FROM YOUR 

ARAPAHOE COUNTY REPUBLICANS

Issue VI

9/10/2022

Welcome to the 6th Edition of our Newsletter

Our state has been ravaged by Democrats. Democrat Governor, Dem Attorney General, Dem Secretary of State, Dem appointed members of boards and commissions and, of course, both Dem houses of Colorado's state legislature have transformed our state from an economic powerhouse and arguably the best place to live in our nation into a state of decline and ruination.

The destructive Dem juggernaut has devastated so much of what we Coloradans were once proud;

• Dems killed energy production in Colorado at the most critical time in our history, which resulted in unprecedented losses of state and local revenue, not to mention massive community school funding, as well as destroying thousands of well-paying energy industry positions in addition to tens of thousands of ancillary jobs in rural communities. And now Colorado contributes not to our nation's energy independence as it had previously, but to it's growing dependence on foreign oil.

• Dems shut down all "non-essential" businesses during the Covid pandemic - killing many which never re-opened - in oppressive governmental overreach to a degree never before imposed upon Coloradans. This didn't happen in most Republican majority states which achieved much better outcomes in their handling of the COVID pandemic.

• Dems imposed regressive new taxes and fees making Colorado a less friendly state and killed hundreds of Republican proposed legislative improvements that would have had just the opposite effect of reducing taxes and making Colorado a more affordable place to live.

• It seems everything the Dems touch goes bad. Perhaps the worst and most destructive is their approach to law enforcement and criminality. The Dems have hand-cuffed the police and given criminals a green light to victimize Coloradans resulting in Colorado becoming a national leader in crime.

In this issue, we cover just how bad Colorado's crime wave is and how it is devastating our state.

Finally and most importantly, it is almost election time. Because of all that is going wrong under Dem leadership, or lack thereof, this may be the most important election in our lifetimes. We must dethrone Polis and the Dems in our communities, at the state level and in the US House and Senate. We simply have to, or what is already bad will get much worse.

ELECTIONS MATTER!

This election will set the future of Colorado...and our nation!

RESTORATION OR CONTINUED DESTRUCTION?

It is up to you and those you can influence. Period.

We are the Party that embraces the individual.

Every individual.

The momentum is building.

You can see it.

You can feel it.

Gary 

Gary Houser, Volunteer Editor

Newsletter & Website

Arapahoe County Republican Party

     IN THIS ISSUE     

• Message from the Colorado State GOP Chair 

• "Thanks Jared and Phil for Making CO #1!"

• The Candidate Connection, Messages Going into the Election

  - Joe O'Dea, US Senate

  - Heidi Ganahl, Governor

• Be an Election Judge - Sign up here, we need more!

• Betrayal - How our Governor and Lawmakers Betrayed Us

• "Connect - Engage - Strengthen" Our Website Supports You

   IN UPCOMING ISSUES   

• Perspectives on the Upcoming General Election

• The Candidate Connection, Messages Going into the Election

• Voices from the Republican Big Tent - The Hispanic Community

• The Voting Imperative 

 Message from the Colorado GOP Chair

Kristy Burton Brown

Colorado’s Record-High Auto Thefts Directly Tied to Democrats

A new study released by the Common Sense Institute shows that Colorado is on track to set an all-time-high in motor vehicle thefts in 2022. By January 2022, Colorado was already #1 in the nation for auto theft. Despite promises from Governor Jared Polis to make Colorado one of the “top 10 safest states in the nation” in his State of the State address, Colorado’s crime tsunami has only gotten worse. Since that promise from the Governor, our auto theft rate has increased another 17.2%. Since Democrats have been in control of Colorado’s state government, drug crimes involving motor vehicle theft have increased by 1,110%, violent crimes involving motor vehicle theft by 521%, and property crimes involving motor vehicle theft by 583%.

Laws on auto theft now target the poorest Coloradans (C.R.S. 18-4-409). The legislature passed a bill that forces charges on auto theft to be based on the monetary value of the car. The charge an offender gets is based not on the actual commission of the crime, but on the value of the car.

Simply put, stealing a rich person’s Porsche will get a higher criminal sentence than stealing a poor person’s Ford. In Colorado, most stolen vehicles (63.51%) are valued at less than $15,000, which means that criminals are actively using the law to target those who can afford it the least.

Republican Attorney General candidate John Kellner explained the basic solution: “Time to get rid of value-based car theft charges. All car theft should be a class 4 felony. For repeat offenders – a class 3 felony with mandatory prison time.”

This criminal targeting of working families and many in Colorado’s minority communities is a direct result of laws passed by a Democrat-controlled legislature, signed by Democrat Governor Jared Polis, and complemented by Democrat Attorney General Phil Weiser – who is constantly missing in action on Colorado’s crime epidemic.

The only way to stop Colorado’s crime tsunami is to change our leaders. Jared Polis and Phil Weiser have proven they can’t get crime under control. Let’s elect crime fighters who have real solutions and who can build a safer, better Colorado for all of us.

Let's Win!

Now is the time to unite behind our candidate slate and win in November. Please don’t forget our most important issues; crime, education and affordability.

Thanks everyone!

Kristy

Kristy Burton Brown, Chair

Colorado State Republican Party

"The most terrifying words in the English language are:

I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” - Ronald Reagan

THANKS JARED POLIS AND PHIL WEISER!!!

YOU PUT OUR STATE IN THE TOP 4 CATEGORIES IN THE NATION...

...as having the Fastest Rising Crime Rates in the US!

#1-AUTO THEFT #2-FENTANYL DEATHS #3-ALL CRIMES #4-RECIDIVISM

Question: Is this the Colorado you love... and how you think of Colorado?

...I bet not.

Since Polis was elected Governor, Colorado’s crime rate has skyrocketed and its economy has plummeted.

Polis, his Attorney General Phil Weiser (who taught law but has never practiced it) and their co-conspirators in the Democrat run legislature, are the culprits responsible for Colorado ranking number one in auto theft in the nation and in the top four worst categories of crime in the nation.

Denver’s top cop, Chief of Police Paul Pazen has been an outspoken critique of the Dem’s efforts to “de-police” and decriminalize crime. Any wonder why Chief Pazen has just announced his retirement? Here are some absolutely alarming statistics that Chief Pazen has assembled for Colorado and Denver from credible sources including the FBI and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Colorado Holds the TOP 4 Rankings in the Nation in Crime and Death Rate Increases:

#1 in Auto Theft

#2 in Fentanyl death rate increase in last 2 years (382%)

#3 in fasted increasing Crime Rate

#4 in Recidivism Rate (repeat offenses)

 Colorado Crime Two Year Rate Change 2019 to 2021

• Auto theft up 86%

• Commercial Burglary up 48%

• Murder up 47%

• Aggravated assault up 31%

• Property theft up 20% 

Polis's Phony Promise

"We will Make Colorado a TOP 10 Safest State in the nation."

 He's funny isn't he!

Well Jarod, congratulations - we not only made the TOP 10

but the TOP 4!

That is, for the highest and fastest growing crime rates in the nation.

Crime in Colorado is Exploding

More empty promises and meaningless spin from Governor Jared Polis intended to fool Coloradans.

As the #1 state for auto theft, you've got a greater chance of having your car stolen, broken into, and/or damaged - catalytic converter swiped - than in any other state in our country. You also face a greater risk of your home or business getting burglarized or you personally being robbed or assaulted than in almost any other state in the nation!

Really...? Is this still Colorado?

 If you visit the “Next Door” app which is a conversation among your neighbors, you will see multiple reports every single day of car theft, break-ins, porch pirates and attempted burglaries. Yes, right in your neighborhood! The crime wave is not confined to Denver, but has spread to the suburbs and even to rural communities.

A recent editorial in the online Denver Gazette newspaper perfectly states the impact of soaring criminal activity on everyday citizens:

“Maybe it just goes with the territory these days, given our entire state’s dubious distinction as the No. 1 state for auto theft in the nation. Colorado has the highest rate of stolen vehicles per capita, and the raw numbers have been soaring. Nearly 22,000 vehicles were reported stolen statewide the first half of this year — easily on track to beat last year’s statewide total for the whole year of about 37,000 auto thefts.

Auto theft also is symptomatic of even more serious crimes in which stolen vehicles play a role. They’re the object of violent car-jackings; they’re the getaway vehicles in liquor store robberies; they’re a source of quick cash to sustain drug addictions.

Stolen cars also provide a revenue stream for criminal enterprises. Like the 11 people indicted by a Denver grand jury in May in connection with an auto theft ring that stole more than $3 million in vehicles and other property across the metro area. Prosecutors said the defendants stole guns, trailers and at least 130 vehicles. The crime ring also allegedly stole identities to finance methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl addictions.

Pazen and others have blamed the explosion in auto thefts in part on a 2014 (Dem sponsored and passed) law that watered down penalties for motor vehicle theft — inevitably followed by a surge in auto thefts the very next year. The 2014 measure downgraded auto theft to a lower-level felony for vehicles under $20,000 in value.

It was another absurd swipe at law and order by a soft-on-crime legislature bent on “justice reform” — at the expense of crime’s victims. And they are indeed victims, not just crime stats.

It’s called auto theft, but it’s often enough a lot worse than losing a car.

What’s really being stolen is our community’s security.” 

– Denver Gazette, Editorial Board, 9/4/22

And get this - laws on auto theft now target the poorest Coloradans. As Kristy Burton Brown pointed out in her column, the legislature passed a law that limits charges on auto theft to be based on the monetary value of the car. So offenders are charged on estimated auto value, not on the crime they committed.

Colorado's crime wave is symbolic of the much broader disastrous results of Dem governance. And rest assured, these trends will only get worse. They will continue to grow and become even more radical and dangerous under Colorado’s current Democrat governor, administration and state legislature.

If kept in power, this tyrannical and imperious Dem majority will accelerate what they have started - Colorado's decline and ruin. The quality of life in the state we have loved,

is now in jeopardy and will soon be gone forever - just a mournful memory.

This is not the Colorado we so cherish. But it is correctable.

Replacing Polis and Weiser, plus putting a strong contingent of conservative legislators in office this election, is the only way to stop and reverse catastrophic crime trends together with the other devastating Dem imposed Colorado failures.

Only YOU - the voter - and those you can influence, will heal Colorado.  

We must elect people who can and will restore Colorado to again be the place we all love and want to live. We must elect Heidi Ganahl for Governor, John Kellner for Attorney General, Kevin Edling for Arapahoe County Sheriff and all our strong candidates running for state and local positions which you can see here.

On November 8th, YOU can begin to restore Colorado!

“No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, 

is as formidable as the will and resolve of the people." - Ronald Reagan

The Candidate Connection

- Joe O'Dea for US Senate

- Heidi Ganahl for Governor

Time For A Change

-  Joe O'Dea -

 It’s time for change, Colorado. For the last thirteen years, Michael Bennet has spent his time in Washington focusing on the interests of his political party rather than our own. In just the last two years alone, Michael Bennet’s partisanship became even clearer. Not only is he ranked among the least effective Senators in the United States Senate, Senator Bennet’s voting record reveals he votes with the Biden Administration 98 percent of the time. Among those votes are lock-step support for disastrous inflationary spending and a so-called “Inflation Reduction Act” that does nothing to curb inflation and supersizes the IRS to go after working Americans. Coloradans deserve to have a voice who will put them first.

I’m not a party loyalist. I support common sense that will move our country forward. I support term limits, a balanced budget, and the Second Amendment. Record crime is taking over our communities as our cops keep getting demoralized. Our border is leaking like a sieve and fentanyl is pouring across destroying our communities. Where is “Colorado’s Senator”? He’s back in Washington, D.C. rubber-stamping Biden’s reckless agenda. These disasters don’t need to keep happening. As the 51st vote in the Senate, I’m going to make sure we advance policies that will directly improve the lives of working Americans throughout this country. Michael Bennet has had years to use the power of his vote, and he’s squandered it. I won’t.

Inflation is the number one issue I hear from Coloradans. In fact, Colorado’s inflation rate is one of the highest in the nation. Working families are feeling the pain at the pump. They feel the pain when they look at their grocery bills. Reckless government spending has forced working Americans to choose between heating their home or putting food on the table. That’s unacceptable. When I get to the United States Senate, the first thing I’m going to work on is lowering this crushing inflation.

It’s time to get rid of new programs. It’s time to stop the new spending. It’s time to stop inflating the government bureaucracy. I would work to use these cuts to drive down the deficit. And we need to reprioritize federal spending. The 87,000 new IRS agents that Michael Bennet voted for need to be zeroed-out. Inflating the IRS to target working Americans during a recession flies in the face of common sense. Instead, those funds need to go towards a massive investment in border security. This is common sense.

My second priority is making America energy dominant. The Biden Administration launched a war against American energy and as we saw this summer, decided to ask oil-rich dictators for help rather than boosting production in Texas, North Dakota, and yes, here in Colorado. We need to unleash American innovation and modernize permitting so we can modernize our grid. Let’s get natural gas permits on the Western Slope and across the United States, along with LNG terminal permits, in the review process and approve and open new markets for our natural gas in Europe and Asia. American energy leadership is good for the world. The energy crisis helped worsen the inflation crisis.

Colorado makes clean and efficient energy. We’re going to lower gas prices and send a message to the Russians: the world doesn’t need your energy anymore.

Democrats are out-of-touch with the needs of working Americans. Biden is prioritizing transferring student loan debt onto the backs of working Americans, during a recession. Biden is prioritizing inflating the IRS to go after middle- and low-income Americans, during a recession. And Biden is ignoring the humanitarian crisis at our southern border that has contributed to the deadly fentanyl crisis hurting our communities. Through it all, Senator Michael Bennet has voted with his party 98 percent of the time.

I’m concerned about the country that we are going to be leaving our kids. This country has been good to me and my family and I want to make sure future generations have the same opportunities that we did. Foks are hurting all over Colorado but we can choose a new path forward. That’s why this is a high-stakes election. I am ready to work with anyone who wants to unite in rebuilding our economy, rebuilding our fiscal house, rebuilding our discourse, and rebuilding our nation to be the very best that it can be.

Michael Bennet isn’t Colorado’s Senator, he acts like he’s Joe Biden’s Senator. He uses his seat to help the Democratic Party instead of the working people of Colorado. I’m a fourth-generation Coloradan and I’ve lived here my whole life. I’ve earned everything in my life and I’m going to go all across Colorado to debate the important issues and earn people’s vote.

Elect me to the Senate, and I’ll put Colorado and America first. It’s time to bring a new day to Colorado, I’d be honored to have your support.

Joe O'Dea

Candidate for US Senate

“Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” - Ronald Reagan

Colorado is at a Crossroads

 -  Heidi Ganahl  - 

Colorado is at a crossroads. The problems we are facing are not insurmountable.

The solution lies in who we pick to lead our state back to the Colorado Way of Life we all know, love, and need.

Since I launched my bid for governor, my message has been clear - we must lower our cost of living, crime rates, address the nonsense being taught in schools and mental health crisis, and respect rural Colorado.

Colorado's inflation rate is 9.1 percent, above the national average. Polis’ liberal tax and spend policies are fueling that inflation, which is costing each of us $8,700 a year. In the last 10 years, under Democratic governors, the size of our government has doubled. Polis has added 83 new taxes. He just signed a record $36 billion budget that created two new state agencies and added 12 hundred government jobs.

As governor, I will be a fierce defender of your tax dollars. I led the battle to protect TABOR by chairing No on Proposition CC.  I am a fiscal hawk.  I know how to manage large budgets. I built a $100 million brand from scratch, and created thousands of jobs as the founder of Camp Bow Wow. I will bring us to zero percent income tax, cut the gas tax in half and still fix the roads, and shrink the size of our government by 10% each year I’m in office.

I’m a Mom on a Mission. Education and protecting our kids is a top priority. I have taken the fight for Colorado Freedom to the most liberal place in Colorado - CU. As Regent, I have passed free-speech legislation, gotten rid of safe spaces on campuses, fought to keep tuition flat, and put civics back into the curriculum.

I will use the same passion and dedication to fix our K-12 education system. As a parent, I was a founding member of two charter schools.  And, when my own elementary school kids were learing sex education I was uncomfortable with, I tried to start another charter school. Unfortunately, Jared Polis and his liberal friends blocked my kids and the 700 others that had signed up for this school.

We need true school choice to ensure that 60 percent of our kids are no longer reading below grade level. If we fund the student, not the system, parents will have the choice to find a better solution because each child learns differently. We need transparency in the curriculum that allows parents to know how and what their children are learning.

In 2019, Colorado's violent crime rate rose by nearly double the national rate. We now have the worst rate of car theft in the nation and property crime and assault are not far behind. I will be a law and order governor by getting our law enforcement the training and resources they need, returning to truth in sentencing, ridding our parole board of those who put criminals before victims and personal recognizance bonds.

And when it comes to rural Colorado, we need to give them a voice. We need to get our energy workers back to work, fight for our water, and get rid of all the extremists Polis has placed on the boards that oversee ag and ranching issues.

My conservative credentials are clear. I am pro-life. I believe in the First Amendment, Second Amendment, state's rights, free markets and the rule of law. As governor, I will trust the people and follow the Constitution and the only thing I will mandate is freedom.

At the end of the day, it’s about electibilty. I am a lifelong Republican, but my message resonates with the 44% of Undecideds living in our state. We must unite as a state to access the Colorado Freedom we all want. I can and will unite Colorado. I can and will defeat Jared Polis. I’ve won against far-left Democrats. I’m ready to do it again in November.

Heidi Ganahl

Candidate for Governor of Colorado

A Message from John Lamb Regarding Election Judges...

For the Primary, we filled all 165 positions allocated to the Republican Party, giving us an equal number of Republican judges to Democrat judges. Now we are on the verge of falling short for the General Election, as the number of election judges required is 247 Republicans!

Interviews with the Clerk’s office are underway right now!  They will soon begin interviewing Unaffiliated voters to cover Republican spots as there is a shortfall of judges on the GOP side for the November General Election. We need your help to turn this around, fast!

If you are concerned about election security and willing to fulfill this vital role in our election process, become an election judge.  If you are interested in signing up as an Election Judge, please either apply at www.arapahoevotes.gov/election-judges or send an email inquiry to electionjudge@arapahoegov.com.

Please keep me in the loop by letting me know at electionjudge.info@arapahoerepublicans.org so I can keep track of things for the party.

It is our job as Republicans to ensure that Arapahoe County doesn’t fill vacant spots with Unaffiliated voters. 

John Lamb

Election Judge and Poll Watcher Coordinator

Arapahoe County Republicans

“The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they’re ignorant; 

it's just that they know so much that isn’t so.” - Ronald Reagan

*Editor's Note: This article is reprinted here from a previous newsletter because it points out the subversion of our state by the Dems and just how critical this election is.

How our Governor and Lawmakers Betrayed Us 

Thanks to the Democrats – all three branches of Colorado government are controlled by Democrats – our state is less affordable and more dangerous than at anytime in its history. The Dem majority legislature has passed and Governor Polis has signed into law new, reckless, damaging and deceptive statues and regulations that hurt every Coloradan.

Additionally, the Dems killed hundreds of Republican proposed bills that would have done just the opposite - helped Coloradans save money, grow business, protected our kids in their schools. and made Colorado a safer, more affordable place to live.

Polis pretends to be helping all Coloradans, when in reality he is only interested in aiding his party and expanding his political future.

The Colorado GOP has assembled a summary listing of 52 of these legislative atrocities on their website. You may view them all here.

Just to give you a taste of Polis's and the Dem's damaging work on your behalf, here's a brief sample.

TAXES, FEES AND HIGHER COSTS

Polis’s state budget has grown over four years by 25% to $30.6 Billion (yes, that's Billion with a "B"). Question. Have you seen a 25% increase in your income over the same period? Big government spending has cost you in both new taxes and “fees” as well as increases in existing taxes and fees.  

Polis is touting that he is sending you a “tax rebate” just before the election. Hmmm… That rebate is required under Tabor every year. Polis isn’t “giving” you anything. It’s your money to begin with and is required under Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights which Polis doesn’t support and the Democrats continually attempt to eliminate through legislation.

Polis’s $900 million “property tax relief for homeowners” is a dodge. It’s sophistry like so much of his and his party’s disingenuous language. Actually, property taxes are increasing by $2 Billion including mill levy increases that he signed into law. In fact, homeowners will face a 20% property tax increase over the next four years. Saying he’s providing tax relief when he is costing you more in taxes is nothing but dishonest political misdirection and misinformation. 

Polis’s administration scores again! It has increased driver license fees to become the 2nd most expensive in the nation! Goal Colorado!!!

Polis wants your choice of transport to be an electric bike. He’ll even give you a grant if you meet all his socio-economic requirements. News flash! Special E-bike convoy leaving for Grand Junction soon. Date to be announced. Contact Polis’s office to reserve your spot in what promises to be an exciting caravan. Fees may apply.

Polis and the Dems killed a huge number of Republican proposed bills that would have significantly reduced taxes and fees of all kinds, made government more accountable and given you a break against inflation. If we elect a majority of Republican legislators and install a new Governor, we can correct this.

HURTING BUSINESSES

He shut down “non-essential” businesses during his COVID-Response-Experiment. It’s been estimated that up to 40% of all Colorado businesses were either severely damaged or went out of business. No state help for them or the families that run or ran them.

Polis has killed the fossil fuels sector and its businesses in Colorado which provided good-paying jobs, tax revenue benefiting schools and the state budget as well as an economic driver for small towns and their businesses. Green New Deal here we come!

FAILING OUR KIDS

Polis and the Dems didn’t support multiple Republican crafted bills which would have made our kids safer in their schools. Children first or LAST?

Dems killed the following in addition to many others;

- Giving parents option to withdraw $5,000 of their child’s per-pupil funding out of their kid’s failing school and use it to enroll them in a school of their choosing. So much for school choice. Polis and Dems continue their "War on Parents and their Kids" - Dems gotta support BIG Education, i.e., NEA teacher’s union.

- Requiring school districts to post curriculum and teaching materials for all parents to see. Don’t want parents to know too much about what their kids are being taught.

- Providing $30 million for school security to protect your kids from school shootings. Go figure.

- Hope Scholarship Program which would have allowed students to enroll in alternative educational opportunities outside of government schools. Must have that indoctrination.

- Scholarship program to support parents and students using “learning pods” that were so effective for so many children during the pandemic. When it comes down to supporting either parents or the teacher's union - guess whose side Polis and the Dems are on?

- Parents Bill of Rights. Did you expect otherwise? Enough said.

We MUST elect Heidi Ganahl as our next Governor and Republicans as state legislators to turn Colorado around before we reach the point of no return!

WE CAN AND MUST DO THIS!

Connect - Engage - Strengthen 

Our Arapahoe County Republicans Website Supports You!

We have redesigned our website to support all conservatives and offer resources to help you fulfill the website's motto;

Connect - Engage - Strengthen

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Thanks and Stay Tuned!