A Modest Proposal. Now is the time for Colorado Republicans to Charge.

[Justin]

Given the stunning victories in the recall elections, it's probably safe to say that the state party Democrats are wandering around in a daze of befuddlement and shock. If this is the case, the Republicans need to redouble their efforts and push a fast and furious agenda before the Democrats have a chance to catch their breath and regroup.

As such, I think the Republicans should come back with a list of legislative efforts aimed at setting things right, and maybe extracting a pound or two of flesh.

Guns:
1.) Immediate proposal to repeal the idiotic magazine ban.
2.) Immediate proposal to repeal the Universal Background Check law.
3.) Immediate proposal to repeal the gun show background check law.
4.) An open invitation to any and all companies related to guns and gun accessories to open up shop in Colorado. This should be accomplished by offering tax incentives and the like.*
5.) Incentives to aid in the construction of shooting ranges.
6.) Some sort of public support for Colorado's hunting, plinking, and competitive shooting cultures. I don't know what this would look like, but a bill geared at bringing back the hunters and competitions driven out of the state would be great. (I'd like to hear suggestions on what form that could take.)
7.) Allow anyone with a valid concealed carry permit to carry in schools.
8.) Constitutional carry.


Weed:
1.) Whatever it was that Morse was dragging his feet on regarding Amendment 64, get rid of it, and institute the will of the people.
2.) Get behind the bill to allow dispensaries access to financial institutions.

-This helps build a coalition with some of the hippy-libertarian types, and also allows them to play the "job creator" card, even if those jobs aren't the sort of thing a typical Republican would approve of.

Taxes/Business Development
1.) Look into passing bills that would incentivize BD in Colorado and boost job growth. (I'm not savvy enough to know what such a bill would look like.)


Rural Power
1.) I'm not familiar enough with this issue to weigh in, but the bill that caused power bills to go up for people in rural districts should probably be repealed.

General Infrastructure Development
1.) Propose bills to get back to the mainstay of government, which is to pave the roads.

Social Issues
Stay the fuck away from abortion, gay rights, or anything to do with the pill. That stuff's a third rail that will drive away libertarian types and moderate voters, and is the Democrat equivalent of the Bat Signal.




Would all of these bills pass?
Probably not, but the point should be to force the Democrats to blink. They're hurting right now, and a series of bills that would force them to either capitulate to us or double down on the same sort of idiocy that got two of their party leaders recalled is a win for us in either case. If they repeal the bills, things go back to being good. If they refuse to go along, it gives the Republicans yet another stick to beat their opponents with in the next election.


Thoughts?



*This offers us at least a couple of advantages. It gives the Republicans some talking points on helping to get Colorado's economy moving again, makes them look like job creators, and helps to build a base of businesses that have a vested interest in keeping Colorado pro-gun. MagPul did some amazing work fighting the idiotic gun control proposals, and I would love to live in a state that has a half-dozen Magpul-level companies.

[Aloha_Shooter]

Inviting gun-related industries back into Colorado doesn't work until the gun control legislation is repealed. As far as the weed legislation goes, I'd go as far as proposing weed be taxed like alcohol or gaming industries. On the rural power, just repeal the recent bill boosting rural rates to pay for Denver-based "green" crap.

Republicans need to show some fiscal discipline so I would NOT spend public funds on shooting ranges; instead, pass legislation that removes obstacles to privately-funded shooting ranges like the BS environmental appeals and whiners complaining about the noise.

Need to dump the $1.1B PERA payoff masquerading as an education tax as well as the other tax increases Morse pushed through.

Most importantly, they should push for public comment from Coloradans who were shut out (no out-of-staters and no repeat testimony) on all legislation passed in the last session. Overwhelm Hickenlooper and the remaining Democrats with the voice of the people so we can continue to press the point that the recalls were about Morse and Giron violating the democratic process, not just some push by the "gun lobby".

[DavieD55]

Don't forget to throw in HB13-1303 AKA the "Voter Access & Modernization Act" to your list of things to repeal right off the bat.

[Justin]

AlohaShooter, your criticisms are valid, however, I'm not looking for a policy debate so much as a wishlist designed to piss off the remaining Democrats.

[O2HeN2]

Social Issues
Stay the fuck away from abortion, gay rights, or anything to do with the pill. That stuff's a third rail that will drive away libertarian types and moderate voters, and is the Democrat equivalent of the Bat Signal.

Bingo. The reasons I jump ship to the libertarians whenever possible. Freedom results in people doing things that you may not like. If you don't like it, don't do it. If you really do believe in God, he'll fry 'em all in good time.

O2

[merl]

Justin, Do you have any inroads to the R party that you could pass polished proposals to? I like you list and would expand #5 to protect existing ranges as cities spread up to them.

[DeusExMachina]

The grassroots conservatives won the recalls, and the Republican party must yield to the people or face them too.

[<MADDOG>]

The grassroots conservatives won the recalls, and the Republican party must yield to the people or face them too.

This.

Based on what I hear on 740 & 630 AM, CO voters are pretty sick of both the Democrat and Republican parties, as both have their own agendas and special interest groups. In taking a look (http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elec...artyStatus.pdf), CO voters are pretty much split 3 ways with registered Democrat, Republican, and Independent voters.

Long story short- The Republicans will have to cleanse its ranks of the zealots, rebrand, and put forth the key points of the OP in order to gain more of the 33%. Will it be done in 2014? Yet to be seen.

My $0.02

[HoneyBadger]

Bingo. The reasons I jump ship to the libertarians whenever possible. Freedom results in people doing things that you may not like. If you don't like it, don't do it. If you really do believe in God, he'll fry 'em all in good time.

O2

Agreed. This recall was not a "grassroots republican" effort, but really a "grassroots liberty" effort.

Agreed. It would never pass but I'd love a counterproposal just to see the rise it gets from the hoplophobes: A surtax for police protection services, refundable with proof of an ability to defend yourself and your loved ones (e.g., proficiency in martial arts or practical shooting, CCW permit, possession of Taser, etc.). After all, we're costing the government less by not having to have as many policemen to protect ourselves or our property ...

This makes the most sense out of anything I've read so far, and oh, how I wish it were true!

The whole CBI should be on the chopping block. It's a waste of taxpayers' money.

yep. Redundant and wasteful system.

This.

Based on what I hear on 740 & 630 AM, CO voters are pretty sick of both the Democrat and Republican parties, as both have their own agendas and special interest groups. In taking a look (http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elec...artyStatus.pdf), CO voters are pretty much split 3 ways with registered Democrat, Republican, and Independent voters.

Long story short- The Republicans will have to cleanse its ranks of the zealots, rebrand, and put forth the key points of the OP in order to gain more of the 33%. Will it be done in 2014? Yet to be seen.

My $0.02

Very true. And going back to addressing social issues, the Republican Party (in this state especially) needs to drop them from their platform. There is a new political alignment surfacing that is a split between "pro-liberty" and not. This isn't some arbitrary assignment of how the rules apply - both Republicans and Democrats seem hell bent on taking away your liberty. Examples: patriot act, NDAA, TSA, DHS, etc.

I think it's time to start placing our voter alignment with principles, not party rhetoric. I'm taking about the principles of liberty that America was founded on.

if people voted for principles, we wouldn't have ever had douchebags like Morse in office. We wouldn't be trying to find ways to repeal crazy unconstitutional laws. We wouldn't be heading down the road of Idiocracy.

[Aloha_Shooter]

Justin, if you want to piss off the remaining Democrats, invite every person who felt shut out of testifying last session to come on up to Denver and offer their testimony before the legislature takes up any new business. We can tie them up for a month giving testimony on everything wrong with the legislation passed last session -- and poke the Dems in the eye at the same time.