March 19, 2015 12:03 PM UTC

Get More Smarter on Thursday (March 19)

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• by: Colorado Pols

We don’t care what anybody says: Today is NOT the first day of the second round of the NCAA Tournament. It’s time to Get More Smarter with Colorado Pols. If you think we missed something important, please include the link in the comments below (here’s a good example).

TOP OF MIND TODAY…

► Anyone got an extra $1.73 billion that they aren’t using? We may need it to finish the new VA Hospital in Denver that is actually in Aurora. Also, Rep. Mike Coffman is complaining again that other people aren’t doing stuff.

► Surprise! No, wait…what’s the opposite of surprise? Colorado doesn’t have much room in next year’s budget to fund things. It’s almost like we need a new source of revenue or something.

 ► We may not have much money in the state coffers, but at least we’re offering tax refunds! Thanks, TABOR: Destroying Colorado one ratchet effect at a time.

 ► But wait, The U.S. Senate will save the fiscal day! Oh, nevermind.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

SHOULD YOU FIND YOURSELF STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Colorado legislators may have found an agreement to fund three whole offices to handle applications for immigrants seeking driver’s licenses. 

► Senate Bill 177, the so-called “Construction Defects” legislation, is moving on to the floor of the State Senate. The Republican-controlled Senate will likely pass the bill (with help from Democrats like Sen. Cheri Jahn, who does whatever CACI tells her to do), before it meets its demise in the State House.

► Yoga! Yoga! Yoga!

► Colorado Republicans such as Sen. Vicki “Lost” Marble believe that Coloradans should be able to carry weapons without a permit. A full 88% of Americans believe this is a horrible idea.

► Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is a favorite for the Republican nomination for President — at least as far as Colorado Republicans are concerned. In other words, Walker will almost certainly flame out by Christmas.

► New poll numbers for Hillary Clinton are quite impressive. Good thing Republicans made sure to overshadow her email problems with their “Dear Iran” letter fiasco last week.

► Congressman Jared Polis (D-Boulderish) is sponsoring two pieces of legislation to close fracking loopholes. Of course, it would be a miracle if Congress got around to actually doing anything, but at least Polis has some cool names for his legislation: the FRESHER Act and the BREATHE Act. You can research the acronyms yourself.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Dave Perry of the Aurora Sentinel wonders why the Colorado State School Board is made up of so many idiots. This might also be the greatest sub-headline of the year:

I doubt that the infamous Ted Haggard of New Life Church and his scandalous foibles for using meth and paying for sex with a masseuse turned a lot of Colorado Springs area teens into raging bi-sexual sex and drug addicts.

► Congressional Republicans are whining that the White House worked to promote Net Neutrality with the FCC. Are they mad about the policy, or just mad that there are people in Washington D.C. who really do work during the day?

► Rain, rain, go away. We’ll vote on rain barrels another day (now it’s scheduled for tomorrow).

► Oh, Stephen A. Smith, why are you talking about politics?

ICYMI

► Send good thoughts and vibes toward the Denver Post’s Lynn Bartels, who is dealing with her father’s death after a long illness.

► Denver City Council candidate Sean Bradley (D-11) apparently does not have the endorsement of former Mayor Wellington Webb.

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