Our Platform for Outlining Colorado’s Future

Images are from : http://markcronan.livejournal.com/ From HotAir: Beware the cult of personality in all its forms . From Wikipedia: A cult of personality or personality cult arises when a country's leader uses mass media to create a heroic public image through unquestioning flattery and praise. Cults of personality are often found in dictatorships but can be found in some democracies as well. A cult of personality is similar to general hero worship except that it is created specifically for political leaders. However, the term may be applied by analogy to refer to adulation of non-political leaders. Background Throughout history, monarchs were almost always held in enormous reverence. Through the principle of the divine right of kings , rulers were said to hold office by the will of God . Imperial China (see Mandate of Heaven ), ancient Egypt , Japan , the Inca , the Aztecs , and the Roman Empire (see imperial cult ) are especially noted for redefining monarchs as god-kings...

Issues : Keeping Americans Safe We must ensure that our intelligence and law enforcement efforts are able to address threats before they reach our shores. Reasons to agree: Addressing threats means learning about them, studying them, and working with other governments in stopping them. Reasons to disagree: Blow-back. If we don't "address threats" in a smart way, it might create resentment. Webpages that agree http://www.fbi.gov/ https://www.cia.gov/ http://www.state.gov/

Issues / Keeping Americans Safe Romney has said that, we should spend at lest 4 percent of GDB on defense. Reasons to agree This kind of investment will make up for critical gaps in the modernization of our equipment, personnel and health care efforts. We have typically spent about 4% of GDP on defense. 4% is a good amount, given our challenges. Most countries spend about 4% of their GDP. Sometimes people try to make a big deal about how we spend more than other countries, but that is just because our economy is so much bigger than most other countries. Indonesia spends a higher percent of GDP, so does China. Saudi Arabia spend about twice as much as we do. We have a lot of land. Our people are spread out over a large distance. Everyone wants to take out the big dog. We are the protectors of the free world from despotic, tyrannical countries that want to rule the world, and are willing to kill others to be in charge... We would like it if other democracies carried their portion...

Governor Mitt Romney and Drugs People should have to pass drug test to get government assistance . 2003 12-21-2005 ; Healey kicks off student drug testing program in New Bedford 02-21-2003a ; Governor Mitt Romney fights for prescription drug coverage for seniors 2005 12-20-2005 ; HEALEY EXPANDS SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT FOR WOMEN 07-28-2005 ; HEALEY ENDORSES MANDATORY OVERDOSE REPORTING BILL 2006 06-30-2006 ; ROMNEY VETOES NEEDLES BILL; Says legislation will worsen heroin crisis by loosening drug paraphernalia laws 12-21-2005 ; HEALEY KICKS OFF STUDENT DRUG TESTING PROGRAM IN NEW BEDFORD Also see Gangs People should have to pass drug test to get government assistance. Reasons to agree I have to pass a drug test to work. I hate work. I wish I could get money for doing nothing. If I have to pass a drug test, to have the honor of working, people should have to pass a drug test, if they want free money. Like a lot of folks in this state I have a job. I work, the...

Issues / Raising the Bar on Education Governor Mitt Romney said everyone benefits when parents and kids can choose their schools. I would like to hear your reasons to agree or disagree ; until then, here are my Reasons to agree with Romney: It is best to trust individuals to make decisions for their own lives . Choice is good . School choice is good . Parental Rights and Practicality: While school choice might not be feasible for every family, it honors parents' rights to choose the best educational path for their children, whether Catholic, public, or any other type of school. Informed Decisions: With the freedom to choose, media outlets could offer evaluations and comparisons of schools, fostering a culture where education is a priority, akin to everyday consumer choices. This increased scrutiny and interest could lead to better-informed decisions about children’s education. Choice and Access: Just as bookstores and libraries coexist, providing choice doesn't necessa...

Reasons to agree We should invest in infrastructure projects critical to the national economy and its flow of goods and people, instead of funding home-district pork.

Issues / Strengthening Latin American Allies and Confronting Tyrants We should weaken the threat of the Castro regime. Reasons to agree Castro has political prisoners. We should not sit down for coffee with dictators when they put their citizens in jail for what they think. Castro helped the Soviet Union sneak nuclear weapons into Cuba. JFK had to stand up to Khrushchev in order to get them out. Castro was the leader of his country for 49 years. No one should have power that long. Cuba only has one party. One party government is bad . Governments should not be allowed to control the media . Castro controls the media, including the internet. Cubans are rarely permitted to travel abroad. This country is a cage. Cubans are never permitted to create political organizations At best Castro has maintained Cuba's pre-1959 level of development, but at an "extraordinary" cost to the overall welfare of Cubans. When castro was in school he apparently collaborated in a...

We must not allow a nuclear-9-11 . We must not allow a nuclear Pearl Harbor. We should take Ahmadinejad at his word . We should tighten economic sanctions against Iran . We should isolate Iran diplomatically . We need to communicate to the Iranian people the dangers of being nuclear capable . Iran is seeking nuclear weapons . Iran's nuclear ambition has nothing to do with clean energy . We should not assume that Iran will act responsibly when they have the bomb . We are faced today with the horrific proposition that those who speak of genocide are developing the capability to carry it out. It's time to face the reality of the Iran ian threat, take Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at his word and act accordingly. We must tighten economic sanctions against Iran , isolate Iran diplomatically, and make it clear to the Iran ian people that while nuclear capabilities may be a source of pride, it can also be a source of peril. CHALLENGE : We are faced today with the horrific propositi...

Issues / Combating Nuclear Terrorism Reasons to agree: Iran has a virtually inexhaustible supply of clean natural gas for energy, but yet the French and Russians are building nuclear reactors for them. I wonder why? Iran has refused offers from us to supply nuclear fuel for their power. I wonder why? A country, like Iran, that says that Israil should be wipped off the face of the planet should not be allowed to own nuclear weapons. We have no problems with Iran getting their power from Nuclear Weapons. We even said we would help them. But they want to use it for weapons, and the argument doesn't work that America has them and so everyone should be able to have them, because in the 50s everyone got together and agreed their was a balance of power between Russia and America, but if Iran gets them, then Saudia Arabia has to get them, and if they get them, Egypt has to get them, and if Egypt gets them their enemies get have to get them, and so everyone signed an agreement that ...

Reasons to disagree More people die from alcohol than terrorism. 85,000 people die each year because of alcohol Link 5% of all deaths from diseases of the circulatory system are attributed to alcohol. 15% of all deaths from diseases of the respiratory system are attributed to alcohol. 30% of all deaths from accidents caused by fire and flames are attributed to alcohol. 30% of all accidental drownings are attributed to alcohol. 30% of all suicides are attributed to alcohol. 40% of all deaths due to accidental falls are attributed to alcohol. 45% of all deaths in automobile accidents are attributed to alcohol. 60% of all homicides are attributed to alcohol. 100,000 deaths. That's more than a statistic. That is 100,000 individuals with faces. 100,000 individuals with lives not fully lived. 100,000 individuals grieved by mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and children. Every year. An aggressive China that is willing to kill thousands of people in order to expand, woul...

4.      False. Obama turns 47 on August 4, and if elected would be the 5th youngest person to be president. In fact he will be over 4 years older than Teddy Roosevelt was when he was sworn in after McKinley's assassination, and older than JFK, Clinton, and Grant were when elected. Where are you getting your facts? Obama would be tied for the 2nd youngest person to be elected president. Reasons to agree Teddy Roosevelt is the youngest person ever to become President, but he became President at age 42 after the assassination of President McKinley . He was not elected president. People never said, we are comfortable with someone this young being president. JFK was 44. Clinton was 47. Obama would be 47. Teddy Roosevelt, JFK, and Clinton were more experienced than Obama. Reasons to agree Harry Truman was right when he said that JFK was too young . Barak's only jobs before becoming elected to the senate were an associate attorney for 3 years, a...

Obama quotes JFK that we should never negotiate out of fear, but that we should never fear to negotiate. He then says that he would have one on one meetings with the president of Iran. Like a lot of things Barak says, this is very idealist and naïve. It is not fear that keeps us from negotiating with the president of Iran, but honor. The president of Iran kills intellectuals, tortures political opponents, crushes anyone who writes something in a newspaper or blog that is seen as criticizing him.   You don't sit down for a photo-opportunity and coffee with THE GUY who supports Hezbollah, funds insurgents in Iraq, denies the old holocaust, but promises a brand new holocaust.   It is honor for the dead that he has killed and wants to kill that keeps us from speaking to the president of Iran. It is respect for the political prisoners that have been silenced that keeps us from having a photo-op with the president of Iran. It is respect for a free press that keeps us from having...