Tomorrow is a big day in the land of liberty. We’ve got two events going on, back to back.

The first is Taxpayer Day at the Capitol. The Independence Institute is proud to join forces with Americans for Prosperity and other liberty minded organizations including The 9-12 Project Colorado Coalition, The Gadsen Society, Liberty on the Rocks, Peoples Press Collective, and the Western Slope Conservative Alliance. Aren’t you tired of special interests sending their lobbyists to the Capitol to promote their own pet projects and pet issues? Well, tomorrow is our chance to unite as taxpayers and represent our interests to those inside the Colorado State Capitol. After all, taxpayers are the largest “special interest” group in Colorado — it’s about time we use our large numbers. Besides, ignoring us taxpayers makes you look as silly as Austin Powers. (Even the Denver Post has written about it!)

Please join us on the west steps of the State Capitol at noon!

The second event is a health care policy roundtable co-sponsored by the Heartland Institute. This event will be taking place at the Denver Public Library from 2 to 5pm. Click here for the agenda including speakers and topics. If you’d like to join us for the health care roundtable, please call Mary MacFarlane at 303.279.6536 or RSVP online here.

On Wednesday, March 10th, the Independence Institute is co-hosting a health care policy roundtable with Chicago’s Heartland Institute. We would love to have you come out and take part in our discussion. To RSVP online click here, or give us a ring at 303.279.6536.

The party starts at 2pm at the Denver Public Library in downtown Denver. Below you’ll find the agenda (click for PDF):

Obama likes to believe that he’s the audacious type. And what could be more audacious than facing quantifiable clear results in one state and ignoring them completely? Actually, ignoring might be an understatement. It’s not just ignoring if you deliberately act in a way exactly opposite of what the facts are telling you. What I’m referring to is the “Massachusetts model,” also known as “Romney Care.”

In 2006 Massachusetts, perhaps without even knowing it, conducted what any good scientist loves: an experiment. They implemented under then Republican Governor Mitt Romney, a health care model that shares most of the features as the much maligned “Obama Care.” We’re talking individual mandates, massive subsidies, regulations, higher taxes, and a state government that ballooned larger than one of the contestants on the Biggest Loser after the show ended.

This health care experiment has taken Massachusetts to a predictable result at present day: skyrocketing medical costs, poor care, crushing medical bureaucracies, uninsured citizens – despite the mandate, and ultimately, cries for price controls. In this Wall Street Journal piece, the devastation of Romney Care is revealed:

… average Massachusetts insurance premiums are now the highest in the nation. Since 2006, they’ve climbed at an annual rate of 30% in the individual market. Small business costs have increased by 5.8%. Per capita health spending in Massachusetts is now 27% higher than the national average, and 15% higher even after adjusting for local wages and academic research grants. The growth rate is faster too.

What these nightmare statistics mean is that the Democratic Governor Deval Patrick, evidently summoning his inner Richard Nixon, proposed for hard price control across the health care spectrum.

Yes, you read that right: proposed PRICE CONTROLS in the year 2010!

So let me get this straight. Government comes in, takes over an entire industry, forces its citizens to partake in the ugly mess, and then after the massive failure is endured for several years, decides to “fix” the situation it created by implementing price controls. Makes sense right?

And what does our audacious president think about this mess? He wants to take the incredible Massachusetts health care failure and apply it to the entire United States!  It’s the health care “big dig!”

In case you didn’t see it the first time around, here is our video response to expanding Romney Care to the entire country, starring my very own Independence Institute web monkey.

Adam Schrager from 9News sat down with me the other day to discuss our initiative to opt Colorado out of Obama Care. In addition to answering his questions, I also had the opportunity to answer questions from viewers. Watch the video, courtesy of Channel 9 here.

Come join me on the west steps of the Capitol at noon. Show your support for our great state, and say NO! to federal mandates!

…It’s good to remember that the states created the federal government and not the other way around. As Obama Care becomes closer to reality, we in Colorado have the right to say “No.” This is a chance for freedom loving people from across the state to come together and send the Colorado General assembly a simple message: Defend Colorado against Obama Care in the legislature, or we the people will do it at the ballot…

Rally @ the Capitol to Exempt Colorado from Obama Care!

When: January 19th @ Noon

Where: West steps, Capitol building

Why: To defend state’s rights against Obama Care!

Speakers: Jon Caldara, President of the Independence Institute, Representative Cindy Acree, and more to be announced later!

At the rally, we will be introducing language for a ballot initiative to amend the Colorado Constitution to excempt Colorado from Obama Care. We need to send a very strong and unified message to lawmakers that while we want them to say yes to defending Colorado, we are also ready, willing and able to move forward with the citizen initative process should the legislature fail us.

Join our movement on Facebook here!

Can 2,000 plus pages of new and increased taxes, mandates and regulations really insure the uninsured, reduce health care costs and bring down the deficit? There are a lot of big promises coming out Washington D.C. these days. On this week’s Independent thinking, Colorado Congressman Jared Polis joins me to talk about the health care bills being reconciled in Congress, and what the result might mean for Americans. That’s 8:30 PM tonight on KBDI Channel 12, Denver. Re-broadcast the following Monday at 1:30 in the afternoon.

In Senior Fellow Penn Pfiffner’s last podcast with Constitutional Law professor Rob Natelson, they came to the conclusion that Obama Care, with all its federal regulations and mandates, is absolutely unconstitutional.  Evidently, the legendary George Will agrees.  In “That Rock in the Health Care Road? It’s Called the Constitution,” George says,

Unless the commerce clause is infinitely elastic — in which case, Congress can do anything — it does not authorize Congress to forbid the inactivity of not making a commercial transaction, of not purchasing a product (health insurance) from a private provider.

Senator Orrin Hatch notes that if Congress can force citizens to buy products that will help the economy, then the Keynesian stimulus disaster “Cash for Clunkers” was not needed. Congress could have simply forced people to buy cars with the help of subsidies.

Show your support for state’s rights and come on out to our Free Our Health Care Rally next Tuesday!  After all, George Will would.

Welcome to the new year! I can’t believe it’s only 2 weeks into 2010 and I’ve managed to make and break all my resolutions, one of which was to not break anymore resolutions.

But there is one resolution that we at the Independence Institute made as a whole and will not break under any circumstance: We pledge to defend Colorado from Obama Care. Despite what the big spenders in DC seem to think, we believe in state’s rights, and wish to opt Colorado out of all the mandates, regulation, and corporate welfare that is the core of Obama Care. To help kick off our struggle to free our health care, we are hosting a rally at the Capitol next Tuesday, the 19th.

We are meeting at 11am on the Capitol building’s west steps. I will be speaking along with Representative Cindy Acree. Other speakers will be announced later.

Please come out and support our movement to exempt Colorado from Obama Care! Let’s show the rest of the states that they too can defend themselves against this government takeover. If you’re on Facebook, join our Defend Colorado Facebook group!

I promise to do everything in my power to defend Colorado from Obama Care. Will you help me?

Help Colorado opt-out of Obamacare!!  I’m calling for an amendment to the Colorado Constitution that would opt Colorado out the onerous health insurance mandates coming out of Washington DC.

Show your support for this idea by joining Defend Colorado today!  Colorado has a right to decide how we choose to deal with health care and it is my goal to make sure that Washington doesn’t jam Obamacare down the throats of us Coloradans. Check out the Denver Post’s take on my announcement.

How you can help…

Become a Defend Colorado fan on Facebook

Support our education efforts by making a tax deductible donation to the Independence Institute