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Happy Hour – It’s the Law! 
Jefferson County Sheriff Ted Mink – Up On The Roof (upstairs indoor HEATED bar)!!!
Here’s a great opportunity to meet the “man” behind the badge. As if we needed yet another reason to celebrate our freedoms on Monday, Red Rocks will also be ushering in March Madness, the New Moon, caucus eve, and pre-St. Paddy’s Day celebrations. Don’t forget the place to be on Wednesdays is Liberty on the Rocks at the Tavern at DTC or Denver, (alternate weeks) with Denver’s chapter hosting the only true reason to go green, this St. Patrick’s Day.
Who ya gonna call? Well, if you’re not in Mayberry, you better call Sheriff Mink (see his impressive resume at http://co.jefferson.co.us/sheriff/sheriff_T62_R0.htm).
Bring your questions, the Sheriff should have the answers.
Should we expect to see any recessionary cutbacks that may affect our safety?
Are our schools safe?
Are we moving toward becoming a police state?
How does Jeffco handle the issues of medical marijuana and immigration?
What about us “right wing/tea party” terrorists?
How about some insight on the “Sweet 16”  ?
Upcoming speakers/events
April 5 – Red Rocks celebrates our one year anniversary!
Event Summary:
March 15, 2010
Old Chicago’s rooftop patio (weather permitting, if not, meet in the upstairs bar)
145 Union Blvd.
Lakewood, CO
Happy hour from 5 – 7 p.m.
FB group: Liberty On The Rocks (Red Rocks)
The US Constitution was adopted as the governance documents for the United States of America on September 17, 1787. Most of us are likely not as familiar with the short but powerful document as we should be (link here for the full seven Articles, plus amendments, with references), and the resurgent conversation regarding the duties and appropriate powers of Congress is offering great opportunities to become better citizens, by becoming better educated about what “they,” the Legislative, Executive and Judicial Branches, are and are NOT supposed to be doing.
Hillsdale College is sponsoring a free, full day webinar broadcast of a live town hall event this Saturday, January 30th, on Reviving the Constitution. Link here to register, and if you’d like a peek at the schedule, here’s the pdf link. NOTE: IF YOU WERE UNABLE TO WATCH THE LIVE BROADCAST, AN ARCHIVE IS AVAILABLE AT THE ABOVE REGISTRATION LINK.
Our February 15th, (Presidents Day) meet up will also be centered on the Constitution (details to follow), so, go get your education on (for free!)
On the first day of Christmas, Obama gave to me,
His trillion dollar deficit spending spree!
On the second day of Christmas, Obama gave to me,
Bigger health care woes,
and his trillion dollar deficit spending spree!
On the third day of Christmas, Obama gave to me,
Record unemployment,
Bigger health care woes,
and his trillion dollar deficit spending spree!
On the fourth day of Christmas, Obama gave to me,
Cap and tax for Al Gore,
Record unemployment,
Bigger health care woes,
and his trillion dollar deficit spending spree!
On the fifth day of Christmas, Obama gave to me,
MORE Ber◦nan◦ke!
Cap and tax for Gore,
Record unemployed,
Bigger health care woes,
and his trillion dollar deficit spending spree!
On the sixth day of Christmas, Obama gave to me,
Nukes from his bud, A-med,
MORE Ber◦nan◦ke!
Cap and tax for Gore,
Record unemployed,
Bigger health care woes,
and his trillion dollar deficit spending spree!
On the seventh day of Christmas, Obama gave to me,
The tab for corporate welfare,
Nukes from his bud, A-med,
MORE Ber◦nan◦ke!
Cap and tax for Gore,
Record unemployed,
Bigger health care woes,
and his trillion dollar deficit spending spree!
On the eighth day of Christmas, Obama gave to me,
Miranda rights for Taliban,
The tab for corporate welfare,
Nukes from his bud, A-med,
MORE Ber◦nan◦ke!
Cap and tax for Gore,
Record unemployed,
Bigger health care woes,
and his trillion dollar deficit spending spree!
On the ninth day of Christmas, Obama gave to me
Czars to share the wealth,
Miranda rights for Taliban,
The tab for corporate welfare,
Nukes from his bud, A-med,
MORE Ber◦nan◦ke!
Cap and tax for Gore,
Record unemployed,
Bigger health care woes,
and his trillion dollar deficit spending spree!
On the tenth day of Christmas, Obama gave to me,
The Nobel Prize for Nothing,
Czars to share the wealth,
Miranda rights for Taliban,
The tab for corporate welfare,
Nukes from his bud, A-med,
MORE Ber◦nan◦ke!
Cap and tax for Gore,
Record unemployed,
Bigger health care woes,
and his trillion dollar deficit spending spree!
On the eleventh day of Christmas, Obama gave to me,
Birth records from Kenya,
The Nobel Prize for Nothing,
Czars to share the wealth,
Miranda rights for Taliban,
The tab for corporate welfare,
Nukes from his bud, A-med,
MORE Ber◦nan◦ke!
Cap and tax for Gore,
Record unemployed,
Bigger health care woe,s
and his trillion dollar deficit spending spree!
On the twelfth day of Christmas, Obama gave to me
Hope for 2010,
Birth records from Kenya,
The Nobel Prize for Nothing,
Czars to share the wealth,
Miranda rights for Taliban,
The tab for corporate welfare,
Nukes from his bud, A-med,
MORE Ber◦nan◦ke!
Cap and tax for Gore,
Record unemployed,
Bigger health care woes,
and his trillion dollar deficit spending spree!
(Contributed by Linda Sasenick, views expressed by contributors do not necessarily represent the views and opinion of Liberty on the Rocks (Red Rocks))
Wonder why there’s such a rush, by relatively few, to push “cap and trade” legislation forward?
This Marketwatch article, timed with the Copenhagen meetings with week, does an excellent job identifying the dynamics — this potential $2 trillion new asset class has been “stalled” by lack of action in the US, and therefore carbon prices in the current $118 billion carbon market are trading sideways or down (Goldman Sachs and Al Gore, Inc. are not happy…)
Should one infer that the real pressure to pass “cap and trade” is from commodity players looking for a new asset class to exploit? (at consumers’ expense, of course.) It’s hard to make the case for a scientific imperative anymore, given the substantive, well-documented allegations of fraud in the theory of anthropogenic global warming.
Follow the money, unfortunately, is always good advice…
Adam Schrager’s book, The Principled Politician, could easily be the screenplay for a Frank Capra movie, ala Mr. Smith Goes to Washington...
…except it’s a true story, about a real man, (and it doesn’t have a “justice and fair play triumphs over all” ending).
Libertarians, fiscal conservatives, and history buffs will sigh wistfully getting to know colorful and quotable Ralph Carr, Colorado’s Governor from 1939 to 1943, rich with firsthand details of Colorado and the nation during this period in history. Although the time tumblers fall in a different order, the nation was just coming out of the Great Depression, the FDR administration’s power grabs and moves toward virtual totalitarianism were becoming ever more brazen, and then, the unthinkable…
…on December 7, 1941 the United States was attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor.
Just as real bombs were slaughtering Americans and Allies in Asia and the South Pacific, political bombs were continually hurled at and exploding around this Lincoln-loving Republican, whose core principles were an unwavering belief in personal freedom, the Constitution, and the basic goodness of his fellow man.
What Mr. Schrager’s book succeeds at, most subtly and without artifice, is to force the reader to evaluate their own moral and political compass as we walk side-by-side with the Governor, opening the morning newspaper, reading the day’s mail, wondering how to manage and lead in a world gone mad. It’s a sobering and meaningful exercise, of benefit to all of us who cherish the promise in “We, the people…”
Linda Sasenick
The UK’s venerable Telegraph is running with a surprising investigative series — apparently, a leading climate research university’s system got hacked, and there are some pretty juicy e-mails being posted, which, shall we say question the integrity of the data and the researchers.
Researcher Phil Jones has one of the highest “quotable quote” ratios in the hacked data, for tidbits such as quandaries about how to “hide the decline.” Of course, he claims, though the hacked data appears genuine, the quotes are taken out of context.
I’m certain the mainstream US media will do a thorough investigation, and tell the public the truth…UK Telegraph article
2010 Colorado — What’s On Tap?
…and now, for some “local” flavor…Plain speaking Representative Frank McNulty will join us to discuss the legislative challenges facing Colorado this upcoming session, from a minority perspective. Bring your Q&A!
Where: Old Chicago, 145 Union Boulevard, Lakewood, CO (upstairs bar or rooftop patio)
When: Monday, November 16th, 5-7 pm for happy hour prices on beverages and appetizers.
Here’s an unpopular proposition – the health care industry as we know it can’t be “fixed” because it is based on a false premise, the premise of “free money.” (…and just for fun, here’s a schematic of the House Dem’s “fix” — gee, they could get all that in, in a mere 1017 pages?)
Truth — there can never be enough money in any insurance pool to provide extraordinary care for every participant; finite resources can never yield infinite benefits, any other expectation is free money, Ponzi math. So, anyone, on whatever side, who tries to sell a pipe dream that somehow everybody’s going to be covered and we’re going to all have all the health care benefits to which we’ve become accustomed at “affordable” insurance rates is blowing smoke.
Yes, the current system is out of control:
– “greedy” insurers have dropped their pay-out rates, some to as low as 60%,
– Big Pharma’s insidious take-over of the industry for their burgeoning financial bottom lines is unconscionable,
– trial lawyers adding $3.6 billion in direct costs (2008 malpractice insurance expenses), and who knows how many billions more for CYA tests and such, is at best, not helpful
– non-contributors to the pool receiving, gratis, the most expensive health care delivery, at emergency rooms, is ludicrous…
…and on and on. A snip here, a patch there will help — you can grow the financial pool by siphoning more out of people’s pocketbooks (through rates OR taxes), or you can attempt to wring more “benefits” out of the cost side, but, no matter how you parse it, there will still be a limited pool, and somebody is going to have to decide who and what gets covered – the argument is only about WHO does that rationing; the insurers, which, it can be argued, do a crappy job (yes, they do ration, through denial of coverage), or the government, which, it can be argued, does little well (or the states, but Massachusetts has done such a high-profile lousy job, you don’t hear many voices for that option.)
Here’s a different question to ask – why did we ever put our physical well-being into somebody else’s hands in the first place? Of course there’s no free market mechanism to keep costs and benefits in equilibrium – you walk into the doctor’s office or show up at the hospital, and your expectation is, it’s all going to be taken care of by your insurance company, up to millions in coverage over your lifetime. The doctor, the hospital, the pharmaceutical companies, the labs, the insurance company – they’ll make all the decisions amongst themselves, you just pay your premiums and your copays and trust them to deliver you from your ailment.
That’s the fantasy upon which we’ve built our expectation of health care, and that’s why it can never be “fixed” to meet our expectations. Personal health care MUST become a personal responsibility, with the consumer making his/her own market decisions based on his/her own financial state and priorities.
A good step forward has been the rising popularity of Health Savings Accounts (HSA’s and the like), which require a high deductible before coverage kicks in. It certainly encourages the consumer to invest in taking care of themselves, and even “shop” for non-life-threatening procedures and tests. Problem is, just ask your provider what the costs of the tests, or the procedure will be – odds on you’ll get a blank stare and ‘we don’t have that information, why would you want to know that?’ Maybe I’m reading the wrong details, but I haven’t seen anybody advancing any “upfront pricing” requirement of providers, and without it, there can never be a “free market” connection between consumers and providers.
Things can’t stay the same – the question is, is socialism and rationing or the sometimes harsh personal responsibilities of a free market system your choice?
There are frequent discussions these days about political labels. There is also value in putting the “brand” aside, and considering “generically” the issues of limited government, free markets and individual rights.
Our recent guest speaker, former Congressman Bob Beauprez, unabashedly carries the Republican banner, but it certainly doesn’t diminish his experience, views and perspective on those principles of individual liberty and adherence to the Constitution, we, as a group, proclaim.
In his recent book, A Return to Values, Beauprez, does what he does best – he calls it as he sees it. He was there, part of the “do-nothing Congress” that is seen as having frittered away the opportunity to turn the ship around and head government back to the Founding Fathers’ brilliant vision. There is always high value in learning the game from those who have played, and that insight on issues and politics makes the book a worthwhile read.
The first part is a short and touching autobiography, including war stories from the trials, tribulations and triumphs of being a freshman in Congress and a novice politician during “interesting times,” (Congressman Beauprez served as representative from Colorado’s then newly- formed 7th district from 2002-2006, and lost to Governor Bill Ritter in the 2006 Colorado gubernatorial election). The second part is a well-researched, facts-driven overview of many of the challenges facing Colorado and our country, structured as a challenge to his party’s leadership to champion fiscal conservatism, the Constitution, and American traditions.
Throughout, you’ll find Beauprez writes as he speaks, from his heart, with honesty and clarity. He names names, and freely takes and spreads criticism where he believes it’s due.
What comes through most though, in retrospect, is that politics was never supposed to be one’s business, it was supposed to be citizen service; a return to that value, politics serving its citizens, should be a commonality across all brands of politicians.
Bob Beauprez continues to write about policy issues in his blog, A Line of Sight. His book, A Return to Values, is available through the link, at Amazon.com.
Ever wonder how everything, financially, seems to have gotten so skewed? Ever have the sense it’s somehow related? Rolling Stone magazine isn’t usually a first source for financial analysis, but this guy, Matt Taibbi, has it nailed (hint: Goldman Sachs did it). From the company’s humble beginnings to its current, “figurative” jackboot on the neck of all taxpayers, it’s all here.
Warning: Rolling Stone articles use “colorful” language (read: curse words abound, including one “f” bomb). However, the analysis is a “must read” — the subject matter is too important for true free market advocates who suspect the financial industry has undue influence over policy makers.
And we promise, if you stick with it, through all twelve pages, the payoff is the ending missive on the real story behind the push to get “cap and trade” rammed through Congress (not to spoil the ending, but, follow the money…)
Hat tip to The Daily Crux, which provided the link.
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