January 14, 2016 12:12 PM UTC

Get More Smarter on Thursday (Jan. 14)

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• by: Colorado Pols

The next time somebody tells you they “won” the Powerball lottery by not playing and saving their money, you have our permission to punch them in the jaw. 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…

► Governor John Hickenlooper delivers his “State of the State” speech today after a day of speechifying and back slapping at the opening day of the Colorado legislature. In the Senate, both Democrats and Republicans are using the ‘B’ word. From John Frank of the Denver Post:

The state’s top Republican lawmaker gaveled the Colorado Senate into session Wednesday, touting the bipartisan accomplishments from a year ago even as election year politics are poised to create a fractious 2016 term.

Senate President Bill Cadman highlighted legislation approved in the 2015 session to reduce student testing; make repeated drunk driving arrests  a felony charge; audit the state’s  health care exchange; and improve  security measures at schools.

Of course, none of those things really happened because of Republicans, who consistently voted “NO” at a far greater clip than Democrats. But, whatever. Here’s more from the Post:

In her opening day remarks, the new Senate Democratic leader Lucia Guzmán acknowledged the two parties “severe differences in how we think about getting to a stronger state” warned against “extremism” that dominates the broader political arena…

…Guzmán also outlined a Democratic legislative agenda to reduce college debt, push an equal pay for women measure, improve workforce training as the state transitions to renewable energy sources and address Colorado’s “alarmingly high suicide rate.”

► While State Senators pretended to play nice on Wednesday, there was little room for Kumbaya in the State House. As Charles Ashby reports for the Grand Junction Sentinel:

Historically, opening day speeches at the start of any legislative session are filled with a lot of talk about being bipartisan and reaching across the political divide that separates Democrats and Republicans in the 100-member Colorado Legislature.

But instead of continuing that tradition, and offering up a bunch of nebulous ideas that one side or the other says will help move Colorado forward, House Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst was very specific ­— and very pointed — about what she wanted to see get passed this year, while also lashing out at extremists’ ideas…

…Hullinghorst called for 10 separate items, saying “let’s pass this bill” each time.

Not surprisingly, Hullinghorst drew applause from her side of the House chamber — sometimes even a standing ovation — while Republicans sat quietly in their seats.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Robert Dear, the admitted terrorist behind the shootings at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs last year, believes his actions have saved “thousands of babies.” As CBS4 Denver reports, Dear might be missing a whole bucket of marbles:

The man who admits to killing three people during an attack on Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs called his actions “spur of the moment” in a conversation over the phone from jail with CBS4 Investigator Rick Sallinger.

Robert Lewis Dear, 57, claims the FBI has been following him ever since he criticized it for its role in the Waco, Texas siege 22 years ago. His own attorneys have suggested he take a competency exam, but he claimed he is coherent, sane and wants to represent himself and plead guilty.

Dear complained openly in court that he is being silenced. Records in the case have been sealed. By phone from jail he claimed he had been followed by the FBI for decades, including from his trailer home the day of the armed assault at Planned Parenthood.

So, Rep. JoAnn Windholz, tell us more about how Planned Parenthood is responsible for terrorist attacks against Planned Parenthood.

We’ll wait…

► Legal marijuana sales are poised to surpass $900 million when all of the paperwork is complete for 2015.

► The housing market in Colorado may be even crazier in 2016 than it was last year.

► From our list of Top 10 Political Stories of 2015: #3 “The Rise of Tim Neville.”

► Colorado’s Department of Human Services is making news again…and once again, not for good reasons. As John Frank writes for the Denver Post:

The potential penalty against Gov. John Hickenlooper’s troubled Department of Human Services now totals more than $6 million after the Colorado agency missed another federal target for the program that provides cash assistance to the poor.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services informed the state Monday that it failed to meet an employment participation requirement for the Colorado Works program in fiscal year 2013.

The additional $1.2 million sanction comes months after federal authorities levied  a $4.8 million sanction for defaulting on the same target in fiscal year 2012.

DHS Executive Director Reggie Bicha informed Colorado lawmakers at a hearing earlier this week that he is disputing the penalty, though he acknowledged that the state will likely miss the 2014 and 2015 requirements as well.

Colorado is one of 22 states to have missed the welfare target.

► Who’s got fuel cells? We’ve got fuel cells!

► A SuperPAC supporting former Florida Gov. Jeb! Bush is on the air with a blistering attack against Republican Presidential frontrunner Donald Trump. As our friends at “The Fix” point out, Jeb! probably should have done something like this a long time ago.

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► The Presidential campaign of crazy-ass Ben Carson is cratering. Carson’s national finance chair, Dean Parker, has resigned, as Politico reports:

Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, appointed Parker, a tech industry entrepreneur from Mobile, Alabama, in May to spearhead the campaign’s fundraising efforts. Parker’s been a relatively little-noticed campaign power, having Carson’s ear despite friction with other leaders. Since he joined, some campaign insiders told POLITICO, his operation has piled up unnecessary expenses and paid hefty consulting fees to an inexperienced staff. Parker recently began earning a $20,000 monthly salary, which veteran campaign operatives say is unusual for what is typically an unpaid, honorary role.

The bills for Parker’s shop, the inside sources said, were easy to overlook in the fall as the campaign raked in small donations, Carson soared in the polls and the campaign’s direct-mail operation generated tens of millions of dollars. But Parker’s operation became a sore point as the campaign lost its footing in mid-November and the candidate’s poll numbers slipped, they added. Even as senior leaders questioned Parker in leadership discussions, Carson still backed him on financial and hiring decisions, the campaign sources said.

► Republican Presidential contenders will debate tonight in South Carolina for the first time in 2016. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is expected to be a top target for attacks from the field.

ICYMI

► House Speaker Paul Ryan is upset that President Obama agreed with House Speaker Paul Ryan in his “State of the Union” speech on Tuesday.

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