Common Core is not Common Sense…

The newest push for creating education “standards” for the American public school system have taken shape and they are packaged in a program called the “Common Core Curriculum”. This new set of standards is supposed to focus on the learning needed to be a success in the world. But when an administrator in the Illinois public school system argues that it is more important to explain how a student gets an answer of 11 from a 4x3 multiplication problem, instead of getting the right answer, this is a program that lacks all common sense.

Anything created by Washington DC bureaucrats (and state politicians associated with DC) to teach our children should be thrown out just because it comes from Washington DC elites. It is also a product of the “do-gooder” types like Bill Gates (who does good through charities) and others that have forgotten what education is and is not. It is not a one size fits all proposition.

Centralized command and control of education dumbs down everyone. Education should be a local process that teaches to the strengths and skills of the individual student. Should every kid know how to read, write, and calculate numbers? Yes, but how they get there is best left to local educators and parents to determine.

Many educated men and women throughout our history were self-taught including President Lincoln. Education is the self-pursuit of knowledge. Our kids need to be taught a passion to learn and what will make them the most productive throughout their lives. By bringing together parents, educators, and the business community, local communities could determine what works best for their kids. Setting guidelines for students at certain levels is fine but to make a kid wait to take calculus until 10^th grade when a kid is ready in the 6^th grade is ludicrous. The study of the US Constitution and American history must replace all of this global push but that’s a post for another day.

Home school programs have the right formula in many ways. Most curriculums are self-paced. Kids are encouraged to keep moving forward and learning more at their pace. When you base education on a kid’s age it is limiting to so many kids. Kids are smarter than most people give them credit for.   

Common Core makes no sense. We have a 50% drop out rate in many urban public school systems. In many more affluent communities we have kids in first grade that can already read, write, add, multiply and subtract but when the get to school their education is slowed down to align what they learn with their age. How do you create a one size fits all program when there are millions of sizes of educational preparedness?

The answer is you can’t. The answer is not Common Core, it is common sense…

Under Attack

Why does it seem the federal government is attacking the people they work for? Is it because they are?

Whether it’s our constitutional rights, the ability to start a business, or the decision to select a doctor, our freedoms and choices are being destroyed by the federal government. We seem to have elected a group of people that have never had to work a day in their lives and they seem to think that money can be produced out of thin air. We are being represented by anti-capitalist, over educated, and common sense deficient but definitely self-interested politicians.

There isn’t an area of our lives that politicians at the federal level don’t feel compelled to intrude on even when the constitution is absolutely clear on their responsibilities. But it isn’t the constitution’s fault for the betrayal that has been conducted on its tenets. It is us, the citizen that is allowing this attack on our rights.

The constitution can only protect us if we are willing to protect it. We do that by electing people that are truly committed to its founding intent. Taking an oath is not enough. The oath has become meaningless words spewed by politicians that have no idea why it was created never mind ever reading it. We have two parties that have lost their way and have forgotten who is actually in charge; the people.

The regulatory bodies created at the federal level are passing laws without the people’s consent. The EPA is stopping business at an alarming rate under the guise of protecting the environment. Their true intent is to destroy capitalism. There are too many agencies and every one of them must be trimmed or eliminated. Many of these agencies are acting unconstitutionally. Many are engaging in campaigns to destroy our economic opportunities and the future of the greatest economic system in the world. And our response to these attacks?

Our healthcare system is being attacked by the bureaucracy of the Affordable Care Act. How can you operate under the oppression of 21,000 pages of loosely defined regulations deigned to command and control private people and businesses in the healthcare industry? The reason we have seen rising costs is the introduction of the federal government into the fabric of what was once a completely private industry. Healthcare cannot be a right because it requires someone else to provide it. Think about that. A right is inherent in our being human like freedom. The freedom to speak is a right, the freedom to protect ourselves is a right, and the freedom to conduct commerce between each other is a right. We need to discern rights, wants, and unconstitutional dictates. The freedom to live our lives without government intrusion is a right. Every one of our rights will remain under attack as long as we allow the federal government (and all government) to grow.

Every day we make choices. Every day those choices are under attack. What we eat, what we buy, how we raise our children, what faith we believe in, are all under attack by government. They are under attack because government is too big and growing. The way we stop the attack is to defund and limit the federal government. The constitution is our weapon to dismantle this ever growing campaign to infringe on our rights. It is up to us to take back the responsibility we have allowed the federal government to take from us.

Curious…

Tax Cuts:

Why is it the only time democratic politicians get exercised and concerned about costs is “the “costs” of tax cuts”! Tax cuts don’t cost the government a thing. It is the people that earn the money who should determine how much they are willing to be taxed to pay for government services. Every time we cut taxes on the earners in this nation revenues to the government go up. This is a fact so if the government wants more money to operate it makes sense to cut more taxes for the people that work and pay them (EIC need not apply)…

Bi-partisanship:

It is interesting for the past two years there was no talk of bi-partisanship while democrats dominated all three branches of government. They shoved their agenda down the throats of America and were punished accordingly at the ballot box. The republicans have been mandated to reverse and repeal the past two years of policy. Even in the lame duck session there is little effort to engage the republicans. Now that the house will be in full control of the republicans there is a loud outcry to “work together”, “get things done for the American people”. The republicans would be well served if they heed the call to get things done for Americans but that does not have to include their democratic colleagues in the house. Elections have consequences and sometimes working for the American people means ignoring the democratic politicians…

Washington, Jefferson, and Obama’s Expense Report…

As I watch the president of the United States jet off to India and Asia I couldn’t help but be reminded of the sharp contrasts to two of our former and greatest presidents, Washington and Jefferson. The contrast is telling and it shows how far away we have drifted from the true intentions of our founding fathers and principles.

Anyone that has read about Washington and Jefferson (school books excluded) knows that these two men spent their individual fortunes on activities that were carried out for the good of our country. In some of their letters they struggle and feel guilt for submitting their “expense reports” to the US Treasury for reimbursement. These two great men loved their country and were fiscally prudent about anything related to the newly formed republic. They considered the funds they used the people’s money. They knew everything they spent was a gift of the hard labors of the American people. They would be appalled at the current trip of our current president.

Barrack Obama has an entitlement mentality and as he demagogues about corporate greed and high roller Wall Street fat cats flying around in personal jets, he is flying around on our dime with estimates at the expense of 200 million dollars a day while the people labor and 10% of us have no jobs to go to. At least the corporate executives are not using tax payer money; they are earning their money through a free market. Well, what’s left of it?

The lavish travel and spending by this president is despicable and shows the complete disconnect of a man that has no connection to our founding fathers, principles, or simple common sense. I don’t care if it’s 200 or 20 million a day, there are smarter ways to spend that money. The president’s security is important but if he can’t travel to a place like Mumbai with normal security he shouldn’t go. Find a neutral place to have a discussion. Foreign policy is an important part of a president’s job, but with all of the domestic angst in the country I think he should start sitting down and working with fiscal conservatives and implementing policies to balance the budget. Real policies that are not throw backs to the “great society.”

I would like to see the expense report for this trip. I would like to compare it to the Jefferson’s and Washington’s in today’s dollars. It has only been a few hundred years since these great men struggled with submitting any expense to the US Treasury. I miss their frugalness and patriotic obligation to serving their fellow Americans…

A few questions for the left…

1. Have you ever read the entire U.S Constitution?
   
2. Do you believe the constitution is still relevant today?
   
3. Why is it OK for the government to take one families hard earned labor to give to someone else?
   
4. How much money is too much? Who should decide how much is too much?
   
5. What level of federal taxation is enough to “level the playing field”?
   
6. What is “leveling the playing field”?
   
7. What advantages have successful people had that makes them a target to be punished with additional taxation?
   
8. Will punishing successful people improve the ability of everyone else to be successful?
   
9. Are you happy with the government’s results to end poverty and improve lives in Detroit, NY, LA, Newark, etc…?

Just curious...

Walter Williams asks: Should we part company?

Walter Williams is the smartest Professor in the country. He makes an argument that needs to be considered. Is it time for America to admit we no longer share common goals or vision for the future, and go our seperate ways?

I believe like he does that the answer lies in our U.S. Constitution. The one our founders wrote; not the interpretation of it by the Supreme Court...

PLEASE READ THIS!

Thomas Jefferson; A Simple Man?

I recently finished the book, “The Real Thomas Jefferson” and there were many things about his political philosophy that were, and remain critical to our success today, but one thing stood out as I look at the world today; simplicity. Even though he was a trained and skilled lawyer, he believed in simple language when it came to legislation. He spent time “de-lawyering” many laws in Virginia and was extremely suspicious of complex schemes in the Federal Government.

As I look at my candidacy for Governor, I often wonder why we have so many things in government that are complex? For example; why can’t the education formula for Colorado simply tie one amount to a student, whatever that is, and we can argue the amount, say $10,000 for each student (K-12) goes to whatever school they choose. Why doesn’t that work?

I have been to Government conferences in my private sector work and have attended classes designed to help people understand the complexity of government contracting, whether buying computers, aircraft, or pencils, the process is overwhelming and often teams of people are needed to sort it out. Why?

It comes down to two things when I sift through the complexity; trust, and trust. Contracting with the government is so complex because the people managing the contracts are not trusted to apply fairness in the process whether it is creating specs or awarding bids. And politicians want their friends to get the contracts and have in the past “rigged” the process, and so in order to guard against insider awards, a complex maze of regulations was created. And then there are the targeted, set aside contracts for specific groups of people that throw in even more complex specifications. In all this complexity the components most important in a contract for product or services gets lost; quality and price.

No one trusts the government anymore and there is example after example of fraud, abuse, and incompetence, but we only hear about the evils of business and the private sector. The private sector abuses are punished by market forces that can run private companies out of business. Government abuses seem to be tolerated, ignored, and often rewarded with more work or funding. But the reality is that the more complex anything is, the more opportunity for abuse. When we simplify, and people can understand why something is done a certain way, they are more likely to support an initiative.

Thomas Jefferson was in no way a simple man, but he understood that simple was better when you were dealing with government policy and building trust with the American people. Wanting things to be simple doesn’t make you a simple man; it makes you a genius. Just read about the life of Thomas Jefferson and I think you will agree…

A Constitutional Revolution…

We need a constitutional convention not to change the constitution but to learn what it means. I am tired of listening to federal representatives invoking the constitution when convenient and ignoring it when proposing programs. These people are constitutionally ignorant and need an education.

We need a national conference on the meaning of our constitutional government. It is not just free speech and the right to bear arms, it is so much more. We have treated the constitution as sound bites used to make arguments but we fail to understand the comprehensive nature of the documents true value. It needs to be argued in the context it was created and why it was created.

• It was created to insure a common defense against foreign enemies.
• It was created to insure regular trade among the states and foreign nations.
• It was created to insure the debts of our national security and enumerated powers could be paid by the federal government without being beholden to state politics.
• It was created to develop a framework that would allow individuals and states to thrive economically in an environment of freedom.
• It was created to insure against tyranny and abuse of power.

We too often confuse government responsibility and charity. The government was never intended to be a charity. It was never intended to be a welfare state. It was never intended to be a troth of power and money that could be leveraged by the powerful and wealthy.

We need a constitutional revolution. One that will change the way we view our constitution. It is not just sound bites and slogans. It is the law of our land and we need to become law abiding again…

The State 401K…

It seems time that those working for the taxpayer should have benefits that are aligned with the people paying for them. Why do the benefits given to state workers seem so much more lucrative? It stems from a time when working for government meant taking a pay cut, and benefits were a way to attract people. Those days are long gone.

When the private sector is not hurting like it is today, these differences are ignored by most, but when times are tough people notice things they should have always noticed. The state pay system must be changed to be in line with the private sector.

As governor I will propose a 401K style program for state workers that will be fair and competitive. By doing that the state will reduce its unfunded pension liabilities, and start paying their workers similar to their bosses; the tax payers. The state will match up to 3 – 6% of the amount of money an employee chooses to save. The state employee will need to participate in their retirement just like we do.

Vacation time will be limited to 4 weeks per year maximum, and MUST be used in that year. No more saving up time to retire early. The retirement age will be at 62 like the rest of us unless they want to start early on their own dime. Medical plans will reflect the average employee contribution of the private business market in Colorado.

It is not about punishing anyone; it is about putting our house back in order. We need to continue the efforts to streamline government through technology advances and reducing the scope of government in our lives.

The state can’t afford the union contracts and more importantly the system has to change so it is self regulating and not dependent on economic times otherwise we will end up with out of balance benefits because of politics.

It will be a challenge to change the mindset of the state employee unions and employees but it is the right and fair thing to do to run a responsible state government…

James Madison and Thomas Jefferson…

Clarified federal powers:

James Madison, “The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce; with which last the power of taxation will, for the most part be connected. The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State.”

James Madison, “This is not an indefinite government… but a limited government, tied down to the specific powers which explain and define the general terms.”

Thomas Jefferson, “Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but is restrained to those specifically enumerated.”

How far we have wandered…

America Must Separate as Constituted to Unite Again…

We are a republic made up of 50 individual states. Our common thread is the U.S. Constitution. The enumerated powers of the federal government in our constitution are defined to support the United States. The powers given to the federal government are intended to protect the states and individuals from enemies and the destructive nature of out of control centralized bureaucracy and tyranny. None of the powers include the day to day running of state governments or the infringement of individual rights.

The U.S. Constitution is to support each state’s ability to provide the freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness on an individual basis. The federal government does not have the responsibility to provide the “happiness” that each individual pursues. Unfortunately that is what our federal government is trying to do therefore “balkanizing” Americans. This attempt to provide individual happiness is being done by taking from one individual or group to give to another. It is being done by taking the resources from the individuals of one state and giving to individuals or groups of another. Through these takings, the federal government is dividing us by creating resentment. Much of what the federal government does today and every proposal so far by the Obama administration has been unconstitutional.

The U.S. has always taken pride in our individual creativity, the importance of our Christian/Judeo traditions, family, hard work, personal responsibility and accountability, the free markets and private property. From these common goals we have created the wealthiest and most compassionate country to ever reside on this earth.

Our enemies have always been the people that are jealous of our ability to provide for ourselves, and our desire to govern ourselves. The elites and our enemies are trying to destroy us from within by challenging our foundation by destroying our family unit, taking faith out of the public conversation, re-distributing individual private property (hard earned money) beyond what is necessary to run a limited government. They use taxation to destroy productivity and reward political allies.

We are being forced to take action at the state level to contain the federal government’s desire to bankrupt this nation. We have the tenth amendment which will be the only way to stop this intrusion and regain our American footing. By establishing our founding roots again, we will bring this nation together by defining the lines of demarcation. In order to unite again, we must define our individual and state responsibilities, and take back the resources necessary to run our individual states.

We as individuals must find our common interests again by focusing on the hard work, family, faith, and limited government principles that made us great. This will not come from a bigger national government focused on Balkanizing us against each other; it will come from each of us as individuals, focusing on each other at the local and state level, acting like neighbors again.

We have been Balkanized by an out of control national government. Let’s get back to the basics that made us great…

When Did Loving God Become Criminal?

Gasp! I can see why people would be so upset! I think they should consider a life sentence for such vile behavior! This is a quote directly from the article:

“The criminal charges, which carry up to a $5,000 fine and a six-month jail term, originated with a Jan. 28 incident in which Mr. Lay, a deacon at a local Baptist church, asked Mr. Freeman to offer mealtime prayers at a lunch for school employees and booster-club members who had helped with a school field-house project.”

The gall of these people to give thanks at mealtime to God! What would our founders and constitutional authors think? I’m glad you asked. They would be absolutely outraged that the effort to ban God has become so common in this country. They built the constitution on the understanding and belief we would always be grounded in Christian principles. Without this grounding they knew that the countries’ future would be at risk.

The “separation” of church and state has been so warped by the ACLU that these types of outrageous assaults on individual liberty don’t generate absolute revolt against these organizations that promote this garbage.

This is just another argument to get the “public” out of education and put it in private hands. This way people can choose their schools based on their beliefs.

Is praying to God worthy of 5 years in prison? Are we insane?

Empathy Need Not Apply for the Supreme Court…

Justice is blind. Lady Justice does not care if we are Black, White, Hispanic, Chinese, Male, or Female, she only cares about the consistent and blind application of law to every individual American citizen. Justice Roberts at his nomination made the analogy of what a judge does to the role of an umpire.

An umpire at a baseball game does not care what the players look like, where they came from, whether they grew up rich or poor when calling balls or strikes. If the team that has more minorities than the other tries to steal second base during a game, the umpire does not need to show empathy to that team as he makes the call at second base because the call is the call. The rules are clear and must apply to every player the same.

To suggest that the traits of a judge need to include empathy, and understanding what it is like to be poor shows the ignorance of the president and media in selecting good judges for any court but especially the Supreme Court. Members of the Supreme Court are the ultimate umpires in legal disputes and understanding the constitution (the rules of the game), and applying them blindly is the only real qualifications needed.

If Major League Baseball started hiring umpires that made calls based on empathy and an understanding that the teams that always lose need special considerations to win the entire league would fold. No one would ever go to a game again because the rules are what make it fair, and if the application of the rules is not evenly applied then people watching will have no confidence in the integrity of the league.

By nominating a person like Sonia Sotomayor based on the “qualification” of empathy the integrity of the court is in question. Will she rule differently for Black people than Hispanic people? Will she be more empathetic to women than men? Will she favor the poor over the rich? If she does favor specific groups and you are not in the group being favored how will you feel?

There is a reason Lady Justice is blind; there is no reason a president should be…

The Tenth Amendment Gets Another Supporter; 47 to go!

The Oklahoma legislature has passed a resolution validating Oklahoma’s sovereignty and the importance of the 10th Amendment of our United States Constitution. This is powerful stuff being ignored by most of the media. The Tennessee legislature, Texas Governor Perry, and now the great state of Oklahoma have started the ball rolling by raising the 10th amendment and the importance of state’s rights. As the federal government continues to act in an unconstitutional manner these state efforts will grow to stop it. What state will be next? My guess is Wyoming or South Carolina.

These efforts can only grow with a strong educational component. You see our educational system gets an F in civics and history. As Dr. Walter Williams points out in an article today at TownHall.com, 70% of American college graduates fail a simple civics test on the role and structure of our government. I would argue a majority of the American electorate could not tell you the jest of the 10th amendment or any other amendment including the 1st amendment. How do you expect to win an argument about the importance of the 10th amendment if most people don’t even know what it is or what the importance of our constitution is? We must start on many fronts but we must start from the beginning.

I would suggest we recommend to everyone concerned about the current state of the government to read our constitution since it is only 4400 words. We should also be recommending the book; 5000 Year Leap for a very concise summary of our founding principles. I would also recommend the web site Tenth Amendment Center as a start to their education.

We are in a crisis that was predicted by our founders. It is amazing how intuitive these men were. They believed if we forgot our founding moral values we would perish as a free nation. How close we are getting to their prediction but only time will tell. We have and we are in a state of dangerous transition. We must fight again for the minds of anyone willing to listen because the argument of our founders is a simple, logical, and timeless one. The principles of our Constitution are timeless and as relevant today as they were in the eighteenth century.

We must explain it in simple terms like; our tenth amendment simply states that the federal government has a very defined and limited scope; all other issues are left to the states to determine. The closer the government is to the people the better and the less likely it will infringe on our freedoms.

I don’t think state governments are effective either but they are much easier to petition than our federal representatives. Individuals , the family, and community, are much more likely to be served properly by government if that government is held accountable by the people. That is easier to do if you only have to drive to the state house to petition your government than having to get to DC. It also makes it much harder for special interests to operate because instead of one office in DC they must petition 50 states. That is a really good thing for the tax payer.

So although we only have three states so far expressing the importance of state sovereignty and getting back control of our government, the movement is significant. The more people we get to read our founding documents and the more effective we are in making the case for reducing the power in Washington, the freer we will be. Free to live a life that has the greatest potential for every individual in this country, not just the future of the people most connected to DC and the Federal trough…

Specter; example of why we are in decline…

Arlene Specter yesterday announced he was changing political parties and whichever party gets him deserves him. The real sadness is he is not what we the people deserve. But unfortunately he represents what most politicians in Washington represent; themselves. The value of “public service” has always been suspect for me but now my suspicions have been completely confirmed.

Term limits is the only way to fix DC. Reducing power in DC and distributing it back to the states where it belongs will reduce the influence that special interests and selfish politicians have today. It is so much easier to steal the taxpayer’s money in DC than in the state house, than in the county, than in the city, than in the community.

Trust is gone, values are on life support, and politicians are marching us toward ruin while we stand by and take it. Tea parties are a start but it is beyond that. We need to start the nullification process at the state level of all unconstitutional federal spending. We need a constitutional panel at the state level to figure out the best way to starve the feds of their funding.

It can be done with the right approach and a deliberate process that would make our founders proud. They gave us a miracle and we are throwing it away. Educating people on the constitution and tenth amendment is a start but it needs to be positioned beyond just constitutional; it needs to be presented as the common sense it represents.

Simple questions like; how does taking more money from productive people to build useless bridges in Alaska improve other state’s citizens? If they need a bridge they can build it. Why should the taxpayers be funding abortions in Africa? What gives the federal government the right to take taxes for that? What gives the federal government the right to take state tax dollars for education and then to get their own money back; the state has to bow to federal extortion that results in driving the pledge out of the classroom and gay marriage into the curriculum?

Why would we send money to a government that is creating regulations to undermine our businesses like cap and trade? Why would we believe that anyone in Washington represents the interest of the citizens of the 50 states? Do you really believe your interests are being represented?

The federal government can be reduced by 50% and there would be few that would notice. That reduction could be used to bolster individual state issues that need attention. Bring the money and power home. All we have to do is abide by the constitution, apply the tenth amendment, and implement a nullification process for all programs that are not outlined in the constitution…

Appreciating a Miracle

The state of California is considering a state constitutional convention because:

“Look anywhere in California and you'll find a crisis," Grubb continued. "Our education system used to be the best in the country, now we're 49th or 50th. Our transit network is the worst in the nation, our water system is on the verge of collapse, and our prison system is overflowing. The Legislature is responsible and they aren't able to do their jobs."

Government hard at work! The more government you have the more problems you have. The government is a general framework not a prescriptive function. It sets the rules for citizens to function within those boundaries.

If you read the article what you find is that most Californian’s are against a constitutional convention because they don’t trust the politicians or the influence the special interests will have if they open up their constitution to changes. The people’s instincts are right because in California the constitution has been tinkered with over 500 times. I can’t imagine how many pages it is but I would venture to say more than 500 pages.

Our US Constitution is 4,400 WORDS! My mini pocket constitution that I carry with me is 37 pages, little tiny pages, for the entire founding of a government designed to protect the individual 13 colonies that became the United States. Think about that, not only did our founders agree to unite thirteen states they did it in less than 4500 WORDS!

Here is why they could achieve such a miracle; wisdom! The wisdom to know that government is a necessary evil, only to be trusted with limited powers as to protect citizens from the inherent human nature to control, understanding that more government equals less freedom, and that individual freedom is the right of every human, and that it is given to us by God.

Compare that to today and California’s dilemma. The reason they want to change the constitution in CA is to make it easier to raise taxes therefore giving government more control, and the citizens of California less freedom. A bit different from our founders. The cancer of government expansion is just that, once it takes control it multiples and destroys all productive “organs” around it including the American Dream. The citizens of California know this and have every right to be concerned about this convention. But I ask; how come we can’t do what our founders did over 200 years ago? I thought we were more advanced?

The right approach is to set guidelines before the constitutional convention is convened. No current politician could partake in the convention. Attendees would be randomly chosen from the voter rolls of the state. They could choose to bring one advisor to the meeting. And lastly the constitution would have to be 4400 words or less.

California may need constitutional changes but there is a great example of how to create one, it is called the US Constitution. In light of how difficult it is to get anyone to agree on anything today, the fact that we have our US Constitution constitutes a miracle… And for every miracle we have only one person to thank; God!

How about a Congressional takeover bill?

Barney Frank is now imposing legislation to cap all pay of companies receiving government funds. I say OK - Congress pay is supported exclusively through our tax dollars and I say we limit their pay to the following scale:

House Members Pay scale:

First 2 year term of House members: $125,000 per year
Second term of House member: $62,500 per year
Third Term and beyond: $1.00 per year

Senate Members pay scale:
First 6 year term of Senate Members: $125,000
Second term and beyond of Senate Members: $1.00

No retirement pay.
Healthcare only during their term.

Effective January 1st 2010 all government funded House and Senate members will be paid according to the above scale.

What say you?

Governor Ritter of Colorado; NO on Terrorists!

Governor Ritter of the great state of Colorado through a spokesman suggested he is not against the idea of housing the 200 plus terrorists now held at Guantanamo Bay at the Super Max facility in Florence Colorado. Obama has closed Guantanamo by executive order. I have no doubt that the prisoners will be securely held within the prison walls, I am concerned about the target that prison becomes, and the danger this potential decision is to the citizens of Colorado. I have a vested interest being a citizen of Colorado with a family that skis at Monarch.

Florence is off of highway 50 near Canyon City Colorado. If you have ever travelled this great state you know the limited route choices you have to access some of the greatest treasures of our state. Including Crested Butte, the Arkansas river near Salida Colorado, and the Monarch mountain ski resort to name a few. By bringing these terrorists to Colorado those routes become a risk. We already house some of the most dangerous criminals in our own country in Florence. And for the citizens of Colorado this concern is always close to the surface. When you drive on highway 50 near Florence there are signs warning motorists not to pick up pedestrians. Stop in Canyon city and you feel very secure when you start noticing how many people are wearing guns and uniforms. But these law enforcement officials will become targets of terrorist supporters as well; outside of the walls of the prison.

How could anyone believe bringing these most dangerous killers to the US a good idea? No other country in the world wants these killers. So how can Governor Ritter believe this will not put the citizens of Colorado at risk? Does he not believe that these terrorists will be a magnate for other terrorists? By putting them in our jurisdiction we are now to trust lawyers to keep them behind bars? What type of people will be visiting these terrorists?

Democrats are known for being soft on crime but housing these ruthless killers goes beyond crime. The Governor should know better. We expect this of Obama but Governor Ritter? Shame on you putting the citizens of Colorado at risk…

A New Holiday; Constitution Day!

I am not for adding more non productive days to the already non productive Federal calendar BUT, it has become very apparent that no one understands the constitution anymore. That is why we need to create this new holiday; Constitution Day.

The first Wednesday in November (to follow our Election Day) we need a national reading of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. It will be mandatory to carry the reading on all TV and radio networks. No exceptions; no options, no alternatives. We need to read and listen to these wonderful documents to help us understand how far we have wondered from the things that have made us great.

It will generate news and debate about the documents but at least we will know that people have actually been exposed to this unmatched genius. God knows; the current people running our Federal and State government have either not read or forgotten what the United States of America truly stands for. Just a thought…

Today is the day…

I spent yesterday celebrating my 49th birthday. It didn’t seem much different than my 29th or 39th, and I hope that I feel this way on my 59th (scary thought). I was born on Election Day in 1959, and I blame my absolute obsession with politics on that fact. I spent the day yesterday contemplating next steps if Obama wins this election, and takes this country in the wrong direction.

I came to the conclusion that Americans, who believe in the constitution, small government, individual liberty, and a government of the people, need to start educating others, and especially the young people in this country on the fundamentals of being American. We have left our education system to the left and they have destroyed it. It is a bastion of political correctness, shallow learning, and stewarded by people that have little if any real business or life experience. Don’t get me wrong, there are some good teachers trying to make a difference but nothing replaces real life experience and passion in a classroom.

We need to reform the way we hire teachers. We need people teaching that have spent their careers in the private sector building, managing, and understanding the way our private sectors operate. We need lawyers, doctors, engineers, and nurses becoming teachers after they have spent 20 years in the private sector. We need to hire for real life knowledge and passion in our classrooms. Political correctness and unions be damned.

We need to go on the offensive and focus on the failure of every bureaucracy and government program, offer solutions, then move on to the next bureaucracy. We have to be diligent and persistent in the fight. Then in the next election cycle the only candidates that will rise to the top will be ones worthy of our vote. We have ignored our political and educational institutions for far too long. We know this because we have seen the values that have made this country great disregarded, impugned, and ridiculed in this election cycle.

We have people asking what the government is going to do about our “problems”. I ask what are you doing for yourself? We must stop asking the government to get involved where they have no business. You can tie most problems right back to the government, whether it is inefficiency, over reaching regulation and taxation, creating dependency and stealing the hope of individuals, ruining our education system or financial systems, or being lax in our National and border security. Wherever there is a problem, the government is not far away. It is time to fight this intrusion.

Many of us are anxiously awaiting today’s results, and I know I am not the only one concerned with the radical left being in control of all three branches of government. You know who you are. We need to unite here and start the battle. No matter what the election results are we need to start engaging in the system so we have a much more informed electorate in the next election cycle. Our saving grace is that we know; God always blesses America…