Tonight we are joined by the much esteemed Sheldon Richman, editor of the Freeman and senior fellow at the Future of Freedom Foundation. He will be addressing the question, “Does Congress Follow the Constitution When it Taxes and Spends? Should it have to?” Which, in light of recent Colorado tax policy, should raise an eyebrow or two. We’ve got a whole slew up people signed up thus far, so if you plan on coming out, give us a call (303-279-6536) and reserve your spot before it’s too late! There will be a reception with food and drinks at 5:30pm and the presentation will begin at 6.

If you can’t attend live and in person, tune into live.ivoices.org and join us virtually!

Paul Chesser from Climate Strategies Watch came on my show to expose the out-of-state special interests behind Governor Ritter’s Climate Action Plan. To get the scoop, check it out!

Put Down the “Cool-aid”

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Let’s hear it! The Education Policy Center’s Ben DeGrow will be joining Brian Johnson from the Alliance for Worker Freedom this Wednesday at noon on Rightalk’s “Leave Us Alone” Radio. They will be discussing Governor Ritter’s executive order allowing “employee partnerships” and the subsequent fallout. So, if you have an opinion on the matter, they’d love to hear from you. Just call 1-866-884-TALK (8255). Remember though, if you bad mouth union tactics a little too much, this guy might come looking for you…. and you don’t want that.

Jessica Corry dives into the Ron Paul debate and comes to the conclusion that, although Dr. Paul’s chances of winning are nil, his ideas and what he represents still matter a lot.  Judging from his fundraising totals, he’s certainly hit a large and dedicated market with his message.  Dr. Paul understands that “freedom is popular.”  Without someone up on stage, on talk shows, and doing interviews getting the good word out, we would all be mired in a one sided debate about the benefits of bigger and more intrusive government. Likewise, this is also the reason think tanks like the Independence Institute are so vital. Without these outlets, freedom is without a friend in an uphill battle.

© 2008, Benjamin Hummel. To see more cartoons like this go to www.politixcartoons.com.

Stop the presses! When was the last time you heard me say something nice about the teachers union? Well, once in awhile they can get something important right – or at least mostly right. At the Independence Institute, we’ve written and spoken in support of two high-poverty Denver schools – Bruce Randolph and Manual – that asked to be set free from a lot of the school district’s negotiated rules. After sitting on their hands for weeks, local union officials finally backed down and agreed to let the schools go ahead and do it. Under pressure, they decided to grant Bruce Randolph and Manual nearly all the waivers they asked for. A good choice … now if they and their colleagues could see their way clear to letting parents have more choices, too.

Paul Chesser of Climate Strategies Watch has been working overtime trying to debunk the hysteria behind the global warming craze. He spoke at a legislative briefing at the capitol and at our Cult of Climate Change event on Monday, and most recently, joined me on my show Independent Thinking. Tune in tonight at 8:30 on KBDI channel 12 to hear Paul address Governor Ritter’s Climate Change Action Plan. What is the economic impact of the plan and will it have any real affect on global climate change? Watch tonight for some “Cool-Aid” defying answers.

As always, our MySpace video page will have this and previous episodes for your viewing pleasure!

In the words of our own David Kopel, the upcoming District of Columbia v. Heller is “an enormous case.” In the latest ivoices.org podcast, I discuss this landmark second amendment Supreme Court case with David. It is noted that the last time the Supreme Court took on a second amendment case was in 1939, so the ramifications will prove to be quite large. In just a few words, the case will decide whether the second amendment guarantees a right and whether that right is violated by the Washington DC ban on handguns. David also talks about the amicus (meaning “friend of the court”) brief we have filed on behalf of law enforcement. According to David, if the brief contains information that the Supreme Court does not already know, it will most likely be read and could have an impact on the final judgement. As with anything else David does, we believe the brief he helped prepare will have a considerable impact on the final outcome.

Here are some upcoming events that you all should know about:

This Saturday, February 16th marks the first of five Free People, Free Markets classes. It is still not too late to take part in the class. Just give us a call and we’ll get you in. Check out my description here and view the class promo here. It’s just three hours for five consecutive Saturdays, but I promise you, it will change your life.

Next Tuesday, February 19th we are having a special presentation from guest speaker, Sheldon Richman, editor of the Freeman and senior fellow at the Future of Freedom Foundation, called “Does Congress follow the Constitution when it taxes and spends? Should it have to?” The reception begins at 5:30, with the presentation following at 6. As with the class, the event will be held here at the Institute.

For directions to our office, go here.
Call us at 303-279-6536 to RSVP to any event or if you have any questions.

Finally, next Sunday, February 17th the Colorado Property Rights Coalition is sponsoring a pig roast. It will be downtown at the Civic Center Park beginning at noon. There will be free food and drinks and live music!

If you’ve ever seen the movie Casino, you are familiar with Robert DeNiro’s character, Sam “Ace” Rothstein, and his remarkable gambling ability. Before he takes on the responsibility of running a Casino in Vegas, he’s one of the mob’s top revenue earners, and as such, enjoys the protection of Joe Pesci’s character. Now imagine the bosses decided to regulate DeNiro in a way that limited his ability to bet the way he wanted to. This surely would reduce the amount of money he’d win and possibly, be so frustrating to him that he’d go elsewhere to do his thing. This scenario is slowly becoming a reality for Colorado’s oil and gas industry. In this ivoices.org podcast, Amy Oliver and Weld County commissioner Bill Jerke discuss the very large impact the oil and gas industry has on Weld County and on Colorado in general. According to the commissioner, the industry accounts for $23 billion state wide, and 41% of Weld County’s valuation. In other words, it is one of our top earners. And instead of protecting this massive revenue source with our version of Joe Pesci, strong property rights, we are on the verge of regulating it out of existence! As a result, the rewards for exploration are becoming more difficult to obtain. Without those rewards, the explorers will prospect somewhere else, where they will be compensated. If that happens we’re looking at the loss of high paying jobs, lots and lots of income, and the most frightening – a large source of government revenue. I’m clutching my wallet just thinking about all the devious schemes that will inevitably be hatched to get that lost income.