Joshua Sharf

Member For

1 year 6 days

Website:

Contact:

Red County Editor -
Denver County, CO
jsharf@jsharf.com

BIOGRAPHY

A Coloradoan for over a decade, Mr. Sharf grew up in northern Virginia, graduating high school in 1983 with the International Baccalaureate. He attended the University of Virginia, where he graduated in 1987 with a Bachelors of Science in a dual major of Physics and Mathematics. While at the University, he was elected Treasurer and President of the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society, and was a member of Sigma Pi Sigma, the national Physics Honor Society.

After graduation, Mr. Sharf returned to northern Virginia, where he took up a career in defense and intelligence consulting, working on such projects as satellite systems and missile defense. Eventually, he turned to a career in web development, and in 1997 he turned west, arriving in Denver in March of that year. He attended the University of Denver as a Daniels Scholar and graduated in 2005 with an MBA as well as a Masters of Science in Finance, and has since passed the NYSE Series 7 and the Chartered Financial Analyst Exam, Level I.

Mr. Sharf was selected as a delegate to the 2006 Colorado Republican state assembly. He also served as an election judge in 2004 and 2005. He also ran for the Colorado State House of Representatives as a Republican for House District 6. He currently serves as the 1st Vice Chairman of the Denver County Republican Party, and chairs the Communications and New Technology Committee.

He currently co-hosts Backbone Radio with former State Senator John Andrews on KNUS-710, and has held down a spot on the Denver Post's PoliticsWest.com Gang of Four Blog. This is in addition to his own blogging at View From a Height, and at Brent Bozell's Newsbusters. He is a graduate of the 2006 class of the Leadership Program of the Rockies.

Mr. Sharf holds a Private Pilot's license, and is a talented amateur photographer. He is a founding member of the DAT Minyan, and an active member of Americans Against Terrorism. His parents, sister and brother-in-law, Ellen & Steve, currently live in Atlanta, and he is the proud uncle of Jamie and Daniel (and will brag about them on demand).

COMMENTARIES

California vs. Texas - Exports

By Joshua Sharf | 10/12/09

We all know that as California has failed, Texas has prospered. We all know that jobs and people are fleeing Paradise for Hell. We all know that it costs about 3 times as much to rent a truck from California as to make the return trip from Texas. What I haven't seen is an analysis of the role that exports have played in this reversal. In fact, Texas exports more that California does, and has since 2002: Both states have... read more »

0 Comments | Related Topics »Denver County (CO) |

Chinese Futures Markets - A Long-Term Menace

By Joshua Sharf | 10/12/09

The Wall Street Journal reports this morning that China is seeking to upgrade and expand its commodities futures markets in order to influence commodities prices, arguing that on-shore exchanges will help increase market efficiencies: Government officials say the country is positioning its futures markets to be major players in setting world prices for metal, energy and farm commodities. By letting the world know how much its companies and... read more »

0 Comments | Related Topics »Denver County (CO) |

Call This the Paris Hilton Peace Prize

By Joshua Sharf | 10/09/09

I know we're supposed to be focused on state & local events here, but some targets are just too good.. Look, there are a half-dozen obvious ways of interpreting what the Swedes were thinking This was the left-of-liberal left congratulating itself. This was the left-of-liberal left honoring the President who will lead the US into retirement. This committee was trying to encourage him in a... read more »

0 Comments | Related Topics »Denver County (CO) |

Legislative Council Predictions Aren't So Good, Either

By Joshua Sharf | 10/02/09

Every three months, the Legislative Council comes out with a report saying that the state budget is in even worse shape than we thought it was. And with every report, we're told how Legislative Council keeps missing because of the unprecedented speed and size of the change. Fortunately, we can go back and see how well the LC has done in the past. I don't think I've seen the data presented this way before, but apologies if... read more »

0 Comments | Related Topics »Denver County (CO) |

Depends on the Meaning of "Gains"

By Joshua Sharf | 09/27/09

A few days ago, the New York Times was trumpeting President Obama's "gains" at the UN concerning Iran's nuclear program. With a beaming Mr. Obama standing next to him, Mr. Medvedev signaled for the first time that Russia would be amenable to longstanding American requests to toughen sanctions against Iran significantly if, as expected, nuclear talks scheduled for next month failed to make progress. Well. That was then, this... read more »

0 Comments | Related Topics »Denver County (CO) |

Notes From the Senate Race

By Joshua Sharf | 09/27/09

A couple of notes on the race for the Republican nomination. First of all, despite the headline - and the weight of the party's senior ex-officeholders - former Lt. Gov. Norton did win the straw poll, but did not "clobber" her opponents. Mrs. Norton will no doubt point out that she hadn't had much time to organize for the straw poll, and yet still came out first. Her opponents will note that this should have been, in... read more »

0 Comments | Related Topics »Denver County (CO) |

Gates of Sofia

By Joshua Sharf | 09/27/09

While most of the attention at the UN was focused on Obama's speech, Ghadafi's theatrics, Ahmedinejad being Ahmedinejad, and Sarkozy taking on Obama at the Security Council (what, you missed that one?), another little all-too-UN election drama was playing out at UNESCO. This is the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, and it's one of the few UN organizations that the Islamic bloc hasn't managed to corrupt beyond... read more »

0 Comments | Related Topics »Denver County (CO) |

Denver's Employment Not Yet "Stabilized"

By Joshua Sharf | 09/23/09

Still catching up from Rosh Hashanah this weekend - it's going to be that way for a few more weeks as the Holidays of Tishrei descend on us for another season. So Colorado's Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment pronounces it "encouraging" that Colorado gained 3100 jobs while shedding 15,200 workers. The unemployment rate will probably get worse again before it gets better, but mostly because... read more »

0 Comments | Related Topics »Denver County (CO) |

Venture Capital, Take Note

By Joshua Sharf | 09/22/09

In the generally miserable venture capital environment of that last few quarters, one bright spot has been the health sciences market. It's one of the area where Colorado can compete effectively, and an area where America is well ahead of the rest of the world. It produces actual long-term savings and real quality-of-life and lifespan improvements. And the Senate - presumably with the agreement of Colorado's Bennet and Udall - is... read more »

0 Comments | Related Topics »Denver County (CO) |

More Community Reinvestment

By Joshua Sharf | 09/18/09

As though forcing banks to loan to bad risks had worked before: The Obama administration's chief steward over small-business policy visited Colorado on Thursday, in part to deliver a message that the state's banks need to do more to extend emergency stimulus aid to struggling businesses. In remarks to The Denver Post before a speech to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Administration head Karen Mills said her staff has... read more »