The Rocky Mountain News reports on the demise of an early pet project of Governor Bill Ritter’s.
Senate Republicans are positively giddy that a drug prescription bill Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter touted in his first year is now being repealed.
Senate Bill 1 in 2007 directed a state agency to negotiate discounts on generic drugs for up to 264,000 Coloradans who don’t have health insurance and whose income is less than 300 percent of the federal poverty level.
But only about 40 people have taken advantage of the program, Sen. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood, said Tuesday.
“This is a red line through the Colorado Promise,” chortled Sen. Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield… [Pols emphasis]
The Senate on Tuesday gave initial approval to Senate Bill 132 by Boyd, which cuts the number of employees for the program from four full-time positions to one part-time spot. That person will answer questions about where people can get cheaper or free drugs.
Much of the money allocated for the program was never used, Boyd said.
There really wasn’t much for anybody to oppose in 2007 when this bill passed effortlessly with lots of bipartisan support. But it didn’t work out so well, the money is sitting largely unused, so pulling the plug is a smart decision for all concerned. Ritter doesn’t really lose face for having tried something on a vital issue, and even if it didn’t work it evidently didn’t cost much to try.
And by the way, Shawn Mitchell voted for SB07-001. So what’s with the, ah, “chortling,” Senator? Maybe it’s okay, though, a little trademark GOP amnesia does kind of polish this story off nicely.
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is a hypocrite (I know, I know, calling a republican a hypocrite is redundant). He votes for the bill and then “chortles” when no one takes advantage of it?
Mitchell can often be counted on for an assinine comment when one is needed though. Kudos to him for living up to this expectation!
Not really a good press day for him. First, he sounds like an idiot in this quote. Second, he goes on a bizarre rant about China in regards to the failed plastic bag ban.
He’s nice enough in person but he’s as rigid an ideologue as you’ll find in that building. Typical 21st century GOPer, he doesn’t understand that his far-right chortling comes across as more than a little odd and totally out of touch. These guys spend so much time in their own eco-chamber that they have simply lost any sense of perspective. Ranting about Chinese bans on multiple children and political speech comes and across as just plain weird.
He’s a smart guy but apparently dedicated to being viewed as nothing more than an ineffectual partisan hack. I wish him nothing but the best in that endeavor.
Chortle is a blend of chuckle and snort, and it seems like a uniquely Republican thing to do. Karl Rove apparently spent so much time chortling that he forgot how to win an election ever again, and Tom Delay’s chortling is notorious to those who are dumb enough to watch Hardball. I think if Dick Cheney had ever learned to genuinely smile, chortling would have been the next step up for him (but alas and such).
Can’t think of a Democrat who chortles, though.
chortles….I saw/heard him do it once in a debate with Marilyn Musgrave about Gay Marriage on one of the Sunday Morning shows….he ripped her to shreads, of course, and then chortled at the end.