Second Amendment
Happy New Year from Clear The Bench Colorado – may 2010 be the last year in office for four Colorado Supreme Court justices
Happy New Year from Clear The Bench Colorado!
We hope that you will join us in making a New Year’s resolution to work this year towards the ouster of the four Colorado Supreme Court ‘unjust justices’ who continue to take money out of your pocket, erode your constitutional rights, and usurp the powers of other branches of government as they come up for a vote in November’s elections.
Looking forward for 2010, Matt and celebrity spokespup Nola (above) wish our fellow Coloradans a Happy New Year in their not-yet-seized-by-eminent-domain homes (as long as they can still afford the increased taxes to live there) and not too much pain from the second annual increase in their car taxes (er, vehicle registration “fees”).
Make one of your New Year’s resolutions a commitment to improve your political and financial health in 2010 by exercising YOUR right to vote “NO” on the four ‘unjust justices’ of the Mullarkey Majority (Justices Michael Bender, Alex Martinez, Nancy Rice, and Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey) who need YOUR approval to continue taking away your constitutional rights: your right to vote on tax increases, your right to defend your homes and business from seizure by rapacious governments, and your right to enjoy the benefits of the rule of law, instead of suffering rule by activist, agenda-driven “justices.” Please help support Clear The Bench Colorado with your comments (Sound Off!), your contributions, and your “NO” vote on retaining these unjust justices in 2010!
Merry Christmas to all (yes, even the Colorado Supreme Court) from Clear The Bench Colorado!
Merry Christmas from Clear The Bench Colorado!
In the spirit of the season today, no commentary or analysis on Colorado Supreme Court rulings that have taken money out of your pocket, eroded your constitutional rights, or usurped the powers of other branches of government. No comparisons of the Mullarkey Majority to the Grinch Who Stole Christmas…
Matt and celebrity spokespup Nola (above) just want to wish everyone a happy time at their not-yet-seized-by-eminent-domain homes and a safe, painless drive in their FASTER-taxed cars to Grandma’s house (assuming she can still afford the increased taxes to live there, for now and in Christmas future). Be merry and don’t think about taxes for now (although they’ll beat you up if you don’t hand it over).
Enjoy your Christmas present, but please act to save your Christmas future – exercise YOUR right to vote “NO” on the four unjust justices of the Mullarkey Majority (Justices Michael Bender, Alex Martinez, Nancy Rice, and Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey) who need YOUR approval to continue taking away your constitutional rights: your right to vote on tax increases, your right to defend your homes and business from seizure by rapacious governments, and your right to enjoy the benefits of the rule of law, not rule by activist, agenda-driven “justices.” Support Clear The Bench Colorado with your comments (Sound Off!), your contributions, and your “NO” vote on retaining these unjust justices in 2010!
Challenges to Campus Concealed-Carry Bans at CU, CSU will likely end up before Colorado Supreme Court
Friday’s vote by the CSU System Board to institute a “weapons control policy” on campus – essentially, implementing a ban on legal concealed carry of firearms by licensed permit-holders – joins a similar ban by the University of Colorado Board of Regents as policies virtually certain to be legally challenged and ultimately decided by the Colorado Supreme Court.
The CU Regents ban on responsible and licensed concealed-carry has already been challenged by students from different CU campuses; although a lower court judge dismissed the case on a technicality, it is now winding its way through the appeals process, and will almost certainly end up before the Colorado Supreme Court for a final decision.
The CSU ban stands on even shakier legal grounds than the CU ban – which has survived so far solely on the basis of the University of Colorado’s unique charter in which the General Assembly granted its ELECTED Board of Regents autonomous authority over all operations of CU’s campuses. (CSU does NOT enjoy a similar “special” status). Any legal challenge to the CSU ban has strong legal merit based on the clear letter and intent of the statute authorizing statewide standards and universal application for concealed-carry permits:
18-12-214. Authority granted by permit – carrying restrictions.
(1) (a) A permit to carry a concealed handgun authorizes the permittee to carry a concealed handgun in all areas of the state, except as specifically limited in this section. … A local government does not have authority to adopt or enforce an ordinance or resolution that would conflict with any provision of this part. (emphasis added)
The ONLY hope for this clearly unconstitutional ban to withstand the inevitable legal challenge – and the ongoing legal challenge to the CU ban – is if the Colorado Supreme Court refuses to follow the law (certainly not impossible, given the predilections of the Mullarkey Majority which dominates the 7-member court).
Fortunately, friends of liberty and the constitutional right to keep and bear arms can “head ‘em off at the pass” in November 2010 by voting to REMOVE FOUR of the most anti-constitutional justices on the Colorado Supreme Court (Justices Michael Bender, Alex Martinez, Nancy Rice, and Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey) BEFORE the challenge comes to a final resolution before the court.
Freedom isn’t Free – Defend YOUR Constitution, and exercise YOUR right to vote “NO” on retaining the four unjust justices of the Mullarkey Majority (Justices Michael Bender, Alex Martinez, Nancy Rice, and Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey) who need YOUR approval to continue taking away your constitutional rights: your right to vote on tax increases, your right to defend your homes and business from seizure by rapacious governments, and your right to enjoy the benefits of the rule of law, not rule by activist, agenda-driven “justices.” Support Clear The Bench Colorado with your comments (Sound Off!), your contributions, and your “NO” vote on retaining these unjust justices in 2010!
Friday Funnies: Colorado “Fee” Mania Unleashed – on Colorado Canines n’ Kitties?
Welcome to another belated edition of the Friday Funnies (hey, our graphics guy is on vacation – and artistic talent is NOT tied to the Y chromosome in my family) for the latest in our continuing cavalcade of canine & kitty clips…
The last week has brought even more additions to the litany of backdoor taxes (er, “fees”) being foisted on Colorado citizens. Apparently unconcerned with widespread opposition to the Colorado Car Tax, Governor Ritter picked a showdown with Colorado gun owners by proposing more new taxes (sorry, “fees“) on gun sales and concealed-carry permits to “balance the budget.” Hmmm, and I thought that “fees” were supposed to be related to the cost of providing a particular government service? Oh, right – that quaint notion was swept aside (along with other constitutional protections against tax increases) by our activist Colorado Supreme Court.
Sooner or later, though, our governor and legislature will run out of people they can target for tax hikes – can going after kittens and puppies be far behind?
Don’t let the Mullarkey Majority unleash even more taxes (er, “fees”) by our rabidly spendthrift governor and legislature - support Clear The Bench Colorado and vote “NO” on these unjust justices before they can make even more Colorado puppies and kittens sad.
Balancing the Budget with new “Fees?” Ritter Gun Tax joins Colorado Car Tax in Mullarkey-sanctioned TABOR runaround
Well, that didn’t take long.
In Monday’s article predicting that new “fees“, not new taxes, would be the preferred approach of the Governor and the Colorado Legislature to address our state’s “fiscal crisis” (in reality more of a spending issue, not a revenue shortfall), I’d thought (paraphrasing Will Rogers) that my wallet was safe until the Legislature was back in session. Although that’s still technically true (since the latest proposed “fee” increases still require legislative approval before going into effect), less than a day passed between my prediction and the first new “fee” proposal by Governor Ritter.
Ritter’s Colorado Gun Tax is the latest scheme to target a maligned minority group (gun-owners) to bear the burden of additional charges (pardon, “fees“) in order to exercise a constitutional right. Under Ritter’s proposed budget plan, the state would levy “a fee increase for background checks on gun sales” as well as increasing the fee for Concealed-Carry Weapons (CCW) permits.
This follows on the heels of the 2009 Legislative Session’s Tobacco Tax increase, HB1342 (technically, an elimination of the long-standing Colorado state tax exemption for tobacco products).
Does anyone think that our governor and legislators will stop with targeting gun-owners and smokers? Not by a long shot (pardon the pun); they’re just getting warmed up:
The “nearly $2 billion in tax credits, incentives, and exemptions in state law”- which includes exemptions on taxing groceries, internet access, gasoline, fuel for residential heat, etc. (view the complete list) – was previously shielded from legislative raids on your wallet by TABOR, until the Mullarkey Court declared “open season” on these credits as part of the “Mill Levy Tax Freeze” ruling.
Ritter and the Colorado Legislature were similarly prohibited from bypassing TABOR – and TABOR’s requirement for a vote of the people on tax increases – by raising taxes disguised as “fees” until the Mullarkey Court’s “November Surprise” ruling in the Barber v. Ritter case.
The Mullarkey Majority has been aiding and abetting the sticky fingers of state government in YOUR wallet. It’s high time to hold them accountable – vote “NO” on retaining these unjust justices in 2010.
Let’s Clear The Bench, Colorado!