Tulsi Gabbard: “Why I’m Leaving The Democratic Party”

Tulsi Gabbard: “Why I’m Leaving The Democratic Party”

Tulsi Gabbard, former Representative, presidential candidate and 20-year Democrat explains “Why I’m leaving the Democratic Party”.

I love our country. Our God-given rights of freedom, life, and liberty enshrined in our Constitution and Bill of Rights are my

inspiration. I answered the call to duty and took an oath, dedicating my life to supporting and defending those freedoms,

both in uniform and in public office.

I can no longer remain in today’s Democratic Party that is now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers

driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue and stoke anti-white racism, actively work to

undermine our God-given freedoms enshrined in our Constitution, are hostile to people of faith and spirituality, demonize

the police and protect criminals at the expense of law-abiding Americans, believe in open borders, weaponize the national

security state to go after political opponents, and above all, are dragging us ever closer to nuclear war.

Here are some of the main reasons I’m leaving the Democratic Party, in brief.

The pro-war Democratic Party has led us to the brink of nuclear war. The party is led by warmongers who are firmly in

the grips of the military industrial complex, and don’t know or care about the cost of war, or who pays the price. President

Biden and Democratic Party elite have pushed us to the precipice of nuclear war, risking starting WWIII and destroying the

world as we know it. To protect our loved ones, our children, our world, I’m calling upon the American people to join me in

standing up to these cowardly politicians now.

Today’s Democratic Party rejects the rule of law. The people’s trust in the rule of law is the foundation for democracy. By

weaponizing the security state and Federal law enforcement for their own partisan political ambitions, Democrat leaders

are undermining the rule of law and turning our democracy into a Banana Republic. Across the country, Democrat

politicians call for defunding the police, enacting laws that favor criminal’s rights over those of everyday Americans, and

so-called progressive DA’s let violent criminals out of jail, refusing to charge them. It should come as no surprise that crime

and murder rates are rapidly increasing.

Today’s Democratic Party and the Biden DOJ and Department of Homeland Security has focused their newly formed

Domestic Terror Unit to target parents who are vocally standing in opposition to radical curriculums and explicit sexual

content being taught to young children in our public schools – labeling parents as “terrorists” for showing up at school

board meetings and demanding change.

Today’s Democratic Party does not believe in our constitutionally protected right to free speech. Fostering diversity of

thought and freedom of expression is the foundation of any flourishing democracy. Democratic Party leaders don’t agree.

They are led by fanatical ideologues who pose a threat to our democracy because they don’t believe in freedom — freedom

of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of religion. The Biden Administration even tried launching their own “Ministry of

Truth” to control what information we are allowed to read, hear, and say. How can a political party that is opposed to

freedom be trusted with our democracy? They can’t be.

Today’s Democratic Party does not believe in our constitutionally protected right to freedom of religion. The Constitution

recognizes that our freedom comes from God — not governments. Unfortunately, Democratic Party leaders reject this truth

and are hostile toward people of faith and spirituality, and actively undermine our religious freedom.

Today’s Democratic Party does not believe in our constitutionally protected right to bear arms. Our founders passed the

Second Amendment out of a recognition that every one of us has a right to defend ourselves and our loved ones, and to

serve as a check on a tyrannical government seeking to take away our God-given freedoms.

Today’s Democratic Party stands with giving ‘Big Brother’ more power and control over our lives.

Today’s Democratic Party racializes everything and blatantly foments anti-white racism. The Democratic machine has

betrayed Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream of a nation where we are judged based on the content of our character rather than

the color of our skin.

Today’s Democratic Party is undermining families. Families are the bedrock of civilization. Today’s Democratic Party does

not recognize this truth and the importance of the central foundational role that families play in our society and civilization.

They want to strip away the rights of parents to raise their kids.

I believe in a government that is of the people, by the people, and for the people. Unfortunately, today’s Democratic Party

does not. Instead, it stands for a government of, by, and for the powerful elite.

So today, I’m calling on my fellow common sense independent-minded Democrats to join me in leaving the Democratic

Party.

For the full and unedited version of the above go to Tulsi.substack.com

Routt GOP: Voters can restore balance in local, state, federal politics on Nov. 8

Routt GOP: Voters can restore balance in local, state, federal politics on Nov. 8

This election year is an opportunity for Routt County voters to vote for balance and make significant course corrections away from the direction Democrats have taken our county, Colorado and America. Our governments at every level need fresh ideas that will restore balance, reason and common sense. Today, seven out of 10 likely voters believe America is heading in the wrong direction.

Democrats know they’re in trouble and they’re doing everything they can to distract voters from their record. In Colorado, Democrat smear merchants are propagating outright lies about Republican candidates and highlighting the abortion issue to avoid discussing the real problems most voters want solved.

The truth is, our neighbors are most concerned about runaway inflation, burgeoning crime, the fentanyl crisis, and the quality of public education, according to recent polling. Democrats like Rep. Dylan Roberts have played a significant role in exacerbating these problems because the Colorado state house and senate lack balance.

Rep. Roberts supported HB22-1326, the Fentanyl Accountability and Prevention bill, that simply adjusted the amount of illegal doses of fentanyl and did nothing to curb trafficking and prevent overdoses. Representative Roberts also supported SB-217, the Police Integrity Transparency and Accountability Act, which mandated onerous reporting processes that took police resources off the street. He also supported HB22-1362, Building Greenhouse Gas Emissions, which will require building code changes to comply with “green energy” mandates. According to the Common Sense Institute, these mandates will add about $42,000 to building costs for each new home in Colorado, making housing less affordable.

Like Dylan Roberts, Meghan Lukens lacks balance by supporting the Denver-Boulder “progressive” agenda. She is already having to backtrack from her record as a Boulder County Democratic Party vice chair. In this position, Ms. Lukens was responsible for advocating and fundraising for Democrat interests including Proposition 114 and the reintroduction of wolves. Although she claims to not have voted for the measure, she didn’t speak out against it and instead enabled its passage through her advocacy. Boulder county overwhelmingly voted to reintroduce wolves to the Western Slope. In order to cover up other political inconveniences, Ms. Lukens recently removed two videos from YouTube where she promotes the virtues of Critical Race Theory in public schools. Clearly, she now believes Marxist-based theories like CRT are not a popular sell to the voters of Routt County and the Western Slope.

County commissioner candidate Sonja Macys wishes to continue the legacy of one-party Democrat leadership on Routt County’s Board of Commissioners. During her time as a Steamboat Springs City Council member, she never met a tax increase or fee she couldn’t support. Ms. Macys’ approach to every problem is more tax and spend initiatives. For example, she believes a $100 million extension of the core trail would help address regional transportation and by extension affordable housing. These are the same approaches that continue to inhibit responsible growth and economic prosperity in Routt County. Ms. Macys’ approach to solving these problems is more bureaucracy using other people’s money. Her approach also includes the implementation of the Climate Action Plan, a boiler-plate document which has never undergone a cost-benefit analysis. The impact of incomplete climate action plans on lives and on the economy is becoming well demonstrated in Europe as millions of people fight to afford their homes let alone heat them and keep the lights on.

Democrat leadership and policies at the federal, state and local level have exacerbated inflation by thoughtlessly pouring more and more money into an already overheated economy that has a limited supply of goods and services. Their soft-on-crime policies have made our communities more dangerous and less productive. Democrat public education policies have stolen from our children and degraded the quality of public education by putting union interests before those of parents and children.

Democrats own these problems. The Democrat Party is the majority party in both houses of Congress and in the executive office at the federal and state level. Now, it’s time to bring balance, reason and common sense back to our federal, state and local governments. Our Republican candidates will listen to Routt County residents and truly represent their interests and values. They will bring new ideas to the table and build bridges to unite our communities and deliver meaningful change to the direction of our country, state, and county. We can no longer afford one party rule in Routt County, Colorado and America. Let’s bring balance and meaningful change by voting for the Republican Party on Nov. 8.

This column was provided by the Routt County Republican Central Committee.

PUBLISHED SOURCE: Steamboat Pilot & Today

Letter: House race isn’t a competition on who has lived here the longest

Letter: House race isn’t a competition on who has lived here the longest

In my short time of just over four years living in Routt County, I have come to truly love and value this rural area. I have had the opportunity to meet and speak candidly with Savannah Wolfson. It is important that our representation for District 26 also understands the challenges and mirrors with support. To completely understand the challenges and expenses of buying groceries, gas, housing, raising children and having livestock. 

This candidate race is not a competition on who has lived here the longest, but rather who fully understands all the obstacles of a rural community. I want a candidate that experiences the same cringe my family and I experience when paying for gas, housing and utility bills, and groceries. It is not easy to live in a rural area as costs keep rising and policies go against ranching communities—i.e. wolf reintroduction. Honesty seems to be a dying attribute, but I am confident Savannah Wolfson is honest and genuinely interested in supporting our district. 

Voting in elections is our civic duty. With the upcoming elections on November 8, 2022 quickly approaching, please vet the candidates that are running—don’t just vote for a candidate because of their affiliation. It is very important to have a candidate that reflects the values of their constituents and will properly represent and be the voice of District 26. Savannah Wolfson is just that candidate! 

S. Brett Ferrier – Hayden, CO

PUBLISHED SOURCE: Steamboat Pilot & Today

Routt GOP: Making progress on housing crisis requires good policy

Routt GOP: Making progress on housing crisis requires good policy

Housing has been a challenge here in the Yampa Valley since the late 1970s. Perhaps because we live in such a beautiful and desirable county, it may always be an issue.

But just because the goal seems insurmountable, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive to help our community. Think of the old-fashioned barn raising where neighbors gathered to help each other build something.

There are several housing programs that align with Republican values, specifically those involving either self-help or private sector development and partnerships.

Eighteen families funded by the USDA, along with the former nonprofit Regional Affordable Living Foundation, built homes in Steamboat Springs, Hayden and Oak Creek. This group build concept is alive and well throughout the U.S.

Another “self-help” model is the internationally known Habitat for Humanity, which built 10 homes and duplexes here in Steamboat Springs from 2000 through 2010. Community volunteers pounded nails and hung drywall alongside future homeowners.

Another successful program that Routt County has utilized is the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, or LIHTC. This highly competitive program, created under the Reagan administration has recently funded the 48 unit Reserves apartments, the 72 unit Alpenglow and the 90 unit Anglers 400. By offering tax credits to the private sector via a public market, The Yampa Valley Housing Authority has partnered with a private developer to build and manage these income restricted units.

Four years ago, voters in Steamboat Springs were given the opportunity to tax themselves 1 mil for a 10-year time frame to support the Housing Authority plan, in accordance with TABOR rules. The voters overwhelmingly voted in support of this tax.

The Brown Ranch is being developed with the vision of the West Steamboat Area Plan and the new Routt County Master Plan. Housing and transportation go hand in hand as both issues need solutions.

Food and shelter are basic human needs. To ensure the people who represent the essential core of Routt County, our teachers, firefighters, other first responders, nurses and service industry employees should have the option to live in the communities where they work.

There is one candidate who has been working on these problems the better part of her professional and volunteer career scanning almost 50 years. Elect Kathi Meyer, candidate for Routt County commissioner, and she will make sure that Routt County, working collaboratively with its municipalities, continues to make progress on its housing challenges.

Routt County Republican Central Committee

PUBLISHED SOURCE: Steamboat Pilot & Today

Letter: Wolfson will work to ease child care crisis in rural Colorado

Letter: Wolfson will work to ease child care crisis in rural Colorado

I was a licensed home child care provider for 30 years. On Aug. 31, I closed my facility. In those 30 years in a job I very much favored, I never had a politician reach out asking about my concerns, hopes and fears for the future of child care in our county — until Savannah Wolfson.

She not only reached out, but she visited my facility to learn about what is required of a quality licensed home. I also know I wasn’t the only provider that she went to see to gather information. Her eagerness to find out what day-to-day operations look like, the obstacles that providers face and to listen to reasons to why we have this child care crisis.

Savannah Wolfson is approachable, knowledgeable, believes in accountability and is willing to work to be a problem-solver, not a maker of problems. She believes and will stand up for us in rural Colorado.

I encourage you to vote for Savannah Wolfson House District 26. She will be the voice for rural Colorado.

Donna Starbuck

PUBLISHED SOURCE: Steamboat Pilot & Today

Q&A with Joe O’Dea:

Q&A with Joe O’Dea:

Joe Supports Abortion Rights & Same Sex Mariage

Joe O’Dea is running for the US Senate to attack inflation, cut the debt, support the police and military, and end the cycle of petty partisanship in Washington, D.C.

Joe will put country ahead of party. And O’Dea supports abortion rights and same-sex marriage because on social issues like these, his philosophy is simple: “You live your life, I’ll live mine.” 

As the polls tighten, Michael Bennet is getting desperate. Bennet’s running a TV advertisement about Joe’s position on abortion — it’s untrue. 

Joe was adopted as a baby. This issue is personal to him. Take a minute to read this Q and A that describes Joe’s views and why Bennet’s ad is so dishonest. 

And when you’re done here, do your own research. Google: Joe O’Dea abortion. All of the major national publications have written about Joe and abortion extensively. 

QUESTION: WHAT’S JOE’S VIEWS ON ABORTION? 

Answer: Joe O’Dea supports Roe vs. Wade and opposes the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn it. At multiple debates and public forums during the Republican Primary, O’Dea said he opposes a ban on abortion, and would vote to codify a woman’s right to choose early in pregnancy and in the case of rape, incest and the life of the mother. 

Joe’s record on abortion is indisputable. Just ask Google. 

“O’Dea is a rare Republican supporter of most abortion rights.”

Associated Press, June 28, 2022

“Joe O’Dea stood before hundreds of social conservatives and uttered words they were unaccustomed to hearing from a Republican candidate, let alone someone running for the U.S. Senate: “I know my position on abortion isn’t the same as all of yours.” O’Dea, a businessman who has spoken publicly about his support for abortion rights, told the crowd that he backs a ban on late-term abortions and government funding of abortions. But, he said, the decision to terminate a pregnancy in the initial months is ‘between a person and their God.’”

U.S. News and World Report, June 23, 2022

“Businessman Joe O’Dea said he does think the procedure should be legal in the early stages of pregnancy.” 

Colorado Public Radio, June 13, 2022

“But [Joe O’Dea’s] support for a bill establishing a nationwide right to abortion puts him at odds with most GOP voters…”

Colorado Newsline, May 27, 2022

“In broad strokes, O’Dea supports the right to an abortion as initially laid out in the 1973 decision Roe vs. Wade.”

Denver Post, July 30, 2022

“…a relatively moderate candidate supportive of some abortion rights…O’Dea does not favor abortion bans early in pregnancy, and he supports exceptions in cases of rape, incest and certain health circumstances.”

NBC News, June 28, 2022

“O’Dea has said he doesn’t want to see Roe v. Wade overturned and that he would support federal legislation codifying the precedent with some limits.”

Colorado Sun, June 1, 2022

“And while many Republican candidates support restrictive abortion policies, even in bluer-leaning states, that is not universally true. If Colorado Republican Joe O’Dea wins the Senate primary, that would scramble the typical politics of abortion in that race: O’Dea, a businessman, supports the right to an abortion in the early months of pregnancy.”

Politico, June 25, 2022

QUESTION: DIDN’T DEMOCRATS SPEND MILLIONS ON MAILERS IN THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY SAYING JOE O’DEA SUPPORTED ROE VS. WADE TO KNOCK HIM OUT OF THE GENERAL ELECTION? 

Answer: Yes. Michael Bennet and the Democrats are desperate, dishonest, and pure hypocrites. Democrats sent mail in the June 2022 primary that called Joe O’Dea “pro-abortion” and said “He supports a national law to guarantee legalized abortion.”

Click here to see a PDF scan of one of the many mailers that were sent.

QUESTION: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN O’DEA’S AND BENNET’S POSITION ON ABORTION? 

Answer: O’Dea opposes elective late-term abortion, opposes taxpayer funding for abortion, and supports a parental notification requirement like the one in place in Colorado and most other states. 

Bennet does not support any limits on late-term abortion. It is not clear whether Bennet supports a parental notification law for minors like the one in Colorado. 

O’Dea says both political parties — and especially Michael Bennet – are too focused on social issues, and not focused enough on kitchen table issues like inflation, the cost of energy, and crime. O’Dea says both Democrats and Republicans want to keep the controversy alive, while most Americans support abortion rights early in pregnancy while wanting reasonable limits on late-term abortion. 

QUESTION: HOW CAN THIS BE? MICHAEL BENNET IS RUNNING A TELEVISION AD SAYING O’DEA OPPOSES A WOMAN’S RIGHT TO CHOOSE. 

Answer: Michael Bennet’s re-election prospects are souring because the public is worried about inflation, the growing national debt, and crime. With President Biden and the Democrats losing support, Bennet is trying to change the focus of the election by twisting O’Dea’s words and flat-out lying about his position. 

In the words of Tayler O’Dea, Joe’s daughter: “Michael Bennet is a sleazy politician who will say anything to win an election.”

QUESTION: BUT MICHAEL BENNET SAYS JOE O’DEA TALKS ABOUT BEING ENDORSED BY PRO-LIFE LEADERS. 

Answer: In a letter from pro-life leaders endorsing O’Dea, they openly acknowledged Joe’s support for abortion rights and push their fellow Republicans to rally around Joe anyway, knowing a centrist candidate like O’Dea had the best shot at beating Bennet. 

“Joe’s position on abortion is not the same as our own. Joe does not support a ban in the case of rape, incest, or the life of the mother or early in the pregnancy. Some of us do not agree with this part of his position.”

Letter from Pro-Life Leaders, June 2022

Indeed, O’Dea won national headlines for a speech he gave to the Western Conservative Summit, where O’Dea told a room full of pro-life advocates that he disagreed with them on abortion, and called for them to rally to his campaign anyway because of their agreement on inflation, the debt, securing the border, and energy independence.

“Joe O’Dea stood before hundreds of social conservatives and uttered words they were unaccustomed to hearing from a Republican candidate, let alone someone running for the U.S. Senate: ‘I know my position on abortion isn’t the same as all of yours.’”

Associated Press, June 23, 2022

QUESTION: WHY DID JOE O’DEA OPPOSE THE RECENT COLORADO ABORTION LAW? 

Answer: O’Dea opposed the new law because it went significantly farther than Roe vs. Wade by authorizing elective late-term abortion in Colorado. Abortion rights were never in jeopardy in Colorado anyway, and the law simply went too far. O’Dea supports a national law legalizing abortion early in pregnancy and in the case of rape, incest or the life of the mother along with limits on late-term abortion. He says the country needs to find a balanced approach to end the political fight surrounding abortion so that women can have certainty and so that the country can move forward.

QUESTION: WHICH SUPREME COURT JUSTICES WOULD JOE O’DEA HAVE VOTED TO CONFIRM?  SENATOR BENNET SAYS THIS IS A KEY DIFFERENCE. 

Answer: This is a key difference, but here especially, Bennet is trying to deceive voters. O’Dea has said he would have voted to confirm a number of Justices appointed by Presidents Bush, Obama, and Trump.

“I would have supported conservative justices including Neil Gorsuch, more centrist, institutionalist justices including John Roberts, and Democratically-appointed justices like Elena Kagan because they all had the qualifications, record, and temperament to serve.”

Joe O’Dea in the Denver Post, July 30, 2022

O’Dea believes the Senate needs to end the partisan blood sport surrounding judicial appointments. Bennet’s approach to confirming Supreme Court Justices is case in point of what is wrong — Bennet has opposed the confirmation of every Republican nominated to the Supreme Court, and supported every Democratic nominee. Everything is about political party to Bennet. On all things, he just votes the party line. 

Judges and justices decide literally thousands of cases and controversies. Confirming judges based solely on the party registration of who appoints them is a recipe for partisan gridlock in the judicial branch of government, too. 

It isn’t the way the system is supposed to work. The President of the United States’ job is to appoint and the Senate’s constitutional duty is to “advise and consent.” In O’Dea’s view, that responsibility is an up or down vote to confirm qualified judges with a record and temperament to uphold the duties of the job. 

Commentators, historians, and legal analysts on all sides have said reflexive partisanship in the appointment and confirmation process is threatening the independence of the federal court system. 

Joe O’Dea’s commitment to ending the stranglehold of partisanship in Washington, D.C. extends to judicial confirmations.

Letter: President Biden’s policies are hurting Routt County workers, business owners

Letter: President Biden’s policies are hurting Routt County workers, business owners

December 27, 2021 – Earlier this month, a letter to the editor attempted to relieve President Joe Biden of responsibility for the highest inflation in 40 years. Another letter touted the U.S. having a “positive trajectory under President Biden.” Nothing could be further from the truth. There are many failures of the Biden-Harris administration to list, but here are the salient ones that most impact the citizens of Routt County.

• The federal government has been risking high inflation for years, not just under President Biden. However, the president and the Democrat-controlled Congress ushered through $1.9 trillion in unnecessary additional spending for COVID-19 relief on top of the unspent billions of dollars for COVID relief in 2020. All warnings of inflation were ignored and instead, they doubled down.

• The Biden-Harris administration has effectively opened the southern border by limiting enforcement and canceling the border wall. Over the past 11 months, countless illegal immigrants from hundreds of nations, including Syria and Iran, have been apprehended at the border. Many of those apprehended are known criminals, including those convicted of sexual assault, child abuse, and murder. Many of these illegal immigrants have escaped into the U.S.

• The open border has resulted in rampant drug trafficking, including Fentanyl, one of the deadliest drugs on the street. This year, authorities at the southern border confiscated more than 11,000 pounds of Fentanyl, up from 2,150 in 2020. According to a study by Families Against Fentanyl, overdose on the drug is now the No. 1 cause of death for ages 18-45. This surpasses suicide, traffic accidents, and gun violence.

President Biden continues to pursue vaccine and mask mandates despite their divisiveness and legal challenges. His actions continue to stymie businesses and corporations, instilling uncertainty into the economy and preventing growth in the labor market. Today’s labor participation rate is 61.8%. By comparison, the labor participation rate on Jan. 1, 2020, was 63.4%.

This is only a positive trajectory in an upside-down world and is reflected in President Biden’s job performance, below 45% since August. While this trajectory might not directly impact the quality of Steamboat Springs’ affluent class, it certainly impacts the business owners and working class in Routt County.

Pete Wood – Steamboat Springs

PUBLISHED SOURCE: Steamboat Pilot & Today