McInnis and GOP choose party over Colorado at Pinyon Canyon…

As a member of the Republican Party most of my political life, now unaffiliated, I am disappointed that party candidate McInnis has chosen party over the state he hopes to represent as Governor of Colorado. If the EPA or the Department of Commerce were leading a charge to take 100,000 acres of Colorado land, where would Scott McInnis stand, and those that support this GOP position? Would the GOP and McInnis be supporting the takeover of land by one of these federal bureaucracies? Maybe they would. You can’t tell where the GOP stands anymore, they seem to negotiate any value for votes these days.

So what makes this land grab different? It is still a bureaucracy leading the land grab but it is a military bureaucracy. That is the rub. The GOP doesn’t want to have to defend on principle that they are questioning anything about the military. That might look like the GOP doesn’t support the military. That is the red herring. Colorado and most republicans support the military, and Colorado is home to significant numbers of veterans and active military. But is this a military issue? Is there evidence that this expansion is necessary to the success of the military? Is there evidence that without this land our military warriors will be put in danger? Or is this an opportunity for a military bureaucracy to increase power and control over the future Army operations? Honestly I don’t know the motive since it seems to be unclear on the “why” of this latest expansion.

All indications are that military operations are relying more on technology and less on human resources. Our military is the best trained in the world on both tactical ground operations as well as technology driven operations. It is guaranteed with the current democratic administration and congress that budgets are going to be cut because the left hates our military. So if this is the case, what is the argument for the expansion? Money and jobs? Is that what it all comes down to? Money and jobs? Where is the principle? And when the military in the future decides to leave, where does the Colorado ranching industry stand then? Our ranchers are critical to our economy as well. And these farmers are committed to the stewardship of Colorado land and Colorado. Can we say that of the military bureaucracy and the politicians in Washington that decide military funding?

Put yourself in the shoes of our fellow Coloradans that have spent their life on these ranches that are critical to the heritage and economy of our state. These good folks should not be put into a situation that defending their land means they’re anti military. That is a false premise. I believe if they believed this land grab had merit and the facts supported the effort, they could be convinced. But the evidence to date seems to be contrary or non- existent to support the expansion. These Colorado residents deserve better from their state elected officials. I expect it from our federal representatives because they have sold their souls to central government but someone running for the Governor of Colorado has to think beyond the image of the party and do what is right for the citizens of our state.

I will stand by our Colorado families as Governor. Will the federal government and military bureaucracy threaten to take their bases and expansions somewhere else if these folks don’t sell their land? They will surely threaten. I have to ask the residents of Colorado; what price do we put on principle? What price do we put on our land? At what cost do we give up our state sovereignty to a bunch of bureaucrats, even if they work for the military?