CO-04 (Special Election)
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(R) Greg Lopez
(R) Trisha Calvarese
90%
10%
President (To Win Colorado)
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(D) Joe Biden*
(R) Donald Trump
80%
20%↓
CO-01 (Denver)
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(D) Diana DeGette*
90%
CO-02 (Boulder-ish)
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(D) Joe Neguse*
90%
CO-03 (West & Southern CO)
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(D) Adam Frisch
(R) Jeff Hurd
(R) Ron Hanks
40%
30%
20%
CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado)
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(R) Lauren Boebert
(R) Deborah Flora
(R) J. Sonnenberg
30%↑
15%↑
10%↓
CO-05 (Colorado Springs)
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(R) Dave Williams
(R) Jeff Crank
50%↓
50%↑
CO-06 (Aurora)
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(D) Jason Crow*
90%
CO-07 (Jefferson County)
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(D) Brittany Pettersen
85%↑
CO-08 (Northern Colo.)
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(D) Yadira Caraveo
(R) Gabe Evans
(R) Janak Joshi
60%↑
35%↓
30%↑
State Senate Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
80%
20%
State House Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
95%
5%
February 12, 2014 01:32 PM UTC
31 Comments
…Jerry also thinks there is a War on Rural Colorado. Who'd have thunk? I like Jerry a lot – he's a smart guy – and my Representative. But statements and actions by him like this are beneath every damn one of his constituents who have a brain. Let's stop this useless BS – and start talking about real problems and opportunities on the eastern plains. As Kramer would say, "Come on, Jerry…."
As for my Congressman – he's perfected the art of hit and run. He's a master Snipe Hunter.
I would like to issue an open apology to anyone who was offended last week by my suggestion that we shove an Obamaphone up Andrew Carnegies asshole. That was wrong.
Upon second thought, maybe the job can be done better with a Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse. They're endangered, and we could give a gaseous but somewhat safe environment for at least one of them.
Again, my apologies.
Oh, those dreaded Obamaphones. The idea of subsidized phone service originated under the Ronald Reagan administration after the breakup of AT&T. The program is paid for by telecommunications companies through the nonprofit Universal Service Administrative Company, not through taxpayer revenue. It was the Bush White House that instituted the program and it continues today.
What next? Allegations the President is punishing Catholics for opposing Obamacare? Oh, wait…
Michael, It is paid for by people who pay for phone service. The phone companies collect it from their customers. You pay for it. I pay for it.
It's cost has gone up dramatically and there is rampant fraud in cities all over the country because regulations intended to limit it are ignored. Carlos Sim, the Mexican billionaire has done very well by the program. People who buy telephone services, not so well.
Show your work troll. Or is that something else you pulled out of your nether region?
CT, Read. It will help you grow as a person.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-phones-subsidy-program-draws-new-scrutiny-on-the-hill/2013/04/09/50699d04-a061-11e2-be47-b44febada3a8_story.html
This would be fine if the premise were even a bit beyond laughable.
The phone thing doesn't come from Obama, and the facts right-wingers tend to use when discussing it aren't even close to correct. I'm not even going to dignify the link with a click, because the URL starts out with 'Obama-phone'.
The phone comes from the people who pay their own phone blls, via their carrier. The cost went from $800 mill in 2009 to $2.2 Bilion in 2012. Thee poor folks who get them refer to them as Obamaphones.
AC – that doesn't equate to your phone bill going up. It means a growing percentage of the Universal Fund is going to the Lifeline program – and less to other programs. There's a difference.
Doesn't matter, Mr. Bowman! The poor folks are getting something AC thinks they shouldn't have, like…refrigerators, or air conditioning!!
'the poor people' what a turd.
"Three poor folks. . . "
Good to see you final sourcing the BS you cite here A.C.
(BTW, I think PeakPolitics also refer to them as Obamaphones, too . . . )
The program has grown since 2009, the recession, which is NOT the same as saying its 'cost' has gone up. Troll.
According to the CBO, the average charge per household for the USF was $2.09 in 2003. I just checked my bill and the charge is $1.23. The average charge may be higher than that now and I'm an outlier, but it doesn't look like a program with out of control costs.
I strongly suspect that the increase in budget is just a sign of a successful and popular program that reflects overall nationwide phone usage.
You're thinking it through too clearly here let me help:
OBAMAPHONE OBAMAPHONE the poor people got OBAMAPHONES!
In addition to "Obamaphones", the fund also supports high cost, low income, schools and libraries – and Rural Health Care. So what's your point? I happen to like the fact that high cost service areas in rural Colorado are subsidized. If that means I'm contributing to a fleet of Obamaphones so my hospital can afford telemedicine, so be it.
That's Mr. Bowman to you, skeezix.
And yes, show your work. This bullshit of you, negev, moderatus, and other conserve nimrods putting out crap with no basis of fact behind it is getting old.
Question……………….When you get this stuff from limbaugh, beck, caplis, boortz, o'reilly, and the clowns at KNUS, does it ever occur to you that they're not citing sources?
When you repeat shit that can't be substantiated, you look like what you are…..a gullable rube.
Rocco, I thought you were going to admit your mistake the last time I educated you. Here you go (it is from that right wing paper, the Washington Post):
“The program has nearly tripled in size from $800 million in 2009 to $2.2 billion per year in 2012,” the senior Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee wrote in a March 26 letter to the Democratic minority. “American taxpayers — and we as their elected representatives — need to know how much of this growth is because of waste, fraud and abuse.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-phones-subsidy-program-draws-new-scrutiny-on-the-hill/2013/04/09/50699d04-a061-11e2-be47-b44febada3a8_story.html
Now if we could only get the same level of focus from the House majority on corporate subsidies. In the time it took me to post this comment Exxon raked in about $9k in subsidies. I stopped falling for that, "Look! Over there –> Squirrel" a long time ago.
This is a good program for a lot of reasons. Like all government programs, they get abused. I'm happy they've cleaned things up – that means more money in the pot for the other programs I care a lot about.
Without readng any of the propagada you sight, my bet is that a whole lot of people living in the hinterlands are getting not just basic phone service but at least dial-up internet connections. If people thought the "last mile" was costly for telephones that pales in comparison to even wired internet. At one time internet service could have been considered a frill, but these days, especially for rural populations, it can be a literal lifeline.
Opps, the "propaganda" remark was for A.C., MichaelBowman, not you.
…and the propoganda perpetuated by Rep. Sonnenberg and my Congressman. Let's take (once again) this bs notion there's a "war" on rural Colorado. Of all people in the entire Colorado House, Jerry's home county (Logan) has benefitted more from the renewable mandates than any other county in the state.
There is now over a billion dollars worth of wind projects on the Peetz table – the new job and tax base that came with that development has transformed Logan County and the city of Sterling in a very positive way. Without having to raise a dime of capital by local government – these projects are made possible by the energy purchases of Xcel's mostly-urban consumers. (and the very mandates that Rep. Sonnenberg, Gardner has House Rep and Brophy as state senator would have a 100% record of opposing).
Those dreaded, front-range liberals are the ones paying the local taxes and supporting those rural jobs via the wind farms.
Let's stop demonizing urban constituents as though there is an "us v. them". Instead of pretending there is a war – and perpetuating that lie through campaign rhetoric – let's put our big boy pants on and figure out how every rural county in Colorado can sit at this table of enormous benfits and opportunities.
Seriously, enough is enough.
That sounds like the basis for a good campaign ad, a whole series of ads.
The Koch-funded astroturf shop Americans for Plutocracy was all over this like congressmen at a lobbyist luncheon, decrying the environmentalists, the gubmint, bureaucrats and the demoncrat party. Like the TV station, and Rep. Gardner (R-grandstander), I doubt anyone will ever see a correction, the adult thing to do when making a mistake. Caught out in a lie, as is SOP for AFP, they have just moved onto this week's lie… which you can catch up on by reading our local trolls.
At least a new lie is a change. I was getting really tired of seeing the same old lie or two endlessly repeated.
Washington, DC has been very kind to he Gardner household. Don't hold your breath for a "correction".
This was the first I'd heard of any phone service program, so you know I had to look it up. Lifeline provides a no-frills basic phone line for households up to 135% of Federal poverty guideline.
Many times, schools want to connect with parents and guardians of low-income kids, but can't, because there is no phone service.
So Lifeline is a Federal program. Colorado phone consumers are no longer subsidizing Low Income Telephone Assistance Program People who are poor and need phone service are expected to get in touch with the Federal government. No word on whether the isolated seniors and homeless people who used to have phones are doing OK.
Pleased and proud, Andrew C?
Here's a link to the rest of the programs administered under the Universal Service Administrative Company. Good stuff.
That'll teach me to read to the end of the thread. So, I was right. Even if it was costing me money, I'd be fine with that. People who don't have easy access to healthcare and other services need all the help they can get. Since I'm not a selfish, "every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost" right-winger I'm glad rural folks get the help they need.
My only regret is that I don't live in Gardner's district (although that's a lie… I wouldn't dream of living in such a political shithole) so that I had the opportunity to help vote him out of office.