( - promoted by Rocky Mountain Right - )

For several weeks, I have been watching the drama unfold surrounding the ticketing of Douglas Bruce at a Costco in Colorado Springs.  Now I don't like Bruce as a person, but I am a staunch limited government proponent.  So let's just put that on the table to start with.

The more I have looked at Bruce, the more I have come to believe that he is actually an Anarchist not a conservative.  Here is why. 

The cornerstone of the conservative movement is the belief that all wealth is the property of that person who earned it.  We believe that you have the right to do with your time and money as you please.  The Constitution guarantees that the government will not take your right to life, liberty, or property without due process.  So the conservative view is that when the government taxes you, they are taking that which is yours not taking back that which is theirs.  And they better have a damn good and constitutional reason to do so.  It is your property, you have the rights to it.

Bruce was issued a ticket for petitioning on private property.  My understanding is that he was asked to leave by the management (the representative of the owners), and that customers were uncomfortable with him and  avoided the store because of him. 

Bruce argues that this is a free speech issue.  However, the Constitution does not guarantee unlimited free speech.  It only prohibits the government from restricting it.  Private property owners are more than welcome to prohibit certain speech on their own premises.  For instance, should a church be required to allow pro-abortion protesters into services?  Of course not.  Neither should any other business or enterprise be required to have a lightning rod like Bruce turn away their customers.

Anarchists are anti-government and anti-authority, not pro-limited, effective, and constitutional government.  They believe society is best when there is no formal authority.  Bruce does not want to fix government, he wants it to go away.  He does not believe in government enforcing the rights of private property owners, he believes that might makes right and he can bully his way into power.

As conservatives, we need to find standard-bearers who are not anarchists.  The vast majority of Americans believe we need government in some way shape or form.  Conservatives should be promoting better ways to run government that are more efficient, effective, and constitutional and take less of our private property to do so.  If we allow Bruce and other Anarchists to be the public face of the conservative movement, we will continue to hand victory after victory to the socialist hard left.

House District 15 looks set to spare Colorado from any further terrorism against newspaper photographers as Mark Waller takes an early 10-point lead against Doug Bruce.

Mark Waller: 55% (2,998)
Doug Bruce: 45% (2,492)

As of 7:48 PM

Doug Bruce is now facing allegations of sexual harassment against capitol staffers. The Rocky Mountain News reports on the latest disgraceful incident from Doug Bruce:

Rep. Douglas Bruce was instructed Wednesday to stay away from a woman working at the state Capitol who lodged a sexual harassment complaint against him.

Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, handed Bruce a letter on the House floor. Bruce read it, then he and Romanoff briefly met in the speaker's office.

Bruce, a Colorado Springs Republican, would not comment afterward.

Doug Bruce started off his legislative career by kicking a Rocky Mountain News reporter in the shins without provocation during the morning prayer. He followed this incident up by insulting our military veterans at one point and later making racist comments while debating a bill. He even over-billed the taxpayers and tried to pocket the extra money.

Bruce's childish antics and selfish attention-seeking behavior have turned the Colorado House into a national joke. His bizarre behavior makes the front page of the Drudge Report on a regular basis, giving many out-of-staters a negative impression of Colorado. Since his appointment to the legislature, he has revealed himself as an egomaniac, a thug, a bigot, and now this.

It's hard to imagine any other wildly inappropriate behaviors a politician could engage in that Bruce has not in a few short months. All that's really left is for him to pull a Marion Barry, although that would go a long way toward explaining some of his behavior.

If Doug Bruce cares about his constituents on any level, he will resign from the House immediately. If not, the legislature should remove him from office as soon as possible.
 

(- promoted by Rocky Mountain Right -)

Doug Bruce: Not only is he overcharging the state for his work as a legislator, but he also campaigns at the capitol instead of doing his work:

Another brushfire ignited around Rep. Douglas Bruce, R-Colorado Springs, today when he handed out campaign fliers to a number of House colleagues that attack his opponent in this year's Republican primary.

Early this morning, Bruce placed the fliers on the office desks of several House Republicans. The fliers contrast Bruce to his primary opponent, Mark Waller, and on the last page list several of Bruce's previous anti-tax fights, asking in bold type, "Where was Waller?"

Several lawmakers said they found the Capitol campaigning in poor taste.

"I've never seen anything like that done before," said Rep. Larry Liston, a fellow Colorado Springs Republican who supports Waller and did not receive a flier. "... I thought it was pretty petty."

By the way, Waller was most likely in the Air Force to answer the flier's question. We all know how Bruce acts towards veterans.

(- promoted by Rocky Mountain Right -)

Mark Waller beat Doug Bruce at the El Paso Assembly today to win top-line in the August Primary! The Gazette has the details already:

Mark Waller, who has been known so far only as the Republican challenging Rep. Douglas Bruce, earned a new title Saturday: Front-runner to take Bruce's seat.

Waller received 57 percent of the vote from House District 15 delegates at the El Paso County General Assembly, winning top-line designation on the Aug. 12 primary ballot. Bruce, who earned 43 percent, is the first incumbent in recent memory to get outpolled at the assembly.

Sadly, Doug Bruce (who recently kicked a photographer and overbilled the taxpayers) met the threshold to get onto the ballot.

(- promoted by Rocky Mountain Right-)

This Saturday, March 8th, is the El Paso County Republican Assembly. If you're attending and are tired of having a state representative who kicks photographers, gets nothing done, gets removed from committees, refuses to honor our veterans, and swindles the taxpayers: then you need to support Mark Waller for State House District 15.

Mark Waller is an Air Force veteran, a conservative, and he will provide the representation that the people of Colorado Springs deserve.

From his campaign site:

If we want to have a voice our elected officials have to put petty bickering and egos aside and work with all legislators to promote our values and further our cause. Without effective communication we can have no representation. I pledge to you that I will work hard to listen to your ideas and concerns and then take them to Denver and work with all legislators to ensure your voice is heard.

As an officer in the United States Air Force with over 15 years active and reserve time (and still counting) I have had the opportunity to develop and hone the leadership and communication skills necessary to effectively represent our values in Denver. As a Deputy District Attorney in Southern Colorado I developed the skills to fight hard as an advocate for the People of the State of Colorado. While prosecuting cases, I quickly learned that fighting hard wasn’t enough. I learned that in order to be effective I had to also effectively communicate my position in a respectful manner.