The board cut school bus routes, putting the onus on parents to get their kids to school and sparing the Union workers from any significant hardship.  It appears that this decision to cut bus routes was the last straw for many of the voters in the 2009 election.   It’s not like the American Federation of Teachers has a good track record concerning school kids.  See this quote: “When school children start paying union dues, that 's when I'll start representing the interests of school children.”  Albert Shanker, AFT President,  Congressional Record, August 1985.

The GOP candidates held a victory party on election night at the home of one of the candidates.   It goes without saying that they were in a good mood.

DCGOP Chairman John Ransom said  “We did something for the kids in the County and that’s neat.  Our children’s education is too important to be left to the Union.”

Dan Gerken,  the winner in District D said “I look forward to following through on what we ran on in choice in education, pay for performance and transparency.

Doug Benevento, the winner in District E stated “I am honored that the people of Douglas County chose me.”

Meghann Silverthorn, the winner in District G said “I am humbled by the support the voters have shown me and I truly look forward to delivering outstanding education to Douglas County.”

Meghann’s Husband, Jeff, called in from out of state to say how proud he is of his wife.  Mr. Silverthorn is preparing for a deployment to Iraq.

All indications are that John Carson, the winner in District B,  will be the new President of the Douglas County School Board.  Carlson stated his goals for this term.  He wants to implement more parental choice and to have parents have more say in their child’s educations.  At one of the debates in the runup to the election, Carson was paired with Sue Catterall.  She got some of her facts reversed and a lesser opponent would have pounced on her error, especially in this election cycle where the Union people challenged the GOP endorsed candidates for competence.  Carson deftly fixed Ms. Catterall’s error and made it sound like she was merely making a new point.  This kindness and understanding shown by Mr. Carson will serve him well in his new role as President of the School Board.

It only took defeated DC School Board President Kristine Turner a New York Minute to do her Dede Scozzafava impression: “I am planning to switch my party affiliation to an unaffiliated voter, as I don’t want to be associated with the foul type of behavior that the Douglas County Republicans have displayed,” Kristine Turner wrote in an email to the Colorado Independent. 

( - promoted by Rocky Mountain Right - )

Meghann and Jeff Silverthorn met and married while attending the University of Colorado. Jeff had always been fiercely patriotic and even today wears a POW/MIA bracelet with the name of an Air Force Captain shot down in Vietnam in 1969. Both Husband and Wife are the type of smart kids that the smart companies seek out and employ. Jeff got noticed and recruited by SAIC. Founded by J. Robert Beyster, Ph.D., and a small group of scientists in 1969, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), a FORTUNE 500® company, and its subsidiaries now have approximately 45,000 employees with offices in more than 150 cities worldwide. Jeff didn't know what to expect but he was ready to dive in.

In 2006, the SAIC company made the decision to solve the problem of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Iraq. The company president, Ken Dahlberg addressed his employess and stated "Our ompany needs to setp up and do this. This travesty that is killing and maiming our military has to be stopped." The company then funded an all-out effort to take a systems appeoach to defeatng IEDs.

One of the methods used is for SAIC to oufit a small propeller driven plane with forward looking laser and infra-red sensors. The plane would fly fairly slowly down the middle of a road in Iraq and have the ability to see IEDs buried in the road. This worked splendidly.

The bad guys change tactics to avoid detection and this is where Jeff Silverthorn comes in.

Yesterday, October 17, 2009, Jeff Silverthorn began a six orientation on this IED detection in actual use. After the course is over, he goes to Iraq and flies in the SAIC outfitted plane up and down the roads of Iraq. What he changes and what he learns will help untold numbers of our men and women in unifom from being killed or injured. He will be over there for four months. This is hazardous duty.

The modern military uses civilian contractors to fill roles traditionally handled by our men in uniform. Contractors "cook meals, do laundry, repair infrastructure, translate documents, analyze intelligence, guard prisoners, protect military convoys, deliver water in the heavily fortified Green Zone and stand sentry at buildings - often highly dangerous duties almost identical to those performed by many U.S. troops. Private Defense Contractors in Iraq have suffered at least 1,315 deaths between March 2003 and January 2009. An additional 10,569 have been wounded or injured.

It can be tough duty being a Defense Contractor. War is hell on the home front too.

Meghann is a candidate for the Douglas County School board. She is endorsed by the Douglas County Republicans and shunned by the AFL-CIO and its AFT local branch. As such she has been insulted, branded and dissed by the union and its cronies. All this while preparing for her husband to go off and help defend this country.

It is just another little facet of this year's School Board Election.

Mike Robinson is Senior Partner at Robinson & Henry P.C., a Castle Rock Law Firm

( - promoted by Rocky Mountain Right - )

In the 1930's, labor unions got legitimacy.  Under the Roosevelt administration, labor unions got protection and the ability to organize industrial laborers.  The Unions then represented workers who made things.  The United Auto Workers, Mineworkers, Steelworkers, etc.   It was good to be a Union boss.

Now we are in the 21st century and so many U.S. manufacturing jobs have disappeared.  Unions have seen their membership shrink as the reason for their existence has withered on the vine.  Union bosses have a good rich life, paid for by the dues of their workers.  So the bosses made the decision to go outside the industrial world that had justified their existence.  One area of greatest union  growth in today’s world is the government worker.

The AFL-CIO is America’ largest union.  Among its components are the following:

AFGE - with 600,000 federal employees.
AFSCME - with 1.6 million nurses, child care providers, EMT’s and sanitation workers.
SEIU- Service Employees International Union with 1.8 million employees in health care, public services and janitors.  The SEIU is in hot water for being in bed with ACORN.
AFT - American Federation of Teachers - with 850,000 teachers, school related personnel, nurses and other healthcare professionals.

Because the AFL-CIO is under pressure to expand their worker base and because so many of the new growth areas are government and health care workers, it is no wonder that all of the AFL-CIO entities are strongly in favor of a Single Payer Government Health Care system, Card Check and Obama.  This results in some rather startling positions for a labor union to take.

The American Federation of Teachers strongly supports Government health care.
The American Federation of Teachers strongly supports the Employee Free Choice Act also know as Card Check.
The American Federation of Teachers board unanimously endorsed Barack Obama for president well before he became his party’s nominee.

In our area, there has been a significant rise in the number of charter schools within the Douglas County School District.  The teachers and employees at these charter schools do not belong to a union.  They don’t pay union dues.  Charter schools do not have any limitations imposed upon them by union contracts.   The AFL-CIO wants a piece of this action and so far they are shut out.  If the charters are unionized, there would be little difference between them and the unionized public schools.

The AFL-CIO game plan is surprisingly simple.  The Douglas County School board has 7 districts with elected school board members.  Four of the districts seats are up election this year.  The AFL-CIO through its AFT section, has handpicked a candidate for each of the four districts.  To be endorsed by the AFL-CIO, the handpicked candidates presumably had to fill out a union questionnaire and be interviewed.  They would voice the right beliefs and make the right promises to get endorse.

The four candidates that met the approval of the AFL-CIO are:

Sue Catterall, a democrat running in District B.
Kevin Leung, running in District D
Kristine Turner, running in District E
Emily Hansen, a democrat running in District G

A union sweep in the upcoming election will likely open the doors to unionizing the Charter Schools.

The Republican Party has taken notice of this union power play.  They have endorsed four candidates themselves.  The four candidates that met the approval of the Douglas County Republicans are:

John Carson, running in District B vs. Catterall
Daniel Gerken, running in District D vs. Leung
Doug Benevento, running in District E vs. Turner
Meghann Silverthorne, running in District G vs. Hansen

For a Douglas County Voter, the choices are stark in light of the union’s power play.

If you like Government Health Care, unionized Charter Schools and Barack Obama, go with the union picked candidates.

If you don’t want Government Health Care, unionized Charters or the direction the country is heading, go with the Republican endorsed candidates.

All of the candidates above, live in Douglas County.  All are well educated.  The two groups differ philosophically and fundamentally in their world view of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

On October 5th, one of the last school board candidate forums was held in Castle Rock.   Both sides had rehearsed their talking points.  In summary, the union backed candidates want to pass bonds and raise taxes to pay the union teachers and school workers. The union candidates approved the board’s decision to cut off bus service to certain kids and parents of the district.

The Republican backed candidates want to pay attention to and represent the taxpayers of Douglas County.  After all, only 38% of property tax payers have kids in the DC Schools.   These candidates strongly disapproved of the school bus cuts, since busses represent only ½ % of the school district budget.  They look at bond or tax hikes with skepticism.

The union backed candidates care about the teachers and other union members.  The Republican backed candidates care about the parents, homeowners and kids.

Since this is a county wide election, voters will get the chance to vote for all 4 seats.  The campaign signs you see are mostly for the union backed candidates and are likely paid for by the AFL-CIO.  It is a mail-in election and the ballots will appear in your mailbox shortly.

Mike Robinson is Senior Partner at Robinson & Henry P.C., a Castle Rock Law Firm.

 In the 1930's, labor unions got legitimacy.  Under the Roosevelt administration, labor unions got protection and the ability to organize industrial laborers.  The Unions then represented workers who made things.  The United Auto Workers, Mineworkers, Steelworkers, etc.   It was good to be a Union boss.

Now we are in the 21st century and so many U.S. manufacturing jobs have disappeared.  Unions have seen their membership shrink as the reason for their existence has withered on the vine.  Union bosses have a good rich life, paid for by the dues of their workers.  So the bosses made the decision to go outside the industrial world that had justified their existence.  One area of greatest union  growth in today’s world is the government worker.

The AFL-CIO is America’ largest union.  Among its components are the following:

AFGE - with 600,000 federal employees.
AFSCME - with 1.6 million nurses, child care providers, EMT’s and sanitation workers.
SEIU- Service Employees International Union with 1.8 million employees in health care, public services and janitors.  The SEIU is in hot water for being in bed with ACORN.
AFT - American Federation of Teachers - with 850,000 teachers, school related personnel, nurses and other healthcare professionals.

Because the AFL-CIO is under pressure to expand their worker base and because so many of the new growth areas are government and health care workers, it is no wonder that all of the AFL-CIO entities are strongly in favor of a Single Payer Government Health Care system, Card Check and Obama.  This results in some rather startling positions for a labor union to take.

The American Federation of Teachers strongly supports Government health care.
The American Federation of Teachers strongly supports the Employee Free Choice Act also know as Card Check.
The American Federation of Teachers board unanimously endorsed Barack Obama for president well before he became his party’s nominee.

In our area, there has been a significant rise in the number of charter schools within the Douglas County School District.  The teachers and employees at these charter schools do not belong to a union.  They don’t pay union dues.  Charter schools do not have any limitations imposed upon them by union contracts.   The AFL-CIO wants a piece of this action and so far they are shut out.  If the charters are unionized, there would be little difference between them and the unionized public schools.

The AFL-CIO game plan is surprisingly simple.  The Douglas County School board has 7 districts with elected school board members.  Four of the districts seats are up election this year.  The AFL-CIO through its AFT section, has handpicked a candidate for each of the four districts.  To be endorsed by the AFL-CIO, the handpicked candidates presumably had to fill out a union questionnaire and be interviewed.  They would voice the right beliefs and make the right promises to get endorse.

The four candidates that met the approval of the AFL-CIO are:

Sue Catterall, a democrat running in District B.
Kevin Leung, running in District D
Kristine Turner, running in District E
Emily Hansen, a democrat running in District G

A union sweep in the upcoming election will likely open the doors to unionizing the Charter Schools.

The Republican Party has taken notice of this union power play.  They have endorsed four candidates themselves.  The four candidates that met the approval of the Douglas County Republicans are:

John Carson, running in District B vs. Catterall
Daniel Gerken, running in District D vs. Leung
Doug Benevento, running in District E vs. Turner
Meghann Silverthorne, running in District G vs. Hansen

For a Douglas County Voter, the choices are stark in light of the union’s power play.

If you like Government Health Care, unionized Charter Schools and Barack Obama, go with the union picked candidates.

If you don’t want Government Health Care, unionized Charters or the direction the country is heading, go with the Republican endorsed candidates.

All of the candidates above, live in Douglas County.  All are well educated.  The two groups differ philosophically and fundamentally in their world view of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

On October 5th, one of the last school board candidate forums was held in Castle Rock.   Both sides had rehearsed their talking points.  In summary, the union backed candidates want to pass bonds and raise taxes to pay the union teachers and school workers. The union candidates approved the board’s decision to cut off bus service to certain kids and parents of the district.

The Republican backed candidates want to pay attention to and represent the taxpayers of Douglas County.  After all, only 38% of property tax payers have kids in the DC Schools.   These candidates strongly disapproved of the school bus cuts, since busses represent only ½ % of the school district budget.  They look at bond or tax hikes with skepticism.

The union backed candidates care about the teachers and other union members.  The Republican backed candidates care about the parents, homeowners and kids.

Since this is a county wide election, voters will get the chance to vote for all 4 seats.  The campaign signs you see are mostly for the union backed candidates and are likely paid for by the AFL-CIO.  It is a mail-in election and the ballots will appear in your mailbox shortly.

Mike Robinson is Senior Partner at Robinson & Henry P.C., a Castle Rock Law Firm.

( - promoted by Rocky Mountain Right - )

Douglas County has three streams running from South to North. The Cherry Creek, East Plum Creek and West Plum Creek all eventually flow into the Platte River and the water then makes its way down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. Many of Colorado's first settlers made their homesteads on these three rivers. The West Plum Creek ends at Sedalia, Colorado, founded in 1865. This land along the West Plum Creek is Horse Country as it has been for over 140 years.

On Saturday September 19 th, the Douglas County Republicans held their annual picnic. They chose the Wiens Ranch as this year's site. We are still over a year away from the next statewide election but politics was heavy in the air. The Wiens Ranch is owned by former state Senator Tom Wiens and his family. The spacious ranch has over 1,200 acres along the West Plum Creek and it was a wonderful location for the GOP picnic.

GOP hopefuls for Governor, U.S. Senator, Congress, State and Local races were present to meet and greet the GOP faithful. The weather was perfect, the conversation was joyful, and all had a good time.

Gubernatorial hopeful Dan Maes addressed the crowd. Having been an employee and business owner over the years, he said "I know what its like to sign the two sides of a paycheck."

J.J. Ament, running for State Treasurer, brought cheers when he talked about how concerned he was how much the noise coming from the Colorado State Capital is sounding more and more like the noise coming from Washington D.C.

Scott Gessler, running for Secretary of State, talked about how that office is the first line of defense against voter fraud by organizations like the disgraced Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).

Tom Wiens was the host of the Picnic and he spoke to the throng. Although not yet a formal candidate for U.S. Senate, he was graciously received with the other candidates. He talked about how the 2010 election is the chance to send people to Washington that will work for us instead of taking from us.

Candidates for Governor who were at the picnic included Mr. Maes and former congressman Scott McInnis.

Candidates for U.S. Senate included Ken Buck, Ryan Frazier and Jane Norton. Congressman Mike Coffman attended as well, along with candidates for the District RE-1 School Board and county offices.

Many of the attendees at the picnic are the men and women who built Douglas County from a thinly populated rural ranching county into the true modern metropolitan world that it is today. It is quite fitting that the picnic was held in one of the more historic areas of our state.

Mike Robinson is Senior Partner at Robinson & Henry P.C., a Castle Rock law firm.

(- promoted by Rocky Mountain Right -)

Parker, CO - 8/7/2009

Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry R-Grand Junction paid a visit to the Parker GOP Breakfast Club this week as a Candidate for Governor. The father of two children aged 3 and 7, Penry has a strong interest in Colorado Schools. If he prevails in the statewide primary summer, Penry will likely challenge Bill Ritter in his reelection bid to stay as Colorado’s Governor.

At the meeting, Penry spoke passionately about the changes be believes the GOP must make to regain their dominance. "Obama and Ritter are the best motivators we have had in a long, long time. The Republicans are in the wilderness for a reason. We need to acknowledge our past failures and make a clean break from it." Penry said.

Penry pointed out the unionization of state government under Bill Ritter. "For years we had the labor peace act. Then Bill Ritter came in and unionized the state government. Denver is not Detroit. He is using gimmicks to balance the state budget. In 2011 there will be a billion dollar spending deficit."

When asked about workers compensation and the Pinnacol Insurance issue, Penry stated " The Ritter administration is doing the exact opposite of AIG. AIG went to the federal government for money. Bill Ritter went to Pinnacol for money."

Penry is a well spoken, intelligent public servant and he was well received by the Parker crowd. Parker’s own state senator, Mark Scheiffel, happily joined the Penry band wagon to the crowd’s delight.

Penry is the second candidate from the Western Slope to throw his hat into the governors race ring, joining former 3^rd C.D. Congressman Scott McInnis and businessman Dan Maes.

Parker, CO - 8/7/2009

Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry R-Grand Junction paid a visit to the Parker GOP Breakfast Club this week as a Candidate for Governor. The father of two children aged 3 and 7, Penry has a strong interest in Colorado Schools. If he prevails in the statewide primary summer, Penry will likely challenge Bill Ritter in his reelection bid to stay as Colorado’s Governor.

At the meeting, Penry spoke passionately about the changes be believes the GOP must make to regain their dominance. "Obama and Ritter are the best motivators we have had in a long, long time. The Republicans are in the wilderness for a reason. We need to acknowledge our past failures and make a clean break from it." Penry said.

Penry pointed out the unionization of state government under Bill Ritter. "For years we had the labor peace act. Then Bill Ritter came in and unionized the state government. Denver is not Detroit. He is using gimmicks to balance the state budget. In 2011 there will be a billion dollar spending deficit."

When asked about workers compensation and the Pinnacol Insurance issue, Penry stated " The Ritter administration is doing the exact opposite of AIG. AIG went to the federal government for money. Bill Ritter went to Pinnacol for money."

Penry is a well spoken, intelligent public servant and he was well received by the Parker crowd. Parker’s own state senator, Mark Scheiffel, happily joined the Penry band wagon to the crowd’s delight.

Penry is the second candidate from the Western Slope to throw his hat into the governors race ring, joining former 3^rd C.D. Congressman Scott McInnis and businessman Dan Maes.

You can get PPP to do polling in Colorado at by voting Colorado at http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/

We are only a few votes down from Arizona, let's get some match-up info for 2010. We need to update from Bill Owens and John Elway

( - promoted by Rocky Mountain Right - )

Read today's columns by Robert Samuelson in the WaPo and by Ross Douthat in the NYT.

They both highlight the problems that hard left, pro-union policies favored by Gov. Ritter and his Democrat majorities in the Colorado General Assembly have created for California, New York, Illinios and other blue states.

It will be interesting to see whether Colorado Republicans tar Ritter and the Democrats as Californiated Lefties.

( - promoted by Rocky Mountain Right - )

Highlands Ranch (6/26/2009)

The Douglas County Republican Party had its monthly meeting in Highlands Ranch, CO today with a full meeting attendance. The speaker was David Petteys of the Act! For America organization. Act! for America is a nationwide organization of concerned Americans who are uniting to speak out against the rising tide of Islamofascism and the "political correctness" that excuses it. The organization is based in Virginia Beach, VA.

Petteys displayed video and documents to show the attendees that the rise of Islamic Jihad is real and is infiltrating the U.S. "The Muslim Brotherhood started many of the moderate Islamic Organizations...Any efforts to limit Saudi U.S. influence must come from the bottom up." Petteys said. Petteys told the crowd about the Islamic Trilogy which consists of the Quran, the Sira which is a bio of the life of Mohammed, and the Hadith which concerns political issues of Mohammed. According to Petteys, the Islamic definition of Jihad is "to war against non-muslims and to establish the religion of Islam"

Petteys said there are 4 methods of Jihad: (1) by mouth (2) by pen (3) by the sword and (4) by money. Petteys told the crowd that money raising is the principal U.S. problem concerning radical Islam.

The Douglas County Republican Party meets in Castle Rock, Parker and Highlands Ranch on a rotating weekly basis. Anyone interested in attending a meeting may find out more info at the Douglas GOP web site of www.dcgop.org.

Mike Robinson is Senior Partner at Robinson & Henry, P.C., a Castle Rock law firm.