A Publication Of News, Commentaries, And Various Topics Of Interest. Volume V
Nov./Dec. 2013
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IN THIS ISSUE: SECTION A
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Common Sense News provides a voice for freedom-loving Americans who share many common values, yet have differing opinions on certain subjects. This publications’ staff and writers possess diverse worldviews. The content of Common Sense News does not necessarily reflect the views of the employees of Intermountain Media LLC. Page A-4
Letter from the Editor.....................................................................A-4 Letters to the Editor..................................................................A-4&5 Excuse Me, Who are We Supposed to Thank?...........................A-5 Turn your Angst into Action..........................................................A-6 Foundering Toward Democracy....................................................A-7 Salt......................................................................................................A-8 Revive 1787.......................................................................................A-9 Letter From Mayor.......................................................................A-10 What Happened to Our Holidays................................................A-10 Tilting the Scales of Justice?.......................................................A-11 Remember America.......................................................................A-12 Tranny Arrives and America Shurgs..........................................A-12
ANNE’S 2 SENSE -
Why Sticker Shock?.......................................................................A-13 Free Speech & Private Property Right Collide.........................A-14 Lana’s 2 Sense.................................................................................A-16
SECTION B
Obamacare........................................................................................B-1 Obamacare Troubles &The Legacy of SB200.............................B-2 Colorado’s Caucus System 101: an Introduction.........................B-3 The Right to Recall.......................................................................... B-3 What You Own is Not Your Own..................................................B-4 Elections.........................................................................................B-4-7 Can Christmas be Any Earlier?.....................................................B-9 Preppers............................................................................................B-10 Project Appleseed...........................................................................B-11 Millennial Patriots....................................................................B12&13
EMAIL EDITOR@COMMONSENSENEWSUSA.COM
Wow, we have been extremely busy as I am sure you have! We sponsored the Revive 1787 event in Douglas County and what a fantastic event it proved to be. The speakers were motivational and inspiring and included Kenyn Cureton, Dave Roever, and the keynote speaker, Dr. Ben Carson. Revive 1787 underscored how America needs to return to her roots in so many ways. There are several articles in this issue challenging us to do just that. Obamacare rolled out and has been a phenomenal disaster. As of this writing over 250,000 Coloradans have lost their coverage. People feel they don’t have a choice. They do. Someone dug up video of Obama acknowledging as early as February 2010 — before the bill had even been passed into law — that 8 to 9 million Americans will in fact lose coverage….They knew, and now they are blaming it on the coverage holders themselves telling us that we had lousy plans and that they in their wisdom know how to help us better than we can help ourselves and that big government knows best. Americans need to know that the Obama website is packed with ways for your identity and personal information to be stolen and shared by who knows? We have several articles in CSN this month and will be bringing out more to help you know what to do to resist this freedom grab. Common Sense News will not have a separate December issue as we chose to combine our Thanksgiving and Christmas issues…yes Christmas, I said it out loud. We are combining the issues for several reasons, primarily, we are going to start circulating on the first of each month and not in the middle as we have been; starting in January. I am super excited about some new “Millennial Patriots” writing for us. It is refreshing to see these young people really thinking about their world and wanting to make a difference. I hope to hear from many more and have created a section for them. One Millennial Patriot, Logan Wilson I met performed some amazing self-written, solo dramas at the Revive 1787 event. As we head into the holiday season, I hope all of you are warm, loved and grateful for your blessings. Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas! See you in 2014.
Anne Vinnola
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR LETTER TO EDITOR Editor Note: At press time the City For Champions development is a very liquid development and the entities involved are now seeking another “proposal” as their first one was fraught with problems according to the third party analyst. Dear Editor, City For Champions Violates Colorado Springs City Charter and is an Illegal development of an Enterprise under Initiated Ordinance 14.9.102 “Issue 300” Please allow me to make myself very clear, I am not a lawyer nor do I practice law but it is my understanding and my opinion that the statements below are true. I am writing this to the third party analyst and all other parties involved to state that the City for Champions creates an Enterprise which would be a joint publicly and privately owned asset in the city of Colorado Springs. According to the City Charter, Colorado Springs is a home rule city and thereby can direct and make its own ordinances and the state may not violate those ordinances. RTA funding of the City for Champions would be in direct violation of the Colorado Springs City Charter whereby it creates an ordinance against City Owned Enterprises 14.9.102: initiated ordinance, issue 300. Under 14.9.102: initiated ordinance, issue 300 it states: Excluding sales and use taxes forwarded from enterprise customers, all enterprise payments to the City shall phase out in eight (8) or fewer equal yearly steps starting in January 2010, with all yearly savings passed on as reductions to each customer bill in dollar amounts as equal as possible. Hereafter, all loans, gifts, and subsidies between an enterprise and the City or another enterprise are prohibited. (Ord. 10-27) Under 14.9.103: Definitions: ASSETS g), the City for Champions would actually fall under the category of an Asset and would be an illegal enterprise in Colorado Springs according to the City Charter. That article states: ASSET: A tangible or intangible thing of value regardless of whether the thing of value provides direct or measurable benefits to the City or the enterprise. “Asset” includes, but is not limited to: a) cash and other funds; b) services, including studies and reports, provided by consultants, c) police
and fire services consumed or made available, d) street and traffic services consumed or made available, e) all other City services used, consumed or made available, f) memberships in organizations that provide technical advice and services, and g) any other thing that confers value or is intended to confer value. “Asset”, as the term relates to a specific enterprise, includes only the proportional share of the total cost of an asset that is allocated to the enterprise by way of the budget adopted by City Council. Please note that if the RTA funded the City for Champions in Colorado Springs it would be in direct violation of the City Charter and could open itself up to liability and lawsuit by the citizens of Colorado Springs for funding an illegal enterprise. I hope you take this information into consideration and choose not to fund the illegal enterprise known as the City for Champions. This is the wishes of the citizens of Colorado Springs according to the 2009 Coordinated Election wherein the voters of Colorado Springs approved the initiated ordinance, “Issue 300”. Thank you for your consideration in this matter. Sincerely, Chris Nixon Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, Even now, the people of Colorado are voting on the gargantuan tax increase aimed at funding education. I am not writing in opposition to 66 though I am indeed opposed. Rather, I am proposing an even better way to raise the money “needed” to better our education system (again, not arguing the merits of the system at this time.) Over a third of the state of Colorado is owned by the Federal Government. Because we don’t own these lands, the State and Counties out on property tax, income tax, severance tax, royalty payments, and the resulting economic multipliers. These are the sources for education dollars. It was not supposed to be this way. After the initial thirteen states,
when states were added to the Union, it was done so by an enabling act. The territories within the new state would be temporarily deeded to the federal government, who would then title it back to the new state. It was a sort of quit claim deed from the territory, to the federal government, then to the state. It was to be done in a timely manner. But that is not how it worked in many instances. In 1828, the then “Western states” of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida, pooled their resources and demanded that the federal government do what it had agreed to do. These states knew their public lands history. They knew their rights. They were a united front and refused to take no for an answer. The result was that they got what they wanted. They got their land back from the federal government. Just like then, the now Western states, have the same issues. The federal government refuses to dispose of our public lands as it promised when Colorado became a state. This leaves us unable to tax the land to fund education. We are unable to grow our economy in the same way that states like North and South Dakota are. And finally, we are unable to profit from our own natural resources within our state. Our opponents who wish Colorado lands to remain in the hands of the federal government insist: • We gave up title to that land. • We can’t manage our own land. • These lands belong to all of us. I beg to differ. Colorado did not give up its land. The land was temporarily deeded to the federal government, per the enabling act, with the stipulation that the land was to be titled back to the state upon Statehood. Clearly, this argument that the states gave up their land because they didn’t want it is completely ridiculous.
The idea that Colorado cannot manage our own lands is also fallacious. Oklahoma controls its land. Louisiana controls its land. Texas controls its land. As a matter of fact all the states west of the east border of Colorado control their lands. Why is Colorado any different? Some will argue that Western lands are more rugged than Eastern states and therefore must be controlled by the federal government. Others will argue that the Western states are drier than Eastern States and so must be controlled by the federal government. So apparently, I am missing the drought clause and the rugged clause in the enabling acts for these states. And while we’re on the subject of caring for lands, need I bring up the woeful job the federal government has done of “caring” for our public lands, leaving them to be ravaged by bugs and disease and completely vulnerable to fire. Another argument we frequently hear, is that the lands belong to everyone. We can almost hear the symphony playing and the birds chirping. But are those lands really “ours?” It didn’t take long, earlier this month, when the government was shut down, for the feds to come in and block access to all federal lands. So the idea that just because the federal government owns it means that it’s owned by the people is apparently not true. In fact, if the states wanted federal lands opened, in order to mitigate economic effects of having them closed, the states themselves had to pay for these public lands to be opened. The public lands in New York State do not belong to those of us in Colorado. Neither should Colorado public lands belong to anyone but Coloradoans. Thus I propose the State of Colorado band together with other Western States in demanding that our lands be returned to us. Let the people of Colorado decide what to do with our lands. Jax Bubis
Excuse Me, Who Are We Supposed to Thank? By: Anne Vinnola
We are in the “Holiday Season.” Just what does mean to you? Thanksgiving…hmm I wonder who we Americans are thanking on Thanksgiving. Are we thanking the Government for giving us a day off of work so we can drink beer, eat nachos and watch football? Are we thanking the turkey growers or the cranberry mashers for fantastic food that we can stuff ourselves with, or do we think everything is owed to us and we don’t need to thank anyone? Or are we thanking God for our blessings like Americans have been for centuries? Yes I actually said “thanking God.” Remember Him? The pilgrims were real people, not caricatures, fiercely devoted to God and who faced persecution in England. They were told they must worship how the government told them to. They were prepared and many of them did, to die for this God of theirs. This God of theirs; ours; America’s God; the God we have forsaken. “Being thus arrived in a good harbor and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven, who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof" (William Bradford). I bet your kids didn’t hear this in public school. Sure seems like Christ might have been in America from the beginning. Later the Founding Fathers spoke of their faith too many times to number. Thanking God was paramount to them. The first national Thanksgiving occurred in 1789. According to the Congressional Record for September 25 of that year, immediately after approving the Bill of Rights: Mr. Elias Boudinot, said he could not think of letting the [congressional] session pass without offering an opportunity to all the citizens of the United States, joining with one voice in returning to Almighty God their genuine thanks for the many blessings He had poured down upon them. With this assessment, therefore, he would propose the following resolution: Resolved, That a joint committee of both Houses be directed to wait upon the President of the United States to request that he would recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer. The resolution was delivered to President George Washington, who emphatically concurred with the congressional request, proclaiming: “Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor. . . . Now, therefore, I do appoint Thursday, the 26th day of November 1789 . . . that we may all unite to render unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection.” Do you mean to tell me that Congress, OUR American Congress publicly thanked God for their blessings and saw to it that the citizens could also? The first president of OUR United States, of America thought it mighty important to, “unite to render unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection.” This is a fact and part of our heritage. There are other religions in America and that is fine and well, but we DID start as a Christian nation and should be able to celebrate our Christian heritage during the holidays, by thanking God and celebrating His birth. God has been taken out of every holiday and replaced with secular garbage. I am not against Santa Clause or the Easter bunny but America was founded as a Christian nation even if some people don’t want to admit it or want to make up new
“ facts” to teach our kids as they go. I was raised in a time when Christ was in Christmas. When we knew what we were celebrating in this land and who to thank for our blessings. It wasn’t so long ago. I’m not that old; I am only turning 50 this year. Never in a million years would have thought that Christ would become a dirty word in America. It never occurred to me that the singing of sacred Christmas songs would be outlawed in schools and that Christians would be subjected to persecution and held in contempt for practicing Christianity in AMERICA. No way, it was unthinkable but here we are… Thomas Jefferson is credited with the “separation of church and state” part of our fouled-up national sentiment. The really sad thing is Thomas Jefferson never intended that phrase to mean no Christians allowed. His point was the government would not be able to establish a national religion like the Church of England and require citizens to be a part of it. Ministers and clergymen have been threatened and many have bowed down to pressure to not talk about political and social matters from the pulpit. Many if not most of the Founding Fathers were clergymen and faithful. They saw America and Christianity linked and therefore founded our nation with many biblical principles. They were not afraid to fight to defend those principles and I feel that if our church leaders were courageous enough they would teach their congregations what God thinks of the issues facing our nation. It is stunning to me that the God of Peace is sneered at, mocked and in these United States of Political Correctness, being barred from schools, stores, public buildings, our military and other places. What is even more confounding is that Christ, the God of peace, love, healing and joy is a national calamity at this time of the year. What is the problem with thanking and celebrating the birth of the tiny baby who grew up to bring his people; ALL people to Him? How can this be wrong and create so much anger and hatred? Christians have done a poor job of defending Christ, our Godly heritage, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. We get upset in our living rooms and bible studies, but don’t get active and involved with politics and national issues when Christ is the foundation of our nation; our political nation. God is a mighty God and will deal with this in His own way. We may just be reaping the fruit of our efforts (or lack of) now. Take a stand Christians! Do we continue to let the government and the P.C. crowd decide that we don’t deserve to celebrate Christ or are we going to fight? Will we still shop in stores that don’t allow Christmas? When they knock on the door of our schools and tell our children they are not to sing Christmas carols in their Christmas programs what will we do? If you used to attend church but stopped, look again you might be pleasantly surprised. If you never attended church, check one out, Christians aren’t so scary. If you believe something entirely different, you are welcome to; our Founding Fathers saw to it that you would have the freedom to do so. The Founding Fathers saw to it that we ALL had the freedom to so let us enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas the way our nation has from the start. America was thanking God for her blessings from the very beginning… America probably should begin thanking Him again. Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas! Page A-5
WE THE PEOPLE - COMMENTARIES FROM THE GRASSROOTS
Turn Your Angst Into Action: Civility in Politics By: Tamra Farah
"Be civil to all, sociable to many…enemy to none." Benjamin Franklin To be civil is to be courteous and polite. Ouch. Few of us can claim courtesy and politeness in all of our interactions. Many would say civility no longer characterizes our personal lives, much less our national discourse. A study entitled Civility in America conducted in May 2013 by Weber and Wick found that rude interaction and behavior are the new normal. A stunning 80% believe the level of civility in America won’t improve until our government leaders act more civilly. History reveals some level of incivility has always characterized politics. Strong discourse and dissent often stay the razor’s edge of incivility. They are indeed critical aspects to maintaining justice and reasserting it when blurred by personal ambitions and agendas. We must debate, disagree and wrangle to sharpen as iron sharpens iron, and to champion the ideals that we fear may be lost. So what’s changed? In generations past when a legislator left the well he may have been more likely to reconnect with an opponent at a cocktail party to lift a glass or two. There was a rhythm to it all, like the cadence of a song that rose and then fell. More often civility and respect marked the interludes. Something tells me Sen. Harry Reid and House Speaker John Boehner did not go out for a drink and some laughs after Boehner hurled the f-bomb at Reid at the end of last year. Enter the 2014 political primary season.
earn media is nearly directly proportional to the level of juiciness in the conflict. As such manipulations do plague us. Still there must be a place where we draw the line between what is civil and what is not. One of the old school ways of settling dire political grievances was by duel, the most infamous between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Thankfully civility is intact to keep us from shooting our opponents. Yet as we speak, primary candidates are cleaning their rhetorical firearms and readying to aim their proverbial weapons in the war of words. We can only hope they will stick to the truth in their battles and keep in view the bigger picture of dignity and respect toward our fellow man and woman. As Abraham Lincoln reminded the nation on the precipice of great division brought about by slavery, "We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature." Go ahead and jump in! Turn your angst into action–and try and be civil, too. Tamra Farah is an activist and a 2013 graduate of the Leadership Program of the Rockies and tries to be civil most of the time.
We’ve all seen how civil these games can be. Not too long ago I served as a campaign manager for a US House primary race here in Colorado. Back in the 1980’s I kept the long hours required to organize the grassroots as chair of a densely populated county for a referendum campaign, and we won against all odds. The congressional primary was my second foray into campaign culture–the lightening speed responses, the multi-tasking gone wild and the total focus was like riding a bike. Once you’d learned it, you picked it right back up. What I hadn’t experienced before was the utter lack of civility among core supporters of the opposing side. The vitriol encountered during the primary was shocking. Politics is competitive and this is good. Comparisons must be made; contrasts must be drawn. Though many don’t like it, it is essential to call out opponents on their failings and weaknesses. We are privileged to keep accountable those who wish to serve us, and to run for office is to sign up for this public display. As the old saying goes, if you can’t stand the heat, well, get out of the kitchen. There are times when Harvard Law professor Randall Kennedy’s statement applies: “If you are in an argument with a thug, there are things much more important than civility.” You can also walk away or, better yet, outsmart them since out-yelling them doesn’t work anyway. But how far should we go? A particularly difficult question when a campaign’s ability to
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The Colorado Miracle Revised
WE THE PEOPLE
By: Lori Saine
In the battle for the largest tax increase in Colorado history, proponents of Amendment 66 spent nearly 10 million dollars while opponents raised just $27,000 to defend Colorado’s flat income tax. In mass volume of money spent, it would be like comparing the mass of Jupiter to Earth, a bottle of water to a water tower. The stakes were high. Prior to acknowledging Amendment 66 monies would have been more fungible than advertised, Governor Hickenlooper admitted on-air the proposed tax increase could graduate to a whopping 27% for some families. Soon after grassroots activists recalled two gun-grabbers at the ballot box, news came that New York Mayor Bloomberg was doubling-down in Colorado with a million dollar check to capture a white whale made elusive by TABOR: a tax increase of Amendment 66 proportions could sustain an engineered political landscape despite Republican advantages in the voter rolls. Party over policy is a battle Republicans have been losing internally for some time--long before wealthy financiers capitalized on divisions to turn Colorado blue. For example, millions were poured into ostensibly pro-life organizations to defame pro-life candidates like Marilyn Musgrave while at the same time shaming moderate republicans in targeted districts. Republicans of all stripes were painted as extreme on a variety of issues by clever advertising; but recent memory cannot be whitewashed-there is little question Democrats have embraced extreme policy in wholesale during the 2013 session. A quick study of rating systems such as Principles of Liberty (www. principlesofliberty.org) from 2012 to 2013 shows a stark contrast in just one year: no moderate Democrats remain in either chamber under the gold dome. This was by design: one unified flag after a successful summit by teams who executed an expedition with business-like precision.
The New Political Business Model: Politics as Colorado knew it changed forever in 2004 with political campaigns re-engineered as competitive business models, organizing around wish fulfillment and the distribution of misinformation. Judging by sheer magnitude of Democratic spoils, the performance of some companies on the Fortune 500 would be put to shame-Republicans dominated the state legislature and state offices since the 1960’s. Political analysts called it the ‘Colorado Miracle.’ Prior to the information age, business profits were highly correlated to market share. If a company had market dominance, that company had the most profit--the
king of the mountain. Combined with more access to information and the ability for individuals to distribute that information, the profit zone has shifted: the long-tail of the business model can now wag the industry dog. Amazon and Netflix are examples of business models that capitalized on niche marketing by taking advantage of a ‘long tail equation’. Folks whose particular passions not represented on bestselling lists make for a much thinner market. But that thin market is very long, very wide, and very profitable with today’s technology. The long tail has been wagging: any registered voter can be targeted individually on topics to his or her liking, with custom made glossy mailers that seem to fulfill every wish for a brighter future. However, storms are coming and the profit zone is changing. Slick marketing will no longer cover the fact customers did not get what they were promised. During the reign of this Democratic supermajority, many paid for the privilege of receiving nothing at all: wish fulfillment on jobs and things that matter to most Coloradans never materialized. In rural areas, punishment arrived as a future invoice for higher energy costs. Second amendment rights were trampled underfoot in a wild display of overconfidence. In 2004, big money helped sweep elections in Colorado races. Amendment 66 would have provided a way to maintain these majorities by ensuring big money keeps flowing-- this time from taxpayers. And Amendment 66 would have ensured that money continued to flow every year without a performance review from the people. The amount of money funneled from east and west coasts this year is staggering; this seems to verify that Colorado is ground zero in the battle for the soul of the republic. Republicans can execute a 2014 business plan for today’s guerilla warfare, but it can’t do that by shunning the grassroots or the tea party. The base in counties is thin but very wide and this base invests in all planks of the party platform, including family values. Substituting more bullet points on fiscal responsibility for other values will not energize the base needed to win back Colorado. In this new age of business, the Republican Party will have to deliver on all conservative principles consistently to win consistently in Colorado and across the nation. Representative Lori Saine represents House District 63 in Weld County, one of the top ten counties in the nation for the production of agricultural goods and a top producer for oil and gas in Colorado. Representative Saine has been at the forefront of the Article V movement for the last three years, educating state legislators across the nation about the power they have under the U.S. Constitution to reign in Washington's spending problem.
Foundering Toward Democracy By: Richard Eleuterio
Which of these basic, intrinsic rights would you surrender if 50.1% of your fellow countrymen voted for you to give them up? Free speech, free press, ownership of your own property, or perhaps your life? All of these rights and quite a few more could be denied to you with a simple majority vote in a true democracy. There are many advocates these days for the democratic form of government. After all, isn’t it better to have the people’s vote determine policy rather than have a set of dusty, arcane rules promulgated centuries ago by some rich people in powdered wigs? What this argument fails to take into account is our inherent rights as human beings or as our Declaration of Independence states: …that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness--Democracy, a form of government where there is direct rule by the people, has a history of instability and short term ultimate failure. The ancient Athenians tried it with very limited and transitory success. Our founders were well schooled in democracy’s failures as most of them were literate in ancient Greek. James Madison known as the father of the Constitution did an extensive study of known past civilizations and their forms of government just before the Constitutional convention. He looked at which forms succeeded and which failed, and most importantly, why. The overwhelming consensus of the delegates at the Constitutional convention was that they did not want a powerful central government or a democracy. They decided on a republican form of government with a horizontal (the three co-equal branches of the federal government) and vertical separation of power between the States and the National government. On September 17th of 1787, after more than three months of ardent debates and negotiations in the sticky, sweltering summer heat of Philadelphia, the Constitutional convention concluded. The wife of Philadelphia’s Mayor, Mrs. Powell asked delegate
Benjamin Franklin as he emerged from what now is now called Independence Hall, “What have you given us? He replied “A Republic, if you can keep it.” It’s been over 200 years since the diligent work of those honorable men at the Continued on page A-8
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WE THE PEOPLE
Foundering Toward Democracy
convention was concluded. Have we kept our Constitutional Republic? There definitely have been many changes in our government over these many years. Most of these alterations have moved us away from a republican form of government toward direct rule by the people, that is a democracy. During the last 20 years there are many examples of tyrants being freely elected by their citizens throughout the world: Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Hamas in Palestine, and most recently the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt who immediately upon winning election attacked the persons and religious rights of Coptic Christians within their borders. A quotation widely attributed to Alexander Tytler a Scottish enlightenment historian and legal scholar of the 18th century highlights the thinking of our founders on democracy as a form of government. A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. It can be easily discerned that in America’s history there is a definite and continuous trend toward democracy and away from a Constitutional Republican form of government. Let’s follow some legislation, Supreme Court Decisions and Constitutional Amendments that have contributed to this inexorable march toward democracy. What do the 1798 the Alien and Sedition Acts, 1857 the Dred Scott decision,
By: Jerry Vinnola I’m not sure what you think about, when or if you have ever stopped and pondered the old saying “Be worth your salt.” Or have you ever heard this one, “You are the salt of the earth?” Do you know the origin and how old those sayings are? They go back to ancient Roman times. How far back they go is not the issue or that salt was once almost even
Continued from page A-8 Slaughter –House cases 1872, Plessy v. Ferguson (1890), 1913 the 16th and 17th Amendments, Wickard v. Filburn (1942), 1944 Korematsu v. U. S., the McCain, Feingold Act 2002 and finally the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 have in common? They all increased the power of the Federal government at the expense of the states and the people. Eroded individual and, or minority rights. These changes are all characteristics of advancing democracy. While it is very important for the people’s vote to act as a check on the excesses of autocratic political leadership it is equally important that the natural, unalienable rights of individuals and minorities not be overrun by the excesses of a majority. Part of the genius of a Constitutional Republic is that it constrains both excesses. Those old rich guys in powdered wigs might have been pretty smart after all! For our nation’s ultimate survival we must identify the navigational problem, set a new course, and restore the foundering ship “Republic” lest we fall victim to the siren call of democracy and destroy ourselves on the jagged rocks of tyranny. Born in New York City, Richard Eleuterio lived most of his life in Southern California. He is now a retired commercial insurance broker living and writing for the last 5 years in beautiful Colorado Springs. In writing his goal is to impart his readers with new knowledge about the legacy of our great nation’s past and how it affects the present.
with gold in value. What is important is how salt today is the most valuable asset we as a people have. But probably not the way you are thinking. It is not for flavoring or artery clogging but it was salt that was used to prevent food from rotting and decaying. The Bible talks about it time and time again. My wife and I have been Christians for 29 years and like a lot of people never put it all together. You may have heard those sayings from a preacher a time or two but now you get to hear from a professional taxidermist. I’m going to tell you how I think salt applies to us today. The more “seasoned” folks among us won’t need to be told about salt. If you grew up farming or ranching you will know a little of what I am about to say. I hope it comes out right, remember I am a taxidermist in the business of preserving memories. Who said “You are the salt of the earth?” In Matthew 5:13 it was Christ who said it. Look at it this way. Most of us think of it as a seasoning, in the world we live in. But that is not what Jesus is talking about. His Word is just as applicable now as then. He wasn’t telling the people to put salt on their French fries or steak, but he is telling us to be the salt of the earth. It is not just the preacher’s job or the person sitting next to you at church. It is not someone else’s job. He gave the job to us to be the protectors of this land. Our troops fight for our freedom. We also have been given our orders and we are to follow them. We are to fight the decay of the land. We Christians have not gotten it. How have we stopped the decay in our neighborhoods in our workplace or in our nation? Our country needs us, our kids and grandkids and the future of this land is counting on us. If our troops can give their lives for their country and people they have never met then we should be willing to do the same. The time is now. Pearl Harbor came with little warning, however Churchill reportedly knew and Continued on page A-12
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REVIVE 1787
WE THE PEOPLE
By: Anne Vinnola
I had no idea of what to expect when I got to the Revive 1787 event October 27, 2013 held at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Event Center. Dan Meurer had been into our office to talk about it and the great speakers he had coming. Dr. Ben Carson and Dr. Kenyn Cureton, Rev. C.L. Bryant, Dave Roever and more. Lana and I said we would help in any way we could and sponsored with advertising in Common Sense News and Radio and helped with the programs and flyers. I didn’t pay all that much attention and in my mind it was going to be a nice little event and I would go to see. The Revive 1787 mission is to: • Edify through historical truth about how Men of Faith crafted the Miracle of our Constitution and molded our more perfect Union. • Empower through inspirational resources that nurture and strengthen vibrant Biblical Worldview. • Engage in the cause of defending liberties bestowed upon us by Divine Providence through the Stewardship of Civic duty. The afternoon program Amazing Performances by Logan Wilson at the Revive 1787 event beginning at noon was free to teens and was well attended. These lucky teens learned from some of the best teachers in the state about the Founding of America, current events and how they could personally fit into the American fabric. I was helping my husband set up the Honor Hands booth in the hall so I listened a bit to some of the speakers while we set up and those 300-400 kids were privileged to hear some amazing things that other kids may never get to hear. Then around 4:30 people started arriving. There was a nice VIP event for us all to get our pictures taken and to meet with Dr. Ben Carson and his wife and the other speakers. As I went out of the VIP event I was amazed at the number of folks coming in the doors. Jerry, Lana and I grabbed stacks of Common Sense News and handed them out to as many as we could before we ran out. This was no “nice little event.” It was HUGE! The Douglas County Event Center was packed to capacity with over 2000 people and celebrities and dignitaries from all over the state were there. CoFounders Dan Meurer and Randy Mills took care of every detail with an army of volunteers. One of the highlights of the evening for me was when Logan Wilson stepped on the stage to give a fantastic one man drama which he also wrote called The Knights of St. John. Later he gave another one called Liberty. Be watching for Logan. He will go very far. What a talent! The speakers were all fantastic and very
motivating speaking about how God fit into the American fabric and how Americans need to remember their roots. Dr. Ben Carson was in his element and spoke to the hearts of the audience giving his personal testimony from his childhood in and inspiring all to reach for greatness. Determined to turn her sons around, Ben’s mother limited his TV time to just a few select programs and refused to let him go outside to play until he had finished his homework. She was determined that her son would have greater opportunities than she did. She required him to read two books a week and give her written reports, even though with her poor education, she could barely read them. She would take the papers and pretend to carefully review them, scanning over the words and turning the pages, before placing a checkmark at the top of the page to show her approval. Her hard work and discipline of her son allowed him to go from a violent and frustrated youth to a succeeding student and then on to medical school. Dr. Ben Carson is now one of the most sought after and celebrated neurosurgeons in the world and is also a fantastic motivational speaker. He has some interest in running for president but we will see. He is waiting for God to give him a definitive answer. Revive 1787 proved to be a motivating, moving and informational event. I can’t wait for next year!
Dr.Carson speaking at the Revive 1787 event
Page A-9
I have a question that has been on my mind. It is a very rational and honest question. Why do we have holidays? We have Veteran’s Day to remember all the lives and the hardships that have been sacrificed for the good of others. We have Memorial Day when we go out and remember all those we loved who had passed on before us. We leave flowers on their graves and thank God for sharing them with us for a season. We have the Independence Day to celebrate the forming of our great nation. We have thanksgiving to celebrate the blessings God has given us, just like the first pilgrims celebrated God’s provision. We have Christmas to celebrate the coming of the Creator of life to be born in poverty and filth to bring us everlasting life. We have Easter to celebrate the day our Lord Jesus rose from the dead. What happens during all these great holidays in today’s world? Most holidays are a time to relax, to party, to go to the mountains or the lakes, to sleep in and watch movies, or just get some of those old yard and house chores done. The emphasis has drifted away from lost ones, from those who sacrificed for us, from the farmers and ranchers who took up crude weapons to free us from tyranny and injustice, from the pilgrims who suffered severely and set the example for making new friends, a new life and things God, from the birth of our Savior and from His resurrection from the dead to offer grace to all mankind. How did that happen? What happened to the meaning we have drifted away from, the meaning that drove our government to create these great days so we would never forget their importance? Simply put I believe it is because we have arrived in this post-modern world where “I” am the center of the universe. The greatest goal in life is pleasing me. The second greatest goal in life is to be politically correct and remove anything from my life that might be offensive to society or at least the loudest voices in our society. I have a friend who is teaching music in a small town elementary school. She was told that for the Christmas musical this year, there could be not any reference in the music to Christ or anything religious. I was so proud of my friend. She told them, “I refuse to do that and I will not bend. I will quit first.” That has been happening in schools across America Are we the land of the free and the home of the brave? Or are we guided by oppressive power of political groups that hate Christians and Jews? Christmas has become a marketing holiday for families to go deeply into dept. The next major change may be getting rid of our calendar and coming up with something new and less offensive. Is it not painful to have 2014 called “The Christian Era” or “In the Year of Our Lord”? Why not start over in 2014 It could be called, “1 YEC”, Year 1 in the Year of Erasing of our Creator? Let me share the exciting and yet sad part of this story. I once spoke with someone who believed strongly in being an active member of our society. They believed that what we leave behind is critical to the purpose of our existence. I asked them, “Do you believe it matters rather I live for 10 minutes after I am born or 100 years?” They said, “Of course it does. You cannot help society if you only live 10 minutes.” I replied, “Ah, but if I am nothing more than an accident in time and there is no Creator, there is no reason for me to help society or leave anything behind. It will not be remembered in Continued on page A-11 Page A-10
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I love Colorado Springs. I have raised my family here and will continue to stand and fight for the citizens of our City. We choose to live here, play here and work here. So, when the government of Colorado Springs ignores the citizens and makes deals behind closed doors and in smoke-filled rooms it infuriates me. Let me explain with facts. The first City for Champions proposal was introduced by Mayor Steve Bach to “Beautify Downtown and create jobs.” The first proposal included a new stadium downtown and event center where the Sky Sox would be relocated, a new USAFA Visitor Center (when we already have one), a UCCS Sports Medicine Center, which will ultimately bring “medical tourists” and a new Olympic Training Center Visitor Center. Mayor Steve Bach The proposals have been presented as a grant from City of Colorado Springs the RTA, (The Regional Tourism Act). November 8, 2013 The words to remember are regional and grant. Regional meaning the whole region, not just downtown Mr. Ken Lund Colorado Springs and grant which in some minds means Executive Director “Free Money.” (We all know that free never really means Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade free). If this project goes forward taxpayers could be on the 1625 Broadway, Suite 2700 Denver, CO 80202 hook for an excess of $250 million. There is a contingency on this grant money that it could just disappear and not RE: Colorado Springs RTA Application - City for Champions be given the next year. Each year they evaluate and can Dear Mr. Lund: determine that Colorado Springs will not have the money. So, my question is who will benefit from this ultimate TAX increase on the citizens? The Developers? The purpose of this letter is to provide clarification regarding the City of Colorado Springs commitment to provide the public funding identified in the City for Champions RTA The Anschutz family? We will get to the bottom of this, application. I want to reiterate my support and enthusiasm for our application to enhance keep reading…. tourism to our great State of Colorado through attracting new visitors to Colorado Springs. The City for Champions’ first proposal was reviewed by third-party economic professionals; the The City can provide funding from the following sources: Economic and Planning Systems, Inc. (EPS) on October Utilizing existing bond capacity 28, 2013 and was found to be full of holes and misleading Increases in general fund revenues City sales tax increment revenues from City for Champions statistics. This 58-page report can be seen in whole on our City Parking Enterprise System website: www.commonsensenewsUSA.com. Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority dedicated funding Then on November 15, a press conference was held at the Colorado Springs Visitor’s Bureau on Cascade Currently, the City has approximately $83 million in debt. Over the next few years that Ave. at 1:30pm. It was there that the City for Champions indebtedness will fall to approximately $50 million. By City Charter, the debt cap is approximately $400 million. The City has substantial bonding capacity that can be utilized newest proposal was delivered. in support of City for Champions project components. The Executive Branch also expects Was there a discussion or town hall meeting prior additional general fund revenues to become available through continued growth in the local to this press conference inviting citizen’s to attend? Was economy and tax base, as well as additional revenue there a vote by the people to allow funding from the City’s generated through efficiencies in municipal government. budget for this plan? The answer is NO. Here is a copy of the actual letter dated November 8th, 2013 from Mayor Steve As the State is doing, I will support using a portion of our local sales tax increment from the Bach to Mr. Ken Lund, Executive Director of the Colorado City for Champion’s projects to fund a portion of the public investment. Estimates of the City sales tax revenues accruing from City for Champions are $174M over 30 years. The City is Office of Economic Development and International Trade, committed to utilizing the municipally owned Parking Enterprise System in support which oversees the disbursement of the RTA funds. of RTA projects. The Parking Enterprise currently has bonding capacity that can be dedicated Thank you, Mayor Bach, for committing to to the construction of the 1,500 car parking structure included in the City for Champions spending us into more debt, committing funds that aren’t in application. There is currently $2.12M included in the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation your authority to commit, and for just generally being out of Authority approved budget for funding a portion of the America the Beautiful Park Bridge. The City is committed to utilizing any and all of the sources described above to fully fi nance touch with the average Colorado Springs citizen. the public funding identified in the City for Champions Regional Tourism Act application. Citizens still have time to push back on this unfunded mandate. Please go to the meeting December 4, 2013 Thank you for the opportunity to provide the clarifying information above. We look forward at the Colorado Office of Economic Development and to working with you, OEDIT staff, and the Economic Development Commission through the International Trade, 1625 Broadway, Suite 2700, Denver, remainder of the Regional Tourism Act application process. CO 80202 CSN has reached out to Mayor Bach’s office at the time of Sincerely, It is time we take back OUR city! Mayor Steve Bach printing. We have not recieved an answer nor response. This letter was obtained by a CORA (Colorado Open Records Act) request
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Tilting the Scales of Justice? By: Matt Arnold
Governor Hickenlooper’s recent announcement (with little fanfare or mass media coverage, naturally) of his selection of longtime partisan contributor William Hood III to be Colorado’s next state supreme court justice has provoked criticism (Hick Draws Criticism for Liberal Supreme Court Pick, Colorado Observer October 29th 2013) as well as reflection on the nature of what We The People should have a right to expect from our judges. “Before he was named to the District Court bench in 2007, Hood was a regular campaign contributor to state Democrats, including former Gov. Bill Ritter, the Democratic House Majority Project, and University of Colorado Regent Michael Carrigan, according to campaign-finance records.” Hood also has close ties to Democrat Party attorney (and frequent Colorado Supreme Court litigator) Mark Grueskin – who argued for Democrats in the 2011 Congressional redistricting lawsuits and most recently the Colorado Recall Election cases, among many others. Hood’s impartiality in politically-charged cases may be somewhat in doubt due to his past history.
What makes a good judge? "An independent, fair and impartial judiciary is indispensable to our system of justice ... the judiciary plays a central role in preserving the principles of justice and the rule of law." In our system of justice, judges are (or should be) like referees at a sporting event. Like referees, judges are supposed to be impartial - taking no sides, applying the rules equally to both teams and all players. Judges must not "play favorites", let alone be "players" themselves. In any event, a judge's personal preferences or prejudices are not a reliable basis for a legal system. Imagine playing a sport in which the rules are constantly changing during the game, at the whim of the referee. Even worse, the referee is “friends” with some of the players on the other team. Sound like fun? Not so much... Now imagine that you're forced to play that sport - and your earnings, your property, your freedom, even your life, might depend on the outcome. Welcome to the world of "Rule without Restraint" - or what is known as judicial activism: ...when judges substitute their own political opinions for the applicable law, or when judges act like a legislature (legislating from the bench) rather than like a traditional court. In so doing, the court takes for itself the powers of the legislative branch, rather than limiting itself to the powers traditionally given to the judiciary.
Sound familiar? American citizens are entitled to fair and even-handed treatment from their courts. All are entitled to assurance that the law means what it says, so that they can make personal or business decisions on a reasonable, predictable, and firm foundation. We expect our judges to be fair, impartial referees. Our judicial system depends more than any other branch of government on public trust and confidence that the law is being applied fairly and impartially for all citizens – that our judges are fulfilling their proper roles as referees upholding the rules rather than players attempting to score for their “team’s” agenda. Can we expect a longtime “team player” for one side to be able to switch to being an impartial referee? Although it is possible, without a robust judicial accountability movement – including an informed citizenry and active participation – it is more likely that we’ll end up with more politicians in black robes. (Read more about Colorado courts and judges – and how they impact your life, on so many levels – at http://www.clearthebenchcolorado.org/) Matt Arnold is a strong, principled leader and American patriot. He is a military veteran (currently a Captain in the Army Reserves), an active advocate for education reform and gun rights, but best known as the founder and director of Clear the Bench Colorado, a judicial accountability group providing independent analysis and commentary on our judicial system. (www.clearthebenchcolorado.org)
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“What Happened to Our Holidays?” Continued from page A-10
the future. I am no different than a dog , cat or possum in the greater scheme of eternity, because one day all this will be gone forever. What happens now has no meaning unless there is something more.” The Apostle Paul addressed this mindset. He said, “If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.’ (Prophesy from Isaiah 22:13). Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character’” (1 Corinthians 15:32-33). Paul is pointing out that even if he would do the most dangerous job in the world and win, it would mean nothing. Without a resurrection, without hope of life beyond this world, life is meaningless. We might as well abandon all rules. Christmas is about Christ’s birth, so we never forget. Easter is about Christ’s resurrection, so we never forget. Veteran’s Day is about our great heroes who fought for our freedom, so we never forget. Independence Day is about the conviction of our forefathers to build a republic, so we never forget. Thanksgiving is about giving the Creator thanks for our lives and this incredible world we live in, so we never forget. Memorial Day is about those wonderful lives that went before us, so we never forget. What happened to our holidays? Page A-11
DON’T TREAD ON ME!
Remember America By: Brian Beck
Do you remember a radio personality uttering the phrase a couple of years ago, “By Christmas you will not recognize America”? We need to face the stark reality that this has come true and that there are extreme anti-American forces that have been at work for a very long time, subversively undermining and eroding the foundation upon which this country was established. From the progressives to the Weather Underground and from the Hippies to the Occupy Wall Street movement, the scum factor is in full effect. McCarthy deserves an apology; he must be rolling in his grave by now. While many are ready to capitulate and see the United States go the way of the British Empire, six pack and remote in hand, I say we are on the event horizon of freedom and liberty. We still have an opportunity for liberty to be preserved and prosperity to be maintained if we act now. To borrow a quote from one of our Founding Fathers, Samuel Adams, “If you love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.” Change begins now. It begins in your living room, in your kitchen over dinner. It begins in your back yard fence in a conversation with your neighbor; it begins at your job at the water cooler. It begins in your church and most importantly in your heart and in your mind. We must realize once again that our freedom does not flow from a guy in D.C. with a three piece suit who is putting you into irreversible debt. We must realize that there is no substitute for hard work and self reliance. We must cut ourselves of from the security of an overbearing state. For if we do not emancipate ourselves, we will reap the chains of servitude that we are fitting ourselves for now. We will forfeit our Godgiven right to a better way of life. I challenge you to be different than those souls who accept the shades of gray rather than the bold colors of liberty.
Salt
Continued from page A-12
said nothing. We have to forgive him; we are doing the same thing. The second part of Matthew 5:13 says; “But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?” “It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Are we feeling like we are being trampled by this Administration and by the lawlessness in the government? We must ask ourselves where our salt is. How does having the knowledge of what is wrong in our country doing any good if we are not doing what we are called to do? In my business I can have all the knowledge of how to apply salt to a fresh hide or skin but if I leave the salt in the bag or just sprinkle a little on like I would a hamburger to make it palatable then guess what? The skin will sit on the floor and begin to rot. It will do so slowly and I won’t even see it happening. One day I will smell a little but might not notice in my busy day. Then one day it will hit, that rotten decaying smell is now in every corner of the room and there is no place to get away from it. Once the skins begin to rot there is nothing I can do to stop it. I have to take the blame, it was my job to do it right. I know it takes a lot of salt to prevent the decay. The skin must be completely covered at least one quarter of an inch thick on every inch of the exposed surface. Where there is no salt there will be decay. Think about it again and ask yourself, am I doing all I am supposed to be doing? As a Christian I believe we, are one of the reasons our nation, homes and schools are failing. I was furious when Obama said we are no longer a Christian nation but in many ways we aren’t anymore. We may believe in God and may have Christ as our Savior but do we follow His plans to the letter? No. We in our human nature take the easy road. I myself don’t want to be in line for Heaven with my head bowed in shame because I didn’t do what I was asked to do to the best of my ability; love my neighbor as myself but love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength first. The Founding Fathers trusted God when they faced overwhelming odds but we have unfortunately gone astray. We must stop thinking we can go it alone. Spread the salt that is in you, stop thinking it is someone else’s job. It is your job. Sheep need a shepherd and we are “sheeple.” Look into your life, and get on with what you are called to be, salt.
Tyranny Arrives and America Shrugs By: Don Rodgers
Most readers of this publication are wide awake to the abuses of power we have seen accelerate over the last five years of this administration. Yes, some of it is Bush’s fault and the fault of the various Marxists and giant government progressives of all political party’s who have gained power and undermined our Constitution for decades, but under this radical in the White House true tyranny has arrived and the responses to it are stunning. We have become so desensitized to governmental abuse of power that even the out right breaking of the law by elected officials is shrugged off. No federal budget? No problem; even though the law requires it. Congressman making $174,000 a year becoming millionaires on that salary and barely an eyebrow is raised. The would be king breaks the law to give specials exceptions to political friends or to delay the pain of Obamacare, the “law of the land“, until after the next election cycle; easy as an executive order. Exempt the members of Congress from the massive cost increases and reduction of care in our new reformed healthcare system while average Americans are suffering under this abomination and distortion the Constitution and it is something not even worth fighting in the minds of many Republican leaders. The opposition party offers no opposition, but willingly gives what power we do have away to the Executive branch and, “Oh well, maybe they’ll fight next time.” Billions of dollars wasted by Congress and it's, “ho hum.” Americans slaughtered in Benghazi and it’s a “non story” to most. The list of abuses mounts daily as do the responses of, “Why are you surprised?” The surprise, even though it is understandable, is we are increasingly so bombarded and overwhelmed with the fundamental transformation that even many of those wide awake are more and more relegated to only being able to show their “shocked face.” We have been nudged toward compliance by ever more acceptance of the abuses of the TSA, HHS, the abuses in regulatory power in agencies like the EPA, reducing us to even watching passively last spring as an entire US city was put under martial law to case down one 19 year old terror suspect. We watched this month as the US Park Service turned to holding senior citizens at gun point in Yellowstone National Park for the crime of being there when the President decided to make things as uncomfortable for citizens as possible during the fake governmental shutdown and, in this case, make them
Page A-12
actual prisoners. Yet, for the opposition party it’s not politically worth fighting as the majority of the people are happy they are now “allowed” back into “their” national parks and people are no longer “surprised” by these abuses. The President breaks or ignores any law at his whim. Congress abuses power and wastes billions of taxpayer’s money with no worry. Religious and freedom of speech liberties are attacked openly. The lawlessness of this tyranny is overlooked as the new normal in America and America shrugs; distracted by the next news cycle touting some fake new crisis used to pit us against one another. All of it staged to drag us further into the bondage of a centralized and transformed government. Socialism is a cancer which is consuming us. It brings with it the despotism of those who are forcing people to comply for the good of the many as a few enlightened officials determine “good” to be. Our politicians, unable and unwilling to combat their need to shower the people with more and more invented benefits in order to secure their own power, sell the Constitution out and along with it those who still believe our government can only function with individual liberty and personal responsibility at its heart. It is a hard case to make today that, nationally, we are still a Representative Republic or in Mark Levin’s words, “a Constitutional Republic” and most of America shrugs. It’s not a hopeless situation we find ourselves in, but it is dire. We saw a flicker of what must be done over the last month as Americans took to the streets to remove the barriers put up by an increasingly vindictive government. We saw Ted Cruz and a few others stand up and say this manifesting tyranny is worth fighting against. They reminded us liberty and freedom are our birth right as Americans and trumps the pettiness of party politics or a new type of politics based on the mind set of surrender. We can fight back and that fight must begin here; locally and within our state. We have real warriors who represent us and many others who are willing to fight against the real evil of socialism. To win we only need to have the will to go from being “not surprised” to being once again truly outraged. Don Rodgers - Member of the 912 Pikes Peak Patriots and local political activist
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Why Sticker Shock? By: Pat Francomano
People are finding out just what’s in the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) as more pieces of it are being implemented. Obamacare is likely the most egregious, overreaching, intrusive piece of legislation since LBJ’s Great Society programs. It impacts so many areas of a person’s life: medical, economic, religious, privacy. People, including college students, are finding they really can’t keep their current health plans, or their doctors and that their premiums aren’t going to go down $2500 per year, as promised by the president, under his tyrannically-passed, IRS-enforced Obamacare. They’re finding out they’ve been lied to. Hence the sticker shock. Of course, many citizens were already awakened, namely, those in the Tea Party movement, which came to life because of huge government Wall Street bailouts, and was energized by the despotic manner in which Obamacare was forced through Congress. But even this awakening is a recent phenomenon. This seems like a good-news, bad-news situation. It’s good news that people are finally waking up to growing, out-of-control government. It’s bad news that it has taken a law with such traumatic consequences to get their attention. But why has it taken so long and why has it taken a sticker-shock moment to grab the attention of Americans to the growing intrusiveness of government—which has been growing for generations? A number of things come to mind. One is that Americans are just plain busy working for a living and don’t take much time to pay close enough attention to politics. Another is pointed out in the Declaration of Independence: “[M]ankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.” In other words, we get used to the devil we know and just live with it. Our founders warned that the preservation of the limited government they established would require an informed and vigilant citizenry. They said such things as "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free ... it expects what never was and never will be."— Thomas Jefferson; “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”—attributed to Jefferson; “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."—Thomas Paine. Being busy and getting accustomed to bad things—especially bad government— does not relieve us, as citizens, of the serious duty of being guardians of our liberty. Given the current state of our expanding government, and diminishing freedom, we can certainly do better job of guarding our liberty. By way of encouragement to that end, here is an excellent example of informed, vigilant citizenship from the past: Horatio Bunce was a farmer in the congressional district of Tennessee represented by Davy Crockett (who served in Congress from 1827 to 1831). Crockett told the story that while he was preparing for reelection, the two men met, and Bunce said that he could not vote for him again because Crockett had voted for a bill to “appropriate $20,000 to some sufferers by a fire in Georgetown.” Bunce felt strongly that Congress had no constitutional authority to appropriate public money for charity, and he reminded Crockett of that fact. It turns out that Crockett was convinced that Bunce was right, and he vowed to never vote for another unconstitutional law. The time came when Crockett had an opportunity to keep his promise. A bill was taken up to appropriate money “for the benefit of a widow of a distinguished naval officer.” This time, Crockett arose: “Mr. Speaker … I will not go into an argument to prove that Congress has no power to appropriate this money as an act of charity. Every member upon this floor knows it. We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please; but as members of Congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of the public money.” The bill was defeated. The story of Horatio Bunce is encouraging because it shows the important effect that an informed, vigilant citizen can have. It would be a good thing if recent events have shocked more Americans back to the serious business of vigilance. Then it won’t take a sticker-shock event to get our attention. As it stands today, we need not only to protect our remaining liberties, but also to restore those we have lost. This will require sustained effort, but we can do it. We can preserve and protect “the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” Surely, protecting and preserving the greatest experiment in selfgovernment in the history of the world, America, will be worth the effort. Pat Francomano is a freelance writer living in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is a retired software engineer and holds a master’s degree in mathematics. His writing interests are on political, economic and social issues as they affect individual liberties.
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When Free Speech and Private Property Rights Collide
Why do I want to be Sheriff: Over the last 10 years I have served at the Sheriff’s Office, as the Commander for the Emergency Services Division. In my role as Commander, I performed two primary duties, as the Deputy Fire Marshal and Director of Emergency Management. I am P.O.S.T certified by the Sheriff’s office as a law enforcement professional.
By: Tim Dietz
During the recent campaigns to recall former state Senators John Morse and Angela Giron, questions frequently arose regarding the apparent conflicting rights of signature collectors working throughout the city, and the rights of retail shopping mall owners to restrict or even prohibit political activities on mall property. Two leading Colorado court cases have confronted this issue. In the 1991 Colorado Supreme Court case, Bock v. Westminster Mall Co., 819 P.2d 55 (Colo. 1991), the court held that where a privately owned retail mall received financial participation from the city, and there was active presence of other governmental agencies in the common areas of the mall, the common areas were transformed into what the Court described as a latter-day public forum thereby triggering the protections of free speech contained in Article 2, § 10 of the Colorado Constitution (“No law shall be passed impairing the freedom of speech; every person shall be free to speak, write or publish whatever he will on any subject, being responsible for all abuse of that liberty.”). The Bock court reasoned that the mall had allowed a variety of public entities and private groups access to the common areas to communicate their messages despite the mall’s no-solicitation policy. The Jefferson County Clerk sponsored voter registration drives in the common areas, a salute to the armed forces including displays of military equipment were allowed, and a salute to the presidents of the United States with a display of presidential portraits was allowed. Dances and bazaars were permitted, as were activities hosted by the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and the Salvation Army. The city also operated a police substation with a desk in the mall, rent free, and a $2-million street and drainage improvement was acquired by the city from the mall. Based on the fact specific analysis of this case, the court determined that the degree of government involvement in the operation of the mall was sufficient to find that the mall had performed a virtual public function. However, the right of distributing political leaflets as free speech within the common areas of the mall was not absolute. The free speech had to remain non-violent and could not otherwise adversely affect the mall’s business operations. Ten years later, in Robertson v. Westminster Mall Co., 43 P.3d 622 (Colo. App. 2001), the plaintiffs challenged the mall’s amended 24-hour pre-event permitting requirement and the regulation limiting free speech (religious witnessing) activities to three locations in the common areas of the mall, two in front of department stores, and a third at the food court. The Colorado Court of Appeals upheld the trial court’s finding that the mall could impose its 24-hour permitting requirement and further limit activities to the three areas as reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions on free speech providing the restrictions were content neutral and narrowly tailored, they addressed a significant interest, and left open ample alternative channels of communication. In rejecting a 48-hour permitting requirement, the Robertson court reasoned that a 24-hour permitting requirement, in which the permit was valid for six months, reasonably balanced the free speech activities of the plaintiffs with the legitimate concerns of the mall owner for maintaining an orderly and safe environment within the mall. The regulation designating the food court for free speech activity was found to be an adequate forum in which to convey plaintiffs’ ideas to their intended audience while allowing the mall to carry on its legitimate business. The takeaway from these two cases is that a retail mall owner in Colorado may restrict or even prohibit free speech activities on the private property of the mall, but where there is sufficient public or governmental participation in the operation of the mall, then the characteristics of the mall may transform the mall into a traditional public forum thereby triggering constitutional free speech protections. In the latter case, the mall owner can only implement reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions on the free speech activity. Determining the permissible contours of those restrictions requires a fact based analysis. There may also be city ordinances that provide greater free speech rights than are provided by state law, but that subject is beyond the scope of this article. The common sense approach: Get permission from the mall owner when organizing free speech activities on mall property. If the mall owner denies permission, or withdraws permission later, and the persons seeking access have reason to believe that their constitutional protections have been violated, then consulting with an attorney who handles that type of case may be necessary. Disclaimer: The content of this article is for general information only and is not legal advice. No attorney/client relationship is formed based on this article. Tim Dietz is an attorney licensed in California, Colorado, Maine and New Hampshire. He is also a 24-year Marine Corps veteran who served during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He can be reached through his website at www.timothydietzlaw.com.
During my years of service, we responded to very dangerous and life threatening incidents and events, that befell our community. My responsibilities as the Incident Commander were to assess and respond to emerging and dynamic threats. I had the honor and privilege to lead the finest first responder professionals from 33 Years Experience in Public Safety the various divisions in the Sheriff's office, sister agencies as well as local, state and • El Paso County Public Services, Executive Director federal responders to combat and mitigate • El Paso County Sheriff’s Office the threats and risks, to the lives of our • Emergency Services Commander, (10 yrs) POST Certified citizens. I am very passionate and dedicated to the protection of our way of • Emergency Services Agency, Chair (5 yrs) life, especially when it comes to the safety • Management County-Wide Ambulance Service of our fellow citizens, our families and our community. • State Waste Tire Board, Chair (4 yrs)
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The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us, and I’m reminded of the many blessings in my life. God is truly my rock and my Savior and as we enter into the Christmas Season, so many important issues run through my mind. I try to live my life according to God’s will, but I know that I fall short in His eyes from time to time.
Upon reflection on why I do what I do, so many reasons come to light. I fight for my grandchildren, for my family, for those who will lead this Country after I’m gone. So, let’s see if you think like me... Our Country has turned a corner of destruction. Most of our elected officials do not stand on solid ground. They waver in the wind depending on which direction it’s blowing. I want government officials to remember who they work for. To represent the people they govern, as well as abide by our Constitution. Government mandated insurance has turned out to be a disaster. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare has caused millions of families to lose their health insurance. It has ruined families, businesses and young people. Our President appears on national TV and says “He is sorry.” Sorry? Yes, that solves everything. My emails have flooded with folks who are struggling to make ends meet, and now their healthcare is cancelled. The so-called “firewall” initiated from SB11-200 (see page B-2) did not protect Coloradans at all. Over 250,000 folk’s (and counting) right here in our State are affected by that horrific bill. According to the Colorado State Republican Party’s Resolutions passed in 2012, an overwhelming amount of Republicans who were allowed to vote – agreed with you and me. “It is resolved that Colorado Republicans support repeal of the “Colorado Health Benefit Exchange Act” (SB11-200) in the form currently enacted that allows individuals and small businesses to purchase health insurance in an established competitive insurance marketplace administered by a state-
sponsored nonprofit organization.” You can read the full results on the Colorado Republican Party website at: http://www.cologop.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/2012-Report-on-theAdoption-of-Resolutions.pdf Research the authors of SB11-200. So, why is the State Republican Party refusing to push back on this piece of legislation? Who was behind it and why was this forced down the throats of Coloradans? As the State Party Secretary, I am and will continue to push back for transparency and will not succumb to the political games. We as Conservatives will take a stand once and for all in 2014. But we need your help in the revolution and to get involved! There are over 98 liberty groups in the State of Colorado and together, WE will prevail. For a partial list, please visit our website at www. commonsensenewsusa.com. Our Republican message is a simple one, we love God, we love our Country and we know that government is not the answer. Free markets, property rights, personal responsibility, the Constitution and the freedom to live our lives as we choose are the bind which ties ALL conservatives together. Forget the statists in the Republican Party, because they don’t speak for me or you. Don’t forget to join us every week on our radio show, Saturday’s from 2-3pm on AM 1460 and live-streaming at www.kzntradio.com. Hardhitting commentary with guests who are changing the face of Colorado for all Conservatives! Thank you for reading Common Sense News, as we will continue to bring you the facts and truth surrounding the issues, policies and events which will affect you and those you love. Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to you and yours. In Liberty-
Lana Fore-Warkocz
Lana Fore-Warkocz is The Republican State Party Secretary, Vice-president of The Colorado Springs Republican Women, Vice-Chair of Senate District 10, Secretary of House District 16 and Editor of Tusk Talk, the official publication for the Colorado Federation of Republican Women. This editorial is strictly a personal view and in no way endorses or supports any candidate or candidate committees.
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Obamacare: Answering Tough Questions Here in Colorado By: Dr Mary Zennett
Featuring Twila Brase, RN, PHN, President and Co-founder of Citizens Council for Health Freedom; compiled by Dr Mary Zennett From Dr. Mary Zennett: I was privileged to meet with Twila at her St Paul, MN office. She is a wealth of information and we here in Colorado need to learn from her efforts as we stand for health privacy and health freedom. With Twila’s permission, her comments have been paraphrased for this article. What is your greatest concern about Obamacare? It is the federal takeover of health care and the imposition of a national health care system. The Obama administration sees government access to private data as an essential component of health reform. There is absolutely no privacy in Obamacare. I like to say, “He who holds the data makes the rules” and let it be said, Obamacare is entirely dependent on data for control of dollars, medical decisions and doctors. Twila, can you elaborate on this what are the real risks here? What does it mean to have 2.2 million entities having legal access to your most confidential health data? That includes 600,000 health care providers and 1.5 million business associates that will be able to access your private medical records without your consent. This number comes directly from the federal government. Remember, he who holds the data makes the rules. They can use your data to decide that certain care you want is not approved for you and will not be paid for. Is all this data sharing new with Obamacare? Actually no. Most people think about HIPAA as a privacy law. In fact, it is a disclosure law. HIPAA does not protect privacy. It opens up your medical records to all sorts of interested outsiders, both for control and profit purposes. Most folks know nothing about this. A disclosure law? What happens every time I sign a HIPAA form? Nothing happens. You are not giving your consent. You are not protecting your privacy. You are simply saying that you understand how broadly your data can be shared without your consent. HIPAA is permissive, giving 2.2 million entities access to your medical records without your consent. We encourage people to refuse to sign the HIPAA form so they can’t hold it against you. We have a one page instruction form and wallet-size cards that you can take to your doctor which show that even HHS says you don’t have to sign it. (see http://www.cchfreedom.org/healthprivacyalert.php) When did all these privacy violations start in health care? Actually, it all started in 1965 with the enactment of Medicare, a single payer system for seniors. Following a longstanding adage, “he who holds the gold makes the rules” it was inevitable that the federal government would demand all the data.
Medicare pays all the bills. Citizens treat Medicare like mom and apple pie, why shouldn’t they? Medicare is a Ponzi scheme. The first recipients got the promised benefits in full. In 1966, nearly 20 million people entered the program without paying a dime. Today’s recipients have seen the promise falter. According to author Sue Blevins in Medicare’s Midlife Crisis, seniors are paying almost as much out of pocket as they were before Medicare began. And for future recipients, the working young, the promise is made of air. Medicare insolvency is expected in 2026 if nothing changes according to the 2013 Medicare trustees report. Furthermore, Medicare is big government at its worst. Forty eight years of entitlement spending has led to an enormous federal bureaucracy, a blizzard of paperwork requirements, bureaucratic controls on the practice of medicine, over 130,000 pages of oppressive Medicare regulations, numerous reimbursement-based rationing strategies, the nationwide imposition of managed care, and a national budget crisis. It’s led to Obamacare. If not repealed, Obamacare will lead to national health care where we’re all in one system and wholesale redistribution of health care dollars away from seniors to the young can occur. That kind of rationing to seniors could be used to “solve” the Medicare fiscal crisis. Are there more reasons citizens should be wary of Medicare? How about the single payer proposal that calls for Medicare for All? Medicare-for-all is where Obamacare will lead. It would be the end of medical excellence and individualized care in America. It would also lead to an exodus of doctors and long waiting lines for subpar care. Tragically, too few people understand this. They are still operating under the illusion that Medicare is free care, that doctors will always be there and that they’ll always have access to good care. They have no idea that some rationing has already been instituted into the program. They have no idea that Congress passed a law saying seniors cannot pay cash for care denied by Medicare unless they can find a doctor who has opted out of Medicare. People are depending on care that may not be there and doctors that may not be there, especially as babyboomers enter Medicare and enrollment skyrockets while taxes to pay for the care drop. We hear a lot about the National Patient ID, tell us more about that The 1996 HIPAA law requires all Americans to be issued a unique patient identifier (UPI) – a national patient ID card. However, public outcry forced Congress in 1998 to prohibit funding for the ID card but the law has not been repealed. In response to new 2009 stimulus funding to establish a nationalized health information Continued on page B-14
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OBAMACARE TROUBLES AND THE LEGACY OF SB200 By: Marc Zarlengo
Obamacare has arrived with bravado in Colorado. As the disastrous and very real-life consequences of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) are painstakingly revealed week by week across the nation, a fresh look at Colorado’s own state-run Obamacare exchange is in order. A reassessment of Colorado’s exchange, now called Connect for Health, is particularly warranted because one of its chief legislative sponsors, Republican Amy Stephens, is now a candidate for the U.S. Senate. Here is what we know so far. In 2011, Colorado Democrats with the aid of Amy Stephens and other key Republicans passed Senate Bill 200 that established the state-run healthcare exchange in Colorado. The Colorado state healthcare exchange cost taxpayers $61 million to set up. Colorado has since spent $21 million in advertising and promoting the new exchange. According to the state department of insurance, 250,000 healthcare insurance policies have been or will be cancelled in the state as a result of the Affordable Care Act. As of the date of this article, only 3,408 individuals have enrolled for private health insurance on the exchange. At the same time, the
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exchange has managed to facilitate the placement of over 34,000 new individuals onto the recently expanded state Medicaid rolls. But these distressing numbers only paint a partial picture of the real impact of the Colorado legislature’s decision to aid the implementation of Obamacare in Colorado with SB200. A recent case filed in Oklahoma illustrates why SB200 not only resulted in massive costs to the state, but negated any opportunity to completely derail the effects of Obamacare in Colorado. The Pruitt v. Sebelius case, currently before the federal District Court in Oklahoma, may not only completely free Oklahoma from the bonds of Obamacare, but may ultimately topple Obamacare nationally. One of the main questions to be resolved in the Pruitt case is whether individuals are entitled to government subsidies for the purchase of healthcare insurance in states that did not establish their own state-run health exchanges. A companion case arguing similar issues was also filed in the District of Columbia. Presumably, whoever actually drafted Obamacare knew that requiring insurance companies to pay for pre-existing medical conditions would naturally result in drastic increases in insurance premiums. Therefore, an integral part of Obamacare is that individuals who purchase insurance through an exchange are supposed to receive immediate government subsidies (labeled “tax credits”) in order to offset the cost of the high insurance premiums. Most individuals and families would qualify for subsidies. In fact, a family of four earning up to $94,200 per year in 2013 would qualify for government assistance in order to purchase health insurance. In an amended complaint filed by the Attorney General of Oklahoma, he pointed out that the receipt of government health insurance subsidies triggers potential penalties for larger employers that do not offer the required level of insurance coverage for their employees as mandated under Obamacare. Because the Act did not specifically provide that individuals who purchase insurance on a federal exchange are entitled to receive subsidies, one important reason for not setting up an exchange was to protect employers from Obamacare fines and penalties. Oklahoma sued the federal government because, among other things, the IRS attempted to ignore the plain language of the law and give subsidies to individuals in states that elected not set up a state-run exchange; thereby triggering penalties on Oklahoma employers. Supporters of the IRS interpretation claim that the failure to specifically provide subsidies in the law for such states was just a “drafting error” and that Congressional intent to provide such subsidies was clear. Oklahoma is asking the court to rule that the IRS interpretation of the Act contradicts its plain language, which would throw a massive wrench into the implementation of Obamacare in states that did not set up their own exchanges. Without the subsidies, most individuals would not be able to afford the health insurance they are mandated to purchase. Such a result would effectively render Obamacare inoperable in states that did not elect to set up their own exchange. Alternatively, Oklahoma is asking the court to declare the section of the Act imposing various requirements on states that do not voluntarily set up their own exchanges unconstitutional and void because such requirements would allow the federal government to unconstitutionally “commandeer” state governmental authority and allow the federal government to exercise a state’s legislative and executive powers in violation of the Tenth Amendment. Thirty-four states elected not to set up their own state-run Obamacare exchanges. Should the plaintiffs ultimately win (no doubt after one or more appeals,) Obamacare would effectively be dismantled in those thirty-four states. Of course Congress could amend the law, but that would require Republicans in the House to agree to such an amendment, which is highly unlikely in the current political environment. This brings us back to SB 200 and the imposition of the state run healthcare exchange in Colorado. Had Colorado joined the other thirty-four states in not setting up a state-run healthcare exchange, not only would the state have saved millions of dollars on setting up the exchange and marketing it, but we would now be in the position to potentially dismantle Obamacare completely in the state. There is no doubt the future of Obamacare is in flux, and may ultimately collapse under its own weight. Nevertheless, it is clear that Colorado would be in a much better position had SB200 never been passed. This is something Democrats and Republican supporters such as Amy Stephens will have to reconcile with the people of Colorado. Marc Zarlengo is an attorney in Douglas County, Colorado focusing his practice on business, employment and political law. Marc can be reached at MJZAR2005@yahoo.com.
Colorado’s Caucus System 101: An Introduction By: Sarah Arnold
What is a caucus? Why is it important? Should we even have a caucus? The next several editions will include answers to these, and other, questions. This month is a brief overview of the caucus system, and what you can expect to happen if you’ve never been to a caucus before. Precincts are the smallest political unit in the state. They generally hold a few thousand individuals or less: basically a neighborhood. Your caucus is a meeting of those precincts and reflects you and your neighbors. Only 16 states in America use the caucus system still – several of these states only use a partial caucus system (for example, Arizona Republicans hold a primary, and then a delegate caucus to select delegates to the National Republican Convention). At one point in time, it was the more common mode of political system. Colorado is the only remaining state with a pure caucus system functioning today--this means we do not vote for President in a Primary election, it is purely through representatives (called delegates). These delegates are vital to developing the primary ballots for major parties (see August’s article, “How to Vote 9 Times in One Election Year—Legally!” for more information). In an election year, each major party in Colorado has to nominate candidates, write a platform, and organize its effort to get out the vote for Election Day by holding precinct caucus meetings. Some meet, do their business, and adjourn. Others discuss and debate for hours. On the day of the caucus (March 4, 2014 this coming year) these precincts divide by Party, and each Party holds a precinct caucus at someone’s home or in a public building (usually a school or other larger facility). Anyone can come to a precinct caucus, but not everyone can vote. In order to vote, you have to be a registered elector in the precinct, have lived in the precinct for at least 30 days before the caucus and been affiliated with a party for at least two months prior. There are four major purposes to a caucus: • Elect two Precinct Committee People • Straw Poll (this year, for Governor and U.S. Senate) • Elect delegates and alternates to assemblies • Propose resolutions for addition into the State Party Platform Next month, look for an article discussing the importance of becoming a Precinct Committee Person!
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Sarah Arnold is a native Coloradan and political strategist. With 15 years of experience on dozens of campaigns, Sarah has done everything from grunt work to managing races on campaigns at all levels statewide. Her passion is for state legislative seats, and she now focuses primarily on freelance strategic consulting, messaging, and opposition research for candidates, political parties, and interest groups around the state. Sarah has an upcoming book, “In the Trenches”, discussing how to run for elected office coming out January 1, 2014.
The Right to Recall By: Douglas Bruce
handful of legislators, who even claimed to have read a document they swore to honor. To be sure, their ingrained dishonesty means even those few may have lied about reading it! If they will violate their sacred public oath, they are inherently dishonest, aren't they? They get away with violating the constitutions by ensuring voters don't know their rights. In 2008, my first bill required the state to provide a free pocket U.S. constitution to each graduating high school senior. The cost was $16,000 yearly, under 20 seconds of yearly state spending, less than the teachers' spending on pizza in many districts. It was defeated 13-to-0 in the House Education committee. Unionized teachers testified they could tell students “what they need to know” about the constitution (after censorship by government employees who despise constitutional limits on their actions). A recall is underway in Jefferson County against Senator Evie Hudak. It is more vital than the recent two. If Hudak gets recalled, political control of the senate will switch from Democrats to Republicans. A bigger peaceful backlash is impossible. Patriots who will collect signatures may contact HYPERLINK "http://www.RecallHudakToo. org/"www.RecallHudakToo.org or call (720) 245-3190. Someone who collects 100+ signatures can be paid. Follow guidelines and aim to earn $100 per day or more. If you live outside the metro area, lodging will be provided. The deadline is December 3rd. Getting paid to be a good citizen—you can't beat that! Senator Hudak told a young female witness who was raped and wanted a gun for self-defense that she shouldn't have one (!) because “the odds are against you” in using it. In other words, she should submit to rape rather than stop the rapist. See the website video of that verbal exchange at the committee hearing on a bill to make selfdefense harder. Both the state and federal constitutions guarantee the right to keep and bear arms, but Hudak felt her view of “the odds” outweighed her oath of office. If you are as offended by that callous attitude towards a rape victim as this former prosecutor is, call that phone number to collect 100+ signatures now. The freedom you save will be your own.
People asserting their “right to petition the government” usually mean the right to collect signatures to propose a law, like term limits or the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR). Besides writing ineffective letters to politicians, we have two other constitutional forms of petition. One is the right to repeal laws passed by the legislature (or city council), now largely useless because corrupt politicians declare bills “emergencies” and thus exempt. The last in the trio of petition rights adopted in 1910 is the right to recall politicians. It was first exercised against legislators this September, when the state senate president and another liberal were ejected from office by voters angry at their idiotic gun control laws and overt contempt for citizen participation in government. Why did it take over a century to apply this right to oust lousy legislators? First, citizens are slow to anger. They expect little from politicians, and get even less. Second, most citizens don't know their rights. Third, it's a lot of work and few will tackle the arduous process. Fourth, the incumbent has great political advantages in the election. Most important is the hurdle for getting a recall demand on the ballot. Unlike a petition to enact a law, which takes collecting in 180 days valid signatures from five percent of the registered voters, a recall petition requires collecting in 60 days valid signatures equal to 25% of all votes cast in that race in the last election. If the last turnout was 80% of registered voters, that makes the barrier four times greater than to amend the constitution, and in one-third the time! Our corrupt politicians have insulated themselves from voter accountability, so recalls are almost always theoretical rights, on paper only. Only naïve dreamers launch petitions, but we are thankful some still “have a dream” that they can “fight City Hall” and win, that arrogant politicians can be held accountable for their incompetence, corruption, or lawless or reckless behavior. Douglas Bruce, a former prosecutor, legislator, and county commissioner, authored The Using recalls, citizens can enforce the oath of office politicians take to obey the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) constitutional amendment voters approved in 1992. He state and federal constitutions. As a county commissioner and state legislator, I learned can be reached at HYPERLINK "mailto:taxcutter@msn.com"taxcutter@msn.com. the reality of their deep-down dishonesty. I did not meet one commissioner, nor even a
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UNDER THE GOLDEN DOME
What You Own is Not Your Own By: Jon Macomber
Do you pay annual property taxes on the house you own and live in? Pay annual taxes on the car you bought seven years ago? Pay annual taxes on the business equipment you purchased last year? Are you out of work this year so you’re struggling to pay those property taxes? Did your property “value” and taxes go up this year because a developer built a beautiful row of houses next to your vacant land? Car been in an accident and you can’t afford to fix that crumpled fender, so you couldn’t sell it for its full market value? Too bad – this year, and every year, forever, the government will decide how much your car, your house, your equipment is worth and tax you on that arbitrary value. Regardless of your personal or business finances, you pay property taxes based on the value THEY put on your property. Yes, you can appeal the valuation – to the same government that imposed the tax... As Thomas Jefferson said, “Nothing is ours, which another may deprive us of.” If you pay a property tax, you don’t own your property, you just rent it – if you don’t pay your property taxes, you get “evicted” just like any renter who doesn’t meet their obligation to their landlord. Downturn in the economy? That doesn’t affect the part of the government budget that is based on your property taxes – good times and bad, the government can count on your property tax dollars to spend. Our local and state government and school districts love those property taxes! We’re not asking these questions to raise issues with government’s need to perform the services we ask of it. The issue is whether government should levy property taxes when those property taxes insulate the government from the financial conditions and constraints felt by their citizens, require a large and expensive bureaucracy to administer, have been shown to impede economic growth, and can trample on citizens’ rights to their property. Are there other means of taxation that do less damage to citizens and businesses, yet still raise the necessary funds for government to do its job? The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) study, “Enhancing Texas’ Economic Growth Through Tax Reform” ( HYPERLINK "http://www.texaspolicy. com/sites/default/files/documents/2012-08-taxswap-laffer-update_0.pdf" http://www. texaspolicy.com/sites/default/files/documents/2012-08-taxswap-laffer-update_0.pdf) looked at the effects of property tax on Texans and the economy. The study confirmed that the mode of taxation, with the exact same amount of revenues collected, has a direct correlation with economic prosperity. Economic indicators such as economic growth, work, savings, and personal investments all positively increase when using the sales tax mode of taxation. While all taxes impose a cost on the economy, the study showed property taxes create a larger negative impact than consumption taxes. Property taxes in particular are less stable than consumption taxes; create larger economic distortions; are less related to taxpayers’ ability to pay; are costlier and more complicated to administer; and discourage capital-intensive industries from locating in the taxed area. TPPF concluded that “regardless of the sales tax reform that is ultimately implemented, Texas should replace its current property tax revenue system with an expanded sales tax.” The study concluded that, compared to property taxes, sales taxes, · Are easy to understand; · Enhance economic growth; · Provide stronger job growth; · Increase population growth; · Provide a revenue stream that is more closely aligned with the citizen’s ability to pay · Provide transparency of taxation (sales taxes are significantly more visible - especially sales taxes paid by the purchaser at the final point of sale. Additionally, consumers can exercise greater control over their sales tax burden compared to property taxes.) Property taxes enhance the power of centralized government at the expense of the individual citizen by making the taxation process complex, inefficient, nontransparent, and unresponsive to individual and collective citizen input. On the other hand, lowering, simplifying, or eliminating property taxes, and replacing the revenue with consumption taxes, enhances self-governance, individual responsibility, and property rights. As we approach the next round of elections and the upcoming legislative session, candidates, issues, and legislation should be examined to determine whether property taxation is involved, either directly or indirectly. A candidate’s stance on property taxation may reflect their propensity toward centralized governance or self-governance; tax issues should be examined to determine whether they increase or decrease property taxation; and legislation must be assessed for its intended (and unintended or unanticipated) effect on property taxes.
Sources “Enhancing Texas' Economic Growth Through Tax Reform”, Donna Arduin, Dr, Arthur B. Laffer, and Stephen Moore, HYPERLINK "http://www.texaspolicy.com/center/localgovernance/reports/enhancing-texas-economic-growth-through-tax-reform" http:// www.texaspolicy.com/center/local-governance/reports/enhancing-texas-economicgrowth-through-tax-reform “The Case for Private Property”, Debra Medina, HYPERLINK "http://wetexans.com/ the-case-for-private-property" http://wetexans.com/the-case-for-private-property “Property Tax”, various contributors, HYPERLINK "http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index. php/Property_tax" http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Property_tax Jon Macomber is a retired Navy intelligence officer and computer systems engineer currently active in party and grass-roots politics. Interests include tandem bicycling, kayaking, and travel in an old-fashioned teardrop trailer.
ELECTIONS - INTERVIEW WITH THE CANDIDATES FOR US SENATE Tell me briefly about yourself. What are your hobbies, family, clubs, education, prior work experience etc? I am like most people here in Colorado. I held many jobs after graduating from high school and going to some college. I worked in an industrial laundry, did janitorial work at the Post Office, became a sheriff’s deputy, did construction, laid asphalt, worked for the Colorado Department of Transportation and I am a rancher. I enjoy spending time with my wife, Lori, and our 9 year old son, Matthew, on the ranch along the Colorado River. Explain your political experience or if none, what qualifies you to do this job. In 2008, I ran for the Colorado House of Representative, District 57. I served in that position, after winning 2 primary and 2 general elections with more that 57% of the votes, through 2012. In 2012 I won another primary and general election to become the Senator for District
Randy Baumgardner US Senate Candidate
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8 in Colorado. What prompted you to get into this race? I realized that our Senators in Washington, DC are not looking out for the interests of most of Coloradoans. They seem to be mired in the goals and wishes of those in other parts of our Country. What are the biggest issues facing Colorado and how can you help as a US Senator? The most urgent needs of our state revolve around the economy, education, and responsible development of all of our energy resources. Having local control of these issues is my primary focus. What strengths do you bring to the table? I listen. That is what I have been doing for the last 4 months as a candidate and the last 5 years as a legislator. We may not always agree on issues, but without a dialogue, nothing can happen. I reach out to others on the issues and try to find solutions. What do you hope to accomplish if you do get the job? I will continue to represent the will of the people of Colorado, to help bring back the art of negotiation and finding solutions to the Senate so that our state and country can move forward and support the Constitution of the United States, as I have sworn to do. How do you hope to accomplish your mission? Just as Ronald Regan did, through mutual relationships and dialogue.
ELECTIONS
Why you are the best person for this job and what sets you apart from the others? As my resume suggests, I am a citizen legislator and not a professional Politian. I have cleaned toilets and built buildings and fixed roads. I understand what it means to have government reach too far into our lives. Tell us a funny thing people don’t really know about you? This cowboy likes classic rock music. Please add anything you feel is important that I have not asked.
Although I emphasize the art of listening and negotiation, there are certain things that are not up for debate: We live under the greatest governing document ever written, the United States Constitution. It is a living document and needs to be used as the basis for legislation. Legislation should not be used to circumvent the Constitution. There are legal means to change it if necessary. God Bless the United States of America and her people!
Tell me briefly about yourself. What are your hobbies, family, clubs, education, prior work experience etc? My wife’s name is Perry. My two kids are Cody, a graduate of West Point and now an officer in the U.S. Army, and Kaitlin, a business executive in Denver. I attended Princeton University and then University of Wyoming School of Law. In the past, I have mowed lawns, worked as a school janitor, truck driver, furniture mover, and ranch hand, and served as a football coach. I also served as an instructor at a law school and worked in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Colorado. I currently serve as Weld County District Attorney. I enjoy gardening and cooking pies. Explain your political experience or if none, what qualifies you to do this job. I have served the past 8 years as Weld County District Attorney, where I give a voice to justice. I want to bring that same voice to Colorado residents who are the victims of overbearing federal regulations, healthcare boondoggles, and economic mismanagement. What prompted you to get into this race? I’m running for the U.S. Senate to help fight against the out-of-control spending in Washington that is mortgaging the future of our children and grandchildren. What are the biggest issues facing Colorado and how can you help as a US Senator? Federal spending, Obamacare, and overregulation are three of the biggest issues facing
Colorado. We have $17 trillion in national debt and yearly deficits run into the hundreds of billions of dollars. Coloradans need accessible, affordable health insurance, but for some under Obamacare, plans are being cancelled and alternatives are too expensive. From energy, to healthcare, to small businesses, federal government regulations are adding extra cost and inconvenience to the lives of Coloradans. As a United States Senator, I will fight for small government and fiscally responsible measures by introducing alternatives of my own, like a balanced budget amendment. What strengths do you bring to the table? Having run the Criminal Division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Denver, Colorado, and having run the D.A.’s Office in Weld County, leadership is a strength I will bring to the floor of the United States Senate. But my greatest strength is the support of grassroots voters around Colorado. As a Senator, I expect them to hold me accountable. What do you hope to accomplish if you do get the job? My top priorities are to reduce the size and scope of government, lower taxes, and push a balanced budget amendment. To achieve this, I won’t just vote “no” on legislation, but I will introduce my own legislation. How do you hope to accomplish your mission? I’ll never sacrifice my principles in the legislative process. And I’ll stay connected to voters in Colorado who have the energy, ideas, and voice to help me truly effect change in Washington, D.C. Why you are the best person for this job and what sets you apart from the others? I have lived and served on Main Street in Colorado for many years. I’ve been elected three times as District Attorney in Weld County by large margins since 2004. As D.A., I’ve seen the best and worst of society. The U.S. Senate needs more people with experience on Main Street so that the interests of all Coloradans can be best served. Tell us a funny thing people don’t really know about you? My wife, Perry, is the only person who has cut my hair since we’ve been married.
Ken Buck
US Senate Candidate
Owen Hill
US Senate Candidate
Tell me briefly about yourself. What are your hobbies, family, clubs, education, prior work experience etc? Throughout my life, my passion has been to help people, and the value of serving others was something instilled in me by my parents. Whether serving my country in the Air Force, working at the children’s poverty non-profit Compassion International, as a professor at UCCS, or as a husband and father, my greatest satisfaction comes from being a part of other’s success. History has shown that the most effective way to give success to all people is capitalism, and that is why I am all in to promote freedom and opportunity in politics. I love to hike with Emily and our four children: Kaiden, Miette, Ellis, and Elinor. This summer a friend got me into fly fishing and I can’t wait to Page B-5 Continued on page B-6
ELECTIONS
Continued from page B-5 introduce Kaiden to it. Explain your political experience or if none, what qualifi es you to do this job. Lately it seems that the more “experienced” a politician is, the more trouble they cause. It took a young group of revolutionaries to accomplish the impossible and win independence from the British, the most powerful nation at the time. It will take a young group of new leaders to accomplish the impossible and win back freedom for individuals from the most powerful government on earth. As a state senator, I’ve seen fi rsthand what happens when power is taken from the states and given to the federal government, and I am committed to continuing this fi ght against government intrusion in every area of our lives in the US Senate. What prompted you to get into this race? The Republican Party has always fought for freedom and opportunity through personal responsibility. If my children are going to have the future I want for them, politics must change. For too long we have let Washington DC make decisions for us. Mark Udall has been the poster child for those who think they are smarter than everyone, better than everyone, and can tell everyone how to live their lives. Famously, Ronald Reagan said that freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction and now it is time for the next generation of Republicans to take up the fi ght for freedom. What are the biggest issues facing Colorado and how can you help as a US Senator? The biggest issue facing Colorado is the relentless attempt by Washington DC to control every aspect of our lives. Obamacare is only the latest example of the philosophy that DC politicians should decide what is best for all of us. But while Obamacare is the latest example and one of the most painful ones right now, it is not the biggest. The IRS and the Federal Reserve affect 100% of the US economy and until we overhaul the IRS so that we can do our taxes on the back of a post card and transform the Federal Reserve so that we have a stable, reliable currency, we won’t ever get out of the mess we are in. The US Senate needs to set the course for our country going forward by focusing on protecting our freedoms and defending our country and returning the rest of the policy decisions to state and local governments. Only when we do this will we have the conditions for continued growth, opportunity, and creating the innovative ideas that will shape the future our children and grandchildren will inherit. What strengths do you bring to the table? As a military offi cer and Air Force Academy graduate, I have studied and experienced the importance of good foreign policy. As a professional economist I have studied and
experienced the importance of good economic policy. Foreign policy and economic policy are the two things our constitutionally limited federal government should be focused on and they are the two things we are doing very poorly right now. I will bring new energy to focusing on these issues, allowing states the opportunity to make the best policy in the other areas. Without this focus we will just be managing the bureaucracy rather than reducing it and giving freedom back to individuals. What do you hope to accomplish if you do get the job? My measurement of success is a reduction in the bureaucratic stranglehold on our economy, our private lives, our states, and our children’s future. More freedom at the federal level means more opportunity for growth and virtue at the local level. How do you hope to accomplish your mission? Every day, more and more people are hurt and disillusioned by the failures of big government. We are all looking for leaders who will fi ght for us against Mark Udall and Barack Obama. This is not just about me accomplishing my mission, but joining others like Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and Mike Lee in bringing new energy and a new generation of leadership into the Republican Party in the Senate. Abraham Lincoln once said that we should “[a]lways bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.” This is what I think of when I watch these other young leaders in the Senate, and will join them in the fi ght for the future of freedom in America. Why you are the best person for this job and what sets you apart from the others? There is one thing all Republicans can agree on right now: whatever we have been doing hasn’t been working. The relentless march to increase spending and concentrate power in Washington DC threatens our country. The Republican Party brand is hurting both in Colorado and nationwide, and I will work to rejuvenate it. I will work with a new generation of leaders, a new generation of voters, and renewed focus on limited constitutional government so that Republicans will win elections again. Tell us a funny thing people don’t really know about you? I always thought I would be this perfect model of love and strength for my family and my children and that was all great...until Elinor came along. That little rascal has totally melted my heart and I just lose my backbone around her. The other day she was holding out and not eating her food and I was instructing her on the importance of being a strong healthy girl and she tells me with a sly grin that she is a panda. I burst out laughing; she didn’t fi nish her food.
ELECTIONS - INTERVIEW WITH THE CANDIDATES FOR EL PASO COUNTY SHERIFF
Bill Elder
El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder for El Paso County Sheriff Phone: 719-491-1707 Email: elder4sheriff@comcast.net Website: www.elder4sheriff.com
Tell me briefl y about yourself. What are your hobbies, family, clubs, education, prior work experience etc? I was raised in Colorado Springs, attended Russell Middle School and graduated from Palmer High School in 1975. I attended Pikes Peak Community College and UCCS. I have attended thousands of hours of law enforcement specifi c training and education. I began my career in public service in 1976 working with E&E and Mountain Valley Ambulance Services as a dispatcher and Emergency Medical Technician. My law enforcement career began as a volunteer with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Offi ce in 1979. I became full time in March of 1979 and later graduated from the CSPD Police Academy. I spent the next 20 years serving under four different Sheriffs. I held assignments from Dispatcher, Deputy, Sergeant and Lieutenant and served in every assignment in the Law Enforcement Division. I was married for 25 years, raised 2 sons who attended CSCS schools and also graduated from Palmer High. I enjoy everything our community and nearby mountains offer from hunting and fi shing to hiking and just sightseeing. Explain your political experience or if none, what
qualifi es you to do this job. Experience matters. While I have no political experience, I have spent over 23+ years in law enforcement in this county, serving at the staff level of the 3 largest law enforcement agencies. Having spent the majority of my life serving the citizens of this community, I have built solid relationships with leaders in our regional law enforcement agencies, as
well as with local and state executives. What prompted you to get into this race? With term limits, the voters of El Paso County will have to make a decision in the next election about who will best meet the demands of this growing community. The people of El Paso County deserve proven, experienced, innovative and fi scally conservative leadership. The future of our community requires a belief in more than hope and change, or tax and spend. The true measure of the future success of this county will be based on our ability to return to core principles of personal responsibility, individual freedoms and property rights. What are the biggest issues facing Colorado Springs? El Paso County and Colorado Springs face challenges with the growing demand on the city and county infrastructure and resources, while dealing with an ever decreasing income from traditional sources. Fiscally conservative policies which continue to ensure the health, safety and welfare of our citizens must be adopted. The use of taxpayer dollars in not a right simply granted, and law enforcement agencies must be held accountable for working within the same fi scal constraints being faced by the very citizens we serve. What strengths do you bring to the table? First and foremost, I have been a citizen of this county since 1968. Because I have law enforcement and business experience in El Paso County spanning over three and a half decades, I have forged deep relationships in the law enforcement and business communities. The citizens of El Paso County deserve the leadership of the most experienced police, fi re, emergency service and elected leaders available working together to provide a safe, vibrant community to live and work. What do you hope to accomplish if you do get the job? Through regional public safety collaboration, as well as public/private partnerships, I will be able to aggressively pursue violent and repeat offenders. I will vigorously support the citizens of El Paso County’s 2nd Amendment Rights as well as continuing the conceal carry program. How do you hope to accomplish your mission? My leadership team of law enforcement professionals, considered by many to be subject matter experts in their fi elds, has been assembled from inside and outside of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Offi ce. I will task them to identify, develop and build new and existing
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ELECTIONS collaborative and joint venture efforts. We intend to look for new and innovative ways to provide public safety in our community while eliminating the wasteful duplication of law enforcement support services region wide. What sets you apart from the other candidates? I am the only candidate running today with the combination of extensive law enforcement, as well as business leadership experience, history of community involvement, and solid personal and professional relationships throughout the region.
Tell us a funny thing people don’t really know about you? In 1983, Sheriff Red Davis left the office to attend a doctor’s appointment. As he left the building, he stopped by the shift commander’s office and said, “Elder, you are in charge until I get back.” Sheriff Davis did not return to the Sheriff’s Office. Sadly he passed away at the age of 56. Over all my years of serving this community, I have never forgotten that conversation. I will fulfill that order.
Tell me briefly about yourself: I joined the United States Air Force 1980 while living in Denver with the intent of completing a single tour and returning home. Twenty years later I retired out of Peterson Air Force Base. During my time in the military I was proud to part of our Country’s history as a firefighter and a First Sergeant. Upon retirement I continued my career as an emergency responder with the Woodmor Fire Protection District, Schriever Air Force Base and finally in the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office as the Commander of the Emergency Services Division under the Law Enforcement Bureau. In this position I was responsible for Hazardous Material Jim Reid Response, Arson Investigation, Wildland Fire for El Paso County Sheriff Fighting, Search and Rescue, Homeland Security Phone: 719-271-8507 and the Office of Emergency Management. Email: While in the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office as jimreidforsheriff@gmail.com a Commander I participated in strategic planning, budgeting and policy and procedure updates office wide. During my recent 10 years with the Sheriff’s Office I had the distinct privilege to serve with the most dutiful and honorable law enforcement professionals in the nation. As a Commander I also responded to multiple blizzards, fires and hazardous material releases where I directed response efforts of all emergency responders in the protection of life and property. I was also on the incident command team as the County Incident Commander for the Fort Carson TA25 fire and Agency Representative/County Incident Commander for the Waldo Canyon fire. Approximately 6 months ago I was offered the opportunity to join the County Executive Team as the Executive Director of the Public Services Department. My department provided support to the Black Forest fire fighting efforts and we are now currently responsible for recovery efforts. What are your hobbies, family, clubs, education, prior work experience etc.? I like to restore air cooled Volkswagens as a hobby, I am currently working on a 1976 convertible. I am married with 3 children and 4 grandchildren. Education and Accreditation: Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T) Military Service: United States Air Force Bachelor of Science (BS) in Organizational Management National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Course Incident Command System 100 through 800 with State Instructor Certification Emergency Manager Professional Development Series Associates in Applied Science (AAS) Fire Protection Associates in Applied Science (AAS) Personnel Administration I have been an adjunct instructor for Pikes Peak Community College since 1999 where I teach both fire science and emergency management. I also teach code enforcement for Colorado State University and I am a guest lecturer for the Denver University Emergency Management program. Explain your political experience or if none, what qualifies you to do this job. I am currently serving on the following boards: National Association of Counties (NACo) Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee Member This national committee addresses all matters pertaining to criminal justice and public safety systems, including criminal justice planning, law enforcement, courts, corrections, homeland security, community crime prevention, juvenile justice and delinquency prevention, emergency management, fire prevention and control, and civil disturbances. State of Colorado Waste Tire Committee (Chair) Governor Appointment Regulates safe disposal of scrap tires within state of Colorado El Paso County Emergency Services Agency (ESA) (Chair) Regulates, contracts and administers ambulance and emergency transport services for all of El Paso County
Past Service: El Paso/Teller County E911 Authority Board of Directors El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Employee Advisory Committee Hanover Fire Protection District Board of Directors (Chair) South Central Region Homeland Security Board (Chair) The South Central Region continues to support statewide all-hazard preparedness while reducing vulnerabilities. The South Central Region will accomplish this by building capabilities, and developing comprehensive strategies in partnership with other government agencies and the private sector. I have had the opportunity to testify on behalf of the County Sheriffs of Colorado at the state capital. I have also testified in front of the various state boards regarding the dangers of waste tires. What prompted you to get into this race? I wish to continue my service to our community and expand upon the current community programs that have been established by Sheriff Maketa. What are the biggest issues facing Colorado Springs? The biggest issues facing El Paso County which includes Colorado Springs is public safety in our schools, continued natural disasters and growth and future prosperity of our community. What strengths do you bring to the table? I bring 33 years as an emergency first responder. As a Commander in the Sheriff’s Office I collaborated with law enforcement, non-profits, faith-based organizations, fire districts, federal and state agencies to work towards a common goal of protecting our community and our way of life. I have proven leadership in crisis management, disaster preparedness and response. I do not hesitate to make the tough decisions when lives are at risk. What do you hope to accomplish if you do get the job? I am committed to an efficient form of government with the highest respect and regard for the taxpayer dollar Support our Constitutional 2nd Amendment rights Accountable and responsive leadership Data Driven Patrols and Predictive Policing Community Based Crime Prevention Solutions Community Based Policing Mental Health/Community Based Solutions Childhood Education/Education Programs DARE Program Collaboration Educational Institutions Disaster Preparedness Training and Certification Protecting our youngest and most vulnerable citizens Continue to build on existing programs Citizens Academy Community Detox Citizens Patrol Citizens Emergency Response Training Concealed Handgun Permit Program Re-Entry and Reintegration Programs Pretrial Services and Risk Assessment Collaboration with El Paso County’s municipalities and fire districts How do you hope to accomplish your mission? I have skill and ability to build successful collaborative and purposeful relationships. I will not hesitate to ask the tough questions and pursue the answers nor alter direction when it is needed. I rely on scientific and empirical data aided by experts in the particular fields or discipline. What sets you apart from the other candidates? This is really for the voters to decide. Tell us a funny thing people don’t really know about you? In the current age of MP3’s and flash drives I am an avid collector of old 78 records of which some go back to the early 1900’s and are played on one of my three Victrola’s. While playing these records I have learned that it keeps everyone out of my office and my grandkids keep looking for the remote control and the plug for the Victrola. Please add anything you feel is important that I have not asked. I am honored to have this opportunity and look forward to continued service to our community.
Jim Reid
El Paso County Sheriff
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PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS Can Christmas be Any Earlier? By: Kelly Leggett
I love the Christmas Season, I really do! However, when one of my favorite radio stations starting playing Christmas music right after Halloween I had to turn it off. How can we begin celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving is a long standing American tradition dating back to the 1621. Like most of history, there is debate surrounding the details. George Washington proclaimed the fi rst nation-wide Thanksgiving in 1789 saying it was to be, “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God.” It was Abraham Lincoln, in 1863 that fi rst made Thanksgiving a national holiday choosing the date to be the fi nal Thursday in November in an effort to foster unity between the Northern and Southern states. It wasn’t until after Reconstruction in the 1870’s that it was fully celebrated in all of the states. In 1941, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a joint resolution of Congress changing the national Thanksgiving Day to the fourth Thursday in November. As a child I looked forward to Thanksgiving as I did all holidays, especially those years that we lived near my grandparents. My mother came from a large family so our gatherings were fi lled with many aunts, uncles, cousins, joyful laughter and incredible food as we crammed into the house that my grandfather built with his own two hands. One of the things I looked forward to most was that Thanksgiving heralded the beginning of the Christmas Season. I’ve been disturbed by all of the stores with Christmas displays out in October. But, this isn’t new. This has all been happening for some time. Last year there were stores that opened on Thanksgiving and this year many more are following suit. The long standing “Black Friday” is losing its signifi cance. Not that I care about that. I have never gone shopping on Black Friday. With the infringement of Christmas on Thanksgiving I’ve heard many people bemoan the consumerism and commercialism… yet we, as a nation, continue to take part in it each year. Are the deals to be gotten on Christmas gifts more important than taking a day with your family and friends to refl ect on the blessings in your life and give thanks? Are we witnessing the gradual decline and eventual death of Thanksgiving? As a young girl my favorite author was Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved reading about her life through the Little House series of books. Growing up I always received many gifts for Christmas so when I read about how excited she and her sisters would be to be given a shiny new penny and some peppermint
candy I was oddly envious. I think what drew me in was the simplicity of their lives back then. Life these days is much more complicated. Or is it? One year we had some fi nancial setbacks right before Christmas and we had very little money to spend on gifts for our three children who were 7, 9 and 10 years old at the time. They were defi nitely old enough to remember the abundance of previous years. Knowing what was not coming for them I tried really hard to make things special in other ways. On Christmas Eve we built a roaring fi re and read stories. On Christmas everything was taken slowly and I’ll never forget how beautiful they all were with the morning sun streaming in through our windows as they opened their gifts. Each of my children has told me at different times that that was their favorite Christmas. Please stand against Christmas before Thanksgiving and don’t do any shopping on Thanksgiving Day.
To continue this conversation please visit, The Uneducated Housewife’s Guide to Politics at uneducatedhousewife.blogspot.com.
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PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
Preppers By: Al Starner
What are preppers? Survivalists? A number of books and television shows have addressed the topic and an image has developed of people who build elaborate underground bunkers in the back yard and equip them with everything from AR 15 rifl es to a year supply of food and water. Compare these people to the hundreds lined up to buy gasoline and generators after hurricane Sandy or the thousands camping out in a fi lthy stadium in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. These people were unprepared for longterm loss of electricity or other basic utilities. I would argue what most of us are preppers to various degrees. From the home maker who buys a few extra cans of beans on sale and the guy who buys an extra box of twelve gauge ammo or spare fi sh hooks “just in case.” It’s all a matter of degree. We live in an uncertain age. From hurricanes, tornados, forest fi res an erratic and possibly failing economy and the possibility of civil unrest or the potential attacks from terrorists and other nations. A book, One Second After by William Forster, describes America after a nuclear electromagnetic pulse attack that returns America to the 18th century in one second. In the aftermath, three hundred million unprepared Americans die. So how do you prepare to keep you and your family alive during a disaster? There are no easy answers to this question. The fact is, however, those who give consideration and even minor preparation for a disaster will better their odds for survival. Planning and preparing are the keys. A recent forest fi re in Colorado burned over 500 homes and the previous year, 300 homes burned. A basic rule is, don’t trust the government to protect you from everything. Some might say, “Or anything.”
WHERE TO START List your present circumstances, number of people in your household. Do you live in the inner city, suburbs or a rural area? Make a detailed list of basic needs, water, food and shelter. Give lots of thought to what would happen if all utilities including electricity, gas, water and sewer were stopped today. What if all stores, including groceries and gas stations closed today? Do you have some extra cash in the event credit cards were no longer accepted? Take an inventory of your resources including nearest clean water supply. Could you collect, purify and store water for basic needs? How long could you feed your family on available food? If you had to leave your home, could you camp? If you had to live off the land, do you have means to harvest meat or fi sh? What vehicle(s) do you own? Do you have enough fuel stored to evacuate if you had to? Could you protect your family from predators? Next, is the nearly impossible task of identifying potential disasters for your area. Obviously, if you live near a river that’s prone to fl ooding, potential forest fi re area or tornado alley, this task is simpler, but also give thought to other potential disasters such as civil unrest, biological or nuclear attack. Once again, planning is the key. It costs nothing and the payoff could be the very survival of you and your family. AUTHOR’S NOTE This article won’t teach you prepper or survival techniques. The goal is to hopefully stimulate thought and planning about possible disasters and how to survive them.
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PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
By: Monique Derr
“It’s important to understand where we came from as a culture,” Jerry Diamond sifted through training documents as he reflected on the value of the program he has become a part of. Project Appleseed was founded in America over eight years ago, and has consequently grown into a nationwide program. Based on American heritage of rifle marksmanship, shooting clinics-sprinkled with history lessons-are offered to the public for very reasonable rates. Diamond, as with every Appleseed instructor, is a volunteer. It took six rigorous months of training for him to become certified as a Shoot Boss, and he now leads groups in weekend educational and instructional clinics. The project is ever developing and evolving, continually seeking ways to best educate Americans on their background. “We constantly critique ourselves and work to improve [our program],” Diamond explained. The fiery gun debate in the United States has created a political divide amongst Americans and the way they view guns; emotions range from fear, to defense, to anger. Project Appleseed is bi-partisan; their intent is to reach all Americans alike. With the debate, however, comes the need for clarity and understanding. Diamond expressed this desire, “It is important for people to understand firearms can be used safely and that they are a part of our culture.” Project Appleseed offers a breadth of specific opportunities and experiences, based upon individual needs and interests. Ladyseed is a clinic designed for women exclusively, and is intended to “transition a new, timid shooter to a place of confidence” Diamond explained. Another educational opportunity, should a group be interested in the historical merits of the program and not the shooting aspect, is Libertyseed. Project Appleseed certified trainers can meet with groups; such as homeschoolers, church groups, or businesses, and provide historical lessons, dating back to events leading up to the Revolutionary War and beyond. Shoot clinics are unique in that they provide participants the opportunity to improve skill sets through uncommonly taught techniques. Diamond explained, “The fundamentals are so basic, and yet [compared to what is generally taught today] are so advanced.” For more information on Project Appleseed and local clinics, or on how to become a trainer, visit www.appleseedusa.org Pictures of the Appleseed shooting clinic For more information got to www.common sensenewsusa.com and click on Tune In for the Nov. 16th radio show where Appleseed was covered.
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Page B-11
MILLENNIAL PATRIOTS - THE VOICE OF THE CONSERTATIVE YOUTH
Reclaiming the American Dream By: Jesse Francomano
As I reflect on current events I am struck by how complacent we have become as a society. As a whole, we have lost our drive; we float around aimlessly, yet we still call it pursuing the American Dream. I fear the dream has become skewed. At its core, the American Dream should be founded upon hard work, dedication, and commitment; but now it seems to be built upon a foundation of victimization, fraud, and a profound lack of self-responsibility. Instead of owning any personal responsibility, we are quick to relinquish control, or blame, to someone else. Sadly, that usually means giving control to the government. And our current government is eager to take over every aspect of our lives that it possibly can. Before we know it we will be enslaved by political self-intent through our own complacency; we are destined to become mindless drones working solely for the benefit of the government and its privileged elites. If asked, these elites will doubtlessly tout altruistic agendas of fostering social justice and equality, but that can’t possibly be the real end. The real end is one of fulfilling the elitists’ dreams of ultimate power and authority while the rest are left to suffer. Ultimately, indeed ironically, our society will be less equal and largely unjust to all the citizens. History has shown us over and over that a society does not function long when liberties are stifled and real control is left to the select few. As the elite grow stronger the rest suffer. All around us blame is being reassigned. Our society blames obesity and diabetes on companies such as McDonalds; it blames technological inventions for (the cyclical nature of) climate change; and, most shamefully, it blames those of us who work tirelessly with being cruel, heartless towards our fellow man if we don’t wish to blindly hand over the majority of our hard earned paychecks to the statists for the sake of phony justice. What is left when all of the blame is reassigned? A society that cannot accept any form of self-responsibility, and a society that is growing increasingly insecure. Each time self-responsibility is lifted and blame is transferred to someone, or something, else we grow a little more complacent, and those in power grow a little bit stronger. They gain their strength by feeding on the lack of selfresponsibility and insecurity that they foster. Just as a gardener provides his plants with nutrient soil, water and sunlight to facilitate growth, services such as welfare, universal healthcare, or social security are the statists’ means of providing ample opportunity to facilitate our ever-growing complacency as United States citizens. How are we to overcome this sense of victimization and lack of self-responsibility? We must begin as individuals. We must take ownership of our actions; we must restore the definition of the American Dream, and we must teach our children to do the same. Changing an entire culture begins with the individuals. It is time to regain our liberties. This will not happen without a fight, but thankfully we have the models necessary to help us overcome. As corrupt as most popular media has become, we can still learn from some of it. Characters such as Hank Reardan from Atlas Shrugged come to mind first; while not without faults, he stays true to his convictions and sets an example of how one can oppose the status quo and truly follow the American Dream. Careful attention to the political climate will help us understand what is coming, and lessons from history can teach us how to survive, fight, and overcome. We must prepare for a fight to regain our liberties and reclaim the true American Dream. Most importantly, though, we must work to regain our self-responsibility. Because self-responsibility will help us regain our sense of pride, help us overcome complacency, and once again see our great nation flourish in a way only a free society can. Jesse Francomano is a critical observer of the political climate. He is a Colorado native, and he holds degrees in arts and science from the University of Colorado. His goal is to help lead the millennial generation towards a better, truly free future.
Page B-12
MILLENNIAL PATRIOTS
• Change the electoral system. Not for big elections, but for Primaries and caucuses. Have a ranking system (Preferential Voting (wink, wink)) where people can put their real first choice, followed by their second and third, so that the little guy actually has a chance to represent. This way the establishment bandwagon can’t set the stage from day one. By: Lyall Russell (New Zealand) There are ways for us conservatives to truly be represented, but it does mean change from the inside. The choices that are possible are either a big split, Warning: The following article contains information and content which may not be or restoration. welcomed by the reader. Reader caution is advised. Let’s at least start a conversation. This is our future, who do we want to The supporters aligned on the right are dwindling the GOP away to a represent us? Lead us? party that holds low credibility and are viewed as unelectable. Lyall Russell is a student of Politics and Media in New Zealand and frequently updates his Supporters of the party are divided because they are individuals who hold blog at lyallrussell.com their own believes, values and opinions. Due to their nature; GOP supporters and not afraid to critic and turn against their parties choice of candidate to represent them. The GOP supporters have learned what left leaning supporters around the globe have learnt. They don’t need to support their main affiliated base; they can rally behind smaller more extreme parties and, because of the modernisation By: Alex Johnson of electoral systems across the globe, they get seats to represent these people. When Amendment 66, the ill-fated education tax hike was soundly Due to the nature of the traditional two party systems, a derivative from the First Past the Post (FPP) voting system, the choices for exact candidates to defeated on November 5, liberals all over Colorado were given a sobering represent you is minimal. We are pushed into corners where we are forced to vote wake-up call. Coloradans will reject a tax increase from Denver, no matter how for the ‘candidate who’s most like us’ or ‘the lesser of two evils.’Or if we beat that good the campaign, how savvy the marketing, or how emotional the argument. This demonstrates how out-of-touch they are with mainstream Coloradans and temptation, we wing it and vote for the candidate who we really want. millennials of my generation, and comes as no surprise to working families, FPP doesn’t give any sympathy to those people though. The Democrats, if they’re not all in sync anyway, bite their lip and vote small business owners and people grounded in reality. As a conservative millennial, I view the failure of 66 through a distinctly for their top guy. The right wing supporters are a little more hesitant. different lens. The early millennials, (the generation born between 1980 and The UK has been using the FPP system for many millennia (okay, the ‘winner takes all’ system as ya’ll know it), it is really simple – in the political race the early 2000s,) are either having children or preparing to have children soon. the first person past the post gets the seat. It doesn’t matter whether they have We understand that haphazardly raising taxes on all Coloradans for the benefit of hegemonic Denver schools doesn't benefit us, or our children. Additionally, 50% or more, as long as they have the most they’re the winner. Over the last century new electoral systems have been introduced, they although people generally assume that the "young" voting bloc, however it is use fancy methods (with fancy titles like Sainte-Laguë) to work out who won. defined, is more liberal, I suggest that it is more libertarian, meaning that this And depending on the system, how the population is represented or who gets to diverse group is more socially moderate and more fiscally conservative. Just look at Amendment 64 versus Amendment 66. Voters narrowly embraced 64, and be on the final ballot. thoroughly rejected 66. One dealt with a controversial social issue, and the other The options are wide. Under FPP the right wing minded people aren’t going to get anywhere a by-the-book fiscal matter. In Colorado's largest county, El Paso, 66 was defeated by 46%, according because we have crippling, sell-outs for an established party. They don’t represent to the Denver Post. The tax won only two counties--two out of 64 and in those us, and they are not going to curve that path. My fellow conservatives, there aren’t many options left. Politicians on two ultra-liberal metro areas, Boulder and Denver, 66 won by fairly narrow the right have a reputation of not undoing the outlandish policies enacted by the margins. 66 is another sign that Democrats do not represent all of Colorado, just like the many bungled decisions that have plagued Colorado Democrats this left. So a restoration of the GOP is out. A change in the electoral system would shake up congress and give some year, like the Dunlap stay of execution, the massive hike in rural electricity rates and the anti-gun legislation championed by former State Senate President Morse really neat results. But it would be hard to tamper with the constitution. and his colleague, former State Senator Giron. After recalls, demonstrations and The two options I put forward are either: • Split from the party and create a new and stronger true conservative party. general outrage, it took a vote to finally send a signal that enough is enough. One could say that the 2014 election started on November 5, because This would need already elected real conservatives from the GOP to break away Democrats, with a taste of power, attempted to act upon their radical ideas and to get the party established and represented. Overtime, the base will grow. implement public policy to further their misaligned goals and shoddy priorities. Governor John Hickenlooper and his allies were some of the failed amendment's most zealous backers, and these men and women will face the voters in 2014. Democrats may blame the Taxpayers Bill of Rights, (TABOR,) or bad marketing, or the specter of voter suppression, but ultimately, the liberals only have themselves to blame; they were philosophically out of line with Colorado voters and paid the price at the ballot box. And thank goodness for TABOR-without it, the possibility would exist that the legislature could have had a shot at taking nearly one billion dollars in hard-earned money to fund education, in whatever incarnation they choose to see it. TABOR adds an additional protection to the people’s pocketbooks. Amendment 66 won in Colorado's bastions of liberal thought, Denver and Boulder. If mainstream Coloradans continue to reject policies like this and the candidates who sponsor them, the state will surely make a sharp right turn before long.
The Future of the GOP
Millennial Views: Admendment 66
Alex Johnson is a college student from Colorado Springs. He currently serves as Editor-inChief of the University of Denver Clarion newspaper.
Page B-13
UNDER THE GOLDEN DOME
Obamacare: Answering Tough Questions Here in Colorado
Continued from page B-1
(NHIN) network, now called the eHealth Exchange, government agencies, corporations, organizations- and the health IT industry have banded together anew to advance a national patient identification system. Furthermore, federal rules and standardized operations under the PPACA (Obamacare) may be an end-run around the prohibition so we must stay very vigilant. I wrote about this last year in our paper called “National Patient ID”. How about the electronic medical record? Have any risks been attached to this that the public needs to be aware of? According to the FDA, there have been at least 6 deaths and 40 injuries attributed to the Electronic Medical Record, but the FDA also said it could be the ‘tip of the iceberg’. EMR’s have been called clunky and suited for billing but not for patient care. In addition, unlike paper, the entire computerized network of medical records can crash, prohibiting access to not only patient data but electronic ordering systems needed for patient care. Computerized medical records also give government health officials easy access to private details of the confidential patient doctor relationship, which was a key purpose of the HIPAA law and so-called HIPAA privacy rule, which we call the ‘noprivacy’ rule. Remember, electronic medical records record everything and are sharable with a keystroke! Are there other risks to these Electronic Medical Records? The truth is EMR’s are part of a larger research agenda to statistically analyze everyone’s medical information and to use these ‘findings’ to rationalize health care rationing. At least $1.1billion was given in the 2009 stimulus bill to do “comparative effectiveness research” using a new Obamacare entity called the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, or PCORI. We believe this will result in standardized ‘one size fits all’ health care, whether it is right-sized and individualized for the patient or not. How has the doctor patient relationship been eroded? Congressman Phil Gingrey MD says a section in Obamacare, section 1311(h), “will prove catastrophic to the doctor-patient relationship. These few lines empower one bureaucrat- the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary- to determine whether a physician is providing ‘quality health care measures’. Based on that finding, the Secretary is empowered to cancel a physician’s health insurance provider policy, effectively forcing him out of practice”. Do you know about this section? This is why Rep Phil Gingrey, MD introduced the Scope Act (The Safeguarding Care of Patients Everywhere) and brought it to everyone’s attention. His staff discovered the section in Obamacare among the 2,700 pages. The law inserts HHS into the exam room and gives the Secretary of HHS unprecedented power to control doctors and restrict their ability to practice ethical and Hippocratic medicine. His Act protects patients’ access to their physician of choice and ensures that doctors may continue to treat their patients as they deem necessary, not according to how the government wants them to treat or not treat a patient. Let’s talk a bit about the Obamacare exchanges. What should we know? The exchanges are the master control of Obamacare representing a vast national data infrastructure with massive transfers of dollars and private data. Without the exchanges, Obamacare cannot function. The entire purpose of the national exchange system is to impose national health care.
Page B-14
Why be wary of the exchanges? First, the Exchange will gather significant private data into a new federal database called the “Health Insurance Exchange Program” and share that data online through the ‘Federal Data Services Hub’ with state agencies, health plans, and federal agencies including the IRS, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Health and Human Services, Social Security Administration. The Exchange must also create and issue ‘individualized risk scores’ on all patients using medical data and they must track and report so-called “quality” information on doctors using access to treatment decisions without the patient’s consent. The national exchange system will monitor all participants enrolled in the system, including employers and will provide data to the IRS to enforce penalties on individuals and employers that fail to comply with the Obamacare mandates. Using taxpayer-funded federal subsidies and Medicaid, Obamacare is designed to trap individuals into government dependency through the Exchange and never let them out. Has HHS made any commitments to do any security testing of the system? Yes, CMS has self-attested that Exchange security has been certified but this has not been verified. And with the Exchanges now found to be severely technologically challenged, why would anyone believe the data is secure? What do we do about all this? We have to stop the Exchanges to stop Obamacare. Refusing to enroll is key. I would encourage you to visit our website www.cchfreedom.org to get involved. We would love to see Coloradans become active in our efforts to stop Obamacare by starving it of what it needs: enrollees and their cash. All federal exchange funding ends December 31, 2014 when exchanges must be self-sustaining, dependent on enrollees and state taxpayer dollars. We need as many people as possible to join our “Refuse to Enroll” campaign and to sign our Exchange Opt Out declarations. Concerned citizens need to tell their family and friends what the exchange really is: the Obamacare implementation centers for the federal takeover of health care! Specific steps may include: • A group can pitch in to get some billboards across the state like we did in MN that say, ‘Refuse to Enroll!’ • Spread the word through social media and town hall meetings • Share CCHF’s Refuse to Enroll flyers by email or by distributing them at meetings and civic gatherings • Learn more at: www.refuse2enroll.com How about when we meet with our legislators? Legislators play an absolutely vital role in protecting citizens’ health privacy, freedom of choice, and quality in health care. State legislators must remember the 10th Amendment and resolve to reclaim state’s rights against federal intrusion and control. Informing them about what exchanges are, and providing ideas to stop them from being successful is key. It’s important to ask state lawmakers to pass legislation that protects you from HIPAA, provides consent requirements and prohibits your private medical records from being accessed by the government and others without the patients voluntary written informed consent.
MD, practicing psychiatrist, health reform advocate, her motto is "Patients First!" Author of Health For US All: The Transformation of US Health Care, Dr Mary writes and educates on principles of real health reform, including sound health freedom legislation. Learn more at http://www.thehealthreformreport.com
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