June 04, 2021 09:52 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Friday (June 4)

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• by: Colorado Pols

The Denver Nuggets have advanced to Round 2 of the Western Conference Playoffs after dispatching the Portland Trailblazers on Thursday; Game One is scheduled for Monday evening in Phoenix. 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 learner, check out The Get More Smarter Podcast. And don’t forget to find us on Facebook and Twitter. 

CORONAVIRUS INFO…

*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 

*Coloradans can now get a COVID-19 vaccine at one of six locations without a prior appointment. 

► As The Washington Post reports, Congressional Democrats unveiled an ambitious new transportation funding plan:

Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unveiled a $547 billion transportation funding package Friday that would ramp up spending on rail and transit, while encouraging states to repair existing roads rather than build new ones.

The biggest chunk of the bill is $343 billion for road and bridge construction, as well as highway safety, a boost of more than 50 percent over the last transportation bill Congress passed in 2015. It also calls for $109 billion for transit and $95 billion for rail — including a tripling of funding to Amtrak.

Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.), chairman of the committee, said the proposed legislation embodies a core piece of President Biden’s infrastructure plans, “seizing this once-in-a-generation opportunity to move our transportation planning out of the 1950s and toward our clean energy future.”

► As The Associated Press reports, COVID-19 is still very much a danger to Coloradans — particularly those who refuse to get vaccinated:

About 500 people remain hospitalized in Colorado with COVID-19 even though the pandemic seems to be receding, and health officials say almost all of the patients share a common trait: They’re unvaccinated.

“We’ve taken a deep look at this,” Dr. JP Valin, chief clinical officer at SCL Health, told Colorado Public Radio. “Ninety-five percent of the patients who have been hospitalized since February are unvaccinated.”

After more than a year of dealing with the pandemic, the near-constant churn of unvaccinated patients is wearing on front-line doctors and nurses, and their frustration arises in part because at least some of the cases may have been avoidable.

“We are tired,” said Dr. Sandeep Vijan of Parkview Medical Center in Pueblo. “We’ve been doing this for a year. We are emotionally tired; tired of seeing people die. We are physically tired.”

The CDC is again encouraging teenagers to get vaccinated quickly.

Get your damn shot, people. Help our first responders out.

► The 2021 legislative session needs to end by June 12, though lawmakers are hoping to gavel out sometime next week. In the meantime, Democrats keep passing major pieces of legislation that will positively impact nearly everyone in Colorado. Here’s what’s happening in the last few days of the session…

Women in the Colorado legislature are focusing their efforts on ending discrimination in the workplace, as The Denver Post reports. CBS4 Denver has more on how Sen. Faith Winter is working on sexual harassment changes that are guided in part by her own experiences.

House Bill 1325 seeks to provide more resources for the education of higher-needs students.

As Colorado Public Radio reports, legislative Democrats think they have reached a deal with Gov. Jared Polis that will allow a significant climate change bill to move forward.

A massive transportation funding bill is on its way to the desk of Gov. Polis.

Legislation that allows local governments to make their own gun control measures is headed to the desk of Gov. Polis. It will be joined by a bill that prevents HOAs from getting all up in your business, and legislation that bans the use of Native American mascots.

Fox 31 reports on the passage of five economic stimulus bills.

Marianne Goodland of the publication formerly known as the Colorado Statesman reports on the progress of a late bill dealing with property tax changes.

Westword has the latest on potential changes related to Colorado’s legal marijuana industry.

More political (and coronavirus) news is available right after the jump…

And Now, More Words…

► The economy is recovering after a year of a global pandemic, but as The New York Times reports, it’s gonna take awhile:

Employers added 559,000 jobs in May, and created more jobs in March and April than earlier estimates suggested. The shockingly weak April number that confounded economists four weeks ago (originally reported as a gain of 266,000 jobs, now revised up to 278,000) looks like an aberration, not a major downshift in the pace of recovery.

But that doesn’t mean all is well. Just a few weeks ago, it seemed more likely than not that the United States was on the verge of a boom summer, a time of explosive growth that would bring the economy back to full health faster than in any recovery in memory.

It has become increasingly clear, however — both from anecdotal reports and in data — that a reopening spurred on by vaccination is harder than it once seemed. The possibility of adding a million jobs a month seemed within grasp not long ago, but now looks more like wishful thinking.

► As The Washington Post reports, Facebook has decided that politicians are no longer exempt from penalties for spreading bullshit on their platform

In a move with global ramifications for online political speech, Facebook plans to change a policy under which it generally spares toxic speech by major political figures from content-moderation rules it applies to everyone else.

At issue is a rule, first unfurled in October 2016, under which the social media giant tolerates inflammatory and untrue posts from influential people on grounds they’re “newsworthy, significant, or important to the public interest — even if they might otherwise violate our standards.”

Facebook won’t do away completely with the controversial policy, according to the Verge’s Alex Heath, who was first to report the news, but it will be more transparent when it’s invoked.

► Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a big fan of fellow Qaucus member Rep. Lauren “Q*Bert” Boebert…and Greene even wants to come to Colorado along with Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz.

In Boebert-related news, the Congressperson from CO-03 is casually calling for the execution of Dr. Anthony Fauci.

► As Justin Wingerter reports for The Denver Post, we should get a first look at potential congressional redistricting maps on June 23, with legislative maps coming on June 28.

► You can now get one of those old-school Colorado license plates…for an extra fee.

► Another Republican lawmaker in Colorado has to explain why his comments aren’t as racist as they sound.

► Colorado is on the front line of the battle protecting abortion rights.

► The Denver School Board confirmed Alex Marrero as the new DPS Superintendent despite lingering questions about complaints into his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic at his previous job.

► Teachers in Jefferson County rallied on Thursday in support of a “fair living wage.”

► Vox.com suggests a national “green bank” to finance renewable energy projects.

► As POLITICO reports, Evangelicals are struggling about whether or not they should continue to embrace former President Donald Trump.

Say What, Now?

► Not really, no.

Your Daily Dose Of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

► Attacks on Dr. Anthony Fauci — mostly from right-wingers — are growing in intensity.

► Former Vice President Mike Pence delivered a speech in New Hampshire in which he said that he and former President Trump basically have to “agree to disagree” on the fact that Trump supporters tried to kill Pence on January 6.

ICYMI

► Democratic Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema are opposed to reforming the filibuster. As Chris Cillizza of CNN warns, Republicans are going to do it anyway the next time they have a chance.

► Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman knows all about the homeless problem in Aurora because he spent time studying the homeless problem…in Denver. Coffman’s proposal for an urban camping ban in Aurora is not being well-received.

► This week on The Get More Smarter Podcast, hosts Jason Bane and Ian Silverii discuss expand on the segment “Legislating With Crayons” to include “Legislating With Lunatics.”

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