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Anyone in the mood for a little boycotting this weekend might want to start with Wolf Motors. ProgressNow Colorado, a liberal activist group, is calling attention to the potentially offensive billboard the company has put up on its Wheat Ridge site.
The company seems to be in cahoots with local radio blowhard Peter Boyles, who has been promoting the often discredited but never silenced “tea party” and “birther” movements for months.
The often confounding, forever sublime First Amendment guarantees that Wolf, Boyles, and the rest of this curious brood are free to protest President Obama’s policies, of course. But the racially tinged caricatures of the president cross the line. It’s merely the latest and most localized evidence that certain people believe it’s okay to bring a little bigotry back now that an African-American has ascended to the highest job in the land. But it never was, nor will it ever be.
Maybe if these folks wised up and brought a little class to the debates they’d so dearly like to have, some common sense and common ground might rise above the noise.
Last year, U.S. spending to treat obesity hit $86 billion—a figure that could quadruple as America’s waistlines keep bulging in years to come, points out Medill News Service, which cites a study finding that almost half of U.S. adults are expected to be obese by 2018. But you can’t blame Boulder for the trend.
A federal analysis of obesity rates across the nation concludes that Boulder County is the nation’s thinnest, writes the Daily Camera. That’s according to 2007 data—the most recent available—showing that less than 13 percent of people in the county are obese and just four percent reported diabetes, a health problem closely linked to obesity. Meanwhile, some counties in Alabama and Mississippi are more than 40 percent obese. Denver’s rate is about 16.3 percent.
What’s President Barack Obama doing about the problem? Taking to the airwaves on Thanksgiving Day. In a public service announcement with the NFL, viewers will see New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees toss a pass to an unseen player. Wait! It’s Barack Obama—and he’s taking on Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu. And they’re playing on the White House lawn (via USA Today).
Former Congressman and presidential candidate Tom Tancredo made waves recently when he announced he “fully” intends to seek the Republican Party nomination for Colorado governor, putting his former congressional colleague Scott McInnis in the position of possibly facing Tancredo in a primary race. Tancredo’s now waffling on that “fully” quote, reconsidering his bid.
Apparently, it’s something he began pondering as he walked through a local mall. He tells Westword, “I know that for everybody who comes up and says, ‘Go, Tom, go!,’ there are probably five people who passed me by saying, ‘Go to hell, Tom Tancredo!’”
Tancredo says he might be convinced to stay out of the race if he can be assured by fellow Republicans, including McInnis, that a truly conservative agenda will be offered in the 2010 race. The Denver Post’s Mike Rosen highlights what that agenda—a platform of sorts—could look like, citing “recent meetings” between McInnis, Tancredo, GOP state Chairman Dick Wadhams, and others.
Among the subjects: a commitment to limit taxes and state spending, rescinding Governor Bill Ritter’s executive order unionizing state employees, appointing conservative judges “to balance the court and reign in judicial activism,” and “responsible development of renewable energy and Colorado’s abundant oil and natural gas resources, as well as nuclear energy.”
As the U.S. Senate rolled out an $849 billion health-care-reform bill yesterday, you may have missed the other big policy story of the day. In an impassioned plea that fell on many deaf ears, Colorado Democrat Mark Udall argued that something needed to be done about credit card gouging. He asked his fellow senators to support a House bill meant to put the reforms of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act into place two months early.
“The last thing our families need are higher interest rates and extra fees, especially on consumers who are already playing by the rules,” Udall said (via the Fort Collins Coloradoan).
But his calls for a vote, which would have frozen credit card rates and fees until stricter regulations go into effect in February, were shot down by Republicans. Senator Thad Cochran, a Mississippi Republican, delivered the death blow “on behalf of several senators on this side of the aisle.”
Half of Americans report that their interest rates have been raised in the past six months while Congress has considered limits on them, according to a Rasmussen Reports survey (via Deseret News). A majority of Americans, 77 percent, think credit card companies are taking advantage of consumers with their interest charges. McClatchy Newspapers, meanwhile, tries to figure out what you can do about high credit card rates. The answer: “Not much.”
Sarah Palin’s appearance on the “Oprah Winfrey Show” may or may not have put the former Republican vice-presidential candidate on the comeback path, but it doesn’t really matter. Palin’s promotional blitz is just getting started, as her book tour makes its way around the country.
Approximately 1,000 people will receive wristbands to line up with their copies of Palin’s memoir, “Going Rogue,” on December 8 at the Chapel Hills Mall in Colorado Springs, according to the Gazette. If you’re feeling left out, the National Review Online is keeping tabs on the tour’s stops with its Rogue: The Sarah Palin Book Blog.
Although Palin avoided Oprah’s inquiries about a run in 2012, Mother Jones points out that as the tour began, Palin’s political action committee encouraged supporters to pony up $100 for a signed copy.
Of course, the jacket price is just $14.50, but for the curious non-readers, Jezebel has compiled a free hit list of quotes (or “insults”), including some predictable jabs at Katie Couric and Levi Johnston, as well as some unexpected blows (such as the one thrown at animal-loving Ashley Judd). (more…)
Compared to nearby states, Colorado is falling behind when it comes to winning new jobs that increase earnings, according to a new report, “Toward a More Competitive Colorado,” by the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation. The report isn’t all doom and gloom, however. It’s meant to nudge forward a state that aspires to have it all.
Consider: Colorado is the leanest state in the nation (an indicator of health), high school students rank number one in SAT/ACT scores, and just one other state boasts more college degrees. But investments made in the late 1980s have run their course, and Colorado could enter an era of complacency if officials aren’t careful, notes The Denver Post. Among the challenges are low funding levels for higher education (Colorado is 47th nationally) and sagging high school graduation rates (Colorado is 29th).
Moreover, personal income is showing signs of slipping, falling from eighth in the nation to 13th in recent years.
“There is a soft underbelly in the Colorado economy,” Metro Denver EDC Vice President Tom Clark tells the Denver Business Journal. “After five years, over 60 percent of our measures have either not changed or gone in the wrong direction.” (more…)
To the likely delight of libertarian-minded people everywhere, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers has decided the state will collect sales tax on medical marijuana. Late yesterday, Suthers released a legal opinion that mandates the proliferating dispensaries must seek a retail sales license from the state in order to operate, reports The Denver Post.
Advocates at the Colorado Wellness Association believe most dispensary owners will appreciate the move “if it will help prove the legitimacy of their efforts.”
Indeed, credibility is enough of a concern in Pueblo County that a commissioner recently bailed on a dispensary tour when he learned a reporter was on the way, according to the Chieftain. Commissioner Anthony Nuñez was ostensibly visiting the dispensary to better understand the case of its owner, who’s been lobbying the commissioners there to refrain from enacting a temporary ban on dispensary licensing.
The county will vote this morning on whether to follow the city’s lead on a moratorium, an issue taken up in various municipalities across Colorado of late.
The community of Lyons is also looking at a temporary ban, notes the Longmont Times-Call, and Grand Junction voted yesterday to place a one-year moratorium on dispensaries there, writes the Daily Sentinel. Aurora has also voted in favor of a short-term ban, reports the Post, which runs down a list of towns that have considered bans of differing lengths and points out that elected officials in Fort Collins and Loveland also plan to vote on the issue tonight.
Depending on your perspective, it could be a good thing that federal officials have not contacted Governor Bill Ritter or state Representative Buffie McFayden about the possibility of moving suspected terrorists now held in the Guantanamo Bay prison to Supermax in Florence.
The Associated Press, which reports that Colorado officials have not yet been contacted despite rumors the detainees could come to Colorado, adds a caveat: the U.S. Justice Department says the task force studying where to house the detainees hasn’t made any final decisions. Still, an indication of where the 100 foreign detainees might end up came yesterday as federal officials toured the mostly unused, 1,600-cell Thomson Correctional Center in rural Illinois, reigniting the partisan debate over the closure of Gitmo (via Reuters).
Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to try five detainees, including self-professed 9/11 mastermind Kalid Sheikh Mohammed, has spawned intense criticism from many Republican lawmakers, as well as some of the family members who lost loved ones in the 2001 attacks, according to CBS News.
Republicans have argued the attacks were war crimes and support military tribunals, while Democrats backing Holder say a trial in New York would illustrate the ideals of the American legal system to the world.
There are few people in the world who would seriously argue that junk food and soda pop are good for you. But the question, as far as Bill Ritter’s critics are concerned, is whether people ought to pay higher taxes for them. The governor isn’t alone. Several states are considering the idea, which would put sweets in the same category as sin items like liquor and cigarettes.
For Ritter, the proposed higher cost for candy and soda is a matter of eliminating a sales-tax exemption, not creating a new tax. Doing so would generate $17.9 million and help ease budget cuts to schools, writes The Denver Post.
But critics, such as Jon Caldara, president of the libertarian-minded Independence Institute, are none too pleased: “I think the governor needs to sit down and watch Willy Wonka a couple of times and stop being such a buzz kill.”
Yet, such criticisms seem to be the least of the governor’s problems. Ritter is attempting more than $1 billion in budget-balancing maneuvers, and the “candy and soda” tax is just one of more than $130 million in proposed temporary eliminations of tax exemptions, notes the Denver Business Journal. Among others, Ritter has also proposed suspending an exemption for industrial and manufacturing energy use, which could reap $48 million. Critics say the cuts will hurt Colorado’s economy.
State Senator Dave Schultheis’ tweet—the one that led to an outpouring of criticism claiming that he’d compared the hijackers of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to President Barack Obama—just won’t go away.
To recap, Schultheis had written: “Don’t for a second think Obama wants what is best for U.S. He is flying the U.S. plane right into the ground at full speed. Let’s roll.” The “let’s roll” statement is where the controversy lies: A victim of the flight that went down in Pennsylvania declared the same words before ambushing the cockpit to recapture control of a jetliner.
The Denver Post editorial board slammed Schultheis with a series of tweets, mocking his claims that his words were misunderstood: “Don’t think we buy your claim you didn’t mean to equate the president with terrorists. No one is buying it.”
And: “To believe that the American people elected a president intent on destroying the U.S. is hateful and absurd. Such debate is debasing.” As well as: “Casting Obama as a terrorist trying to destroy the U.S. only hurts legitimate critics concerned about growth of gov spending and meddling.”
Meanwhile, Schultheis, who has said his remark was taken out of context, continues to defend himself, including on Peter Boyles’ radio show, saying that Obama is “taking this country down fast;” trying to take control of every facet of government (via The Colorado Independent). “It is fascism and Marxism,” Schultheis says.
Jane Norton, the former Colorado lieutenant governor who is now running for the U.S. Senate, has cast herself as a Washington outsider. But as the left-leaning Huffington Post recently noted, she has nonetheless been cozy with D.C. insiders—particularly those who are helping her fill her campaign coffers.
In fact, since officially entering the race in early September, Norton has raised $510,000. That’s more money in that amount of time than fellow Republican Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck, as well as both Democrats in the race: sitting U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, reports The Denver Post.
Between September 10 and 30, when the race became competitive, Bennet raised $364,000 to Romanoff’s $181,000 among individual donors giving $200 or more. Joelle Martinez, a spokeswoman for Romanoff, explains that Romanoff didn’t start raising money in earnest until the last 10 days of the month. Buck pulled in $159,000 for the period.
First Lady Michelle Obama will be in Denver today with an entourage of A-list celebrities and officials for a whirlwind tour meant to highlight the need for mentoring in young women’s lives.
You might recognize a few of the mentors, such as actresses Susan Sarandon and Traci Ellis Ross, or Colorado’s first lady, Jeannie Ritter, and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis (via Politico).
Denver was chosen for the visit because of its diverse population. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 34.4 percent of Denver is Hispanic, 10.1 percent is African-American, and 3.4 percent is Asian-American.
“Mentors can have an enormously positive impact in the lives of young people,” Congresswoman Betsy Markey, a participant from northern Colorado, tells the Fort Collins Coloradoan. “The first lady’s mentoring initiative is a powerful step in the right direction for our schools and our communities, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Obama will visit with women leaders at a luncheon at the governor’s mansion today. In the afternoon, the women will fan out to different schools to discuss their careers and speak with students. Obama plans to visit South High School, where 30 students were selected by teachers for their leadership skills to enjoy a private audience with the first lady, according to 9News, which is planning to host a live Webcast of the luncheon event at noon.
When state Senator Josh Penry dropped his bid for the Republican gubernatorial primary earlier this week, it seemed his former boss, Scott McInnis, was closer to a clear shot at taking on Bill Ritter without a costly and politically taxing primary.
Enter McInnis’ former congressional colleague Tom Tancredo, the 2008 presidential candidate who ran on the single issue of battling illegal immigration and who recently walked off the set of an MSNBC talk show when a prominent liberal blogger offended him. Tancredo says he’s going to run for governor.
“I fully intend to run,” he tells Westword. But, Tancredo has yet to file formal paperwork. “There are a whole bunch of things we have to put together to get to the point of filing. We’re not there yet, but we are looking,” he tells Fox31.
McInnis calls Tancredo’s announcement an “awkward situation:” He considers Tancredo a friend, writes 7News. McInnis also praises Penry for exiting the race to avoid a primary: “Obviously he took a bullet for the party. He led by example and that’s Josh Penry.”
Tancredo’s view is different: “I’m not part of the Republican establishment. My allegiance is more to a philosophy than to the GOP.”
This week, state Senator Dave Schultheis tweeted, “Don’t for a second think Obama wants what is best for U.S. He is flying the U.S. plane right into the ground at full speed. Let’s roll.”
Not long after, the Republican found himself facing criticism for comparing the hijackers behind the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to President Barack Obama. Left-leaning ColoradoPols re-posted the tweet. Talking Points Memo picked up the story. Soon The Denver Post was interviewing people who questioned Schultheis’ intent.
State Senate President Brandon Shaffer, a Longmont Democrat, calls Schultheis’ tweet “appalling” and has demanded a retraction, and Ed Kowalski, a director for the New York-based 9/11 Families for a Secure America, believes Schultheis was “clearly” referring to Flight 93 when he used the words of the passengers who fought to take back the ill-fated plane: “Let’s roll.”
Kowalski also disagrees with many of Obama’s policies but says, “Let’s not cheapen what happened on Sept. 11 by making random and or ill-fated comparisons to current policy.” (more…)
Yesterday, The Washington Post broke the story that Republican state Senator Josh Penry had dropped out of the race for Colorado governor. The Post didn’t quote Penry but, rather, cited unnamed sources in a column that noted Penry’s competitor, former Congressman Scott McInnis, now appears to be closer to a primary-less campaign to unseat Democratic Governor Bill Ritter.
There was speculation in the Post and elsewhere that Penry might have been scared off by McInnis’ money—or even a political nonprofit that could have harmed his reputation. Penry is peeved by all the reporting and took a potshot at the source or sources who beat him to the punch of the biggest story of his campaign.
“Politics being what it is, some yahoo got word of my decision and decided to tell The Washington Post before I could tell many of my closest friends—or even my employer at Home Loan and Investment, Company,” Penry says in a statement (via The Huffington Post).
Penry adds that he didn’t want to jeopardize the GOP’s chances of recapturing the governor’s office in an expensive, hard-fought primary. In an interview with The Denver Post, Penry also says he considered the emotional and financial toll on his young family. He fretted that his campaign wouldn’t be able to close a financial gap with McInnis’. (more…)
Boulder officials, who are lucky they don’t have to deal with the same headaches as President Barack Obama, may join an international organization that aims to eliminate nuclear weapons everywhere, reports the Daily Camera.
As the United States continues sensitive negotiations and gives Iran time to decide whether to accept a deal to part with nuclear materials that could be used in weapons (via Reuters), Boulder Mayor Matt Appelbaum (right) has formed a committee to study the idea of bringing his city into the fold of Mayors for Peace.
The group was established in 1982 by the mayors of the only two cities to face the unspeakable horror of nuclear bombs: Hiroshima and Nagasaki. More than 3,200 cities in 134 countries are part of the group, which lobbies at the United Nations for the elimination of nuclear weapons and wants military officials around the world at least to agree that cities are morally reprehensible nuclear targets.
About five years ago, former Boulder Mayor Mark Ruzzin signed a resolution supporting the notion, but Boulder never joined the mayors’ group. The city council is slated to discuss the idea at a meeting on November 17.
Meanwhile, fewer nuclear weapons exist now than before the fall of the Soviet Union. Some of the bombs, including Russian ones, have been converted into power sources that provide about 10 percent of electricity in the United States, writes The New York Times.
The U.S. Army will appeal federal Judge Richard Matsch’s September ruling that an environmental review failed to adequately address the effects of increasing training at Fort Carson’s Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site in southeast Colorado. That’s according to The Associated Press, which notes military officials still want to expand the more than 235,000-acre site by roughly 100,000 acres despite years of resistance from local ranchers, businesses, and their political allies.
Opponents of expansion say the plan would hurt the region’s economy and historic culture.
“It’s across the board, a dead done deal, and now we see an 11th hour appeal? We’re going to believe that common sense will prevail one more time,” says Jean Aguerre, president of a group that opposes expansion.
Add former Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton, a Republican now running for U.S. Senate, to the list of opponents to a public taking of the land—or eminent domain. That’s an option the Army has not removed from its expansion agenda, according to The Pueblo Chieftain. Norton says she would support expansion if ranchers willingly sold their properties to the Army.
Though he works for The Washington Post, politics writer Chris Cillizza broke this week’s biggest local political story: Republican state Senator Josh Penry has cleared the path for his old boss, former Congressman Scott McInnis, to take on Democratic Governor Bill Ritter without having to face a primary.
The word didn’t come from Penry himself but, rather, unnamed sources, who suggest Penry witnessed victories for Republicans in New Jersey and Virginia last week, noting they were enabled, at least partly, by a lack of competition in the primary season.
But NBC quotes a campaign source who says Penry was scared off, in part, by a political nonprofit group that was going to back McInnis. The source adds that a nasty political fight could have ruined or significantly damaged Penry’s reputation with Republicans.
Meanwhile, McInnis spokesman Josh Green confirms to the Colorado Springs Gazette that Penry met with McInnis Monday morning and announced he intended to drop out of the race.
Dick Wadhams, the state GOP chairman, thinks Penry is destined for political success down the road: “Josh clearly is one of our bright young stars, who has a lot to offer in the future.”
Either Shane Bauer, his girlfriend, Sarah Shourd, and their friend Joshua Fattal are a trio of spies who posed as American hikers in Iran on a botched mission or they’re simply naive. It’s been two months since the three were arrested after allegedly entering Iran from Iraq.
Shannon Bauer, Shane Bauer’s sister, a graduate student in psychology at Naropa University in Boulder, recent told the Daily Camera, “It was very much in character for him to go there. The day before it happened, I got an e-mail from him saying how safe it was. This is a part of Iraq that Western tour groups go to.”
It seems the hikers aren’t really spies, as Iranian officials have alleged. Rather, the three are being used as political pawns in the protracted battle between Washington and Tehran over Israel and nuclear weapons. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at a press conference in Turkey that President Barack Obama must choose between Israel and relations with Iran.
The announcement came only hours after Tehran’s prosecutor announced spying charges against the three, although Ahmadinejad (pictured) said he hoped the three would not be jailed, while avoiding questions over whether he believed they were spies. (more…)
Sign up for 5280's weekly e-newsletters. Want the latest restaurant scoop? The latest happenings around town? Access to exclusive events and deals just for 5280 readers? 
Anyone in the mood for a little boycotting this weekend might want to start with Wolf Motors. ProgressNow Colorado, a liberal activist group, is calling attention to the potentially offensive billboard the company has put up on its Wheat Ridge site.
Former Congressman and presidential candidate Tom Tancredo made waves recently when he announced he 
Sarah Palin’s appearance on the “Oprah Winfrey Show” may or may not have put the former Republican vice-presidential candidate on the comeback path, but it doesn’t really matter. Palin’s promotional blitz is just getting started, as her book tour makes its way around the country. 
To the likely delight of libertarian-minded people everywhere, Colorado 
There are few people in the world who would seriously argue that junk food and soda pop are good for you. But the question, as far as Bill Ritter’s critics are concerned, is whether people ought to pay higher taxes for them. The governor isn’t alone. Several states are considering the idea, which would put sweets in the same category as sin items like liquor and cigarettes.
State Senator Dave Schultheis’ tweet—the one that led to an outpouring of criticism claiming that he’d compared the hijackers of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to President Barack Obama—just won’t go away.
Jane Norton, the former Colorado lieutenant governor who is now running for the U.S. Senate, has cast herself as a Washington outsider. But as the left-leaning 
First Lady Michelle Obama will be in Denver today with an entourage of A-list celebrities and officials for a whirlwind tour meant to highlight the need for mentoring in young women’s lives.
When state Senator Josh Penry dropped his bid for the Republican gubernatorial primary 
This week, state Senator Dave Schultheis tweeted, “Don’t for a second think Obama wants what is best for U.S. He is flying the U.S. plane right into the ground at full speed. Let’s roll.”
Yesterday, 
Boulder officials, who are lucky they don’t have to deal with the same headaches as President Barack Obama, may join an international organization that aims to eliminate nuclear weapons everywhere, reports the 
Though he works for 
Either Shane Bauer, his girlfriend, Sarah Shourd, and their friend Joshua Fattal are a trio of spies who posed as American hikers in Iran on a botched mission or they’re simply naive. It’s been two months since the three were arrested after allegedly entering Iran from Iraq.