OBAMA’S WAR ON COLORADO WATER RIGHTS: Quick, Somebody Ask Udall, Bennet, and Hickenlooper To Quit Hiding

Published on April 26, 2013 by

There is nothing more mom and apple pie in Colorado than skiing and water. Everyone loves skiing right? Every politicians respects Colorado water law, right?

Wrong.

The Colorado Observer‘s DC correspondent, Mark Stricherz reports:

WASHINGTON — A Colorado House Republican accused the federal government of using a little-known directive to wrest water rights away from Western states and private-property owners.

Rep. Scott Tipton of Cortez said U.S. Interior Department officials have seized on a 2012 order called the National Blueways Initiative to usurp private water rights. “I’m concerned about federal overreach of the Blueways program,” Tipton said at a hearing of the House Committee on Natural Resources Thursday.

His comment came during an exchange with a municipal water district official from a Western state who testified before the Water subcommittee. “Could a New Jersey resident who has used a raft on a Colorado river be considered a stakeholder under the law? It’s a little vague,” Tipton said.

“As I read it, yes,” said Russell Boardman, supervisor of the Shoshone Conservation District in Frannie, Wyoming. 

…Rep. Grace Napolitano, an influential California Democrat on the Natural Resources panel, said she did not know the specifics of the Blueways program and expressed sympathy for critics, but trusts Salazar’s intentions for the initiative. “He’s a farmer, so he knows a lot about agriculture. He protects the land,” she said in an interview after the hearing.

…Tipton said he spoke with Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., and Rep. Jared Polis, D-Boulder, about the Blueways order, but did not get a commitment from them to support legislation on the issue. A Udall spokesman did not return comment.

In 2008, remember that Senator Barry Obama used Western water issues as a parochial issue to wedge his opponent John McCain in Colorado.

DENVER – The water compact that Colorado and other upper basin states have with California and Arizona should be renegotiated, U.S. Sen. John McCain said Thursday.

…”Senator McCain’s position on opening up the Colorado River Compact is absolutely wrong and would only happen over my dead body,” [Senator Ken] Salazar said. “It’s an anathema to the fundamental principles of Colorado’s water rights and our compacts.”

In an interesting twist, the same Ken Salazar who was trotted out to attack McCain is the one who instituted the program as Obama’s Interior Secretary which threatens Western water rights.

When a candidate against Mark Udall emerges…yes ColoradoPols, there will be an opponent…water may well be part of the case against Mark Udall. 

While Obama declared a war on the state’s water rights and ski areas, Udall did nothing.

 

COPS AS OBAMA’S PROPS: 9News’ Kyle Clark Nails Denver Board Of Ethics For Trying To Sweep Scandal Under The Rug

Published on April 25, 2013 by

Scandal? What scandal? Caught with their political pants around their ankles, the entirely Democrat-appointed Denver Board of Ethics is seeking the easy way out of a sticky situation.

In response to a police officer’s complaint, the board has decided that it can’t rule on whether the Denver Police Department violated ethics laws by sending uniformed, on-duty officers to an Obama gun control event while banning officers from attending a gun rights rally on the same day with Colorado Sheriffs.

The Board of Ethics is claiming they have no jurisdiction over political affairs, 9News reports, despite the fact that the Denver Police handbook says officers are to seek an advisory opinion from the board before engaging in political activity.

Watch 9News’ Kyle Clarks make a fool of the board and their half-assed excuse:

continue…

 

HICK 2016 ON THE SKIDS: PPP Polling Finds Only 21% Want Him To Run For President

Published on April 23, 2013 by

It’s been a rough few months for Governor Hickenlooper politically. Democrat polling firm Public Policy Polling adds to that portrait of political pain today with the second part of their statewide survey, which shows a scant 21% of voters would like to see Hickenlooper run for president.

An overwhelming 65% of Coloradans don’t want Hick to run.

The first part of their survey found Hick’s negatives skyrocketing, with an increase of 18 points in his disapproval rating.

With most other states in the union shying away from gun control, and the damage to his brand and polling numbers, we’re betting Governor Hickenlooper is having second thoughts about doing New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s bidding.

A few other noteworthy bits from the poll:

  • Secretary of State Gessler, despite being barraged with attacks by Democrats for most of the last two years, is beating declared Democratic candidate for SOS, Ken Gordon, 42%-38%. No wonder the Colorado Democratic Party backed off their threat of a recall campaign against Gessler.
  • President Barack Obama’s numbers are falling. After winning Colorado by 5 points in 2012, his approval rating is now under water at 48% approval to 50% disapproval. This could negatively impact Democrats in 2014 if it continues to sink.
  • Independents oppose gun control by a 49%-46% margin. We’re betting that margin is far higher among independents who count guns as an issue that will change their vote.

Our buddies over at Colorado Pols laughingly assert that Hickenlooper is facing a backlash from the left over his unqualified support for oil and gas drilling. Unfortunately, we know they’re pushing that line only because Pols‘ co-founder Jason Bane is employed in communications by the environmental group, Western Resource Advocates. Despite the enviros best attempts to muddy up Hick for his love of fracking, a whopping 94% of self-described “very liberal” voters approve of Hick’s job performance.

Great work, Green Team.

Hick’s stock is definitely falling, but it ain’t among those on the far left. He’s seeping support from the all-important middle.

 

FOOD STAMP-EDE: “Let Them Eat Hope”

Published on April 21, 2013 by

A modern play on a quote from Marie Antoinette, another world leader renowned for material excesses in the face of a struggling populace, is slowly gaining steam.  And, sadly for Colorado families, the saying is just as relevant here as it is in other states struggling under Obama’s failed economic policies.  Since Obama’s election, the number of people on food stamps in Colorado has risen by an amazing 84.5 percent.

In nearly every month since Obama took office, Colorado has grown its food stamp rolls.  With advertisements for food stamps on television, radio, and city buses, it almost seems inevitable.  Considering the Democrats who control the state legislature will not even restrict welfare payments from being pulled out of machines in strip clubs, it’s not shocking.

A dramatic rise in food stamp usage is a dangerous precedent on several levels.  The first, and most obvious, it means Colorado’s families are struggling.  Additionally, these expensive transfers put an additional strain on an already stretched budget.  But perhaps equally damaging is a certain long term implication of this trend, and that is government dependency.

Given these astonishing numbers and the long term psychological impact of government dependence, more transparency on how long people stay on the food stamp rolls is worth examining.  Just how many households have needed this benefit for so long that the only reasonable explanation is that it has become a permanent part of the family’s budget?

Governor John Hickenlooper, President Barack Obama, and other Democratic leaders have been telling us that we are in an economic recovery, but the wild expansion of their welfare state tells a different story.

 

PeakFeed: Revealing Politics Mashes Up Obama and Diana DeGette’s Blistering Coverage On Guns 101

Published on April 9, 2013 by

 

SHERIFF SMITH GOES AT OBAMA: Another Colorado Law Enforcement Professional Dives Into Gun Control Fray

Published on April 3, 2013 by

Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith hammered back at John Hickenlooper and Barack Obama at a gun control forum hosted by Gun Control Inc. The Denver Post, calling Obama and Hick’s gun rally today a “victory dance” not leadership. 

From The Washington Times:

When President Obama arrives here Wednesday to cheer the state’s newly passed gun control laws, don’t expect Colorado’s county sheriffs to join in the celebration. 

At a forum Tuesday, Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith blamed the state’s gun control agenda in part on the White House and characterized this week’s presidential visit as a “victory dance.”

Critics of the measures have accused the White House and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg of orchestrating the state legislature’s push for gun control. The three bills passed the Democrat-controlled legislature last month without a single Republican vote. 

“In my opinion, there were marching orders from Bloomberg and from the president, ‘Get this done. We want to own some ground in Colorado,’” said Sheriff Smith at a Tuesday panel on gun control sponsored by the Denver Post. “They’ve done it. The president’s planning to come here and do, I think, a little bit of a victory dance tomorrow that, ‘We got this passed in Colorado.’”

As we described yesterday, Hickenlooper has earned exactly nothing from liberals for signing the most insane gun control in America. The Sheriff from Fort Collins doesn’t think much of Hick either.

 

OOPS, THERE GOES THE PHOTO OP! Colorado Sheriffs To Counter-Program Obama/Hickenlooper Gun Grab Victory Rally

Published on April 2, 2013 by

The County Sheriffs of Colorado aren’t conceding the stage to President Obama and his gun control butt boy, Governor Hickenlooper.

When Obama rides into town tomorrow for his gun grab “victory dance,” the Sheriffs will be there to present their side of the debate for the press.

Reports The Colorado Observer‘s Valerie Richardson:

DENVER–There may be a few party-crashers when President Obama arrives Wednesday to celebrate Colorado’s newly approved gun-control laws.

Sixteen Colorado county sheriffs announced Tuesday they would hold a press conference shortly before the president’s visit to “share their perspective on Colorado’s restrictive gun laws and President Obama’s advocacy visit to the state.” 

The sheriffs’ event is slated for 1 p.m. at Thomas (Fred N.) Memorial Park in Denver, “conveniently located within one mile” of the president’s appearance later that afternoon at the Denver Police Academy, according to the statement.

Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith offered a glimpse of the sheriffs’ perspective at a forum Tuesday at which he blamed the gun-control agenda in part on national political figures and described the presidential visit to Colorado as a “victory dance.”

The gun bills may have been passed and signed, but the fight is far from over.

 

SPIKING THE FOOTBALL: President Obama to Visit Colorado to Celebrate Gun Grab Victory

Published on March 28, 2013 by

UPDATE: According to the White House press release, President Obama will be in the Denver area on Wednesday to:

“…continue asking the American people to join him in calling on Congress to pass common-sense measures to reduce gun violence. The President will meet with local law enforcement officials and community leaders to discuss the new measures the state recently put in place, including closing loopholes in the background check system to keep guns out of the hands criminals and others who should not have access to them.”

The Associated Press is reporting that President Obama will visit Colorado to gloat over his gun grab victory to meet with local community leaders and law enforcement agencies about the gun control legislation recently signed into law by Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper.

While details are scant, it would seem that Colorado has once again become the staging area for an Obama/Biden/Bloomberg gun control push.  As the Associated Press noted, “Colorado has gone farther than any state outside the northeast in passing new gun laws.”

The next question that inquiring minds want to know is whether this will be a joint event with Hickenlooper or if Obama will be on his own here.  If Hick joins him, is that an indication that Hickenlooper simply was doing the will of the Obama/Biden/Bloomberg regime?  If Hick isn’t there, does that mean that he’s hiding from the stench from the legislation he signed?  Will Hick send others to represent Colorado in his stead?

We’ll keep you updated, PeakNation™, but the next few days should be interesting.

 

OBAMACARE COST: Health Insurance Premiums Rise Nationwide

Published on March 20, 2013 by

When Obamacare became the law of the land, Obama’s promise was that it would reduce premiums for families by an average of $2,500 per year.  In fact, according to Politifact, here are the words that came out of Obama’s mouth:

“I will sign a universal health care bill into law by the end of my first term as president that will cover every American and cut the cost of a typical family’s premium by up to $2,500 a year.”

But, Americans everywhere are watching their premiums skyrocket as Obamacare’s full implementation nears, even in Colorado.  According to a study published by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committees on Finance and on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions earlier this month, premiums in Colorado are scheduled to rise a whopping 19% to 41% next year.  Sadly, Colorado is not the worst of the bunch.  Here is the full chart from the report:

While Colorado’s 19-41% increase is far above the rate of inflation, which means families have to make the same income stretch much further, the rates in states like Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, and more are set to skyrocket.

It’s concerning that premium increases will strike families, some of which are already struggling to make ends meet, but there is another downside to Obamacare’s out-of-control costs.  Jobs.  Earlier this week, the Peak highlighted a survey conducted by Gallup and Wells Fargo that showed 61% of small business owners weren’t hiring because of concerns over rising healthcare costs.

Despite the lack of front page news on the joblessness front, the fact remains that the unemployment rate – nationally and in Colorado – remains quite high and the percentage of the population currently employed is near historic lows.

Families are hurting. Obamacare isn’t the cure-all it was made to be.

 

BLOOMBERG’S (ONLY) B_TCH: Colorado And Hickenlooper Only Non-Northeastern State To Embrace Bloomberg Gun Grab

Published on March 20, 2013 by

With Governor Hickenlooper signing three gun control measures this morning, he has earned the notorious distinction of being the only governor not in the Northeast to buy into the Obama/Bloomberg gun grab.

Noted the Associated Press yesterday:

DENVER (AP) — After a no-holds-barred White House push for sweeping gun control legislation across the country, Democrats have racked up only one victory outside the ideologically friendly confines of the northeast.

It is a big one: Colorado’s moderate Democratic governor Wednesday will sign landmark bills to require universal background checks and limit magazine capacity in this bellwether swing state. But the White House’s package is running into trouble in Congress and, even in liberal Washington state, gun control couldn’t get out of the statehouse. Gun control advocates are hoping for more victories to add to Colorado, but the clock is ticking as state legislatures start to wrap up business.

How not moderate is John Hickenlooper? For starters, he isn’t as moderate as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, at least on guns.

Washington and Colorado may have agreed on legal weed, but even the left-wing Washington state wouldn’t pursue a gun ban.

Washington hasn’t elected a Republican governor since 1980, but for them gun control was too far.

Doesn’t that say it all?

 
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