NoCoPolitics.com

The Post Agrees: Kill Amendment 54

Amendment 54 prohibits campaign contributions from anyone who works for a "sole source contractor" for the government (in excess of $100,000). 

Here's the problem:

• It applies to board members, not just employees. 
• It applies to non-profits (and board members of non-profits).
• It applies to the families of employees and board members of companies and non-profits.
• "Family" is so broadly defined that it includes brothers and sisters, parents and children.
• "Government" includes any level of government in any jurisdiction (except federal).

Taken all together, that means that if your brother sits on the volunteer board of a non-profit in Fort Collins which has a sole-source contract to provide a service to CSU, you're prohibited from making a contribution to any candidate for office in Colorado (except federal candidates).  You can't write a $50 check to someone running for Arapahoe County Coroner.  The whole thing is an unconstitutional mess.

Here's a Denver Post editorial today:

Amendment 54 was sold to voters as a "good government" measure, but from the outset it was clear it would overly restrict the rights of Coloradans to financially support their favorite political candidates.

We were glad to see that a Denver district judge viewed this overly broad constitutional amendment in the same light, issuing a temporary injunction Tuesday against its implementation.

The details of the case:

Daniel Ritchie — philanthropist, former businessman and college chancellor — is now chairman and chief executive officer of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

DCPA has a sole source government contract with the city of Denver that is in excess of $100,000. As a result, Amendment 54 would preclude Ritchie from contributing to campaigns or political parties.

It's a ludicrous reach and it's easy to see how Amendment 54 would violate his constitutional rights to free speech and free association.

The lawsuit provides other equally crazy examples of how the measure would restrict the basic rights of citizens by prohibiting what are really distant and tenuous connections between their political giving and government contracts.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Politics in Colorado

In one place.

Kudos to Randy.  That's a heckuva post.

It's Bike to Work Day

Bike to Work Day on Channel 7, just a moment ago:

Studio (talking to the remote reporter in Civic Center Park): "Hey, tell that couple to be careful of the lightning this afternoon..."

... and ...

Studio (throwing it over to the traffic guy): "... Bike to Work Day - a great reminder for both bicyclists and motorists: be careful out there!"

Traffic Guy: "That's right, we can show you a picture in just a second of an accident involving a bicyclist..."

Jobs? The Anti-Growth Extremists Don't Care About Jobs

This is absolutely mind-boggling:

The City and County of Denver recently waived fees for some building permits, with citizens clearing the way for over $6 million in construction spending. Meanwhile, a group of Aurora citizens are working to place an initiative on the November ballot that would triple a recently enacted impact fee assessed on new home construction.

How many construction crews are sitting idle around the state right now?  How many tradesmen are looking for work? 

That's the reality of this economy.  The anti-growth extremists simply don't care - they're looking to price even more construction jobs out of the market.

What If...?

Instapundit has a roundup of reviews of the President's press conference.

At the bottom:

MORE: Reader Michael Tubergen writes: “I can’t help but wonder why the President couldn’t just read from the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence. That pretty much says everything that needs to be said about the Iranian situation.”

Might start too many people thinking.

It got me thinking.  What if President Obama simply read this as his statement on Iran:

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it...

How Far We've Come

And to think that the Bow Memorial School Student Council raised money in the late-80's by selling coffee and Dunkin' Donuts at home basketball games.

It's for the children, you see...

The Boulder Valley School District board was discussing a draft Tuesday that says kindergartners through eighth graders wouldn't be involved in, or have access to, the sale of sweets and sodas at school-sponsored events or fundraisers. 

The Federal Government as Nanny

Joseph White compares the nannyism of previous administrations to the more overt and coercive nanny policies of the past. 

White fairly points out that:

Mr. Obama isn't the first president to see room for improvement in the way citizens conduct their lives. Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan told Americans to "Just Say No" to drugs. And Bill Clinton enacted a sweeping welfare overhaul that aimed, in part, to push recipients into the labor force.

Then he goes on to note the difference in today's nannyism.

But Mr. Obama's efforts go beyond exhortations to a wide-ranging series of policies ready to warn you off bad behavior and favor good choices.

"What's new here is the idea of 'nudging' and changing the choice architecture," says Eric Patashnik, associate professor of politics at the University of Virginia.

Still smoking? The Food and Drug Administration will clamp down on marketing practices designed to encourage the habit -- one that has had a hold on the president himself.

Mr. Obama says Americans should go for a run, or hit the gym. If that poke in the love handles from the presidential pulpit isn't enough, members of Congress are working on proposals to levy taxes on sugary drinks and to require that restaurants put calorie information on menus.

"Nudging," of course, means "taxing you more because we don't like how you choose to live your life."

Mandatory Recycling for Mandatory Lightbulbs

What happens when you mandate something that can't be thrown away?

Congress has spoken, and soon we'll all be using compact fluorescent light bulbs.  The only problem is that you can't just toss the used CFL bulbs in the trash when you're done with them - they contain mercury. 

So what's the next step?  That's right: Mandatory recycling of the mandatory light bulbs in California.

The recycling of mercury-containing, compact fluorescent light bulbs will be mandatory if a bill is passed by the state Senate, as expected, on July 6.

...

The legislation also will require the creation of another state agency at a time when budget funds are scarce, Conway said.

...

Over the years, the mercury content has reduced by 80 percent, to 5 milligrams per bulb, but that's enough to pose health risks if a bulb breaks, experts say.

Glade Reservoir Rally: June 30

On Tuesday, June 30, from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM, supporters of the Northern Integrated Supply Project (NISP) will be holding a rally on the south side of Weld County Road, about 13 miles east of Fort Collins.

Here's the link to event details, or you can visit www.gladereservoir.org for more information.

We need to continue to get the truth out there about this important project. 

One of the more surreal moments of my campaign for the Fort Collins City Council was when I stated my support for the Glade Reservoir in an interview with the Associated Students of CSU.  The "Save the Poudre" activists had been the only vocal group on campus, and I don't think many students had ever heard the other side of the debate. 

Programming Note

I'll be on "Independent Thinking" tomorrow evening at 8:30 PM on Rocky Mountain PBS (Channel 12).  The show is rebroadcast next Tuesday at 5:00 PM.

During the day tomorrow, I'll be at the Freedom Underground - Pre-ATF Nannyism Panel and participating in the 3:45 discussion.