Allow me to be sexist for a moment here. Guys, this blog post doesn’t apply to you. Ladies, please listen up:

Tickets are still available for the Fall Independent Women’s Luncheon on Thursday, Oct. 27th at the Denver Country Club from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Our keynote speaker will be Nicole Neily who serves as Executive Director of the Independent Women’s Forum. Nicole will be speaking on the issues of the day and how women have played an important role in the history and direction of our country.

Tickets are $40.

To RSVP online, go here. Or call Mary MacFarlane at 303-279-6536 ext. 102 or email mary@i2i.org

What an event! I can’t begin to describe to my readers how incredibly epic our Constitutional Law event was last month. Our two resident ConLaw scholars Dave Kopel of the University of Denver Law School and Rob Natelson, formerly of the University of Montana Law School wow’ed the crowd with their presentations. We completely sold out the Antlers Hilton auditorium down in Colorado Springs with hundreds of liberty loving nerds who wanted to learn more about the supreme law of the land – our Constitution. In case you missed it, or wanted to relive it again, we’ve got the entire event posted on YouTube. You can find the playlist here.

I also wanted to post the schedule of the event that you will see on the videos, including the lecture titles from Rob and Dave. Here is what was presented in order:

Below are the 4 videos from the event:

PART 1:

PART 2:

PART 3:

PART 4:

Hellooooo Intertube world! Things are exploding over here at Independence. It seems everyone around our little liberty village has something to say. First up, we’ve got some brand new Issue Papers. Under the guidance of Amy Oliver, Colorado’s Queen of Transparency, Kyle Huwa wrote Issue Paper number 6 titled, Governor’s Energy Office Needs a Dose of Sunshine. From the executive summary:

The Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) of the State of Colorado spent a total of $121,652,884.75 from January 2008 to November 2010. This report aims to clarify and provide transparency to the GEO’s spending. Despite best efforts, the exact nature of many of the expenditures remains unclear.

Indeed, the governor’s energy office’s spending remains unclear to the very people who made that spending possible – us taxpayers. Let us check the books!

Next up we have an extremely timely Issue Paper from Senior Fellow and ex-Professor of Economics at CU Barry Poulson. Along with co-author John Merrifield of the University of Texas, Barry wrote Issue Paper number 7, Proposition 103: What is the Cost to Colorado Taxpayers? It turns out (surprise surprise) that the estimated $2.9 billion tax increase known as Prop 103 will actually cost taxpayers closer to $6 billion. Not to mention over 11,000 jobs and a whopping $2,711 per household! But hey, it’s “for the children” right?

While we’re on the subject, I’d like to remind everyone about a free event coming up that will focus on our state’s budget issues with a long-term view. It’s called Colorado’s Long-Term Budget Dilemma: Two Perspectives. The event is this Tuesday the 11th, downtown at the Denver Press Club. So who are the two perspectives? One will be our very own Fiscal Policy Center Director Penn Pfiffner, who will talk about the findings from our Citizens’ Budget project. The other perspective will be Phyllis Resnick, principal economist for DU’s Center for Colorado’s Economic Future who will be presenting the findings from DU’s study, Financing Colorado’s Future: An Analysis of the Fiscal Sustainability of State Government. We hope you’ll join us for this informative and FREE event next week!

In other exciting news, Transportation expert and Independence Institute Senior Fellow Randal O’Toole will be in town next week! In case you are unfamiliar with Randal, you can check out his blog, The Antiplanner and his latest book, “Gridlock: Why We’re Stuck in Traffic and What to do About It.” Randal will be in town for just a couple days but in that short time he’ll be hosting three events. The first is on Tuesday the 11th at Gander Mountain in Thornton. Randal will be presenting to Hear Us Now on his book, “The Best Laid Plans.” The event is free and will start at 6pm. On Wednesday the 12th, Randal will be heading up to the Olive Garden in Boulder for a lunch event. Here are the details for the Boulder event found on the Land Use Coalition’s webpage. Finally, that same Wednesday the 12th, Randal is going to be the featured speaker at a special Liberty on the Rocks event. Here are the event details:

The True Environmental Impact of Rail ProjectsConverse and drink with fellow liberty enthusiasts on Wednesday, October 12 at Choppers Sports Grill in Cherry Creek from 7-9 pm!

Our special guest for this bonus happy hour will be Randal O’Toole of the CATO Institute, who will spend 10-15 minutes (followed by Q & A) discussing the harmful impact high speed rail has on the environment (despite claims that it is about “going green”).

When: Wednesday, October 12 from 7-9 pm
Where: Choppers Sports Grill | 80 S. Madison Street in Denver (in the back room)

Last week I wrote:

I want to alert my readers of an event happening this Wednesday, October 5th from 8 to 9:15am. The South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce will be holding a forum on the real world impact school vouchers have on education. On one side will be our Education Policy Analyst Ben DeGrow and on the other side, opposing vouchers, will be someone from the Colorado ACLU. I’ve been told that this event is less a debate and more a public forum.

Here is an idea of the format: Each participant will have approximately 3-4 minutes for some opening remarks, intros, etc. That will be followed by 4-5 questions posed by the moderator. Then it will open up to questions from the audience followed by closing remarks. It will be held at the South Metro Chamber down in Centennial.

So here’s the update: I just found out that the forum will indeed be open to the general public. People can just show up on a first come, first serve basis. The Chamber does not believe that the event will sellout so seating should not be an issue. Please go check this out!

We have a brand new event for you guys on our state’s long-term budget woes. We know you’ve heard about DU’s budget study and our Citizens’ Budget report, but have you heard both perspectives in the same room at the same time?!? Probably not! Here is the information for our upcoming event next Tuesday the 11th.

Colorado’s Long-Term Budget Dilemma: Two Perspectives

Penn Pfiffner, Independence Institute Fiscal Policy Center Director and Citizen’s Budget Author will offer his budget perspective based on the findings of our Citizens Budget project.

Phyllis Resnick, principal economist for DU’s Center for Colorado’s Economic Future will offer DU’s recent findings on Colorado’s budget from their report Financing Colorado’s Future: An Analysis of the Fiscal Sustainability of State Government.

October 11, 2011
2 P.M. to 4 P.M.
At the Denver Press Club
1330 Glenarm Place
Denver, Colorado

Admission is FREE! Advance reservation is required. RSVP online to Mary MacFarlane at Mary@i2i.org.
Or call Mary at 303-279-6536, ext. 102

Hope to see you there!

The Independence Institute and the Colorado Springs Gazette are pleased to present the upcoming event in Colorado Springs: A Constitutional Guide to Fighting Federal Overreach.

Come join Independence Institute constitutional scholars David Kopel and Rob Natelson on Friday, September 30 from 2:00 to 6:00 PM at the downtown Antlers Hilton for this important program designed to arm citizens with reliable, factual information they need to help restore liberty and constitutional government in the United States. Participants will also learn how to identify constitutional myths that, intentionally or not, can undermine the cause.

The program discusses:
* Why the Constitution was adopted and what purpose it serves
* Untruths about the Founders and the Founding spread by those who seek to discredit it
* How the Constitution was to be interpreted.
* What key provisions in the Constitution really meant.
* How politicians and courts have destroyed limits on federal power and driven America toward bankruptcy
* How you can use the tools provided by the Constitution to help restore the Founders’ vision
* And much more!

David Kopel is Research Director of the Independence Institute and one of the nation’s leading experts on the Second Amendment. The author of numerous books and articles, he also teaches Advanced Constitutional Law at the University of Denver.

Rob Natelson is Senior Fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence at the Independence Institute. He was formerly professor of constitutional law at the University of Montana, and has authored numerous books and articles, including the 2010 book, The Original Constitution: What It Actually Said and Meant.

Register online here. Or Call Mary at (303) 279-6536, Ext. 102. Cost is twenty dollars and space is limited.

If you haven’t seen Waiting for Superman, it’s time you do!

Join us at our offices for a free viewing of Waiting for Superman on Tuesday, September 13, at 7:00 PM (doors open at 6:30 PM.) The film provides the compelling stories of five unforgettable students who are desperate to escape failing schools. Seating is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Popcorn and candy will be available. Donations to the Independence Institute will be accepted.

Waiting for Superman’s director Davis Guggenheim sat down for an interview with education policy analyst Ben DeGrow last October before the film’s debut in Colorado. Guggenheim discusses the film’s education reform themes, his optimistic assessment of Colorado’s reform agenda, and ideas for motivated film goers to take action and help improve American public schools. Listen to this iVoices.org podcast here.

The Independence Institute and the Colorado Springs Gazette are pleased to present the upcoming event in Colorado Springs: A Constitutional Guide to Fighting Federal Overreach.

Come join Independence Institute constitutional scholars David Kopel and Rob Natelson on Friday, September 30 from 2:00 to 6:00 PM at the downtown Antlers Hilton for this important program designed to arm citizens with reliable, factual information they need to help restore liberty and constitutional government in the United States. Participants will also learn how to identify constitutional myths that, intentionally or not, can undermine the cause.

The program discusses:
* Why the Constitution was adopted and what purpose it serves
* Untruths about the Founders and the Founding spread by those who seek to discredit it
* How the Constitution was to be interpreted.
* What key provisions in the Constitution really meant.
* How politicians and courts have destroyed limits on federal power and driven America toward bankruptcy
* How you can use the tools provided by the Constitution to help restore the Founders’ vision
* And much more!

David Kopel is Research Director of the Independence Institute and one of the nation’s leading experts on the Second Amendment. The author of numerous books and articles, he also teaches Advanced Constitutional Law at the University of Denver.

Rob Natelson is Senior Fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence at the Independence Institute. He was formerly professor of constitutional law at the University of Montana, and has authored numerous books and articles, including the 2010 book, The Original Constitution: What It Actually Said and Meant.

Register online here. Or Call Mary at (303) 279-6536, Ext. 102. Cost is twenty dollars and space is limited.

If you were crazy enough to miss our 9th annual ATF Party this past Saturday, you missed the very funny and entertaining keynote speaker Mary Katharine Ham. But as always, we’ve got you covered. Below you will find the YouTube playlist of Mary Katharine’s remarks and the Q and A that followed.

If you were one of the many who did not make it to our Patrick Michaels event last Thursday (it was sold out), then boy do I have a treat for you. Here is the lecture that Patrick gave to our sold out crowd. Enjoy!