In Colorado Since 1971 on and off
Knowing Colorado
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In 1971, I have a vague memory of helping load a moving truck and waiving goodbye to it (by help, I mean getting out of the way as I was around 6 years old). My dad had finished up his military service and was looking forward to starting a medical partnership in Colorado, the wild west. We loaded up the Buick Estate Wagon with the dog (a standard poodle named Licorice), my sister, and enough stuff to spend three days on the road heading to our new home.
There was not a lot that stands out from those early years. Living in an apartment in a place called "Plaza de Monaco" (near Monaco and Evans) where my purple bike was stolen. Meeting the neighbors with a new child (our families became very close over the years). Moving to the "Dam West" in a stucco house on Oakland Circle by tennis courts where Eastridge Elementary was up a dirt road and had a great field by it for catching lizards. Polton Elementary was being built and had named some spaces and offices after many old mining towns in Colorado. Polton had an "open concept" with domes for additional space.
We went up to Copper Mountain when it first opened in 1972 and I proceeded to break my leg skiing (it didn't dissuade me in the least). My cast was very popular in school as I recall. We moved again to Greenwood Village (by Belleview and Holly), a community surrounded by ranches, farms, and just a short bike ride from the Cherry Creek Dam we could see from the mostly dirt road that headed way out to Parker.
The walk to Greenwood Elementary took me past homes of people I could name, and who knew me. When they paved the road in front of the house, we could take these new boards with skates on them down the hill and fly off of a ramp into the dirt gully. The neighbor kids would get together and we would play flashlight tag. Sometimes, I got to ride horses with the girl next door (whom I adored).
Eventually, I attended West Middle School where we went on a trip to Washington DC. Then we moved one last time (not so far, just to a newer home in the same area) and I ultimately ended up at Cherry Creek High School. I had a lawn mowing business with multiple clients, a bank account, and paid taxes (the Social Security Administration shows earnings in those early years). There were cars and a truck for the business. And my dad even got a small Cessna we kept at Arapahoe Airport (before it became Centennial Airport), but I never got a pilot's license.
In 1982, I chose to join the United States Army Reserve after being inspired by a trip to Israel. The honor of defending one's country was a hard-driving motivation. One I never will regret. The "split option" had me in Ft. Leonard Wood one summer then Ft. Sam Houston the next summer. I am often reminded these days, I chose to defend the right of people to be free, even if they say silly things.
My summer after a couple of years at the University of Puget Sound, Washington, was spent traveling, on my own, in Israel in 1985. Then I went to the Devry Institute of Technology in Phoenix, Arizona. In Arizona, I worked at, then managed a cluster of gas stations. Ultimately, I graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Electronics Engineering Technology.
My first job using my new degree was as a Field Engineer for Singer-Link where I became a contractor for the Department of Defense with a Secret clearance. This job took me from New York, where I purchased a Honda Rebel motorcycle. Then it was off to Texas (through New Orleans... no comment). I then spent an amazing year-and-a-half in Misawa, Japan, two ski seasons in, Ogden, Utah, at Hill Air Force Base, and eventually, back to Colorado in 1988.
Are you bored yet? The interesting stuff is ahead.
When I returned from Utah, there had been an economic downturn in Colorado so I purchased a Townhouse and opened a computer consulting business. I worked on database projects and eventually was working for a slightly larger small business doing what we called "computers in medicine" (basically bringing medical offices into the 20th century). This was everything from setting up PCs to building entire networks for small offices and partnerships at multiple locations. It also included outcome research studies and travel to other states for the development and deployment of data gathering systems.
On this side, I started listening to "The Black Avenger" (aka Ken Hamblin), Michael Reagan, and Rush Limbaugh on the radio. I was working as a volunteer for multiple political campaigns and even managed to learn how grassroots politics really worked (definitely more of who you know than what you know).
The first big political cause was stopping "Fast Tracks" (we slowed it down, but eventually, the trolley tracks with empty cars took over perfectly usable highway space without reducing traffic even a little). There were races for City Council, County Commissioner, State Reps, and State Senators as well as leadership roles in Republican organizations. I was on the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee for the City of Aurora and Arapahoe County. Then I worked on the campaign of Tom Tancredo where we used every skill and clever campaign school tactic to win in a 5 way primary for Dan Shaffer's 6th Congressional District seat.
in 1999, I went to Washington DC. I started as the office computer geek and earned a reputation as the official distractor of the Congressman (yes, we ran off and had cigars instead of fund-raising). I was also a Legislative Correspondent, Legislative Assistant, and Technical advisor (because Geek was not an acceptable title). I worked on obscure legislation for Education, International Relations, Banking, and Technology and kept the computers running in the office. I was also Tom's friend.
My ex-wife and I met and had adventures during my time there. We experienced Columbine, September 11th, and the Financial Collapse thanks to Barney Frank. There was also the downfall of Congressman James "Beam Me Up" Traficant (still one of my favorite Democrats) and the start of multi-trillion-dollar budgets.
Colorado called me back in late 2003. I became the President of Young Republicans of Colorado, Colorado Jewish Republicans, and started doing low-cost political consulting and database research for all things political. It was probably a mistake not to charge confiscatory rates for my help considering the lack of performance of highly paid consultants compared to my low-cost successes.low-cost
Around 2004, I joined State Treasurer Mike Coffman in the Unclaimed Property office as a state employee where I got to do my database stuff once again. I helped to automate the claims process to an online system rather than the previous "mail it in" approach. We gave back money to people as fast as we could so the state legislature couldn't spend it. I also developed a large following with an email Newsletter called "Events and Info" with 5 line entries summarizing the GOP happenings across all of Colorado. There were some 10,000 Colorado-based emails on my list at the time (all hand-curated over about 6 years).
Because it seemed like the right time, in 2006, I ran for Arapahoe County Treasurer and lost by 28 out of about 25,000 votes in the primary (it was totally my fault for not walking any precincts). Since I was done with geeking out in the Treasurer's office, change seemed to be in order.
After my failed primary, I managed the Coffman for Secretary of State campaign (while on vacation) and after willing, Mike became the Colorado Secretary of State (SOS). He thought I could manage to automate some processes at the SOS as well. Let's just say I identified some issues and stepped on some toes. There were empire-builders, busy-workers, secret allies, and mischief makers. When all was said and done, some folks retired, and others simply went away, including me.
I took a position in the private sector being a database Geek once again. Quietly watching the state and Country "slouching toward Gomorrah", just as predicted by Judge Robert Bork so many years ago. Now, I am interested in becoming a disruptor.
You see, politics has become toxic, and the candidates I like have been bashed and pilloried. It is time for me to put my head down and get in the fight. Over the course of my life, I have developed some ... special skills... I have no idea how this will end, but freedom should not be given up without a good fight.
The Political Left is welcome to make up their lies about me. I will not run from anything I have done (even the not-so-good stuff).
I am not looking for power, I just want to return government to its proper, minimal, place in the everyday lives of taxpayers.
"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."
JFK was right about this. Too many think the government will give them stuff. That is not how it works. We can Make America Great Again.
- Let's Go Brandon!
- If it is to be it is up to me.
- Protect Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happienes.
- Don't Tread on Me.
- The role of the Military is to kill people and break things.
These are all tidbits that mean something to me and should to you as well. They are attributed to various individuals from founders to famous. Please share these and send others.