Denver Tea Party

February 27, 2009
10:00 am	to	11:00 am

Online conservative activists have rallied to CNBC’s Rick Santelli’s call earlier this week, backed by mortgage traders, for a “Nationwide Chicago Tea Party” to protest the Obama Administration’s bailout plan.

Moving quickly, Top Conservatives on Twitter , Smart Girl Politics, the #DontGo Movement, Americans for Tax Reform, the Heartland Institute, and American Spectator Magazine joined forces to announce a “Nationwide Chicago Tea Party”, to be held on Friday, February 27 at noon EASTERN STANDARD TIME. (That’s 10:00am Mountain Time)

The tea party will be held simultaneously in Chicago, Washington DC, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Fort Worth, Denver and dozens of locations around the US, and on Twitter, using the #teaparty hashtag.

For more information, please go to Official Chicago Tea Party site.

Official Sponsors for this event are:

Top Conservatives on Twitter (TCOT)

Smart Girl Politics

Don’tGo Movement

American Spectator Magazine

Americans for Tax Reform

The Heartland Institute

If you are interested in attending or hosting a Tea Party in you area, please go to the Official Chicago Tea Party site or contact chicagoteaparty2009@gmail.com.

More details will be posted as they become available.

Transparency and New School Construction

February 25, 2009
8:30 am	to	10:00 am

by Jeff Sacco

Please help me spread the word. Senator Lundberg’s bill (SB09-236, Transparency and New School Construction) will be heard in the Senate Education Committee, room 354, probably around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, February 25th.

Anyone that could offer support through testimony or just your presence should contact Jeff Sacco at saccojb at hotmail dot com or 303-297-2545(H), 303-913-9392(C). I will be at the capitol basement cafeteria between 8:30 – 9:00a.m. if anyone would like to learn more about the importance of this bill.

This bill simply requires that a public hearing be held at least sixty days prior to construction commencement, and that documents and plans relating thereto be made available for public inspection at that time. Additional information may be found at TransparencyInEducation.org.

Sorry for the short notice, this bill was just put on the calendar earlier today.

Northern Colorado Republican Town Hall Meetings

February 21, 2009
10:00 am	to	4:30 pm

State Senator Kevin Lundberg (Senate District 15), and State Representative B.J. Nikkel (House District 49) will be holding Town Hall Meetings in their districts on Feb 21st, 2009.

Berthoud
10:00AM – 10:45AM
Berthoud Public Library
236 Welch Ave.
Berthoud, CO 80526

Windsor
11:30AM-12:15PM
Windsor Community Recreation Center
250 N. 11th St.
Windsor, CO 80550

Wellington
1:00PM – 1:45PM
Wellington Community Church
8445 3rd St.
Wellington, CO 80549

Livermore
2:15PM – 3:00PM
Livermore Community Church
276 CR74E
Livermore, CO 80536

Red Feather Lakes
3:45PM -4:30PM
Red Feather Community Library
71 Firehouse Ln.
Red Feather Lakes, CO 80545

Roast The Pig!

February 17, 2009
12:00 pm	to	2:00 pm

We’re meeting in Denver to Roast The Pig (the Stimulus bill, that is).

Details here.

Help Us Roast The Pig!

by Randy Ketner

UPDATE: Join Joshua Sharf, myself, and others from noon to 1pm MST for a Pork Roast Special Blogtalk Radio show outside the Museum of Nature and Science in Denver.

Tomorrow, February 17, 2009, President Obama will be at the Museum of Nature and Science in Denver, CO to sign into law the largest spending bill in our nation’s history. The stated reason for signing the bill here is to highlight the green technology of the museum and the growing Green Industry in our State.

The event itself is by invitation only, but there are a number of groups that have announced they will be at west steps of the Capitol building to protest against the signing of this bill. Originally, the protest was going to be at the park across the street from the Museum, but it was too difficult to obtain a permit on such short notice. Some big names have also confirmed they will be there including former Congressman Bob Beauprez and Michelle Malkin. A roasted pig has been ordered to celebrate the event.

Michael Sandoval at Slapstick Politics enumerates the real reasons why Obama is coming to Denver to sign the bill. Michael is also a contributor at the People’s Press Collective, which was originally created as an association of new media reporters that covered the news at the Democrat National Convention held in Denver last year. They covered the news that they knew the mainstream media would avoid. The Collective includes the best of center-right bloggers from Colorado.

The Collective will be out in force tomorrow to cover the events at the Capitol. For the latest and best coverage follow the updates at the People’s Press Collective. There’s also information at the You Don’t Know Stimulus site. Ben Degrow, also a contributor at PPC and member of the Rocky Mountain Alliance of Blogs 2.0, is employed by Colorado’s premier think tank, the Independence Institute. He will be joining us as well as others from the Institute. UPDATE: This just in from Jon Caldera at the Independence Intitute.

$30,000 a Plate Pork Roast!

WHAT: Individuals will sign their names to 4-foot wide checks, made out to the federal government in the amount of $30-thousand dollars.
WHERE: WEST STEPS of the State Capitol.
WHEN: NOON
WHO: A coalition of concerned groups and citizens, including:
Jon Caldara of Colorado’s Independence Institute,
U.S. Representative Mike Coffman,
Michelle Malkin, nationally-known writer, blogger, and columnist,
Former U.S. Congressman Bob Beauprez,
numerous other Colorado legislators and dignitaries.
WHY: To voice opposition to a government measure that spends more in one bill than has been spent in the entire conflict in Iraq.

You can follow me on Twitter for real-time updates. The day after the event I’ll be posting information at DontGo Movement’s Colorado News Platoon.

Larimer County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner

February 21, 2009
6:00 pm	to	9:00 pm

See here for details.

Fort Collins Liberty On The Rocks

February 25, 2009
7:00 pm	to	9:00 pm

Come join other free-market, small government minded people from Northern Colorado at Maya Cove on the northwest corner of Drake Rd. & Taft Hill Rd.

Cherokee Trail H.S. Student Owns Up, Talks to State Legislature

by Randy Ketner

As reported yesterday by Warner Todd Huston at RedState, Cherokee High School senior Marie Marrow was suspended for having Young Marines drill team practice rifles in the back of her SUV on school grounds, which have been used there for the past six months.

In an article at the Rocky Mountain News, not only accepts responsibility for what happened, but also went to Denver to talk to the Legislature about getting the ridiculous zero tolerance law changed to grant exceptions for military drills and eliminate zero thought when it comes to enforcing these kinds of laws.

The RMN article is titled, Senior learns a lesson in props, but I really think Miss Morrow has taught us a lesson with how she handled the situation, and is the reason why she is a leader at her school and in her community.

Good community citizens aren’t anarchists. When we find poorly written laws, we elevate awareness, and work to change those laws. What we don’t do is ignore the law or complain that it’s unfair. Miss Morrow has done it the right way, by first taking responsibility for her actions.

I understand the way the school reacted; I know it was my fault.

Then she went on to talk about doing something about it,

We’re trying to change the statute in the law and make a difference.

Senator Kevin Lundberg (R-Berthoud) of Northern Colorado’s 15th district had this to say about the law,

There should be exemptions to this hard and fast rule so this type of thing doesn’t happen again. I am outraged that a student faces expulsion for participating in a drill team.

Yesterday, Sen. Lundberg was considering introducing legislation to add an exemption for drill teams.

I just want to put some common-sense language into the statute where school districts don’t have their hands tied when everyone agrees it should have some flexibility. Zero tolerance shouldn’t mean zero thought. [emphasis added]

Tonight, beginning at 8:30pm MST, the members of Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Alliance of Blogs, 2.0 will be discussing this situation during the Big Story segment at Blogtalk Radio. Joining us will be Rep. Cory Gardner, House Minority Whip, and Colorado state GOP vice-chair candidate Leondray Gholston. More information on the show can be found at Mount Virtus, and Slapstick Politics.

You’ve Already Forgotten For Whom You Work

by Randy Ketner

An open letter to Senator Mark Udall, Senator Mike Bennet, and Congresswoman Betsy Markey.

Dear Senators and Congresswoman,

Two of you, while campaigning for office during the past year, promised to represent all of the people of Colorado in Washington, while the third was selected by Governor Bill Ritter to replace Senator Ken Salazar who also campaigned on the same pledge. With your first significant vote in Congress, you’ve mortgaged ours and our children’s future by supporting the largest spending bill in the history of our nation.

Enough has been said about the costs of this bill, and much debate still exists over whether it will actually help our economy. The basics are it’s going to cost $37,000 per person. Of greater concern to me and my fellow Coloradans, is how much is coming back? If we’re going to end up paying for this thing, did you even make sure we had a seat at the table?

The National Priorities Project states that in 2005, Colorado was 43rd in the nation in the ratio of the amount returned per dollar paid in taxes as compared to other states. Forty-third. Yet, with the largest spending bill in the history of our nation, you’ve relegated us to forty-eighth place.

Not only have you failed our nation with this ill-begotten payback to unions and campaign contributors spending bill, but you couldn’t even properly represent the people in Colorado by returning at least a fair share of our tax dollars to be spent back here at home. The likely reason for this is, we’ve as a whole been fiscally responsible in Colorado due to a functional Taxpayer Bill of Rights that has controlled spending as well as taxes. But then, I suppose you’re just following our President’s lead in believing that it’s the role of those that will work to support those that won’t.

You’re not even 90 days into your new jobs, and you’ve shown yourselves to be complete failures. The only way that I see that you can possibly redeem yourselves is to vote against the bill after it comes back from committee to resolve the differences between the Senate and House versions. At least then you could show yourselves to be honestly representing the people of Colorado. My guess is that you won’t do it though, because all of that talk about bipartisanship and representing all of the people of Colorado was just that. Talk.

The people of Colorado deserve better, and if this is how you’re going to continue to represent your constituents, you might want to think about looking for another job in a two years (or six, as the case may be). You’re going to need one.

Bob Bacon Tries to Make Transparency Disappear

by Randy Ketner

Colorado Republican Senator Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch introduced a bill during the current Senate session that would require schools in the State to put their checkbooks online. Budget and spending transparency has been a hot issue for the past couple of years, and after it came to light that the Jeffco School District spent money on Carnival cruise tickets, constituents are demanding it.

State Senator Bob Bacon, D-Fort Collins, fresh off his electioneering success, was successful in passing an amendment in committee which renders the bill useless. As Ben Degrow reports at Mount Virtus, it removed the term requires, and replaced with voluntary pilot program. Senator Harvey objected, and requested that his bill be removed from consideration after the amendment passed, but his request was denied and the bill was sent to the full Senate.

If the issue ended here, most would consider this business as usual in a Democrat-led legislative body, but there is more. Two weeks ago, at Liberty On The Rocks, Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier spoke with us, and encouraged us to show up during open comments and speak in support of the bill. Many showed up in support, but as I’ve already mentioned, the bill was gutted anyway.

Amanda Teresi, founder of Liberty On the Rocks sent out a Facebook message to everyone encouraging us to show up to support for Senator Ted Harvey who was not ready to give up on his bill.

Last Thursday, we faced our first hurdle and got the Public School Financial Transparency Act passed through the Senate Education Committee. It was gutted by some Senators on the education committee. The bill now*suggests*that public schools put their spending and revenues online in a searchable database. Original bill language *required* schools to do this.

Don’t feel depressed.

*We can get this bill corrected back to original intent this Tuesday, Feb. 3rd. We will meet in the 2nd Floor Senate gallery in the Capitol at 9am (although Senate may not convene until 10am)

The bill made it out of committee alive because people are testifying, calling and emailing! If you were one of the ones who helped, thank you! You helped beat the odds so far. We’re not done yet.

Our pro-transparency Senators will fight this Tuesday morning (February 3) to get this bill amended back to meaningful legislation. They need our help.*

To support these Senators, we’re going to pack the Senate gallery on Tuesday. Senator Ted Harvey, the prime bill sponsor, will recognize us and we’ll stand to show our numbers.*

If you can’t attend, invest an hour calling our 35 State Senators listed below anytime of any day or email them, just do it before Tuesday. (contact list at end of this email)

We have gotten this far *only* because so many of you spoke up. We had a bunch of people give awesome testimony. Once we get this thru the Senate we then have the House to face.

It quickly became apparent that the Democrat-led Colorado Senate isn’t much in favor of legislative transparency either. Yesterday, Amanda sent out another Facebook message,

Friends,

I am so sorry to send another email out. Unfortunately, legislators can do whatever they please when it comes to changing times and dates. The last I heard from Senator Harvey’s office was that the bill was most likely not going to be heard tomorrow. He is however going to have a press conference at 10am in the third floor press room, and is encouraging all who can come to do so. It will be intended to put pressure on legislators to get the bill passed. Me and some co-workers at the Independence Institute will be there if anyone is still interested in coming!

Sorry again for the hassle and confusion.

There’s one lesson that needs to be clearly understood from these events. Activism works. Our Democrat senators do not want to debate this bill with the gallery packed with supporters, and are going to try to play games with the date and time to keep from having to do just that. I recently blogged about Getting Connected in Colorado, and this is the reason why. You need to be connected to get the information that you need to be actively supporting conservative efforts. Here’s a situation where a State Senator is asking for our assistance. If we aren’t connected, we aren’t going to know when and where we are needed.

Face The State has more. I want to give a huge thanks to Amanda for continuing to coordinate efforts to support this bill, and to Senator Harvey for introducing it and continuing to fight for it. Together, perhaps we can shine a light on Bob Bacon’s efforts to make transparency disappear.