As you would probably hear on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise before the enemy weapon hit, ‘Prepare for impact!”
As of today nearly half of likely Colorado voters have cast their ballots. Of those returned, Democrats have cast 23,000 more ballots than Republicans. This is highly unusual because traditionally Republicans are the ones who send in their ballots early. So this year’s oddity might signal a big election day for the Left. At stake is the Colorado State Senate, the one vote majority Republicans have there, and US Congressional seats like Coffman’s and Tipton’s.
So imagine Colorado next year with an unchecked, leftist House, Senate, Governor, and Supreme Court. Now imagine Colorado with all that AND with Amendment 71. There would be no way for us to go directly to the people and rein in our government. If you remember, Amendment 71 is the establishment power grab that virtually ends our ability to limit government through the citizen’s initiative process.
One of the reasons the Left is able to focus on re-taking the Colorado State Senate is because over $5 million of mostly oil and gas industry money has been diverted from helping Republican state legislative elections to trying to pass Amendment 71.
I understand that oil and gas is worried about eco-leftists putting something on the ballot that hurts their industry. But do you remember the Looney Tunes cartoon from when we were kids? Daffy Duck would whack a golf ball and it would ricochet off a tree and hit him in the face. Well, spending all that money on 71 might mean there’s not enough cash to save the Republican senate. So, when a new legislature attacks oil and gas, they won’t be able to counter the attacks, should Amendment 71 pass. I hope that doesn’t happen.
Speaking of 71, Dane Waters of the Initiative and Referendum Institute at the University of Southern California joined me on our TV show, Devil’s Advocate, to set the record straight about just how “easy” it is to change the Colorado Constitution via the initiative. We have been told the Colorado Constitution is the easiest to change. Nope! Oregon’s is. It turns out Colorado’s is one of the most difficult. And if 71 passes, he says it will become the most difficult in the world. That’s right, the world. Watch for yourself.
Conservatives like Tom Tancredo, Vincent Carroll, Mike Rosen, Bob Beauprez, and Tim Neville are urging a NO vote on Amendment 71. See the list of conservatives against 71 here.
In my regular column for the Denver Post I try to offer a different twist to the argument against the minimum wage hike: it stops people from having consensual relationships of their own choosing. I argue the Left only cares about consensual relationships when people are naked. Read my column here.
There is NEVER enough funding for government schools, right? Our education policy stud, Ross Izard, breaks down Colorado’s school funding so that even I can understand it. Read his new Issue Paper, “Counting the Cash Again.”
Still have friends who don’t understand the danger of socializing Colorado’s healthcare through Amendment 69? Point them to our Amendment 69 Resources Page.
This week’s poll question is: Should “Ballot Selfies” be legal?
State Senator Owen Hill joins me this Friday night at 8:30 PM on Channel 12, to chat about his plan to legalize taking pictures of your ballot on this week’s Devil’s Advocate.
Until then, Think Freedom
Jon
