September 09, 2015 11:46 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Wednesday (Sept. 9)

• 10 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

Longbottom 2016! 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…

► The United States House Science Committee is shaking their fists at the EPA over the Gold King Mine spill that occurred in Silverton last month. As Mark Matthews reports for the Denver Post:

The two-hour meeting was the first of several hearings Congress has planned this month to investigate the Colorado accident, and the initial discussion was more of a food fight than a debate, featuring Republicans generally blasting the agency and Democrats and the EPA angling to put the accident in perspective.

Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, opened the hearing by slamming the Environmental Protection Agency for not being careful enough in dealing with the Gold King Mine and triggering the release of 3 million gallons of toxic waste that affected Colorado, New Mexico and Utah as well as the Navajo Nation.

“Had the EPA exercised the same care in making their decisions as an ordinary prudent person, this whole incident could have been avoided,” he said.

Spending hours upon hours complaining about the EPA should solve the problem of cleaning up polluted mine sites.

► Senate Republicans don’t appear to have the votes to override a potential veto from President Obama on his administration’s foreign policy deal with Iran, so Colorado Republicans are riding in to save the day!

► They say the best things in life are worth the wait, so Republican businessman Robert Blaha won’t jump into the 2016 Senate race until October, for some reason. Blaha spent nearly $800k of his own money in a failed attempt at knocking off Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn (CO5) in 2012.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Cyber security expert John McAfee (yes, that McAfee) says he is going to run for President in 2016 and expects to win — while representing something called the Cyber Party:

“I have a huge underground following on the web,” he told CNNMoney on Tuesday. “I promise you I will win because I have the votes.”

Check out the rest of McAfee’s interview with CNN Money. There might be a lot of spam floating around inside his melon.

► Jeb! Former Colorado Governor Bill Owens is backing Jeb! Bush in the Republican Presidential Primary. Owens is a big fan of politicians who have no personality. Jeb! is making the late-night talk show rounds in an effort to show that he is not a robot, but the best joke he can come up with is about Donald Trump’s hair?

► State Sen. Tim Neville is running for U.S. Senate in 2016, and the Colorado Independent lists a half-dozen things you need to know about the Jefferson County Republican.

► A Colorado State University study on the negative impacts of TABOR continues to generate press. The Durango Herald takes a look at the study’s findings that Coloradans actually pay more money in taxes under TABOR.

► The Denver Police Department is expanding its use of body cameras.

► We’re just one week away from a one-day tax break for recreational marijuana purchases.

► Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul is still running for President, apparently, and his campaign plans to spend $100,000 on TV ads in Iowa and New Hampshire during next week’s Republican Presidential debate. Paul may actually end up with more air time during commercial breaks than during the actual debate itself.

► Republican Presidential candidates Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz are fighting over who should get the most credit for supporting Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, who just got out of jail after refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Just so we’re clear: We’re talking about two different candidates for President who want credit for taking a stand against the constitution.

Meanwhile, check out this biting editorial from the Grand Junction Sentinel.

► Former state Senate President John Andrews is retiring from his post at the Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University.

► As the Washington Post reports, it looks like we are headed for the second federal government shutdown in the last three years. Benghazi!

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Bird math.

► Republican Jeb! Bush likes to say that Florida led the nation in job creation when he was Governor. Of course, this is not at all true.

► The town of Rifle held an election yesterday.

ICYMI

► Neville Longbottom is the candidate we deserve in 2016.

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