I just had to repost this great cartoon I just saw on Rossputin’s blog.

Is there any recourse for property owners caught in the path of FasTracks? Property rights attorney Robert Hoban, Jessica Corry of the Independence Institute, and the owners of Pro-Tint Windows Kim Snyder and Galen Foster join me to detail RTD’s handling of property owners and abuse of eminent domain.  Tune in this Friday night at 8:30 p.m. to KBDI Channel 12, Fridays; repeated the following Tuesday at 5 pm.

***Yesterday we received a bumper crop of new interns. This means my front yard and my car will be in tip top shape. Ah, to be young and exploited.

***Health Care Policy rockstar Linda Gorman was quoted again, this time in the Investor’s Business Daily.

***The Investor’s Business Daily also has some fine cartoons too. The Health Care Policy Center especially likes this one:

***Senior fellow Jessica Corry’s newest op-ed for Human Events captures the incredibly awkward position the left finds themselves in political free speech. They are ostensibly the “champions” of free speech, but in this case, not so much. Check out the article, it’s a good read — especially my quote at the end.

***Just wanted to re-iterate for our public officials out there. Stop Californicating Colorado!

***I urge you to head over to iVoices.org and check out the overflowing stream of podcasts we’ve got. I’ll highlight just a few:
• Amy and I discussing the status of transparency, post legislative session. Ritter just signed state spending transparency into law!
• Dave Kopel, resident superhuman, went on Amy Oliver’s radio show several times to discuss his thoughts on…. Obama’s Supreme Court pick Sotomayor…. the Montana federalist gun law… and the recent federal legislation allowing conceal carry in National Parks.
• Ben DeGrow speaking with Christian D’Andrea from the Friedman Foundation on who is more satisfied: public or private teachers?

***Don’t forget about ourATF pre-Party Nanny Panel on Friday the 19th, and on the following day the 20th, the full on 7th annual ATF Party – the most politically incorrect event of the year!

Freedom Underground – Nanny State Policy Panel

Friday, June 19, 2009

The Warwick Hotel, (The former Playboy Club) 1776 Grant Street, Denver, CO

***Don’t forget to sign up for the ATF Party the next day!***
Listen to Jon Caldara and Amy Oliver talk nannyism, the ATF party, and this great panel event!

Agenda

11:00a.m. — Registration

11:30a.m. — Lunch
Keynote Speaker: David Martosko, Center for Consumer Freedom

1:00p.m. — Morality and Philosophy of Nannyism

Panelists:

2:15p.m. — Economics of Nannyism: Sin Taxes and Litigation

Panelists:

3:30p.m. — Break

3:45p.m. — Fighting Nannyism:

Panelists:

5:00p.m. — Break

6:00p.m. – Dinner

Keynote Speaker: Andrew Breitbart, The DrudgeReport, Breitbart.com and Big Hollywood

8:00 p.m. – Cocktails & Cigars

This is a can’t miss event!  Give us a call @ 303.279.6536  or RSVP online here to reserve your spot!

Just in case you were wondering what would happen if Obama showed up to our 7th Annual Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Party coming up next Saturday, the 20th.

If you don’t have your tickets yet, pick up the phone right now and call us @ 303.279.6536 or sign up online here. This event sells out every year so do not wait! Also, we are having a star-studded pre-ATF Party that will take place at the Warwick Hotel downtown. It will be a panel event on the invasive nanny state, with special keynote speaker Andrew Breitbart of the Drudge Report, Breitbart.com, and Big Hollywood. Joining Andrew will be Radley Balko of Reason Magazine, David Harsanyi, and other big name freedom fighters. Again, space is very limited so give us a call or RSVP online here.

Ritter (reluctantly) signed House Bill 1288, setting us on the path to full state spending transparency. (Or as little transparency as they can get away with). I’d like to thank State Rep. BJ Nikkel for bringing this legislation forward, and our Director of Colorado Spending Transparency (COST), Amy Oliver, for helping to push it through. And let’s not forget the ordinary citizens who took time off from their lives and jobs to show support for such a revolutionary concept: Allowing taxpayers to actually see how and where their money is being spent!

By now I’m sure you’ve heard the news about Senate Bill 228 – the bill that makes us in Colorado a bit more like bankrupt California. What the bill does is repeal the Bird-Arveschoug 6% spending limit that we’ve been living and growing under since 1992. Governor Ritter of course signed the bill, thus sending Colorado the way of even larger deficits, more spending, and higher taxes; in other words, the Californication of Colorado.  Barry Poulson warned of this back in March saying,

“The bill would eliminate what has proven to be a very effective constraint on the growth in general fund expenditures, and also on how state revenues are allocated between transportation and capital projects, and other expenditures.”

Governor Ritter, let me make this clear: This bill does to Colorado what fame and fortune does to child stars in Hollywood — sends them on a drug induced bender of late night partying that inevitably kills their careers and nearly their lives. Hopefully TABOR will provide the necessary rehab for us to recover. That is until they kill that too.

What is the Electoral College and why do some people want to do away with it? In a one-on-one interview, Independent Thinking host Jon Caldara, and author (of this great book) / attorney Tara Ross explain this little understood, but very important principle of our constitutional republic. Tune in this Friday night at 8:30 p.m. to KBDI Channel 12; repeated the following Tuesday at 5 pm.

***Ari Armstrong puts the smack down on Senator Mark Udall over controlling the credit market. It’s simple Mark, READ the contract BEFORE you sign it! Duh.

***Exploited intern Luke Jackson, between clipping my toe nails and mowing my lawn, somehow had time to research and write about public debt (amazing creatures these interns are). This work turned into our newest Issue Backgrounder titled, Debt Detective. He also had the opportunity to do a podcast on his work with Fiscal Policy Center director Penn Pfiffner. Good job Luke!

***Get your very own Government Motors tee shirt here. New slogan: “In Soviet Amerika, the car drives YOU… bankrupt!”

***Health care policy nerds take heed: Linda Gorman penned an in-depth piece on direct-purchase health care models. Yes, I did read the entire thing.

***Dave Kopel made an appearance on Amy Oliver’s radio show (1310 KFKA) to discuss Obama’s Supreme Court pick Sonia Sotomayor. You can listen to the audio here.

***Finally, the most politically correct event of the year is coming up! That’s right, the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Party is upon us. This year is looking to be the best one yet. We’ve got Joe the Plumber and Radley Balko of Reason Magazine speaking, along with a special celebrity shooter: Andrew Breitbart of the Drudge Report and Breitbart.com! Amy Oliver and I talk nannyism, the ATF party, and the incredible, star-studded ATF pre-Party here. Tickets WILL be sold out, you can count on that. Please RSVP now to save yourself a spot.

***In addition to ATF 2009, we’ve got an incredible ATF pre-Party planned for the day before – Friday, June 19th. This is going to be a star-studded nanny panel event at the high class Warwick Hotel in downtown Denver! We will be serving lunch, dinner, and cocktails in between the panels. Keynote speakers include, but not limited to: Radley Balko, David Harsanyi, Dave Kopel, Andrew Breitbart, David Martosko, and Terry Gallagher. Check the event page for an agenda and more information. Seats are filling up fast, do not wait to RSVP!

***View 2 minutes on how to party – ATF style!

Hat tip: Health care policy analyst Brian Schwartz over at Patient Power.