January 2010 - North Suburban Republican Forum Newsletter

8/14/2019 January 2010 - North Suburban Republican Forum Newsletter

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January, 2010 Assembled By Dana West

Our next meeting is this Saturday morning, January 9th. US Senate

candidate and former Lt. Governor Jane Norton will discuss her bid tobe Colorados next senator and answer your questions.

MEETING TIME AND PLACE

We will be at Gander Mountain, 9923 Grant Street, Thornton, CO from 9:15-10:45 a.m. on thesecond Saturday of each month in the employee training room. If you live in Adams County or

Denver's northern suburbs, come join us for lively spirited debate and to meet Republican

movers and shakers. Any candidate in attendance will always be given speaking time.

Directions to Gander Mountain:

Gander Mountain is a huge sporting goods store in the old Biggs, now Wal-Mart/Home Depot

shopping center just east of I-25 and south of 104th Ave. Just go in the front door, turn

left at the first aisle and follow it to the employee meeting room on the far left.

Yearly membership dues are $20, while a couple is $30. Make checks payable to NSRF. Its $3per person to attend the monthly meeting to pay for the provided continental breakfast. Amembership application is located on the last page. Fill it out and bring it with you.

For more information on politics or The Republican Party, go to the following internet sites:

http://coloradopoliticalnews.blogspot.com/ http://dmyr.net/ http://www.realclearpolitics.com/

http://www.denverpost.com/politics http://www.metronorthnews.com/index.php

http://thebrightonblade.com/ http://www.topix.net/city/commerce-city-co

http://www.warriorlegacyfoundation.org/ http://coloradopols.com/ http://bendegrow.com/

www.Examiner.com/Denver www.CompleteColorado.com http://TheMoveRight.com

www.FaceTheState.com/ www.i2i.org/ www.TonysRants.com/ www.ALineOfSight.com/

www.AdamsCountyGOP.com/ www.ColoGOP.org/ www.RNC.org/

www.PoliticalLiveWires.com www.OpinionJournal.com http://FactCheck.org

www.850koa.com/pages/MikeRosen.html www.Heritage.org/ http://Townhall.com/

NSRF upcoming calendar:

February 13 Colorado Secretary of State and Treasurer candidates

March 13 CD-2 & CD-7 US House of Representatives candidates
http://coloradopoliticalnews.blogspot.com/http://coloradopoliticalnews.blogspot.com/http://dmyr.net/http://dmyr.net/http://www.realclearpolitics.com/http://www.realclearpolitics.com/http://www.denverpost.com/politicshttp://www.denverpost.com/politicshttp://www.metronorthnews.com/index.phphttp://www.metronorthnews.com/index.phphttp://thebrightonblade.com/http://thebrightonblade.com/http://www.topix.net/city/commerce-city-cohttp://www.topix.net/city/commerce-city-cohttp://www.warriorlegacyfoundation.org/http://www.warriorlegacyfoundation.org/http://coloradopols.com/http://coloradopols.com/http://bendegrow.com/http://bendegrow.com/http://www.examiner.com/Denverhttp://www.examiner.com/Denverhttp://www.completecolorado.com/http://www.completecolorado.com/http://themoveright.com/http://themoveright.com/http://www.facethestate.com/http://www.facethestate.com/http://www.i2i.org/http://www.i2i.org/http://www.tonysrants.com/http://www.tonysrants.com/http://www.alineofsight.com/http://www.alineofsight.com/http://www.adamscountygop.com/http://www.adamscountygop.com/http://www.cologop.org/http://www.cologop.org/http://www.rnc.org/http://www.rnc.org/http://www.politicallivewires.com/http://www.politicallivewires.com/http://www.opinionjournal.com/http://www.opinionjournal.com/http://factcheck.org/http://factcheck.org/http://www.850koa.com/pages/MikeRosen.htmlhttp://www.850koa.com/pages/MikeRosen.htmlhttp://www.heritage.org/http://www.heritage.org/http://townhall.com/http://townhall.com/http://townhall.com/http://www.heritage.org/http://www.850koa.com/pages/MikeRosen.htmlhttp://factcheck.org/http://www.opinionjournal.com/http://www.politicallivewires.com/http://www.rnc.org/http://www.cologop.org/http://www.adamscountygop.com/http://www.alineofsight.com/http://www.tonysrants.com/http://www.i2i.org/http://www.facethestate.com/http://themoveright.com/http://www.completecolorado.com/http://www.examiner.com/Denverhttp://bendegrow.com/http://coloradopols.com/http://www.warriorlegacyfoundation.org/http://www.topix.net/city/commerce-city-cohttp://thebrightonblade.com/http://www.metronorthnews.com/index.phphttp://www.denverpost.com/politicshttp://www.realclearpolitics.com/http://dmyr.net/http://coloradopoliticalnews.blogspot.com/


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Colorado Governor Bill Ritter decides not to run for reelection State rejoicesPosted on January 6th, 2010 by Tony

Colorado rejoices as Governor Bill Ritter will announce he will not seek reelection.

Good morning and I do mean GOOD morning. Colorado is waking up to the news that Governor

Bill Ritter will not seek reelection and that is putting wide smiles on many folks faces today.

Governor Never Met a Committee I Didnt Like Ritter told his staff yesterday of the decision and wil

hold a press conference later this morning.

Ritters prospects for reelection were fading like a Colorado sunset long before this news. Over his

term the economy has tanked and he has shown he is unwilling to make the big decisions at least

not without appointing a Blue Ribbon Panel to help him make them.

Why Ritter is making this surprising move is unknown. No matter what he says at the press

conference today, there are likely unspoken reasons behind the decision. According to the Denver

Post, Ritter told other Democrats the job was taking a toll on his family and he could not be

successful as a father and husband while running for governor.

Certainly his track record as Denver District Attorney was not as stellar as he portrayed facts of

which came out after he was elected. His office also recently came under a great deal of scrutiny with

the failed nomination of Stephanie Villafuerte as U.S. Attorney for Colorado. Rumors of an affair

between Ritter and Villafuerte have been whispered in the halls of power for years.

Colorado, despite the contentions of those on the left, is a center-right state. Always has been and

likely always will be. Citizens have grown increasingly disenchanted with the actions of a leftist

governor and state legislature. Businesses have begun to flee the state amid what has certainly

become a less business-friendly environment under Democratic leadership. The states finances are awreck, a liberal agenda is continually being pursued at the capital, and people have had enough.

The governors race certainly is a lot more interesting this morning.

Speculation as to who will fill Ritters shoes is high with a halfdozen names or more being thrown

out. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, former state legislator Andrew Romanoff, Interior Secretary

Ken Salazar, Lt. Gov. Barbara OBrien and U.S. Representative Ed Perlmutter have all been
http://www.tonysrants.com/colorado/colorado-governor-bill-ritter-decides-not-to-run-for-re-election-state-rejoices/http://www.tonysrants.com/colorado/colorado-governor-bill-ritter-decides-not-to-run-for-re-election-state-rejoices/http://www.tonysrants.com/colorado/colorado-governor-bill-ritter-decides-not-to-run-for-re-election-state-rejoices/http://www.tonysrants.com/colorado/colorado-governor-bill-ritter-decides-not-to-run-for-re-election-state-rejoices/http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_14130197http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_14130197http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_14130197http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_14130197http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_14130197http://www.tonysrants.com/colorado/colorado-governor-bill-ritter-decides-not-to-run-for-re-election-state-rejoices/


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mentioned. The Denver Post even mentioned Congressman Jared Polis. While he has the deep

pockets to run, he would not seem to have much statewide appeal.

Hickenlooper and Salazar would be the leading candidates for the Democrats should one of them

choose to run. While the mayor may be popular in Denver, those in the suburbs and the rest of the

state are much less enamored with him. Salazar has won statewide office before as U.S. Senator but it

is unknown if he would be willing to leave Washington D.C.

For Republicans, the choice has come down to former congressman Scott McInnis and businessman

Dan Maes. McInnis is the clear frontrunner for the nomination but many conservatives are less than

thrilled with him. He has continually blown off conservative causes and groups since he announced

and his credentials are not near as right as many would like.


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OPINION: THE WEEKEND INTERVIEW

JANUARY 4, 2010

Back to GOP BasicsByBRENDAN MINITER

Richmond, Va.

"I'm sorry," Bob McDonnell says, shaking my hand. It's a recent rainy morning in Virginia's capital,

and the incoming Republican governor is late to start our meeting at his transition headquarters. His

previous meeting ran over because Democratic legislative leaders were telling war stories.

"Unfortunately," he says with a smile, "all of their stories involved Republican governors."

The new governor is in high spirits. Along with New Jersey's Chris Christie, in November he was one

of two Republicans elected governor in states that Barack Obama carried a year ago. Mr. McDonnell

won by a 17-point landslide and captured independents by a two-to-one margin. Many wonder if his

victory is a sign that Republicans will run the table in the upcoming congressional elections.

So how did he win a state that Obama Democrats had thought was part of a permanent national shift

to the left? "I ran on Virginia issues," Mr. McDonnell says, "which were jobs and the economy." These

were, he says, "far and away" the top issues. Virginia's unemployment rate, 6.6%, is lower than the

10% national average, but it is up sharply from its low of below 3% in 2007.

"In the worst economy in 80 years," says Mr. McDonnell, "it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out

what we ought to be talking about." He adds: "I do think that talking about the excesses of the federal

government is something you are going to hear Republican and Democratic candidates for statewideoffice talk about for a while because I think you're going to see a resurgence of discussions of

federalism, about the 10th Amendment, about limits on federal power, and federal spending."

Given his emphasis on economic issues, I ask Mr. McDonnell whether he was able to win because he

downplayed his social conservatism. He brushes off the question. "I am 100% prolife . . . We were

unequivocal about our position on marriage," he says.

"I have a record," he says, that includes 14 years in the House of Delegates and three years as the

state's attorney general that made it possible for him to spend the bulk of his time talking about fiscal

issues. When social issues did come up during the campaign, he was able to state his position and

then say "OK, now let's talk about the economy."

The clearest example came in late August, when Mr. McDonnell referred to his master's thesis at

Regent University in a meeting at the Washington Post. A little reporting revealed that the thesis

contained controversial social positionssuch as the argument that working women and feminists

were "detrimental" to building strong families. A Washington Post poll released about two weeks after
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news of the thesis showed Mr. McDonnell leading Democrat R. Creigh Deeds 51% to 47%down

substantially from a lead of 54% to 39% in August. The campaign was at a pivotthe point at which

Mr. McDonnell might have been sent down to defeat.

Mr. McDonnell doesn't take the bait when I mention his thesis, and within weeks of the issue

surfacing during the campaign he was back talking about the economy in general and energy in

particular. In short order he was back to outdistancing Mr. Deeds. He had laid the groundwork to do

that in February when he blasted congressional Democrats for pushing cap-and-trade legislation, and

he spent months telling voters it would hit some families with as much as $1,700 in additional

electricity costs each year.

Mr. McDonnell also scored politically with his proposal to allow oil drilling in the state's coastal

waters. His proposal builds on a policy set in motion a year ago when a federal ban on drilling off the

Atlantic Coast was allowed to expire.

"We are set to be the first state in the country in 2011 to drill [for oil] offshore, off the Atlantic Coast,"

he says, downplaying the environmental lobby's intense efforts to reimpose the ban. "Unfortunately,the administration is dragging its feet. So I am going to do everything I can to push federal regulators

to keep us on track."

***

Virginia isn't as bad off as California, which has been battered by deficits in the tens of billions of

dollars over the past year. But it is facing a budget crunch. Its $80 billion biannual budget is

estimated to be $4.2 billion in the hole. This deficit comes after incumbent Gov. Tim Kaine, a

Democrat, cut $6 billion in state spending over the past two years.

"It has been a darn tough time to be governor," Mr. McDonnell tells me. But at the same time he sees"an enormous opportunity to rethink the way we deliver government, to look at ways to privatize, to

consolidate, to innovate with technology. . . . The private sector is doing this all of the timeasking

how it can deliver better services to its customers and cut operating expenses. Government doesn't do

that very well. I've told everybody I'm going to make that a big point."

Mr. McDonnell needs bipartisan support in the Democratic state Senate. So he is reaching across the

aisle. He's informed officials in the outgoing Democratic administration that they won't necessarily be

bounced from government (they are invited to reapply for positions in his administration). He has

also picked one high-profile issue that might win him support among Democrats in Richmond andWashington: education reform.

The Obama administration has invited states to compete for education grants in a program called

"Race to the Top." The grants will be given to states that demonstrate a commitment to education

reform through charter schools, merit pay for teachers, and other policies. Mr. McDonnell is asking

Democratsincluding Gov. Kaine, who doubles as the chairman of the Democratic National

Committeefor help in applying for these grants.


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"I think this is a great opportunity for me," he says, "because we have the president of the United

States and [U.S. Education Secretary] Arne Duncan promoting charter schools with $4.35 billion of

federal help behind it . . . We could get hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars for Virginia to

promote charter schools and merit pay."

Mr. McDonnell has already coordinated with Gov. Kaine on the grant application, and he says Mr.

Kaine "seems to be very willing to work together on that. So I am excited. This education reform is

something I will push aggressively in the first year."

"But," he adds, "it's not just charter schools and merit pay" that matter. It's also "restructuring where

the money goes."

Mr. McDonnell points out that there are only 42 schools in the state, mostly around Petersburg, that

are considered failing. He says he has "a detailed plan for turnaround specialists to be involved in

these 42 schools" and, more broadly, to spend more money on students than the state spends now:

"I've said we need to put more money in the classroom and less into administration and overhead. I

ran on the idea that 65% of the dollars [should] go to the classroom. Right now the average is 61%. Soif you can transfer another 4%, it amounts to about half a billion dollars in new money."

***

With the state in deficit, Mr. McDonnell is likely to find broad agreement on the need to cut spending

elsewhere. But where those cuts are made, how deep they are, and whether they include eliminating

programs will likely be sharply contested.

The new governor seems intent on making fundamental changes to the budget: "I've told the

legislature that I'm going to be asking for money to do audits of major state agencies, like the

[Department of] Medical Assistance Services, the Department of Transportation. . . . In short order,we'll recommend some restructuring of state government, and maybe the elimination of some

agencies."

Cutting back is a necessity, he says. "When government has billion-dollar shortfalls, you are forced to

go to the table and say 'How can we do things differently?' So I am going to probably propose some

things that they [legislators] may not like."

One fundamental reform Mr. McDonnell campaigned on last year is to repeal the state's monopoly on

the sale of hard alcohol, and to sell off state-owned liquor stores. Locally known as the ABC stores

they are run by the state's Department of Alcohol Beverage Controlthe idea of selling them has been

kicked around for years. But it has been a nonstarter because lawmakers like the revenue the stores

generate, and because some argue that selling them would lead to a spike in alcohol consumption.

Mr. McDonnell disagrees, and he says that selling the stores shouldn't be a hard decision: "This is a

vestige of Prohibition that doesn't fit the model of the free enterprise system. . . . I think it can be done


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in a way that gives us a huge chunk of money up front for transportation and gives us a revenue

stream for down the road. We are going to try to find a way to make this happen."

While Mr. McDonnell says that his reform agenda may bring him into conflict with Democrats, he has

not mentioned divisions that have surfaced among Virginia Republicans in recent years. In 2004, 34

Republican state legislators voted for a $1.38 billion tax increase. In the years that followed,

Republicans lost a governor's race and both U.S. Senate seats to Democratsevidence that the tax

hike splintered public support for the GOP.

I ask Mr. McDonnell how he united his party and even overcame the ouster of his state party

chairman earlier this year. He responds by praising Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (who ran for re-election

rather than challenge Mr. McDonnell in a primary), Pat Mullins (the new party chairman who quickly

reached out to party conservatives), and others for smoothing over rifts within the GOP.

***

But what I'm really after is whether Republicans are now determined to stand together on hard fiscal

policy fights ahead. So I ask about a "Least Wanted" poster that Americans for Tax Reform, anadvocacy group in Washington, D.C., distributed to lawmakers across the country with the names and

faces of Virginia Republicans who backed the tax hike. "I remember," Mr. McDonnell says of the

poster. "I was glad not to be on it."

As for the damaged Republican brand, one message voters sent with Mr. McDonnell's election is that

they don't want the GOP to repeat its mistakes from the past decade. Mr. McDonnell seems to have

received that message, saying that it was important for him to run on fiscal issues, because "we've got

to hold the line on taxes and we've got to cut spending."

Mr. Miniter is an assistant features editor at the Journal.

Student arrested over "Nobama" sticker gets

settlementBy Howard PankratzThe Denver Post

POSTED: 01/06/2010 02:24:40 PM MSTUPDATED: 01/06/2010 03:44:28 PM MST

Blake Benson showed up for a Michelle Obama speech at Dakota Ridge High Schoolwearing a "Nobama" sticker on his shirt. (provided by ACLU | )

A Dakota Ridge High School student who wore a "Nobama" sticker taped

across the front of his shirt prior to an appearance by Michelle Obama

will receive $4,000 from Jefferson County authorities, the ACLU of

Colorado announced today.The $4,000 settlement agreement with the

Jefferson County Sheriff's Department and the Jefferson County School District avoided a potential

lawsuit, according to a news release from Taylor Pendergrass, ACLU staff attorney.
mailto:[email protected]?subject=The%20Denver%20Post:%20Student%20arrested%20over%20%27%27Nobama%27%27%20sticker%20gets%20settlementmailto:[email protected]?subject=The%20Denver%20Post:%20Student%20arrested%20over%20%27%27Nobama%27%27%20sticker%20gets%20settlementmailto:[email protected]?subject=The%20Denver%20Post:%20Student%20arrested%20over%20%27%27Nobama%27%27%20sticker%20gets%20settlementmailto:[email protected]?subject=The%20Denver%20Post:%20Student%20arrested%20over%20%27%27Nobama%27%27%20sticker%20gets%20settlement


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On Nov. 3, 2008, Blake Benson showed up outside the high school gym as others were lined up to enter

the gym to hear Michelle Obama speak.

Benson was one of three students who chose to "stay and campaign" for Sen. John McCain at the school

prior to the speech.

According to the ACLU, Dakota Ridge school officials told Benson to leave. When he refused, officials had

Benson handcuffed, searched and arrested for interference a charge that carries up to six months in

jail and a $750 fine.

At the time of his arrest, Benson was holding a McCain-Palin campaign sign.

Benson was also given a one-day suspension by principal Jim Jelinek. In his notice of suspension, Jelinek

stated the reason was that "Blake was directed to cease politically protesting on school grounds," said the

ACLU.

ACLU cooperating attorney Dan Recht represented Benson in the criminal case. In May, Jefferson County

officials said they would not pursue the criminal charges.

"Jefferson County officials were wrong to censor the peaceful, purely political speech of a high school

student just a day before a historic national election," Pendergrass said in a statement. "We should be

encouraging civic engagement and political discourse in our high schools. Unfortunately, Jefferson County

officials sent exactly the opposite message last November by arresting Mr. Benson for expressing his

political views."

Both the school district and the sheriff's department agreed to pay $2,000 to settle claims that Jefferson

County violated Benson's free speech rights.

The ACLU noted that Jefferson County officials did not admit to wrongdoing.

In a statement, Benson said that what his teachers taught him about "our constitutional rights wasn't

respected outside the classroom.

"If one thing comes from this case, I hope it is that other students will learn more about their free speech

rights and not be afraid to use them."

Jacki Kelley, spokeswoman for the Jefferson County sheriff's department, confirmed that the $2,000 was

paid.

Kelley also confirmed that an internal-affairs investigation was launched to see what, if any, punishment

the deputy who issued the citation to Benson should receive.

Kelley said the investigation has concluded but the results will not be revealed because it involves a

personnel matter.

However, she added that "lessons were learned from the investigation."

Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 [email protected]

Read more:http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14134692#ixzz0buC3TnNx
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14134692#ixzz0buC3TnNxhttp://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14134692#ixzz0buC3TnNxhttp://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14134692#ixzz0buC3TnNxhttp://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14134692#ixzz0buC3TnNxmailto:[email protected]


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OPINION: WONDER LAND DECEMBER 31, 2009

A Rodney Dangerfield

America? By DANIEL HENNINGER

Why pretend? We have arrived at a point

where nearly everyone's conversation of

more than five minutes about what is going on in the nation or the world ends up in the ditch.

The opinion polls are deep into the no-holiday spirit, competing to deliver low blows to the American

psyche. Pew Research Center began dim December with a survey titled "Current Decade Rated Worst

in 50 Years." Washington Post/ABC staggered in with the bad word that 61% of the American people

think their country is in long-term decline.

The U.S. is starting to sound like one long Rodney Dangerfield joke: "I looked up the family tree and

found out I was the sap."

Why the long national face?

Pew's numbers touched the heart of the past decade's sense of sadness. Asked to identify the decade'ssingular event, 53% said the attacks of September 11, 2001. Nothing else was close.

It is debated often whether 9/11's sense of urgency about the threat of Islamic terror has faded.

Apparently not for the American people. We'll catch a break if the past week wakes up Washington.

If at its end the decade was looking for a silver lining, this one got the shaftanother gray September.

In September 2008, the U.S. financial system for all intents and purposes blew up. Years of

imprudently low interest rates and Congress's political protection of bargain-basement mortgages

decked the world in moral hazard. Cheap money was (is) crack for bankers. When the subprime

mortgage mania blew, it took down much of Wall Street and a decade's worth of 401(k) gains.

Let's toss in the decade's last straw just for the fun of it: The politicians running California, New York,

New Jersey and arguably Congress were shown to be fiscally deranged. If America is in decline, its

political class is leading it over the cliff.

Americans are historic optimists. They must be: Another recent study found that the happiest state in

the Union is . . . Louisiana. Hurricanes, floods, wars, depressionsomehow this country's can-do

spirit won't die.
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Until now. There is a datum in the pollsters' 10-year ash heap that is disturbing and new. At the start

of 2008, according to Pew, well before the September financial implosion, 41% said the U.S. was the

world's leading economic power; 30% said China. By this November, those numbers had flipped: 44%

said China was on top; only 27% said the U.S.

However false this is, what people are saying is they assume China in time will clean our clock. This is

a frightening snapshot of national demoralization.

It is a nation refusing to answer the bell. Throwing in the towel. We can't compete. We're done.

I don't buy it. America isn't dead. It's just dead in the water.

In Pew's comparison of five decades, one trumps the other four: the 1980s. "The balance of opinion

about the 1980s is overwhelmingly positive across all age groups." The 1980s' negative rating is just

12%.

How can this be? As the '80s ended, pundits everywhere famously wrote the whole thing off as "The

Decade of Greed." Left-wing essayist Barbara Ehrenreich, one of too many to count, called her version

of the decade, "The Worst Years of Our Lives."

But it looks like people think the '80s were the best years of their lives. Weespecially those among us

thinking of running for the presidencyhad better try to figure out why fast.

Because all conversation in our politics goes straight into rage if one brings any public figure's name

into it, I will preposterously not mention Ronald Reagan.

Forget greed. That was just an artifact, a side show. More than anything, the 1980s freed Americans to

do the one thing they love to do above all else: create.

From day one many better decades ago, America has been about compulsive creation. It's a nation

driven by the Newnew ideas, new cities, new companies, technologies, art forms, production,management, distribution, design, Hollywood, Tin Pan Alley, Silicon Valley.

Some of it's good, some of it's bad, some of it's ugly. So what? This is the upward-moving mojo that

Americans want to get them back in the gamethe space to create, build and do what's new. The big

question raised by you-know-who in the 1980s was whether government was part of the solution to

national creativity or part of the problem.

Time's up, so let's not spoil the downer spirit by ending with false optimism.

We are in the anti-1980s. But I don't care how flat the earth is; with competitors like China, India and

the others, the belief that our big fat national government can somehow subsidize, much less identify,the U.S.'s next creative edge is straight from the dusty book of the original flat-earth society.

So a New Year's Eve prediction: If we stay on the course set the past year, the next decade will make

the 2000s look like the end of the golden age.

Write [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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CDOT never planned for additional general purpose lanes on I-25 in north areaDecember 15th, 2009 . by Tony

This is one I came across a few months ago and kept forgetting to

write about. The north area has long been on the short stick of

funding from the state and the Colorado Department of

Transportation. Now comes the little nugget that CDOT has

never even planned to add additional generalpurpose lanes to I-25 through the north area.

Inthe August meeting minutes from the North Area Transportation

Alliancethere was this:

Gene [Putnam] indicated that the North I-25 EIS preferred

alternative included express bus/HOV lanes from Fort Collins to the Denver Union Station and this

EIS provides the necessary environmental clearance/study for the express/HOV lanes. The North I-

25 EIS included environmental study to add one general purpose lane in both directions on I-25

from SH 14 south to E-470 butthere has been NO environmental study to add one generalpurpose lane in both directions from E-470 south to US 36 (gap). CDOT currently

has NO plans to study the gap. In addition, the DRCOG 2035 Financially Constrained Plan only

shows adding the general purpose lane from US 36 to Thornton Parkway and the plan would have

to be amended to extend the general purpose lanes to E-470. Mayor McNally made the point that

without an environmental study, which usually takes about four years, any subsequent funding

requests to make improvements would not be eligible for funding consideration.

What does this mean? It means that CDOT has never had plans to add regular traffic

lanes to the severely congested portion of I-25 from US-36 to E-470. Further, the

Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) plan ignores the need as well.

Now, NATA has adopted a resolution making the widening of I-25 one of its top priorities and that is

commendable and needs to be pursued with the utmost urgency. For far too long we have sat idly by

while southern portions of I-25 and most of the US-36 corridor were improved. Residents of the

north metro area pay our fair share of taxes and it is time we got a return on that money.

According toan analysis by NATA, the north area of I-25 carries more traffic volume

per lane than any other metro area highway. Their study shows that 29,000 cars per

day use each lane.

Compare this to US-36 / Boulder Turnpike which is always being improved and receiving funds. US-

36 at Pecos Street carries a full one third less traffic at 19,666 per lane.

A few quick thoughts about all of this:
http://www.tonysrants.com/thornton/quick-hit-%e2%80%93-cdot-never-planned-for-additional-general-purpose-lanes-on-i-25-in-north-area/http://www.tonysrants.com/thornton/quick-hit-%e2%80%93-cdot-never-planned-for-additional-general-purpose-lanes-on-i-25-in-north-area/http://www.northareatransportation.net/Documents/Minutes-8-26-09.pdfhttp://www.northareatransportation.net/Documents/Minutes-8-26-09.pdfhttp://www.northareatransportation.net/Documents/Minutes-8-26-09.pdfhttp://www.northareatransportation.net/Documents/Minutes-8-26-09.pdfhttp://www.northareatransportation.net/Documents/I-25TrafficVolumes.pdfhttp://www.northareatransportation.net/Documents/I-25TrafficVolumes.pdfhttp://www.northareatransportation.net/Documents/I-25TrafficVolumes.pdfhttp://www.northareatransportation.net/Documents/I-25TrafficVolumes.pdfhttp://www.northareatransportation.net/Documents/Minutes-8-26-09.pdfhttp://www.northareatransportation.net/Documents/Minutes-8-26-09.pdfhttp://www.tonysrants.com/thornton/quick-hit-%e2%80%93-cdot-never-planned-for-additional-general-purpose-lanes-on-i-25-in-north-area/


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It highlights howCDOT continually ignores the needs of the north metro area. The

north metro continues to grow, our area of I-25 is the most congested highways in the state

and yet they have not even completed the needed environmental studies to fix the problem.

It further highlights that DRCOG does little for the north metro area when it comes to

highway improvement funding. This is further emphasized when you consider thelack

of funding we receivedfrom the so-called stimulus plan.

Congressman Jared Polis who represents both the US-36 and the I-25 corridors said back in

August, Highway 36 is my top highway to fund.Why is that Congressman? You

promised readers of these pages to equally represent your entire district and

more specifically the Adams County portion. If I-25 is more congested and it

obviously is shouldnt it be your top highway to fund?

Lastly, I have to wonder why the heck none of the transportation managers in the

north metro area didnt raise a huge red flag over the lack of a proper study from

CDOT years ago? Were you asleep at the wheel? Maybe we should take a bit of focus off of

FasTracks and work on solutions that will actually do something to alleviate roadway

congestion.

OPINION

JANUARY 2, 2010

Why the Health-Care Bills Are UnconstitutionalIf the government can mandate the purchase of insurance, it can do anything.

ByORRIN G. HATCH, J. KENNETH BLACKWELL AND KENNETH A. KLUKOWSKI

President Obama's health-care bill is now moving toward final passage. The policy issues may be

coming to an end, but the legal issues are certain to continue because key provisions of this dangerous

legislation are unconstitutional. Legally speaking, this legislation creates a target-rich environment.

We will focus on three of its more glaring constitutional defects.

First, the Constitution does not give Congress the power to require that Americans purchase healthinsurance. Congress must be able to point to at least one of its powers listed in the Constitution as the

basis of any legislation it passes. None of those powers justifies the individual insurance mandate.

Congress's powers to tax and spend do not apply because the mandate neither taxes nor spends. The

only other option is Congress's power to regulate interstate commerce.
http://www.tonysrants.com/colorado/thornton-nets-two-one-hundredths-of-one-percent-of-highway-stimulus-funds/http://www.tonysrants.com/colorado/thornton-nets-two-one-hundredths-of-one-percent-of-highway-stimulus-funds/http://www.tonysrants.com/colorado/thornton-nets-two-one-hundredths-of-one-percent-of-highway-stimulus-funds/http://www.tonysrants.com/colorado/thornton-nets-two-one-hundredths-of-one-percent-of-highway-stimulus-funds/http://www.tonysrants.com/denver/boulder-turnpike-expansion-moves-forward-what-about-i-25/http://www.tonysrants.com/denver/boulder-turnpike-expansion-moves-forward-what-about-i-25/http://www.tonysrants.com/denver/boulder-turnpike-expansion-moves-forward-what-about-i-25/http://online.wsj.com/public/search?article-doc-type=%7BCommentary+%28U.S.%29%7D&HEADER_TEXT=commentary+%28u.s.http://online.wsj.com/public/search?article-doc-type=%7BCommentary+%28U.S.%29%7D&HEADER_TEXT=commentary+%28u.s.http://online.wsj.com/search/search_center.html?KEYWORDS=ORRIN+G.+HATCH%2C+J.+KENNETH+BLACKWELL+AND+KENNETH+A.+KLUKOWSKI&ARTICLESEARCHQUERY_PARSER=bylineANDhttp://online.wsj.com/search/search_center.html?KEYWORDS=ORRIN+G.+HATCH%2C+J.+KENNETH+BLACKWELL+AND+KENNETH+A.+KLUKOWSKI&ARTICLESEARCHQUERY_PARSER=bylineANDhttp://online.wsj.com/search/search_center.html?KEYWORDS=ORRIN+G.+HATCH%2C+J.+KENNETH+BLACKWELL+AND+KENNETH+A.+KLUKOWSKI&ARTICLESEARCHQUERY_PARSER=bylineANDhttp://online.wsj.com/search/search_center.html?KEYWORDS=ORRIN+G.+HATCH%2C+J.+KENNETH+BLACKWELL+AND+KENNETH+A.+KLUKOWSKI&ARTICLESEARCHQUERY_PARSER=bylineANDhttp://online.wsj.com/public/search?article-doc-type=%7BCommentary+%28U.S.%29%7D&HEADER_TEXT=commentary+%28u.s.http://www.tonysrants.com/denver/boulder-turnpike-expansion-moves-forward-what-about-i-25/http://www.tonysrants.com/denver/boulder-turnpike-expansion-moves-forward-what-about-i-25/http://www.tonysrants.com/colorado/thornton-nets-two-one-hundredths-of-one-percent-of-highway-stimulus-funds/http://www.tonysrants.com/colorado/thornton-nets-two-one-hundredths-of-one-percent-of-highway-stimulus-funds/


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Congress has many times stretched this power to the breaking point, exceeding even the expanded

version of the commerce power established by the Supreme Court since the Great Depression. It is

one thing, however, for Congress to regulate economic activity in which individuals choose to engage;

it is another to require that individuals engage in such activity. That is not a difference in degree, but

instead a difference in kind. It is a line that Congress has never crossed and the courts have never

sanctioned.

In fact, the Supreme Court in United States v. Lopez(1995) rejected a version of the commerce power

so expansive that it would leave virtually no activities by individuals that Congress could not regulate.

By requiring Americans to use their own money to purchase a particular good or service, Congress

would be doing exactly what the court said it could not do.

Some have argued that Congress may pass any legislation that it believes will serve the "general

welfare." Those words appear in Article I of the Constitution, but they do not create a free-floating

power for Congress simply to go forth and legislate well. Rather, the general welfare clause identifies

the purpose for which Congress may spend money. The individual mandate tells Americans how they

must spend the money Congress has not taken from them and has nothing to do with congressionalspending.

A second constitutional defect of the Reid bill passed in the Senate involves the deals he cut to secure

the votes of individual senators. Some of those deals do involve spending programs because they

waive certain states' obligation to contribute to the Medicaid program. This selective spending

targeted at certain states runs afoul of the general welfare clause. The welfare it serves is instead very

specific and has been dubbed "cash for cloture" because it secured the 60 votes the majority needed to

end debate and pass this legislation.

A third constitutional defect in this ObamaCare legislation is its command that states establish such

things as benefit exchanges, which will require state legislation and regulations. This is not a

condition for receiving federal funds, which would still leave some kind of choice to the states. No,

this legislation requires states to establish these exchanges or says that the Secretary of Health and

Human Services will step in and do it for them. It renders states little more than subdivisions of the

federal government.

This violates the letter, the spirit, and the interpretation of our federal-state form of government.

Some may have come to consider federalism an archaic annoyance, perhaps an amusing topic for law-

school seminars but certainly not a substantive rule for structuring government. But inNew York v.United States(1992) andPrintz v. United States (1997), the Supreme Court struck down two laws on

the grounds that the Constitution forbids the federal government from commandeering any branch of

state government to administer a federal program. That is, by drafting and by deliberate design,

exactly what this legislation would do.


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The federal government may exercise only the powers granted to it or denied to the states. The states

may do everything else. This is why, for example, states may have authority to require individuals to

purchase health insurance but the federal government does not. It is also the reason states may

require that individuals purchase car insurance before choosing to drive a car, but the federal

government may not require all individuals to purchase health insurance.

This hardly exhausts the list of constitutional problems with this legislation, which would take the

federal government into uncharted political and legal territory. Analysts, scholars and litigators are

just beginning to examine the issues we have raised and other issues that may well lead to future

litigation.

America's founders intended the federal government to have limited powers and that the states have

an independent sovereign place in our system of government. The Obama/Reid/Pelosi legislation to

take control of the American health-care system is the most sweeping and intrusive federal program

ever devised. If the federal government can do this, then it can do anything, and the limits on

government power that our liberty requires will be more myth than reality.

Mr. Hatch, a Republican senator from Utah, is a former chairman of the Senate

Judiciary Committee. Mr. Blackwell is a senior fellow with the Family Research Council

and a professor at Liberty University School of Law. Mr. Klukowski is a fellow and

senior legal analyst with the American Civil Rights Union.

NSRF Board of Directors Email AddressJohn Lefebvre President [email protected]

Phil Saner Vice-President [email protected]

Jan Hurtt Treasurer [email protected]

Phil Mocon Secretary [email protected]

Jerry Cunningham Membership [email protected]

Wanda Barnes Planning [email protected]

Dana West Communications [email protected]

Basic Principles of the G.O.P. (The only Party for all of the People)

1. Personal responsibility

2. Strong national defense3. Smaller government4. Fiscal restraint5. Embrace technology6. Recruit, recruit, recruit
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January 2010 - North Suburban Republican Forum Newsletter

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