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May 27, 2020 10:06 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Wednesday (May 27)

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  • by: Colorado Pols

Holy crap! It’s almost June! Now, let’s Get More Smarter. If you think we missed something important, please include the link in the comments below (here’s a good example). If you are more of an audio/visual learner, check out The Get More Smarter Show or The Get More Smarter Podcast. And don’t forget to find us on Facebook and Twitter.

 

BECAUSE CORONAVIRUS…

*Colorado Coronavirus info:
CDPHE Coronavirus website 

*Daily Coronavirus numbers in Colorado:
http://covid19.colorado.gov

*How you can help in Colorado:
COVRN.com

*Locate a COVID-19 testing site in Colorado:
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

 

► President Trump has declared that wearing a mask these days is a litmus test of your political beliefs, which is not going over well with a lot of Republicans. As The Washington Post reports:

A growing chorus of Republicans are pushing back against President Trump’s suggestion that wearing cloth masks to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus is a sign of personal weakness or political correctness.

They include governors seeking to prevent a rebound in coronavirus cases and federal lawmakers who face tough reelection fights this fall, as national polling shows lopsided support for wearing masks in public.

“Wearing a face covering is not about politics — it’s about helping other people,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said Tuesday in a plea over Twitter, echoing comments by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) last week. “This is one time when we truly are all in this together.”

Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), who faces a tough reelection fight, has added “#wearyourmask” to his Twitter handle, after photographing himself earlier the month wearing a mask in an airport as part of an appeal for the public to “remain vigilant.” Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate who is running for reelection this year, shared a photo of himself in a mask on Monday, asking others to adopt the practice.

Trump mocked Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden for wearing a mask on Memorial Day, calling the practice “politically correct.”

 

Governor Jared Polis says social distancing and stay-at-home measures helped level out Colorado’s coronavirus curve as he announced plans to allow restaurants (and ski areas) to reopen. Colorado Public Radio has more on Polis’ press conference on Monday; The Denver Post reports on Colorado restaurants taking a cautious approach to reopening.

 

The Gallagher Amendment could be facing a reckoning this fall, as The Denver Post reports:

Sens. Chris Hansen, D-Denver, and Jack Tate, R-Centennial, want to repeal the Gallagher Amendment and, Hansen said, they have “broad” support to do so.

Gallagher, which has been in the state Constitution since 1982, was intended to keep property taxes low, but it has squeezed revenue and services at firehouses, schools and police departments across the state. The economic impact of the pandemic will force more cuts.

Hansen said he and Tate will introduce a resolution this week to put the question of whether to repeal Gallagher to voters in November. They’d need two-thirds support from lawmakers in each chamber — and Hansen said he thinks they have it.

Governor Polis said Tuesday that he supports the effort to repeal the Gallagher Amendment.

 

 9News sets the scene at the state legislature as lawmakers reconvened for the first time since mid-March. If you were worried that Republicans might have an actual plan, you can rest easily.

Lawmakers will attempt remote voting measures today, despite objections from Republicans. A similar scene is playing out in Congress, where Republicans filed a lawsuit to prevent Democrats from moving ahead with proxy voting in the House of Representatives.

 

 

If you’re looking for political news that isn’t about Coronavirus, it’s available right after the jump…

 

SERIOUSLY, THERE WILL BE NON-CORONAVIRUS NEWS MOMENTARILY…

 

Evictions in Colorado have slowed because of coronavirus, but as Colorado Public Radio reports, we could see an uptick starting in June.

 

Governor Polis announced that Honeywell is producing 6 million N-95 masks for Colorado.

 

Legislation intended to increase vaccination rates in Colorado may not get much further in the current legislative session because of — ironically — concerns about the safety of testimony at the State Capitol. Lawmakers have decided that telephone and remote testimony is not feasible at the moment.

 

An oft-cited state model predicts that social distancing measures in Colorado probably can’t be relaxed for several more months at least.

 

Coronavirus-related worker’s compensation claims are on the rise in Colorado.

 

► As John Aguilar reports for The Denver Post, RTD has some pretty big decisions to make about its future:

For the first time since RTD dramatically curtailed service in the face of the coronavirus pandemic more than a month ago, the transit agency is restoring service on several popular bus lines in the metro area…

…But this week’s schedule changes don’t erase the fact that the transit agency faces a tough slog recovering from a pandemic that chopped ridership by at least 60% starting in late March. The next month, the agency abandoned collecting fares on all train and bus lines to slow spread of coronavirus while also requiring that passengers board buses in the rear.

Spokeswoman Tina Jaquez said she didn’t know when fares would be restored on all RTD rides.

A bigger indication of the rough road ahead for RTD came into view last week, when the agency released the results of a survey it conducted with 2,662 passengers in early May regarding their perception of the level of safety when riding public transit during a pandemic.

 

► Jefferson County Government is moving to a four-day work week in order to save money amid falling tax revenues connected to the coronavirus pandemic.

 

► Education leaders are doing their best to plan for the 2020-21 school year, but as 9News reports, there are still too many unknowns at play:

Whether schools in Colorado will open in the fall for in-person learning is still undecided, but the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) on Tuesday provided districts around the state with guidance around how to safely reopen.

The guidance is what the CDE calls a toolkit and includes requirements and considerations for school districts to use while planning for the fall. The document is broken up into guidance for a number of different approaches including remote learning, in-person learning, physically distanced learning, rolling starts and stops, and a blend of in-person and remote learning. Each of these sections has a subsection with considerations for schools to take into account.

Colorado Education Commissioner Katy Anthes and Associate Commissioner Rhonda Haniford stressed the fact that these guidelines were a work in progress and subject to change. Since these decisions are contingent on guidance from the state health department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Gov. Jared Polis, many of the decisions around how and when, or if, schools can reopen for in-person learning structures will be unknown until possibly August, Anthes said.

 

► The University of Colorado outlined plans for a return to classes in the fall, including an interesting decision to finish the semester with remote learning at the Thanksgiving break.

 

 

AT LAST: POLITICAL NEWS THAT IS (MOSTLY) NOT ABOUT CORONAVIRUS…

 

► President Trump just keeps lying and lying about fraud with mail balloting. He’s looking ridiculous doing it.

 

Click on this link to read about Attorneys General supporting the SAFE banking act for legal marijuana businesses…but also to see the picture of a guy dressed up as Spiderman at a dispensary.

 

The Colorado Secretary of State is putting out the bat signal election judge signal.

 

Former State Rep. Dennis Apuan (D-Colorado Springs) died at the age of 55.

 

Congressional Republicans are hopeful that they might finally rid themselves of racist Iowa Rep. Steve King.

 

Leaders from President Trump’s 2016 campaign are warning that The Big Orange Guy is in big trouble in 2020.

 

 

 

Your Daily Dose Of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

 

► Well played:

 

President Trump’s endless expressions of love for Chinese President Xi have not aged well.

 

ICYMI

 

► Senator Cory Gardner gets another awful press clipping in a story about his inability to separate himself from President Trump.

 

► Now that you’re done reading, give your eyes a break and Get More Smarter with your ears:

 

For more political learnings, check out The Get More Smarter Show or The Get More Smarter Podcast. And don’t forget to give Colorado Pols a thumbs up on Facebook and Twitter

 

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