Boycott makes no friends

By Krista Kafer (krista555@msn.com) I am pro-legal immigration. My great grandparents were immigrants after all. I could become a squish on illegal immigration. I know from a friend’s experience how hard it is for a decent, hard-working person to come here legally. The barriers are too high even for those with skills and job offers. I understand the temptation to come here illegally. I can feel myself drift toward supporting amnesty legislation championed by President Bush and Senator Ted Kennedy. What snaps me back? The entitlement attitude voiced by immigration activists sends me running to the border of immigration enforcement policy.

Entitlement sounds like “we’re breaking the law and proud of it,” “we deserve to be here,” “I won’t learn English,” “How dare you enforce the law,” and so on. We heard it loud and clear during last year’s marches.

Sometimes actions speak louder than words. This week, according to the Denver Post, illegal immigrants are boycotting Colorado businesses. With the exception of food and medicine, they won’t spend a dime. The Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, the leader of the boycott, told the Post, "The economic boycott will illustrate the need for immigration reform and that without immigrants, both documented or undocumented, our state could not survive. We can no longer take for granted immigrants and their contributions.” Apparently their contribution entitles them to be here even though they are breaking the law.

This entitlement mentality should worry Americans. It begins with “I’m entitled to be here.” Next it’s “I’m entitled to government benefits.” By contrast, my great grandparents were grateful to be here. They did not feel entitled to anything. My great grandmother worked as a maid and cook for a doctor in town while her husband farmed the land. They learned English. Their children, my grandparents, worked the land as sharecroppers before moving to Colorado to work in Commerce City’s factories. They were all about hard work. They never took government handouts. They only felt entitled to what they earned with their own hands.

There are a lot of immigrants and their descendants who embody these American values. It would benefit the country to make legal immigration easier for hard-working, self-reliant people. As for those who feel entitled to break the law, it would be best if they boycotted this country altogether.

'Easy Bill' learns on the job

(Andrews in Denver Post, Mar. 18) Big Labor is furious at the Colorado law making it hard for union bosses to collect dues from workers unwilling to join. A bill to remove that protection flew through the legislature, only to die on Gov. Bill Ritter’s desk. Now the AFL-CIO threatens to run the Democratic convention out of Denver unless their pickpocket proposal is revived. Ritter says he won’t be bullied, but stay tuned. Remember that our new chief executive, Kerry-style, was for the labor bill before he was against it. The battle for the governor’s soul, on this and many other issues, has barely begun.

Bill Ritter has the great political gift of not seeming like a politician. Yet unlike his predecessors – from Republicans John Love and John Vanderhoof, through fellow Democrats Dick Lamm and Roy Romer and down to the recently departed Bill Owens – this governor has skillfully marketed himself with a slogan, Kennedy-style: the Colorado Promise. Nice work for a rookie.

The trouble with a slogan is that it will stick you if you don’t stick to it. Ritter’s honeymoon ended when two inconvenient truths came out. First it transpired, to the dismay of business, the press, and the public, that the candidate had given his union allies a quiet pledge to support the controversial bill. Then it was labor’s turn for an unpleasant surprise, as Ritter yielded to the outcry, broke his word, and cast a veto. Gov. Promise was damaged goods overnight.

According to KOA’s Mike Rosen, we who labeled this a rookie mistake should lose our pundit licenses. He calls the veto a masterstroke, demonstrating Ritter’s integrity and positioning him as a bipartisan triangulator, Clinton-style. I don’t buy that. The governor narrowly escaped a trap of his own making. Blaming the mess on inexperience is generous, if anything. Maybe it reveals an artful dodger behind the disarming smile – again, think Bill Clinton.

As with any betrayal in love or war, trust took a beating in this episode, and it won’t soon be restored. The saber-rattling by labor over DNC 2008 proves that. Business does not signal its displeasure by threats of kneecapping, but you know the chamber types are equally suspicious and sore at Ritter. When the big fella from Credibility Gap starts in with his “promise” rhetoric, eyes now roll on both sides of the aisle.

Somewhere in all this melodrama, a nickname waits our nimble-footed governor. “Switch Ritter” was the inspired suggestion of my radio partners, Krista Kafer and Joshua Sharf. Another we might try for size is “Easy Bill.” Think of all the ways that one applies.

Labor found Bill agreeable to a whispered signature promise, business equally so to a loudly demanded veto. He had an easy path to nomination last summer and to election last fall; only this winter did the price of insufficient vetting come due. The campaign did reveal that back in his prosecutor days, Easy Bill was quick with a plea bargain – and frequently even gentle with illegal-alien felonies. But how he eased his way home from Africa after that driving fatality, was never much discussed.

An easier life for Coloradans is foreseen in Ritter’s policy promises, if you share his preference for government solutions at the expense of personal responsibility and free markets. For a lot of us, though, Easy Bill’s premise invalidates his promise. Increased command and control over energy, health care, education, and transportation may not lead to a better future after all.

Our state will see between now and 2011, because that’s the Ritter route, the path the voters chose. We’ll also see whether or not his inaugural words, “The Colorado Promise is… about finding the strength in all of us,” bespeak an inner core of strength and principle in Easy Bill himself.

CPAC time capsule, 1985-2007

By Melanie Harmon (harmon.melanie@gmail.com)

"With conservative thought accepted as mainstream thought and with the people of our country leading the fight to freedom, now we must move." - Ronald Reagan, CPAC 1985

What else does a movement do, after all? It moves! That seems so obvious, yet at CPAC 2007 earlier this month, I had to wonder if our conservative movement has somehow lost the inspiration and the urgency of President Reagan's rallying cry to us back in the day.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. CPAC, if you didn't know, is the Conservative Political Action Conference. Over the last 34 years, the event has become a conservative tradition for members of the movement to come to Washington DC, share ideas, and forge relationships. The weekend of March 1-3 was no exception to that tradition -- another productive and exciting weekend at the Omni Shoreham Hotel.

Four years ago, I first attended CPAC when I was a student at the University of Denver. Along with many other young conservatives around the nation, I went to further my education of conservative principles and to network with all those who shared my values.

CPAC is heavily targeted toward students, though many other attendees are those who have been dedicated to the conservative movement since the beginning. The event is one of the few opportunities for conservatives of all generations to come together in the same setting and share their mutual values.

Every year, the conference organizes several training seminars, hosts a job fair and a trade show of every conservative organization from the Leadership Institute to Students for Saving Social Security. The environment fosters teamwork and relationships and lays the groundwork for young conservatives to become involved in the movement and perhaps stay interested for their years after college.

The largest part of CPAC is the vast array of fabulous speakers. During the 1970s and 80s, the most notable speaker was Ronald Reagan. His presence at the conference in those early years no doubt raised the bar for all of the years that followed him.

The education and training of young conservatives (and those who are not necessarily young but hope to make a difference in the movement) is especially important in these heady times. Democrats are in control of Congress and progressive ideas seem to flood our culture like a tidal wave wiping out an entire island. Conservative young people do exist, and it's vital that we as their peers do all we can to teach them how to win and stay principled.

That brings us to my time capsule. In 1985, President Reagan's speech at CPAC highlighted the fact that conservatives won brilliantly in the 1980s because they stayed true to their staunch principles.

"I believe we conservatives have captured the moment, captured the imagination of the American people," said Reagan. "What are we to do with our success? With conservative thought accepted as mainstream thought and with the people of our country leading the fight to freedom, now we must move."

The fact that conservative thought was mainstream still remains, more than 20 years later, but the difference is that conservatives have lost sight of their original vision and have stopped moving altogether.

Speakers at this year's CPAC included campaign messages from most of the Republican presidential nominations, legal insights from lawyers and commentary from journalists like Amanda Carpenter and a banquet with Vice President Dick Cheney. The entire event was inspiring and motivating.

But if Reagan were to speak at this event today, he would note that the movement has seriously lost the interest of the American people, and he would strongly be encouraging us to do get things moving once again.

Reagan warned in the 1985 speech that the movement would be a passing phase. If we are to keep sight of our traditional values and remain the party of mainstream America, we mustn't let the movement slip out of our hands.

That is the sole purpose of CPAC. Six thousand conservatives came together this past weekend to show that they are not alone in their views and that the movement is far from a trend. We must continue to educate our young people and show them as much support as possible. That is the only way to regain the attention of the American people.

CPAC is about a lot more than just students. Any true conservative can attend and I would strongly encourage those who have never been to go next year. You will come back motivated, energized and ready to take on the liberals who want to crush everything you stand for. The only way we can keep America's attention is to first give attention to the future of our own ideas.

Lincoln & me, experiencing DC

By Melanie Harmon (harmon.melanie@gmail.com)

Editor’s Note: Melanie Harmon, a new contributor, submitted this piece Monday on Lincoln’s birthday. I met her as a DU undergrad when she testified in the Senate about radical faculty infringing academic freedom at Metro State, her former school. She later founded DU’s conservative student paper, Common Sense, and worked on the Holtzman for Governor campaign, before graduating in spring 2006. Welcome, Melanie – JA

Like most recent college graduates, I busted out of my cap and gown ready to conquer my next life experience: the real world. Four days after graduation, I moved to Washington, D.C. with two suitcases and lofty visions of what my life would be, post-University of Denver.

I chose our nation’s capital because I wanted to continue the conservative activism of my previous four years. I would be serving my country and the state of Colorado while sticking to the principles I knew to be good and right: personal and fiscal responsibility, little government interference, faith in God and faith in the American people.

Five months into my cross-country, real world experience, those lofty visions were promptly pulled back down to earth. The November elections taught me Lesson No. 1 of living in the real world: that life is chock-full of disappointments.

The Republican losses equaled personal disappointment. Many of the friends I had made were quickly gone, for they had lost their jobs due to election events. Lesson No. 2: working in politics is never a secure gig. Duly noted: we work in the conservative movement for the passion and the principle, certainly not for the security and definitely not for the money.

My job hunt in Washington can only be described as one of a conservative vagabond. Like many other young conservatives in Washington, I frequent the free events at The Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute, just hoping that my name will catch on somewhere. Although I have a wealth of job experience, compared to all those conservatives who just lost their jobs, I simply don’t match up. Post-elections, the conservative work force became a whole lot more competitive.

Despite the tumultuous job market, I managed to land a job at a libertarian-minded firm as a writer. But working there made me realize that my goals could turn out to be impenetrable. The vast difference between libertarians and conservatives is worthy of a separate discussion altogether. But what I learned is valuable Lesson No. 3: there is no job worth having if one must sacrifice one’s principles.

Thus, I left my job at the libertarian “wonk house,” as we say in Washington, but with my conservative beliefs intact and my dignity not sacrificed for anything, not even for a paycheck. My conservatism is as much a part of me as my brain and my heart.

Since arriving in Washington, I have often asked myself harsh questions and wondered if I had made the right choice in taking such a leap of faith on my ideology—and myself.

Which brings me to important Lesson No. 4: keep looking up to those who give you inspiration. I am blessed to have the National Mall just minutes from my front doorstep, and any time I feel like giving up on my lofty visions, I must remind myself of why I am here in the first place.

As President Lincoln sits tall and proud in his chair, looking over the city, those lofty visions all start coming back to me. Lincoln was the first Republican leader and stood up for what he believed to be good and right when it was highly unpopular and dangerous to do so. His sentiment echoes almost 150 years later, back to Republicans who may not be popular, but do what they know to be good and right. Lincoln’s bravery is something every young conservative should aspire to emulate.

As a young conservative in these arduous times of Washington, I am faced with many challenges. But with those challenges comes many lessons of which I am happy to learn. Things will not be getting easier any time soon, but what I do have are my principles to guide me through those times, and the leaders who inspired me to do it in the first place.

Remembering Reagan on his birthday

Today is the birthday of Ronald Reagan, 1911-2004. Two of my recent tributes to the 40th president are posted below. Reagan was a great statesman, not just a great communicator. To honor our hero's memory, I offer a few gems from the countless sparkling words he left us. May we prove worthy of his legacy - JA------------------------------------------------------------------------- REAGAN IN HIS OWN WORDS

** "You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done." (National TV appeal for Goldwater, 1964)

** "Man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: as government expands, liberty contracts."

** "The ultimate determinant in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas - a trial of spiritual resolve; the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideas to which we are dedicated."

** "My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes." (Joking on a radio microphone test, 1984)

** "General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."

** "I have seen the rise and fall of Nazi tyranny, the subsequent cold war and the nuclear nightmare that for fifty years haunted the dreams of children everywhere. During that time my generation defeated totalitarianism. As a result, your world is poised for better tomorrows. What will you do on your journey?"

** "The taxpayer - that's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take a civil-service exam."

** "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."

** "The American dream is not that every man must be level with every other man. The American dream is that every man must be free to become whatever God intends he should become."

** "I've spoken of the shining city all my political life... a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still.... After 200 years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady no matter what storm. And she's still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home." (Farewell address, 1989)

** "They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong. There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right. Winston Churchill said that 'the destiny of man is not measured by material computation. When great forces are on the move in the world, we learn we are spirits -- not animals.' And he said, 'There is something going on in time and space, and beyond time and space, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty.'"

** "A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his." (Campaigning in 1980)

** "I hope you're all Republicans." (To surgeons after his assassination attempt,1981)

** "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

[Thanks to John Hawkins of rightwingnews.com, where these and many other Reaganisms are posted.]