March 06, 2015 10:30 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Friday (March 6)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday. Make a smooth transition by setting your clock one-half hour ahead today, and moving the final half-hour on Saturday night. 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…

► A group of 10 sheriffs from 3 different states are suing Colorado for legailzing marijuana. Replied Rep. Jared Polis (D-Boulderish), "This lawsuit is a silly attempt to circumvent the will of Colorado voters and is a waste of time." Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith is the lead plaintiff on the lawsuit; top law enforcement officials in Greeley and Weld County decided to stay out of the lawsuit, presumably because they were too busy doing their jobs instead.

► Colorado legislators said Thursday that they are focusing on bills to help the middle class in Colorado. As Joey Bunch reports for the Denver Post:

Lawmakers have introduced four bills so far to help people prepare for and get better-paying jobs, with six more to be introduced soon.

The package would give employers financial incentives to take on interns and apprentices and would develop programs that coordinate high schools and colleges with companies willing to help train and eventually employ workers, bill sponsors said.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

SHOULD YOU FIND YOURSELF STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Colorado Republicans want to get rid of background checks as a prerequisite to carrying a concealed weapon, and they are more than willing to sacrifice funding for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Democrats refused to play funding games over the CBI and made the "grown-up decision" to move on, as House Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst might say. This is a good time to remind you to read this editorial from Aurora Sentinel editor Dave Perry on why nobody should have the right to scare the hell out of everyone else.

► Senator Cory Gardner is a co-sponsor of The Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2015. The legislation would exclude industrial hemp from the definition of Marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act.

► Former congressman, presidential candidate, and two-time candidate for Governor Tom Tancredo wants Colorado's Attorney General Cynthia Coffman to join other states in a lawsuit challenging President Obama's immigration policies. To her credit, Coffman told Tancredo to pound sand. Tancredo can now focus his attention on whatever it is he does when he isn't losing elections.

► Colorado ranks 7th in the country among states adding clean energy jobs in 2014.

► People are not happy with Colorado Springs City Councilwoman Helen Collins, who is already fighting against a recall attempt. Collins has now been named in an ethics complaint involving convicted felon and notorious cameraman kicker Doug Bruce. Doing any sort of business with Doug Bruce should be a standing ethics violation.

► Mad MIke Coffman is always on your side…at some point in the debate.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Democrat Steve Fenberg, founder of the nonprofit group New Era Colorado, will run for Senate District 18 in Boulder to succeed term-limited Sen. Rollie Heath.

► Your days are numbered, microbeads!

► Republicans love minority voters…but only during election years. Guess how many House Republican leaders are attending a civil rights commemoration in Selma, Alabama? The answer: None. As in, ZERO. Here's what Congressional Black Caucus Chairman G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina had to say to Politico:

“It is very disappointing that not a single Republican leader sees the value in participating in this 50th commemoration of the signing of the Voting Rights Act. I had hoped that some of the leadership would attend, but apparently none of them will. The Republicans always talk about trying to change their brand and be more appealing to minority folks and be in touch with the interests of African-Americans. This is very disappointing.”

► Illinois Republican Rep. Aaron Schock is in a deep mess of his own making related to lavish spending from his campaign and congressional offices, but that's okay, because here's a half-million dollars!

ICYMI

► A new study from Environment Colorado shows that Colorado's biggest polluters are spending bilions of dollars on political donations and lobbying instead of actually cleaning up their messes.

► San Miguel County Sheriff Bill Masters doesn't understand why local law enforcement officials are getting involved in a lawsuit over marijuana legalization. "I’m the sheriff of San Miguel County, and I’m here to uphold the laws of the state of Colorado, not the federal government," says Masters.

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