Putting aside the science of global warming, imagine “permanent stagflation.” That was the dire warning that Heartland Institute’s James Taylor, senior fellow in environment policy,  gave to a packed audience at the Independence Institute last Thursday night.   Taylor was in Denver to provide the Denver Regional Council of Governments with a free market environmental perspective.   DRCOG should be commended for seeking a perspective beyond  the prevailing global warming alarmism.

Taylor’s warning referred to the economics of the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2008, which would have cut green house gas emissions nearly 70 percent by 2050.   Fortunately the bill died in the Senate.  

In his presentation, Taylor referred to the Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) which ran the U.S. Energy Information’s National Energy Modeling System on Lieberman-Warner. SAIC came up with low cost and high cost scenarios at both the national level and the state level.  

The numbers  for Colorado are ugly:

• Low Cost Scenario — by 2030 more than 55,000 jobs lost, 75 percent rise in baseline gasoline prices, 95 percent rise in baseline electricity rates, and $4000  lost in annual household income.
• High Cost Scenario — by 2030 more than 75,000 jobs lost, 140 percent rise is baseline gasoline prices, more than 130 percent rise in baseline electricity prices, more than $7000 lost in annual household income.

Taylor referenced another study from CRA International that had more sobering economic forecasts, although much better than what SAIC predicted.   By 2030 Colorado would lose 57,000 jobs, $1182 in lost household income and 2.3 percent loss in annual GSP (Gross State Product).

If that isn’t bad enough, Taylor cited more economics facts about our rush to halt climate change, which has lead to renewable energy mandates and a love affair with wind and solar.  Hopefully we can pay for it.  The US Energy Information Administration states that the average retail price of electricity in states with renewable power mandates is 42 percent higher than the price of electricity in states without mandates.   According to Business Week Magazine, wind is 2.5 times more expensive than coal power, and solar is even more expensive than wind.

Need more?   According to economists at MIT, mandatory greenhouse gas reduction would cost the typical family of four close to $5,000 each year.  

All of this assumes that we can actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions and that the benefits would be worthwhile. After sharing these facts and many more, Taylor then asked the audience to “think of our current economic crisis;” imagine “permanent stagflation.”   That’s what our economy would look like  had the  Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act passed.

Even though Lieberman-Warner died, president-elect Barack Obama is even more aggressive and wants to reduce  greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. With a super majority in the House and a near fillabuster proof Senate, he may be able to do so.

Even if Congress doesn’t pass greenhouse gas emissions legislation, Colorado residents still should prepare for dire economic consequences.  Just one year ago  Colorado Governor Bill Ritter released his Climate Change Action Plan, which his press release describes as  ”an ambitious call to action that establishes firm goals and clear strategies to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and also provides  simple suggestions so everyone in Colorado can  address global warming.”    

The Governor’s plan assumes “everyone” agrees that the science is settled, that we are willing to endure “permanent stagnation” for what would be miniscule eco-change, and that reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent below 2005 levels is even possible.   For an economic  critique of the Governor’s Climate Change Action Place, check out the Peer Review by Benajim Powell.

Ritter has said “Climate change is our generation’s greatest environmental challenge. It threatens our economy, our Western way of life and our future.”

I’d say he is right.   If  Ritter and global warming alarmists  mandate massive cuts in greenhouse gas emissions,  they will destroy our economy, our Western way of life and our future.   The only thing we will have to look forward to is “permanent stagflation.”

Once again illegal immigration put Greeley and Weld County in the national spotlight.   This time as ground zero for identity theft.   From one tax preparer alone, law enforcement found 1300 possible cases of identity theft.   Imagine, 1300 victims from all over the country whose lives have been violated and in some cases financially devastated while 1300 plus alleged criminals walk free among us.

According to 9News, suspected identity thieves netted some $1.6 million in tax refunds.    That isn’t the only cost.   Weld County taxpayers have shoulder the financial burden for the District Attorney’s office whose case load just increased by 50 percent; and the Sheriff’s Office which has to investigate, arrest and house the suspects.  

Retiring Senator Wayne Allard is the only member of Colorado’s congressional delegation to show any leadership on this issue.   As reported in the Greeley Tribune:  

“What is incredible is that the federal government, specifically the Internal Revenue Service, is enabling this,” Allard  said.   “Under current policy, the IRS is under no obligation to share information with other agencies upon the discovery of a Social Security number being used with multiple names, or in the case where it is discovered that an individual has more than one person reporting earnings for him or her during a single tax year. " 

Allard also again proposed a change to current law that would allow the IRS and Social Security Administration to share information on suspected illegal immigrants with the Department of Homeland Security, a change he proposed during this session.

Sadly the rest of the Coloardo congressional has shown zero leadership.   Most disappointing is congresswoman elect Besty Markey.   Weld County is her district but  Markey has been silent until quoted in the Tribune a week after the story broke, Congresswoman-elect Betsy Markey, D-Fort Collins, said Thursday that she hadn 't had a chance to speak with Allard about his proposal to close the information gap between the IRS and the Department of Homeland Security, but that she agrees the country needs to get control of the identity theft problem.

"We do need to start working on immigration reform, "  Markey said. "It's a complex problem. " 

Markey said any fix needs to meet demand from farmers for labor in their fields and still "bring people out of the shadows. " 

While I appreciate that Markey recognizes the difficulty of dealing with illegal immigration, the legislation that Senator Allard proposed is not complicated or “complex.”   It simply gives some help to law enforcement and requires federal agencies to share information.

According to Weld County commissioner elect Sean Conway, who is also Senator Allard’s chief of staff, Markey did not attend a meeting of the Colorado congressional delegation where they discussed Weld County’s identity theft problem.    He also said that Congressman elect Mike Coffman and Congressman Doug Lamborn may take a leadership role.    Comforting to know that Coffman and Lamborn who don’t even represent the 4th CD at least take pity on us.

Finally my interview with county commissioner elect Sean Conway is available on Audio on Demand.   As I stated in a previous post, Sean has some tough words for Governor Bill Ritter.     Beholden to the fringe environmentalists (as opposed to free market environmentalists), Ritter has promoted some of the most energy unfriendly policies that are certain to hurt the oil and gas industry in Weld County.

With Colorado’s unemployment at a 4 1/2 year high (and looking to go higher), perhaps the Governor should rethink any policies that will stifle Weld County’s economic lifeline.   With caring politicians like our Governor, who needs enemies?

More  details are emerging about the  Governor’s office possible attempt to intimidate and intervene into the Weld County voting process.   (See my previous posts for details) FacetheState.com posted a copy of the Governor’s Legal Counsel Trey Rogers’ email to Weld County Clerk and Recorder Steve Moreno.   According to FTS, Moreno said that Rogers’ claimed  the Governor’s  office was being “bombarded” with emails about possible voter intimidation.   Rogers denies making that claim despite the fact that his email to Moreno stated the Governor’s office received “calls” about the situation. Now Rogers says he received only one call.   That must have been some call  because by  7:39 a.m. on election day he was asking Moreno to call him “ASAP.”  

Any guesses as to who could complain to the Governor’s office within minutes of the polls being opened and spur the Governor’s Legal Counsel into action?

OK.   I know Barbara Kirkmeyer won the election for Weld County Commissioner in District 3.   It’s my district.   As I said all along, I have problems with how Kirkmeyer conducts business and manages money.   According to CompleteColorado.com, Weld County D.A. Ken Buck found probable cause that Kirkmeyer violated Colorado’s ethics statute for state employees.   However, there doesn’t seem to be any penalty for the possible violation.   Apparently state senator Scott Renfroe is going to address the lack of any penalty  in the upcoming legislative session.

Great.   My commissioner may have violated the state’s ethic clause and there’s nothing we can do.

I love Sean Conway.   His candor is refreshing.   That’s one of the many reasons why I endorsed him for Weld County Comissioner at-large.   On my show on Friday, County Commissioner elect Sean Conway  stated that the Governor “declared war on Weld County.” (Audio of the interview should be available shortly) Sean said Governor Ritter’s oil and gas policies along with his attempt at a massive serverance tax increase (Amendment 58 that voters defeated) was tantamount to fiscal war on Weld County.   I agree with Sean that Governor Ritter’s environmental policies  seek to  cripple the oil and gas industry and  have a devastating effect on Weld County’s economy.  

Sean also commented on the something I blogged about on election day when I stated that I thought the Left was trying to set up Weld County.   Sean believes the Governor’s office may have overreached when Ritter’s Chief Legal Counsel Trey Rogers emailed Weld County Clerk and Recorder Steve Moreno at 7:39 a.m. (a mere 39 minutes after the polls opened) on election day with a subject line: Please give me a call ASAP…

The following is the text of the email Rogers sent to Moreno.

We’ve had calls here about Weld County Sherriffs [sic] posted outside vote centers.   I spoke to Commander Spaulding there and learned that this is the case–deputies have been requested by your office at five centers for the entire day.   In light of some tactics in play this year (e-mails sent to voters saying they will be arrested if they try to vote and have unpaid parking tickets or bench warrants, etc.), couldn’t his [sic] cause intimidation? Please give me a call to discuss.   Thanks.

First of all, by 7:39 a.m. the Governor’s office already has had multiple calls about Sheriff’s deputies posted outside vote centers, a conversation was had with Commander Spaulding and an email was sent to Steve Moreno within 39 minutes of polls being opened.   My intuition tells me, these “calls” were from professional activists who wanted a reason if the election in Weld County didn’t go they way they wanted — a victory for Betsy Markey and Barack Obama.   Somebody had the Governor’s office on speed dial.  

Also, the Governor’s office has no legal standing in this issue.   Calls should have been directed to the Secretary of State or Weld County Clerk and Recorder Steve Moreno.   Seems to me the “intimidation” came from the Governor’s office as it tried to get involved in  Weld County  election procedures.  

Finally, from what I’ve heard we aren’t the only county to have law enforcement at vote centers.   I wonder if we were the only county who got an email and phone call from the Governor’s legal counsel?

With the results of Tuesday’s election a bit frightening for free marketeers, we have find humor where we can.   Check out this  video from the Onion.    I played the audio on my show today.  It’s hilarious! With the video, it’s even better.   Share it with all your friends, family and co-workers who annoyed you with their endless devotion to the Chosen One.   Enjoy!

After the election results, Maureen McGovern’s academy award winning song comes to mind. I admit the Left has lots about which to be happy.   They won the presidency and  a majority in both the House and the Senate (but not a filabuster proof majority).   Democrat Mark Udall won Colorado’s senate seat.   Betsy Markey defeated incumbent republican Marilyn Musgrave for the 4th CD.   It’s enough to make any conservative wonder if there is any bright spot.   I’m here to say that there is…

I’m proud of Colorado.  Voters said no  to children, K-12 education  and tax increases while saying yes to TABOR. In fact,  all three tax increases on the Colorado ballot have been defeated — soundly!   Amendment 51, a state sales tax increase earmarked for the developmentally disabled, went down to defeat with over 62 perecent of Colorado voters saying NO! Governor Ritter’s massive severance tax increase Amendment 58 went down with over 57 percent voting against it.   And the daddy of them all, Amendment 59 which according to state treasurer Cary Kennedy would “drive a stake through the heart of TABOR,” couldn’t even get support from 45 percent of Colorado voters.  

Also, Colorado voters preserved the referendum and initiative process by defeating Referendum O.

Another victory for conservatives is Amendment 54 which prohibits pay-to-play.   In other words, a contractor can’t donate to a campaign and then enjoy government no-bid contracts.   It also provides a searchable database for contracts.   This is a huge win for transparency and taxpayers.

As of this writing, Amendment 46, which prohibits gender and race based preferences in government, has not been decided.   Hopefully I’ll have good news for my show tomorrow.

And in what could be the biggest upset of the night, republican challenger Laura Bradford is leading incumbent democrat and Joint Budget Committee chair Bernie Buescher in House District 55 on the Western Slope.   With 79 percent of the precincts reporting, Bradford leads Buescher by more than 300 votes.   There will be a recount, but this has the potential to be an enormous upset because Buescher’s name was tossed around as the next Speaker of the House replacing term limited Andrew Romanoff.   This  could be  to Colorado what John Thune’s defeat of Tom Daschle was to the nation.

Truly there is some good news from this election. You just have to look for it.

Democrat challenger Betsy Markey thumped incumbent republican Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave.    I was so wrong.   I truly thought Musgrave would have a much better showing.   In fact, I thought she would win.   Congratulations to Betsy Markey.   Maybe Rolling Stone was right.   Now I’m waiting for the release of Deliverance II.

One more thing.   While I did not vote for Barack Obama because I do not agree with his policies, he will be my president.   I hope he will be the best president of the 21st century because we could use it. Congratulations to President Elect Barack Obama.

Is Weld County being set up as a cesspool of voter suppression and marginalization.   Why?   Probably so the Barack Obama Kool-Aid drinkers and Betsy Markey fanatics can claim the election in Weld County was stolen from them.   Afterall,  it couldn’t be that they  lost the election.  I see this as the set-up for a  legal challenge.    Remember, according to  Rolling Stone,  Greeley, Weld County and the 4th Congressional District should represent the sea change towards democrats as the voting demographics shift to more young latinos.   With the way Rolling Stone describes Northern Colorado and the 4th CD, expect a sequel to Deliverance —  Deliverance II: Weld County were the residents eye livestock with affection.   Also, we’ve gotten a lot of other national media attention as a possible “bellwether” region.   What if the “bellwether” indicates that Betsy Markey and Barack Obama will lose?

Let’s put the breaks on a couple of rumors that are circulating:

• Sheriff’s Office is suppressing voters and asking for identification. I spoke with both Weld County Clerk and Recorder Steve Moreno and Weld County Sheriff John Cooke both say that is COMPLETELY FALSE.   In fact, someone claimed he had a photo of it but so far that hasn’t materialized.
• Steve Moreno  is  disenfranchising  Spanish speaking voters.     Polls open at 7 am.   By noon MST/2 pm Eastern time a protest was planned and press releases were sent to all news outlets because “thousands of Spanish speaking voters are not finding translators available, have experienced delays in receiving translation assistance and may not get to vote today.”   Angie Diaz of the Progressive Coalition also claims “two polling sites available today are inaccessible without a vehicle, and inconvenient for any voter who has to work, has children, or does not have a car. Both locations are without convenient access to city public transportation.” This was reported in the Greeley Tribune courtesy of a press release but without the courtesy of Steve Moreno’s response.   Diaz also says that Moreno made written promises he did not keep.   If that bastian of journalistic intergrity the Greeley Tribune had called Steve, it would have found out that Diaz’s allegations are false.

I believe this was a staged political event designed to embarrass Weld County and create an air of uncertainty surrounding our election results.   Instead of making sure Weld County’s election process was running smoothly, our Clerk and Recorder was having to field calls from national media outlets who got word that Steve was making hard for Spanish speakers to vote.  

Furthermore, Governor Ritter’s office called the Sheriff’s office to complain that Sheriff Cooke (my husband) was campaigning this morning on the corner of 35th Ave and 10th St.   He waved signs from 7 am to 8 am for county comissioner candidate Sean Conway and presidential candidate John McCain.   Hey Pot! It’s Kettle! You’re Black!  

Questions: How much time and taxpayer dollars  do you think the Governor  spent campaigning this season?   Do you wonder why the Governor’s office is taking time of it’s day to call the WCSO to complain about our Sheriff’s activities from 7 to 8 am this morning?

One more development. Betsy Markey supporters showed up at the Trinity Luthern Church (a vote center) in Greeley to campaign.   The Church asked them to get off of its property.   Since this too was planned, the supporters had no intention of moving.   According to my sources, within minutes a call was placed to Obama’s lawyers, who then called Colorado’s Attorney General, who called the Secretary of State, who called Steve Moreno, who spoke with Trinity Lutheran saying the Markey supporters could campaign on Church property.

Let’s recap.   Within a few hours the Sheriff’s office is accused of voter suppression, the Clerk and Recorder is accused of marginalizing spanish speaking voters, a protest is executed, national media is all over the story, the Governor’s office is complaining about our Sheriff and the Markey campaign  practically has Obama lawyers on speed dial when confronted at a Greeley Church.  

I called Greeley City Councilwoman and active democrat Pam Shaddock about the developments.   She said that she was just “trying to get the facts.”   I asked if she thought Steve Moreno was trying to suppress Spanish speaking voters; she answered “no” but again she was trying to get the facts.  

My take is that the Left is trying to embarrass two good men  – Steve Moreno and John Cooke — and a good county  to make our election results suspect.   Perhaps they ought to try honest campaigning rather than staged political events and rumors, but then they face the honest prospect of losing.