Denver, CO

This picture is actually from a rather unique day at the Capitol- commemorating legislation signed by Gov. Ritter that imposes a $1,000 to $100,000 fine, up to one year imprisonment, and 20 hunting license assessment points for illegal hunting, taking, or possessing a bald eagle.

That is a real, live eagle. And seeing this majestic bird, only twenty feet away from me, was simply beautiful. My hat is off to Rep. Solano and the other legislators who worked hard to protect our national bird!

For more information about this bill, please click here

Next Week’s Feature Blog:

I will have the opportunity to have my good friend, Chris, guest blog on the about-Denver site describing his experience with the caucus process back in February. I will be blogging about my experience as well. So what readers will have is the first hand account of two first time caucus-goers, both aged 21 years young, one from the Democrat side, one from the Republican side. Hope you’ll enjoy!!

Looking forward to the Democratic National Convention

I know the convention is still about five full months away, but I wanted to see how much buzz is already going around the host city. What do people in Denver anticipate the DNC will be like? How do you imagine the Denver scene will be shaped? What sort of things are you looking forward to?

I want to open this blog discussion up to any topics concerning Denver hosting the DNC. Anything. The building of new hotels downtown. Influx of money in Denver as 30+ thousand people arrive. Delegates bringing their families and making the convention in Denver into a family vacation. What has been on your mind concerning the DNC? Anything? Maybe you think we won’t experience much change to daily life in Denver… But what about the traffic?

Use this blog post to add any comments, thoughts, concerns, political jokes, what have you, and lets see what kind of and how much buzz is already being generated about the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

There’s a new show in town; rather, a new exhibit, and it may be one of the most valuable exhibits in town.

Now featured at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science its:

GOLD

when: 9am - 5pm

ending: June 8th, 2008

The cost of admission depends on whether you are a member of the museum, how many kids you bring and their ages, if you’re a student etc.
About-DenverCo was there this past Sunday and paid the $10 student rate to attend Gold and to watch a show at the Planetarium: Black Holes.

By itself, gold is a marvel to look at and can make a modest man salivate. The gold on display truly is impressive. And yet, I observed most every museum-goer also looking into and reading the tidbits about the gold pieces, watching the short videos about gold, reading the longer, drawn out histories presented on wall-display posters, asking questions and engaging in discussions with one another. So you don’t have to take my word for it, this exhibit is clearly about more than looking at that shiny yellow metal. I would venture to say that the truly incredible part about this exhibit was that gold, despite its splendor and beauty, truly has a fascinating history that prompted those in attendance to really want to know more.

So gold-rush over to the museum and ’save’ me a spot in line! While this gold can be mined up until June 8th, I did have to compete with other prospectors last Sunday, it was a busy day at the museum and full of people interested in the new exhibit.

Ok this blog post isn’t just for Denverites, it’s for all tax-paying Americans.

Just a friendly reminder to pay those taxes if you haven’t already.

And you may want to think about how much taxes you’ll be paying next year, the year after, and the year after that.

Click here to take a peak at the rapidly escalating national debt of the U.S. This a debt that we have to all pay off (eventually) in tax money. Just how much debt do we have? I’ll give you a hint:

the number nine followed by twelve zeroes

Make sure you talk to coworkers, friends, family, classmates, teachers, business leaders, and local politicians about this number. That’s twelve zeroes that we all are paying for.

To figure out how much we owe:

divide nine followed by twelve zeroes
by
three followed by eight zeroes

more on this later…

1. He Supports the Constitution. (Wow, Go Figure!)
2. He Believes In Religious Freedom.
3. He Has Never Voted For A Tax Increase.
4. He Is Against Public Funding Of Abortion.
5. He Is Against Funding Abortion Abroad.
6. He Is Against The National I.D. or Real I.D. Act.
7. He Believes In The “Just War Theory”.
8. He Supports The Rights Of Private Property Owners.
9. He Wants Us Out Of The U.N.
10. He Wants Us To Trade With Nations And Not War With Them.
11. He Is For 2nd Amendment Rights.
12. He Opposes NAIS.
13. He Wants To Shrink The Federal Government, Not Expand It.
14. He Has No Plans To Start A War With Iran Or Anyone Else.
15. He Wants To Bring Our Troops Home.
16. He Does Not Belong To The CFR (Council On Foreign Relations).
17. He Has Not Received Campaign Contributions From Rupert Murdoch (Like Hillary).
18. His Running Mate Most Likely Will Not Have Shot Anyone In The Face.
19. He Wants To End The I.R.S..
20. He Wants To Cut Spending?? Really, Cut Spending.
21. He Is Against Eminent Domain.
22. He Is Against The NAFTA Superhighway.
23. He Is Against The North American Union Or SPP
(It Exists- Google It).
24. He Is For The Principle Of Sound Money.
25. He Is Against The Idea of The Amero Money System
(Google It).
26. He Is Against The Federal Reserve’s Monopoly On Monetary Regulation.
27. He Is Philosophically Opposed To Big Government.
28. He Voted Against The Misnamed Patriot Act That Stripped Us Of Our Rights.
29. He Is For The Bill Of Rights.
30. He Knows The Meaning Of Liberty .
31. He Was 1 Of 4 People That Supported Reagan Early On.
32. He Has Been Married For 50 Years, Which Is An Achievement These Days.
33. He Is Not Married To Hillary.
34. His Supporters Love Him.
35. He Is A Once In A Lifetime Candidate.
36. Because His Record Is Consistent.
37. He Is Against Funding The So-Called War On Drugs
(Another Unsuccessful War).
38. He Is Actually Against Funding Many Unsuccessful Federal Programs.
39. He Does Not Want To Ruin Healthcare By Nationalizing It (Like Hillary, Obama, et al.)
40. He Is A Student Of History.
41. He Votes In Accordance With The Constitution.
42. He Will Not Forcibly Implant Us Or Our Troops With Microchips Or Like Devices
(It’s For Your Safety, Of Course).
43. He Is The Only True Conservative, In The Traditional Sense, left.
44. Republicans Love Him Because He Is For Small Government.
45. Democrats Love Him Because He Will End The War For Oil.
46. Libertarians Love Him Because He Wants The Government Out Of Their Business.
47. He Is The Only Electable Republican Candidate.
48. He is Against The Creation Of A Surveillance Society
(See London ).
49. He Supports Home School Rights.
50. He Wants To End The Corporate Welfare System That Is Destroying Our Government’s Credibility.
51. He Tells It Like It Is. He Is Truthful.
52. He Reads.
53. As A Doctor, He Is Informed On The Healthcare Issue.
54. He Has Not Been Hannitized.
55. He Has The Courage To Speak Out Against What Is Wrong.
56. He Will Be Good For The Economy
(Freedom Generally Is Good For The Economy).
57. He Wants Us Out Of The WTO And Like Organizations.
58. The I.R.S. Is Scared Of This Guy.
59. He Is Smart Enough To Prefer Gold Over Paper.
60. He Knows The Term FIAT-CURRENCY and knows what it means.
61. He Wants To Secure Our Borders.
62. He Favors Guarding Our Country Over Policing The World.
63. He Opposed The War In Iraq From The Beginning.
64. He Authorized The Hunt For Osama Bin Laden.
65. He Believes Local Governments Are Better Suited To Handle Their Own Issues.
66. He Is Willing To Listen And Reason With Others.
67. He Is A Christian Who Believes Christ Was Right When He Said, “Blessed Are The Peacemakers”.
68. He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
69. He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
70. He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
71. He has never taken a government-paid junket.
72. He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.
73. He voted against regulating the Internet.
74. He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
75. He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.
76. He Is Against Selective Service Registration.
77. He Is Against A Mandatory Draft.
78. He Is Still Not Married To Hillary.
79. He Has The Support Of The Youth.
80. His Campaign Has People Across The Country Motivated.
81. His Supporters Are Enthusiastic.
82. He Is Educated.
83. He Wants To Apply The Golden Rule In Government
(How Radical).
84. He Believes in Freedom Of Speech.
85. He Believes In Individual Rights
86. He Believes Those Rights Come From Our Creator.
87. He Does Not “Move With The Herd”.
88. He Has Delivered Over 4,000 Babies And Values Life.
89. He Doesn’t Have To “Act The Part” Because He Is What He Is.
90. He Has Not Waffled On The Abortion Issue As Every Other Republican Candidate.
91. He Has Faced Tremendous Opposition With Dignity.
92. He Is Optimistic
93. He Values The Traditions That Have Kept Us Free.
94. He Understands That Monopolies Are Bad Things.
95. He Understands The Difference Between Individual And Government Responsibility.
96. He Understands Inflation Is Not Just The Prices Going Up, But Rather The Value Of Money Going Down.
97. You Will Feel Good About Your Vote For A Change.
98. You Will Know You Have Done The Right Thing.
99. For The First Time In A Long Time, You Will Not Be Voting “For The Least, Worst, or Lesser of 2 Evils”.
100. You Will Help Undo The Damage Done To Our Country Over The Last Several Decades.
101. He Is Our Last Hope For A Free Nation.

Being an election season, the Denver scene is quickly warming up to politics. So today’s blog will explore:

How Two-Party Politics Hurt American Choice and Democracy

For anyone paying attention to election primaries, there are some significant divisions among, and within, the two political parties of the U.S.

Case in Point:

Sen. John McCain will be receiving President Bush’s endorsement soon, despite the two being opposed and having ‘feuded bitterly’ in the past. You can read that New York Times article here
For those of you who have really been paying attention, there are even some Republicans who have pledged to vote for the Democrats over their nominee McCain (Ann Coulter) and those who say McCain is ‘not a conservative’ or ‘not conservative enough.’

And then there’s Clinton and Obama who are in a neck and neck race. There is even speculation -though both candidates agree its premature- that they would run on a joint-ticket. You can click here for that article from the Associated Press.

And then there is Representative Ron Paul. You may not have heard of him because the media does not give him credit nor attention. If you truly haven’t heard of Ron Paul and his policy ideas, then its high time you were informed. You can start by visiting his website here. And it is high time everyone become aware of this Republican candidate for President.

Continued, for those of you who haven’t paid studied our U.S. history and history of our government, Ron Paul and his proposals seem like a new wing and view within the Republican party. In reality, Ron Paul is more representative of the true and original Republican Party, representing the true ideas and intentions of the Founders.

But candidates like Ron Paul won’t be given a presence or a platform during the presidential election, unless of course, they run on a 3rd party ticket. This Two-Party practice is not helping American Democracy. There are many Republicans who would have liked to vote for Ron Paul in the presidential elections, or for Mitt Romney, or for Mike Huckabee. There votes now will likely be cast to John McCain, a neoconservative, unless they choose to abandon the Republican party. Therein lies the issue; party members hope for the best candidates - someone like Ron Paul who actually speaks to the issues and presents feasible plans for fiscal policy, bringing our troops home, etc - but these candidates fall off the path that has been carved out by the media and large campaign budgets. If you’re going to judge a presidential candidate by how well they run their campaign, by the way, then take a look at McCain and all the issues he’s had with managing his own campaign money, running into debt, etc. You can find that information here and here

So voters loyal to their party are inevitably limited to their one front-runner that can run on their party’s ticket. This leads to voters not considering the issues and not determining their vote based on who will be the best leader. The Republicans band together, uneasily, and will vote for their candidate, even a bad candidate, just to try to maintain party control. They will vote over the Democrats even if it is a truly great Democrat candidate. The thinking is a bad Republican is better than a good Democrat or a bad Democrat is better than a good Republican.

Its time we changed this Two-Party system and open elections so that voters can actually vote for the candidates they stand behind and really endorse, not be limited to just their party’s frontrunner.
How many Americans will be let down if their Democrat candidate is not the frontrunner and they, by proxy and to maintain party unity, have to side with the other guy or other gal?

High energy prices got you down? Trying to brainstorm ways to reduce energy consumption? Want to participate in the political process of your local communities? Here a few good ways to do all of the above, in the same two hours:

Town Hall Meeting

Join Rep. Benefield and Rep. Sara Gagliardi for a presentation on “Saving Energy in the Home”. Independent energy raters will present and provide take-home materials to residents. A question and answer period follows the presentation and individuals’ questions on their own homes can be addressed.

Tuesday, March 4, 7:00-8:30 pm
Standley Lake Public Library
8485 Kipling St., Arvada

Solar and Energy Efficiency Workshop

You are invited to attend a Solar & Energy Efficiency Workshop on Saturday, March 8, which is co-sponsored with the Governor’s Energy Office and the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). Learn the nuts and bolts of how to become more energy efficient and how to place solar panels on your roof. Xcel Energy staff will discuss their Solar Rewards Program in addition to discussions about state and federal rebates and tax incentives. NREL will also discuss new renewable energy technologies. A question and answer session will follow the presentations.

Saturday, March 8th from 9:00 to 11:00 AM
NREL Visitors Center
15013 Denver West Parkway
Golden, CO 80401-3393
Phone: 303-275-3000

Colorado’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Health Care Reform, a 27-member panel, has been meeting for a year, drafting proposals for health care reform.
The intent of this Blue Ribbon panel is to uncover creative solutions to insure the 792,000 people in Colorado who do not have health insurance. Sounds simple? The real struggle is that these solutions have to be agreeable to the majority of Colorado Lawmakers, and ultimately, the people of Colorado.
The state’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Health Care Reform will present five recommendations to the Colorado General Assembly at noon Thursday in the Old Supreme Court Building chambers at the state Capitol in Denver. Here’s what was discussed:

Requiring all legal Colorado residents to have basic health insurance coverage.

Facilitating employee health insurance purchases by requiring employers to offer them pre-tax premium-only plans.

Creating a “connector” that helps employees and small employers to choose insurance options.

Expanding and reforming eligibility for Medicaid and the state’s Child Health Plan Plus.

Streamlining the system to reduce administrative costs.

Improving access to quality and cost information.

Enhancing quality and improving care coordination.

Encouraging people to take responsibility for their health.

Expand programs to improve services to vulnerable and under-served populations

Appropriately fund public health delivery systems and safety net providers.

I thought one of the better proposals was allowing and requiring the employers to offer pre-tax plans, which would allow employees to use some of their money that is taken in taxes, for their health insurance. There’s tax dollars working directly for the people who pay them.

What the results of this panel and the info presented to Colorado Lawmakers is yet to be seen, but you can count on about-denverco.ccom o report it when it becomes available.

In other news: The Democratic Convention in Denver this summer will be boosting local businesses in many sectors: food, hotels, travel, etc. and here’s a new one, the sex and adult entertainment industry.
What is this connection between politics and less than tasteful sex practices?
Here’s a link for the Rocky Mountain News story: here

Party Caucuses are coming up, so make sure you know where you’ll need to be for whichever party you choose to support.

For the Democrat Caucus info, click here

For the Republican Caucus info, click here

For those who aren’t quite sure what a Caucus is, consider the Caucus as a preliminary voting tool that will narrow down the candidates competing for their parties nomination as Presidential Candidate. After the Caucuses are done and over, the amount of people running for each party goes from several to one. Whether you feel that is right, wrong, or you’re indifferent, it’s important to go to your precinct’s caucus and have a say in the political process.

I believe that everyday and everywhere we look we have the opportunity to see modern day heroes and modern day chivalry in action. Some days more than others, some less; it largely depends on what you focus on.

This week’s modern heroes come from Arapahoe High School where we find a few highly motivated teachers working with eager-to-learn students, taking their own initiative to create unique experiences. Let’s ‘tune in:’

This unique learning experience is centered on interacting with new technology and communications mediums to exchange ideas and stimulate discussion. The topic: Daniel H. Pink’s book A Whole New Mind. Here’s why you should read it: “If it’s likely that someone in China or India can do your work more cheaply than you can, or if a computer can do your work faster than you can, read this book. (praise for the book, found on the back cover)”

Here’s why you should pay attention to what these Arapahoe High students have to say: They are assessing the validity of this book and how it relates to the all-important field of education, among other things such as the impacts on their future that the book suggests, and how to cope with and adapt to literally, a whole new mind. Their online blogging discussions feature real-world sages and experts in various fields, and there will be one with the author himself, Daniel H. Pink.

The classes participate in discussion as normally done during class time, but their discussions are translated in real-time to an online blog site dedicated to allowing outsiders to participate and view the discussion. The next blog sessions will be:

Friday, January 25th

Friday, February 1st

Thursday, February 7th

Friday, February 15th

Friday, February 22nd

and there will be a video conference with the class and author Daniel H. Pink on:

Thursday, February 28th

Check back with about-denverco.com the day before the above dates to learn how you can view the blogging and how you can participate. About-Denverco.com will be actively following and participating in this unique learning experience and will keep you up to date and in the know!

for more modern heroes, click here

image found at http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZRXAS97NL.jpg

A day after Peter Groff made history by being the first black man to be President of the Colorado Senate, Peter Groff was making history by being the first black man to hold a joint session between the Colorado Senate and the Colorado House of Representatives to hear Gov. Bill Ritter’s State of the State Address. About-DenverCO blogsite was there, and here are the highlights and key points of Ritter’s moving, and hope-filled speech. Let’s recap:

Colorado’s “new energy economy has built up our economy [across the state].”

when looking back on 2007, Ritter said, “we can celebrate those successes but we cannot be satisfied.”

“We need to make real progress in education reform.”

key mentions were:
“Strengthen our economy by investing in higher ed”
“Meaningful immigration reform”
“Fiscally responsible with every tax payer dollar”
“We must invest in our research universities”
“Rigorous K-12 is vitally important”
“Wind farms, solar farms, bio-diesel plants”

“Legitimate ways for government to intersect with where people struggle.”

“The people. . .did not elect us to wage partisan warfare.”

“Hope wins out over cynicism.”

“We have a responsibility [lawmakers] to help them [citizens] achieve their full potential.”

Ritter also stressed making sure businesses can stay competitive and creating job opportunities. Ease the tax burden for thousands of businesses. Help small businesses.

in the areas of transportation, Ritter spoke about demand and cost both soaring and that the focus must be on safety and efficiency.

The governor also addressed the importance of reducing repeat crimes and repeat offenders.

Healthcare
Ritter had this to say: “every uninsured person means higher costs for every family.”
“Restraining costs must be at the heart (of healthcare reform)”
“Address cost and quality.”

The overriding question for education in Colorado, the one question Ritter asks lawmakers to consider when concerning education legislation, “is it good for Colorado children; their future?”

And the overriding focus that Ritter called on lawmakers to consider was, “in Colorado, we cannot wait for reforms to come from Washington.”

Whether you are Republican or Democrat or Independent, you can probably agree with a good portion of the Colorado Governor’s words and his message for lawmakers and citizens in 2008. And whether your political beliefs are aligned to the left or to the right, you can probably agree with some of the changes (healthcare, education, etc.) that need to take place in Colorado this year.

As the morning radio said this past Wednesday, January 9th, “Colorado Lawmakers are at it again,” referring to the Colorado House of Representatives and Colorado Senate being back in session for the next 120 days to develop and (hopefully) pass some new laws.
About-DenverCo was at the first day of the 2008 session, as well as day #2. The first day, this blog site was privileged to hear some encouraging words from House Speaker Democrat Andrew Romanoff and from the House Minority leader Republican Mike May.

The message of Speaker Romanoff was refreshing for this author and can be summarized with a few great quotes:

“Dozens of factors should affect [kids] education but [their] zip code shouldn’t be one of them.”

“In our country, where you come from shouldn’t determine where you end up.”

“Simplify tax code so businesses don’t need an army of accountants.”

Create incentives for people to stay healthy. (paraphrased)

Protect our environment. Replenish forests. (paraphrased)

“We don’t have to savage the economy to salvage the environment. We can sustain both.”

The House Minority Leader Republican Mike May also had some good things to say that were fairly well aligned with the Speaker’s message:

“[we] cannot solve every problem with taxes.”

Use auto-related taxes to pay for a healthy transportation system. (paraphrased)

Dedicate money to higher ed, but first tie money to performance. (paraphrased)

“Real solutions for the environment. Preserve state parks and forest.”

“Every bill should empower, not hinder, people, business, and the economy.”

From what About-DenverCo heard this week at the Capitol, Colorado Lawmakers are definitely at it again but with the intention of working together and reducing partisan warfare. Let’s hope this message proves true.

Tomorrow’s blog: Notes and quotes from Bill Ritter’s State of the State Address.

Things are changing in Denver, Colorado. It’s a New Year and one thing can be certain this year: there’s going to be some big changes.

Changes that are in the process of taking place:

+ Upcoming presidential election. A new president is (usually) a big change. In fact, the biggest issue in the NH democratic debate was between Obama, Clinton, and Edwards and who would be the biggest agent of change. They didn’t get around to discussing how they would make change happen, mind you.

+ Foreclosure rates are rising. Variable interest rates are causing problems for people.

+ Gas prices are rising and will continue to do so. A blue-ribbon panel of Ritter’s is proposing an additional 12 cents more a gallon at the pump, as well as $100 more each year to register vehicles.

+ Spending seems to be slowing. Few retailers sold as much as they were expecting this holiday season.

How will Denver handle change? Leave your thoughts and feedback.

To see what Ron Paul is all about, please visit his website

Join the Ron Paul Revolution!