Recently I’ve run across references (mostly on Glenn Beck’s TV show) to the following books, which look like they’re worth at least checking out:

• Steven Milloy, Green Hell:  How Environmentalists Plan to Ruin Your Life and What You Can Do to Stop Them
• Arthur Laffer, The End of Prosperity:  How Higher Taxes Will Doom the Economy–If We Let It Happen
• Joshua Cooper Ramo, The Age of the Unthinkable:  Why the New World Disorder Constantly Surprises Us and What We Can Do about It
• Wayne Allyn Root, The Conscience of a Libertarian:  Empowering the Citizen Revolution with God, Guns, Gambling & Tax Cuts
• Thomas Sowell, The Housing Boom and Bust
• Peter Schiff, Crash Proof:  How to Profit from the Coming Economic Collapse

My Congressman, Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), has re-introduced his “GREEN Act [which] provides incentives to lenders and financial institutions to provide lower interest loans and other benefits to consumers, who build, buy or remodel their homes and businesses to improve their energy efficiency and use of alternative energy” (“Perlmutter Re-Introduces Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods (GREEN) Act for Affordable Mortgages“).

Under which of powers that the Constitution gives to Congress does this fall?  How much will it cost taxpayers?  Why do we need to improve energy efficiency when we have access to plenty of oil in the United States?

If individuals and organizations want to “improve their energy efficiency and use of alternative energy,” I have no objection–as long as they pay for it and the federal government isn’t involved.

The following organizations, which I would classify as conservative, all rate members of Congress on issues that they, the organizations, consider to be most important:

• The American Conservative Union: Congressional Ratings
• Free Trade, Free Markets: Rating Congress
• NTU (National Taxpayers Union) Rates Congress
• Council for Citizens Against Government Waste: Congressional Ratings
• Americans for Better Immigration: Immigration Report Cards
• Americans for Tax Reform: Congressional Ratings and Awards
• Center for Security Policy: National Security Scorecard 2007-2008
• Eagle Forum Scoreboard
• Family Research Council: Voting Records
• Federation for American Immigration Reform: Voting Reports
• FreedomWorks Key Votes: Economic Scorecard
• American Land Rights Association
• Gun Owners of America:  GOA House Ratings, GOA Senate Ratings

“Independence Institute president, Jon Caldara, held a press conference Monday, March 16th to discuss the Supreme Court’s decision against taxpayers and against the spirit of TABOR.”

Video: “[Colorado] Supreme Court’s Decision Against Taxpayers“

Video:  “A Jobs Plan That Will Work“

Bravo, Senator DeMint!

As Ben DeGrow at Mount Virtus wrote last week, Representative Ed Perlmutter (D) of Colorado’s 7th Congressional District sent out a full-color advertisement to his constituents bragging about his accomplishments.

Ed, as he was referred to throughout the ad, was particularly proud of having helped secure more than $53 million  to “rehabilitate foreclosed homes in our area”:

Colorado State Program – $34,013,566
Adams County – $4,600, 211
City of Aurora – $4,474, 097
City of Colorado Springs – $3,904,989
City and County of Denver – $6,060, 170

NOTE:  None of Colorado Springs and little of Denver is in Ed’s district.  However, a large part of Jefferson County, which is not included, is in the district.

Ed, instead of using taxpayers’ money to rehabilitate foreclosed homes to help the financial institutions that now own them make more money selling them, why don’t you cut taxes to help those of us who are actually paying our rent or mortgage every month?