Campaign's just begun, Mr. President

Mr. Obama admonished Sen. John McCain yesterday at the health care summit and reminded him the campaign is over.Sen. McCain had the nerve to attempt to bring up a major concern of the American people with Obama's health care insurance overhaul, specifically, the back room deals that were made to win the votes of certain Democrats.  It is irony at best that Mr. Obama would think the campaign is over when a WH staffer has been quoted as stating Mr. Obama's staff is actually gearing up the Chicago team for his re-election campaign. Mr. Obama also chastised Paul Ryan and Eric Cantor for carrying in the massive bills put forth by Congress.  He referred to the stacks of wasted paper as political props.  On one hand, he's angry with Republicans for not voting for those props, and on the other, he claims they now are not relevant, but rather his 11-page bill prototype is the topic for debate.  The CBO can't rate that prototype because it is void of specificity in terms of cost and spending.  Yet, the Dem's argued yesterday about cost from the CBO, conveniently ignoring the fact that Obama's own plan can't be rated.

I believe Mr. Obama sat across the room from Rep. Paul Ryan and also Mr. Cantor and saw potential opponents for 2012.  The president was so rude and dismissive of Paul Ryan that he spent most of Ryan's first allotted time with eyes diverted and listening to an aide talk in his ear.  He did not have the courtesy to pay attention, in part because he didn't like hearing the disagreement with having Kathleen Sebelius, an unelected WH appointee, determine the course of individual healthcare.  Mr. Obama came back quickly and said she would only be making those decisions for people in his new sytem, but we all know most of us will eventually end up in the ash heap of government controlled health care.  That was Mr. Ryan's point, but the president failed to allow him the reasonable opportunity to make his case.  His blatant display of direspect for Mr. Ryan's comments was indicative of the purpose of the entire exercise.  The summit was designed to diminish Republican ideas, ignore concerns and relevant questions, and allow the president yet another bully pulpit moment.  He intentionally ran out the clock, speaking more than either party combined.  It was very symbolic of the president and his interpretation of his office.  He does not view Congress as an equal partner in legislation development.  He is the infinite decision-maker and his comments are more valuable than those that must answer to their constitutents for their votes.  Mr. Obama's dominance yesterday was in fact, little more than a 2012 campaign stump speech for him.

The president commented afterward that the Democrats will move to pass the Senate bill, with or without the Republicans.  He fails to recognize that it just isn't the Republicans that he is going foward without, he's also going ahead without the support of the American people.  That type of political move is always a starting point for the next campaign and election season.

CSAP Testing to Sunset

When Arne Duncan was appointed by Mr. Obama as the Secretary of Education last year, his first call to action was increased spending for public education and overhaul of NCLB.An unprecedented amount of federal funds have been borrowed and printed to funnel to public schools.  George W. Bush was the first president to dramatically increase education spending, and he reached across the political aisle and signed Ted Kennedy's No Child Left Behind Act into law.  President Bush would never overcome the criticism of his action, along with accusations of failure to fund the Act.  In spite of record spending, it apparently was not enough. Colorado public school kids will take their last round of CSAP tests this spring.  Administrators are telling their teachers that the dreaded and much maligned CSAP tests will go away.  Maybe now teachers, both union and non, will have some other gripe besides having to "teach to the tests".  Most teachers had a real problem with being held accountable as to whether or not their students were proficient in basic math and reading.  They were forced to give up their own lesson plans and unable to insert their own particular diversity in how they taught and what methods were used.  Instead, from the first day of school, they were asked to focus on getting right down to business--teaching the basics so their students would produce good test scores the following spring.

To be fair, the system was indeed flawed in some ways.  Older students knew they could deliberately do poorly on the tests if they had a reason to get even with a certain teacher or their school in general.  Younger students were under alot of pressure to cram everything they'd learned all year into a couple days of testing.  Schools went to great lengths to get students ready to test.  Meals and snacks were provided; the promise of recognition and rewards for doing well.  Parents were educated on proper sleep required on the nights before tests, balanced with sufficient activity to prevent getting antsy in those testing seats.  All of that hassle will go by the wayside now, at least in Colorado. 

Secy Duncan came to his national position from being Superintendent of the Chicago Public Schools, often considered one of the worst systems in the nation.  During his term of service to the City of Chicago, he left behind failed and even closed schools, low graduation rates and his share of poor testing scores under the NCLB system.  Some would consider that a failed resume and indictative of a person perhaps not ready to lead the nation's public school districts.  An Obama loyalist and insider of Chicago and Illinois politics, Mr. Duncan is now our children's headmaster.

Mr. Duncan began his appointment last year by meeting with the largest national teacher's unions in the country.  He commented during an early interview that he had "lived through" the NCLB era under President Bush and as a result, he had a vision of more rigorous academic standards and accountability.  As that pertains to Colorado, some might wonder how public school officials are going to be able to monitor progress of students undergoing more rigorous learning if they aren't tested. 

The CSAP tests were very expensive for Colorado school districts.  Teachers and administrators felt the pressure of   government intrusion.  Teaching styles and curriculum preferences were shelved in order to teach in such as way as students would perform well, and subsequently, keep funds coming into the schools.  The tests are going away now and while all the details are not yet available, apparently under the direction of Arne Duncan, a new day is dawning for public school students in Colorado.  Our head of education out of Washington, D.C., brings hope and change, or at least we better hope so, otherwise, our schools may follow the trends of Chicago public schools under his guidance.

Teachers and administrators will almost always tell you what they believe is the answer to solving all problems in public education:  we need more money.  We've thrown more money at public schools in the last 10 years than ever before in history.  Our U.S. Constitution does not even delegate the responsibility of public schools to the federal level, but rather to state governments.   Arne Duncan doesn't just want to increase accountability and require more rigorous academic standards, he also wants to overhaul Division I college athletics, and Mr. Obama's "Organizing for America" group is recruiting high school students to volunteer this summer.  Required reading for young volunteers includes Saul Alinsky's, "Rules for Radicals".   Our First Lady gets into the act by instructing us on what to eat and how much.  Apparently, too many parents are too irresponsible to make good food choices for the family table. 

Administrators and teachers want more money and less govt. interference.  Parents want better grades and more accountability of teachers, including having bad teachers fired.  Mr. Obama wants to pacify teacher's unions and he also wants to get those young voters to join his initiatives to reorganize America.  Mr. Duncan wants more money, too, along with stricter student requirements and he wants to purge what he believes is a bad system in college basketball and football.  Mrs. Obama wants to bring her version of change to school lunches and student exercise initiatives. (Doesn't the Dept. of Agriculture set standards for food served in schools?  Is it possible we have yet another govt. agency that maybe isn't doing it's job satisfactorily?  Should we perhaps start there and leave American families alone?)

Maybe those that support home schooling and charter schools and choice in education in general have it right after all.  Keep government out of the classroom to the extent possible, unless of course, we decide to start teaching American history again that hasn't been revised to suit political agendas.

There ARE Rising Stars in the GOP!

Barack Obama and Ron Paul had something very much in common during the '08 campaign. Both won hearts and minds talking about fiscal responsibility and Bush bashing.  The key difference was Obama delivered his fencepost-up-side-the-head attacks on Bush with polished eloquence and Paul, with his tremulous, whiny voice, sounded more like someone's great-grandad sitting on the front porch ranting about issues of the day.  Ron Paul won the CPAC straw poll last night, at least among the college age attendees that voted.  When FOX News announced the results, they were quick to add that many people chose not to stand in line and cast a vote, suggesting the result isn't  especially signficant, but you can bet the liberal media and pundits such as the gang on MSNBC's Morning Joe tomorrow will have a boat load of fun with it.  They'll be quick to point out that the Republican Party still does not have a shining star at the helm.

Ron Paul is a stalwart against big government spending and along with his libertarian and anti-war points of view, he does have something to offer the disgruntled, especially Tea Party activists.  The combination of Ron Paul and an unpopular mainstream Republican candidate (selected for the most part by the liberal media) won the White House for Mr. Obama.  So, we want to go that route again in 2012?

There is a growing number of conservative Republicans, especially in the House of Representatives that are getting little press or attention.  As Mr. Limbaugh says, you can always tell which Republicans the Democrats fear most because they go after them with full force of their wrath and condemnation.  Identify, isolate and destroy.  The media has thus far been pretty successful in taking Bobby Jindahl off the national radar, yet the press conference he gave in anticipation of another hurricane instead of making a speech at the '08 Republican National Convention was incredible.  He is a man with remarkable leadership and organizational  abilities with staunch conservative values, not just in theory, but also in practice. He is also a joke amongst media types.

Indiana offers two conservative Republicans with impressive track records, and either would make an excellent presidential candidate.  Mike Pence and Mitch Daniels are often overlooked, but if you YouTube Pence's speech at CPAC a couple of days ago, he looks and sounds very much like the kind of conservative we need.  Governor Daniels presides over a state of fiscal reponsibility and black ink.  Cross the state line between Illinois and Indiana and immediately you'll see a vast difference in conditions of their roads and highways.  In spite of the likes of native Hoosiers such as David Letterman, Indiana has alot to offer America right now in terms of conservative leadership.  However, the suggestion that John Cougar Mellencamp may be a viable candidate for Evan Bayh's seat reminds us that even Red states have their share of looney liberals. 

We should also be taking a look at young Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.  He stood up to Obama at the Republican House Retreat a few weeks ago.  He has put forth an impressive and extremely workable, affordable alternative to ObamaCare.  It is simply a lie for anyone to continue to say that the Republicans offer no plan to health care reform.  As always, the Democrats' definition of bipartisanship means Republicans roll over and give them whatever they want without argument. 

The newly inaugurated governors of Virginia and New Jersey are both carrying the conservative torch and if they so continue, will have long careers in Republican politics.    John Thune and others have much to offer the Republican Party platform.  We have stars, but we need to start looking up rather than backward.  

God love Glenn Beck, and thanks to him for the hard work in exposing the truth about ACORN and many of the shady characters given jobs as czars in this administration.  At the same time, Mr. Beck will do the resurgence of the conservative movement more harm than good if he continues his rant against the Republican Party.  We all painfully understand that when the majority voted Obama into office, many were voting against Bush policies and spending.  Glenn forgets sometimes that presidents don't have the power to spend, only to recommend spending.  Spending, for the most part, spun out of control starting in '07 when power was handed to Pelosi and Reid.  At some point, we need to move past the overblown spending in the Bush Administration on initiatives like education and the prescription drug entitlement.  Those were Bush's versions of the coveted bipartisanship, and we see where they got him.  We get it.   Massive spending of money not yet earned, borrowing from China and printing whatever else we need is a really bad deal for America.  But we have people that agree with us and that are willing to freeze spending here, and slash it there.  We have people ready to govern within strict conservative boundaries.

The Tea Party folks have put forth a third party candidate in Nevada to run against Harry Reid.  Ron Paul is obviously still popular among many.  History shows us time and again that when one party splits, it also fails.  We can try to run Third Party candidates without the funding, clout and backing of the Republican Party and take our chances, or we can look to some bright young stars waiting to be discovered.  There are candidates that will govern with the conservative values we want and need.  Once they are elected, we must not go back to sleep politically and expect government to take care of itself.  We need to stay engaged, continue to organize town hall meetings frequently and write and call our representatives with demands that they adhere to their campaign promises.

Shovel-ready jobs for Republicans

George Will was the keynote speaker Thursday evening at the CPAC Convention. Mr. Will is a "Washington Insider" and conservatives out in the heartland of America often don't agree with him, myself included, but his speech was entertaining and at times, profound. Mr. Will concluded his comments Thursday with the analogy that Mr. Obama's policies and proposals are like sand pouring in around us, perhaps faster than we can keep it shoveled away.  He noted there is much work to be done between now and the elections in November 2010.  There is much sand to move and ground to cover in order to oust liberals and RINO's and replace them with true conservatives in Congress.  Mr. Will likened the work to 'shovel ready' jobs in keeping with the president's promise a year ago when he pushed for passage of his Stimulus Bill.

There are, indeed, shovel ready jobs for each concerned Colorado conservative voter.  We are a fortunate state, in that we have the caucus system.  We can gather with our neighbors in our precincts and discuss the issues and the candidates.  We can exchange knowledge and information we've gained through researching the candidates and attending debates between them.  We have an opportunity to select the best persons for the job openings in Colorado politics. 

We will not find the perfect fit for each job, but we have a duty to choose as carefully as possible and most importantly, we are duty bound to participate.  Once our primaries are over, Coloradoans must take up our shovels and begin the Big Dig out of stifling, smothering government spending, waste and intrusion into our lives before it quietly robs us of our freedoms and liberties and further bankrupts the futures of generations to come. 

This is Colorado!  Grab your shovel and help dig for 'gold'.  Be a part of the caucus process.  Contact your county GOP office and find out who your Precinct Leader is and where your precinct caucus meeting will be held.  A group of concerned citizens in El Paso County have obtained lists of registered GOP voters in each precinct and will walk neighborhoods between now and the March caucus, encouraging their fellow Republicans to come out and be a part of this great opportunity.   The GOP brand has faltered in recent years.  We can reverse that by reaching out to our neighbors and letting them know we are proud to stand with our party in Colorado and are committed to working hard to elect the best candidates.  The more people come together to work toward the common causes and support our candidates, the more the timid members of our party will feel better about standing with us.   We'll see a resurgence of the conservative movement and a return of Colorado to its "RED" status.

Is Tea Party movement still pure?

One year ago, Rick Santelli lit the fire on the idea that fed-up Americans should host a tea party. Santelli suggested he and others at the Chicago Board of Trade should host a Tea Party on the banks of the Chicago River on the Fourth of July.  Santelli was typically shredded by the media.  Afterall, the president had only been in office a month!  How could anyone in America have questions or concerns.  He promised change and a fundamental remaking of America and voters had bought it.  Santelli was maligned, but something happened. A month into the "Fundamental Changing of America" administration, the Middle began to close.  Conservative Democrats and Independents started to peel away the veil and questioned whether or not they had been misled.  Within weeks, Americans of all political persuasions started gathering in city parks, on court house steps, community centers and private homes.  Conservatives quickly dropped the "I TOLD you so!" attitude and Americans came together.  As the backgrounds and political opinions of Obama's Cabinet and Czars became knowledge and as spending spiraled beyond imagination, the gap began to close.

There is jockeying now for the hearts, minds and votes of the Tea Party movement.  Even the media speaks with newly gained respect toward the group they once trashed, lied about and called every name in the book.  Pundits that once claimed only hacks for health insurance companies were showing up at townhall's and tea parties now admit there just might be something to this whole concept of average Americans actually taking back their government.gathered in parks and town halls and court house lawns, holding up homemade signs, waving flags and doing their best to send a loud and clear message to governments of all levels that we are, T.axed E.nough A.lready.  Of course, any disagreement with government and spending eventually lands at the feet of the president, so the media loyalists rallied around the White House and did their utmost to discredit the 'angry mobs'.  Seeing that no respect was to be had and the intended message was ignored, patriots gathered steam, planned more parties and increased their numbers.  The more names they were called, the more vocal and visible they became. 

As April 15, 2010, approaches thousands of parties will take place but this time, Washington and the cable networks will be listening.  Instead of labeling participants with despicable names or claiming them to be hacks hired by health insurance companies to ride buses and hold up signs, those that take time off work or school, brave all kinds of weather and show up at their local party will be held in a bit higher regard.

The Tea Party movement has now captured the nation's attention.  With a clear majority of Americans considering themselves to be conservatives, the numbers grow as more and more people watch the decline of our nation on so many levels.   As with every movement, there are activists that organize and plan and facilitate, but this particular movement will survive only if the grass roots Americans that had the courage to show up at that first party continue to stand up for America.

Let's hope the movement remains true to its original purpose and intent.  There is much debate as to what exactly is the movement, where does it go from here, will it evolve into a Third Party in our system?  Those that have self-appointed themselves into leadership positions in the movement, like to dangle the carrot of a growing block of voters before both the GOP and the Democrats.   They claim no allegiance to any party, only to a set of conservative values and allegiance to those politicians intent on reform. 

There are rumors of the movement being infiltrated with liberals, progressives and anti-GOP independents.  Their purpose is to create as much malcontent with the Republican Party as possible and to split votes to the extent that  Team Obama/Reid/Pelosi remain in power.  The Democrats and the media did their best but the movement prevailed.  Conservative voices are winning elections and public figures such as Sarah Palin continue to draw huge crowds in spite of the media claiming otherwise and reporting poor polling numbers for Mrs. Palin.  They can't beat the movement, so is the next tactic to join it and thus destroy it?

The majority of the nation wants to clean up the many messes in our governmental systems--local, state and federal.  We should be wary of expecting perfection from any candidate and assuming there is one person out there that has a platform that totally lines up with every voter.  The Tea Party movement created interest and every day Americans can see that their voice can be heard and they do actually have an impact.   We must realize that Republican conservative candidates are our best choice if we are to impact spending, borrowing, debt, national security, jobs creation, taxation, the preservation of personal freedoms and liberties, reforms in health care costs and education.  The Democrat platform will entice us to believe that more spending, more Stimulus plans and more big government is the answer.  There is no such creature today as a fiscally conservative Democrat.  Don't be fooled into believing that both parties will somehow meld together into the hopes and dreams of the Tea Party movement. 

Last April 15th, Americans drew a line in the sand.   Before we cross that line, we need to be sure the candidates we vote into office are going to do the will of the people.