(D) J. Hickenlooper*
(D) Julie Gonzales
(R) Janak Joshi
80%
40%
20%
(D) Jena Griswold
(D) M. Dougherty
(D) Hetal Doshi
50%
40%↓
30%
(D) Jeff Bridges
(D) Brianna Titone
(R) Kevin Grantham
50%↑
40%↓
30%
(D) Diana DeGette*
(D) Wanda James
(D) Milat Kiros
80%
20%
10%↓
(D) Joe Neguse*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
(R) Jeff Hurd*
(D) Alex Kelloff
(R) H. Scheppelman
60%↓
40%↓
30%↑
(R) Lauren Boebert*
(D) E. Laubacher
(D) Trisha Calvarese
90%
30%↑
20%
(R) Jeff Crank*
(D) Jessica Killin
55%↓
45%↑
(D) Jason Crow*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
(D) B. Pettersen*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
(R) Gabe Evans*
(D) Shannon Bird
(D) Manny Rutinel
45%↓
30%
30%
DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
80%
20%
DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
95%
5%
This article addresses ten of the most fascinating minutes of legislative debate in the history of the Colorado General Assembly. These ten minutes dramatically illustrate the control that lobbyists have over the members of the Colorado Legislature. Video of the ten minutes is available on the website of “The Colorado Channel.” Link: http://www.coloradochannel.net/colorado-senate-2010-legislative-day-20 (Click on […]
Correction 2-22-13: The Dream Act of 2010, which Coffman voted against, would have granted a citizenship path to some undocumented children who graduate from high school or enroll in the military. College enrollment was not one of the Dream Act’s paths to citizenship, as erroneously stated below. Here’s the bill summary from 2010: This bill […]
The Durango Herald's Joe Hanel reports on the death yesterday of GOP-sponsored Senate Bill 9, the so-called "more guns in schools" bill: It was the first Republican attempt to respond to mass shootings in Aurora and an elementary school in Connecticut, and the first of many rounds of fights over gun control this year. Monday’s […]
UPDATE: Statement from Colorado Democratic Party chairman Rick Palacio: With this afternoon’s announcement from eight U.S. Senators, including Colorado’s own Michael Bennet, of a bipartisan framework for comprehensive immigration reform, a solution to this problem is a real possibility. That a Colorado voice, especially that of Senator Bennet, is helping to drive this discussion is […]
Since Paul Ryan disowned Taker/Maker Ayn Rand, he's now picked a new favorite Mentor: George Orwell. For instance here's his latest promise: “This session, I’ll advance reforms to protect and strengthen Medicare and Medicaid,” Ryan said Saturday. He'll do that by proposing that the House cut spending enough to wipe out deficits after 10 […]
After a trying week in which it was necessary to effect many changes to our new WordPress-based website on an urgent basis, we're happy to report that the situation is improving, the website is relatively stable, and long-promised enhancements to the site's functionality are finally coming together.
S&P: “UNCONSTITUTIONAL” PENSION REFORMS WILL BE CHALLENGED, RESULTING IN “BUDGET UNCERTAINTY.” Yesterday, the State of Illinois received a warning about illegalВ public pension reform from Standard and Poor’s.В (The state also received a credit downgrade from S&P.)В Like Colorado, the State of Illinois has historically underfunded its public pension obligations.В Essentially, Illinois, Colorado and a number […]
SUNDAY UPDATE: Lynn Bartels of the Denver paper gives former Sen. Ed Jones’ offensive remarks some belated attention, and background, in a blog post late yesterday evening.—– FOX 31's Eli Stokols reports on yesterday's rally to "Protect Marriage" at the state capitol: At the event, organized by the Colorado Catholic Conference, opponents of Senate Bill […]
(Promoted by Colorado Pols) Last week, I reported that KVOR talk-show host Jeff Crank told his audience it was “disgusting” that NBC showed gay men ushering in the New Year with a big kiss. I tweeted him to find out if he thinks a televised heterosexual kiss would be equally disgusting. Crank, who ran against […]
(Promoted by Colorado Pols) Denver Nuggets star player, Kenneth Faried, has made a video with his two moms voicing their support for civil unions in Colorado. “Nobody can ever tell me I can’t have two mothers because I really do,” said Faried. Faried’s two mothers, Carol and Waudda, have been together for eleven years. Waudda […]
Politico–tough to consider this a constructive attitude: President Barack Obama is aiming to “annihilate” the GOP during the president’s second term, House Speaker John Boehner says. “And given what we heard yesterday about the President’s vision for his second term, it’s pretty clear to me that he knows he can’t do any of that as […]
(Hanging their heads, no doubt – promoted by Colorado Pols) As civil-unions legislation hits the home stretch at the State Capitol, along with a bill granting in-state tuition to undocumented college students, let’s take a moment to encourage reporters to recall a jump-up-and-down-arms-waving op-ed that appeared in The Denver Post, just days after the election: […]
(Promoted by Colorado Pols) What happened to all the money television stations got for airing the nonstop spew of political ads right up until Election Day? You’d think television stations, whose news departments at least try to lay claim to an aura of public responsibility, would take a bit of their campaign windfall and give […]
We received this video clip last night, but didn’t have time to post it. The talk of the Capitol yesterday, here’s GOP Sen. Scott Renfroe’s…memorable moment of personal privilege from the Colorado Senate well marking the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, mourning “55 million babies that never had the chance to breathe air,” and […]
Remember the bill that brought me to this blog? It was a convoluted, confused mess of a giveaway to animal abusers, legislation written so poorly that clear beneficiaries like the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association testified against it because it was so hard to understand, and wound up dying in committee with only its sponsor’s vote in […]
(Promoted by Colorado Pols) Eleven senators and 7 members of the Colorado house, all Republican, have sunk to new lows of legislative buffoonery – SB 13-062. (It’s short, I urge you to go and look at it.) В For those of you who don’t follow links as a matter of principle let me give you a […]
UPDATE: Irony not lost on Wonkette: We are assuming this will be the first case of the NRA and Gun Owners of America agreeing that this law-abiding citizen should not have access to a gun! It should be an easy call, being a Democrat. —– As the Las Vegas SunВ reported yesterday: A Democratic assemblyman is […]
Florida Supreme Court: Accrued Public Pension Benefits Are Inviolate; However, Pension Benefits Not Yet Earned Can Be Altered . . . Prospectively. Vested Public Pension COLA Rights in Florida Remain Untouched – Legislative Impairment of Previously Accrued Benefits is Unconstitutional. The Florida Legislature “Cannot Retroactively Alter Accrued Benefits.” The Florida Supreme Court has reached a […]
Republican Rep. Cory Gardner is only entering his second full term in Congress, but he’s already confusing himself with some other Cory Gardner.
This week Gardner and some guy named Tim Griffin (apparently a Congressman from Arkansas) sent a letter to President Obama demanding answers in Monday’s State of the Union speech. Here’s how the press release begins:
Congressmen Cory Gardner (CO-04) and Tim Griffin (AR-02) issued the following statements after sending a letter to President Obama requesting that he be forthcoming in this State of the Union (SOTU) regarding our national debt, Medicare and Social Security:
“This President has claimed to be one of the most transparent in history, yet his healthcare overhaul was passed behind closed doors and ended up cutting $500 billion from Medicare,” Gardner said. “The American people deserve better than that. The State of the Union is President Obama’s chance to come clean and lay out an honest plan for protecting Medicare and Social Security, which is something he failed to do during his first term.”[Pols emphasis]
That’s funny! You know why it’s funny? It’s funny because Gardner was a big supporter of the infamous “Ryan Plan” that would have gutted Medicare to the bone and slashed nearly $800 billion from Medicaid as well. It’s funny because he’s demanding that President Obama protect what Gardner himself is trying to unravel. It’s funny because “Medicare and Social Security,” has been under assault…from House Republicans like Gardner.
Or maybe that was some other Cory Gardner storming the gates of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security in 2011.
We’d call this the height of hypocrisy, but this is so ridiculously absurd that even the word “hypocrisy” would want to distance itself from Gardner.
You go, Cory! Demand that our President protect America from Cory Gardner. Both of them. Either of them. Whatever.
When it comes to Ryan Call, Ken Clark and Jason Worley are not impressed.
In the past week on Grassroots Radio Colorado (airing weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. on KLZ 560 AM), show hosts Worley and Clark have been heard to call for current GOP State Party Chairperson Call to own up to his responsibility for the devastating November election losses “like a man”, and step down from his leadership position.
Last Friday on Grassroots, Arapahoe County Tea Party Chair Randy Corporon was filling in as guest host, as he often does. Worley and Clark were on a “top secret” special assignment. The guests that day, freshman State Representative Justin Everett (HD-22) and John Ransom from Townhall.com/Finance pleaded with Corporon to throw his hat into the race for the GOP Chairmanship. Their enthusiastic request was modestly evaded.
And then yesterday, Mark Baisley, Douglas County GOP Chair, appeared on Grassroots to announce his candidacy for the position.
Ryan Call probably isn’t too worried.
He has endorsements from approximately half of the current County GOP Committees that will eventually vote to decide who leads the state party, as well as support from GOP notables such as AG John Suthers, and Rep. Cory Gardner.
Call’s ascendency two years ago came in a firestorm of name calling and finger pointing around previous Chairman Dick Wadhams, who withdrew his candidacy for reelection after the debacle that was The McInnis-Maes-Tancredo Show and Ken Buck’s losing challenge to Democrat Michael Bennet’s senate seat.
Stating his frustration with trying to herd the un-herdable cats of Colorado’s GOP, Wadhams said in a recent Lynn Bartels blog post for the Denver newspaper’s political blog, The Spot (January 11, 2013) “he was “tired of the nuts who have no grasp of what the state party’s role is.”
Dr. Jeremy Boak, Director of the Center for Oil Shale Technology and Research (COSTAR) has been working hard this past year, trying to downplay fears about oil shale’s impact on western water supplies. And, while Dr. Boak has plenty to say, he fails to mention that the companies experimenting with oil shale fund his program.
This sort of corporate sponsorship for academics isn’t new, but it’s the sort of thing people should know when considering his opinions. After all, the saying “don’t bite the hand that feeds” could be seen to apply here.
In 2010, Colorado legislators received similar warnings and inexplicably ignored them.
From NBC Chicago:
“Ralph Martire, executive director for the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, has a warning for the (Illinois) General Assembly: Most of the pension reform solutions you’re considering are unconstitutional, and would be overturned after a court challenge by state employees.”
“The bill garnering the most support currently would reduce the unfunded liability by cutting existing retirement benefits two key ways: Eliminating for six years cost-of-living adjustments retirees currently get annually and limiting how much salary a pension can be based on.”
“Martire cites a case from the 1980s, when the General Assembly passed a law changing the formula for determining judges’ pensions. It ran afoul of Article XIII, Section 5 of the Illinois Constitution, which states, ‘Membership in any pension or retirement system of the state…shall be an enforceable contractual relationship, the benefits of which shall not be diminished or impaired.'”
“We Are One Illinois, a coalition of public employee unions, issued a similar warning, urging legislators to reject unconstitutional bills that failed during the veto session.”
“Today marks a welcome fresh start. Illinois lawmakers now have a second chance to work with our coalition to produce a thoughtful, reasonable, and legal solution to the state’s fiscal problems. Although public employees did not cause Illinois’ pension funding dilemma, they are problem solvers by trade and willing to do their part to fix it. Accordingly, we will continue to work diligently to organize a summit with legislators as the 98th General Assembly begins its work.”
“We Are One Illinois includes the AFL-CIO, the Illinois Education Association, AFSCME, the Service Employees International Union, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, and the Illinois Nurses Association.”
(My comment: The Colorado counterparts of many of these organizations supported the breach of Colorado PERA public pension contracts in 2010. Is it not absurd that an organization fights for public pension rights in one state, while its counterpart in another state is complicit in the breach of public pension contracts?
As we read on the Colorado PERA website:
“In Colorado, Senate Bill 1 passed with the support of the Colorado Coalition for Retirement Security, which brought together Friends of PERA (which includes PERA members and retirees), the Colorado Education Association, the Colorado School and Public Employees Retirement Association, AFSCME Colorado, the American Federation of Teachers Colorado, the Association of Colorado State Patrol Professionals, the Colorado Association of School Executives, and Colorado WINS.”
Link:
http://www.copera.org/pera/abo…
Link to NBC Chicago article:
http://www.nbcchicago.com/blog…
Excerpts from Ralph Martire’s article in the Illinois State Journal Register:
“One of the named plaintiffs in this case, James Felt, showed that upon his retirement, the new computation would cause him to lose $3,187.44 in annual benefits. The state countered that its police power allowed it to impair contracts where the impairment was insubstantial and the state’s interest was compelling – in this case ensuring the fiscal viability of its underfunded judicial pension system.”
“While recognizing the state’s legitimate interest in ensuring the fiscal viability of its pension systems, the Illinois Supreme Court nonetheless struck down the legislation as an unconstitutional diminishment of a pension benefit. In the process, the Felt Court rejected every single argument the state made. Indeed, the court maintained that doing otherwise would ignore the plain language of the Illinois Constitution, overrule prior Illinois Supreme Court decisions and run counter to the clear intent of the drafters of the Illinois Constitution. As to this last point, the Supreme Court cited an explanation of Article XIII, Section 5 given by its author in the Record of Proceedings from the 1970 Constitutional Convention. That explanation plainly stated the intention of the provision was to prohibit the state from ‘changing the terms of’ or ‘lessening’ the pension benefits payable to workers’ ‘after they have embarked upon employment.'”
Link to State Journal Register article:
http://www.sj-r.com/thedome/x1…
(My comment: In 2010, the Colorado General Assembly was encouraged to submit an interrogatory to the Colorado Supreme Court seeking clarity on the contractual status of public pension rights in Colorado. For some reason, the General Assembly neglected to take this step and forged ahead with the adoption of pension reform legislation that was illegal on its face. Who made this decision? As we have seen, in 2010, the Colorado General Assembly abdicated its responsibility to make public pension policy in Colorado to a group of 17 lobbyists.)
Mission of the CBTA:
“The mission of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability (“CTBA”) is to identify, develop, and introduce into the public debate rigorous, non-partisan, data-driven analysis and progressive, equitable public policy recommendations that will improve the fiscal health of Illinois and other states.”
Link:
With a new progressive majority in the Colorado House, and new progressive leaders in our state boldly tackling the big problems, we at ProgressNow Colorado are excited about where Colorado is headed in 2013.
But we’ve got a problem, and we need your help.
Gov. John Hickenlooper has proven to be a friend of progressives on many issues: basic rights for committed gay and lesbian couples, expanding access to health care, reducing violent gun crime, and providing a great education for all of Colorado’s students. But on the issue of oil and gas development and fracking, Gov. Hickenlooper has repeatedly sided with the oil and gas industry against protection for Coloradans. Last year, Gov. Hickenlooper even starred in a pro-oil industry ad that falsely claimed fracking has not resulted in groundwater contamination. (1)
Colorado is in the midst of an energy boom made possible by an extraction method for oil and gas called fracking. Energy production is an important part of Colorado’s economy. Striking the right balance between developing these natural resources, and protecting Colorado’s water supplies and communities, is one of the most important debates taking place today.
Earlier this month, Hickenlooper’s administration approved new groundwater testing and setback (minimum distance from existing structures) rules that fail, according to many experts, to adequately protect Colorado families from the harmful effects of oil and gas production near their homes. Some of these new rules, like a far less comprehensive water testing regimen, appear to be outright giveaways to energy companies at the expense of the health and safety of Coloradans. (2)
At ProgressNow Colorado, we applaud Gov. Hickenlooper for the things he has done right, but we can’t ignore his blind spot on conservation issues any longer. Click here to send a message to Gov. Hickenlooper right now, asking him to stop siding with energy interests over the interests of local communities threatened by drilling across the state.
We all know that energy production is going to happen. Working together, let’s make sure it’s done responsibly–and that our families and other irreplaceable resources are protected. Thank you for doing your part.
From CNN:
Lawmakers in New York are poised to approve a new set of gun laws intended to fortify the state’s assault weapons ban, limit the number of bullets in magazines and strengthen rules that keep the mentally ill from obtaining firearms.
If passed, it would be the nation’s first gun control bill since last month’s massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, where a gunman killed 27 people, including 20 young children in an elementary school.
New York’s GOP-controlled Senate overwhelmingly approved the measure in a 43-18 vote late Monday night, one week after Gov. Andrew Cuomo spelled out tough new gun control proposals in his annual State of the State address.
It will be interesting to see if the efforts of New York’s legislature will add any urgency or momentum to efforts to corral gun violence in Colorado — particularly given the rising expectations for Colorado and Gov. John Hickenlooper. It certainly makes it harder for Colorado legislators to get bogged down when another (albeit Bluer) state takes a big step forward.
There are four categories of violence in which guns are the weapon. Each category presents its own problems. Gun control is only a minor, in my opinion, solution. Hear me out. Here are the categories.
Massacre in public places by a shooter who gives every indication of being insane and whose victims are not personally known to the shooter
The problem here is identifying insanity before the violence occurs. The dilemma is that confidentiality is a critical component of any treatment and mental health professionals are reluctant to “out” a patient unless there is a clear indication of danger to himself or others, according to strict legal definition.
People with mental health problems may not seek help because of the fear of public disclosure with its implication for employment, etc. There are constitutional issues around the right to privacy and due process.
There is a subcategory of concern and that is the use of psychotropic drugs, that may have the opposite effect. The Colorado shooters – John Hickley, Eric Harris, the man who killed students at a Mission school in Arvada and then went to Colorado Spring church and killed two more, and Holmes – all were involved with the mental health system. I think that all may have been on medication.
The facial expressions on the pix of the Arizona shooter, the Aurora Theater shooter and the Newtown killer are all frighteningly similar. That needs to be investigated.
It is not clear how any of existing or proposed gun laws would have prevented these crimes. Nor is it clear that expanding mental health funding would have helped prevent any of these crimes or future crimes. The dilemma is that these are the crimes that is being used to justify more gun laws and more mental health.
Political violence by terrorists with a specific political target
Abortion murders and attacks on churches would fit into this category.
But, the most horrific crimes were not committed with guns but with bombs
And airplanes.
Gun laws, particularly if they included putting suspected terrorists on a Do Not Sale list, might be helpful. But constant vigilance is the real prevention.
Criminal Activity
Organized crime, gangs, drug cartels as well as property crimes do involve guns.
Stricter gun laws may be preventive. Certainly big city mayors think so. However, illegal gun traffic is a source of income to criminals.
Domestic violence perpetrated by one family member or friend on another family member or friend.
There are already laws preventing the sale of guns to individuals with a record of domestic violence. But early and effective intervention in domestic conflict is the real prevention.
Gun laws requiring universal background checks for all gun purchases might be helpful.
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