Our Senate President, John Morse, lived up to these promises by passing sensible gun safety legislation. A Whole Lot of People for John Morse has been publicizing a lot of the ongoing battle to remove Sen. Morse from office. And a lot of people have been paying attention.

Unfortunately, so have the trolls.

With the Newtown anniversary yesterday, we published two items – one is in memory of the 26 lives lost and has a picture of each and every one.

The second is this quote from Jane Dougherty. She is a Littleton resident whose sister, Mary Sherlach, was the school psychologist killed at Sandy Hook.

Jane Dougherty, with portrait of her sister, Mary Sherlach, who was gunned down at Sandy Hook

“It is sadly ironic that exactly six months after the tragedy at Sandy Hook, we learn that Senator Morse may indeed face a recall election for having the courage to take a stand on gun violence prevention. Six months ago, I lost my sister, who along with 5 other remarkable educators and 20 precious children were innocent victims of an unspeakable act of gun violence. It is something my family and I will live with every day for the rest of our lives. The time for action to stop gun violence is long overdue, and I stand with Senator Morse and the majority of Colorado legislators who voted to make our state safer. These bills went through the democratic process and were supported by a majority of legislators. And further, they are supported by more than 80% of Coloradans. But because of a few sore losers who don’t like what happened at the Capitol, they are going to waste a tremendous amount of time, money and effort.”

The trolls attacked our Facebook page and had this posting removed for “violating community standards” and Peak Dems, Will Townsend and myself, all administrators on this page, have had our accounts temporarily suspended and this very powerful statement of truth has been permanently removed.

We need your help now to stop the trolls. Please take this quote from Jane and post it everywhere you can – it needs to be seen and only we have that power.

Please join us – please post this message, please post the statement from Jane, please tweet this to the world. With our voices temporarily silenced, we are all counting on you.

Thank you so much.

Christy Le Lait

A Whole Lot of People for John Morse

El Paso County Democratic Party

Peak Dems Block Party Extravaganza!

It’s that time of year again. I’m talking about summer of course! Drinks flowing, grills sizzling, fun and leisure activities and we’ve got a party. Just one thing missing. That’s YOU!

June 29th is our annual Peak Dems Block Party, and this year you’re in for a real treat:

• Conveniently located in the parking lot next to the Peak Dems office at 18 E. Rio Grande St., Colorado Springs, 80903
• A buffet of fantastic food to enjoy
• Nice cool beverages to sip
• Activities that will leave you talking for years to come
• Live music groups and a DJ spinning tracks to keep you up and out of your seats
• We look forward to A FUN AND FABULOUS time with you.
• Check the post farther down the page for some pictures of last year’s Block Party

Take advantage of the early bird ticket for $15 . Tickets $20 at the door.

Also, tell the students in your life. They get in for only 10 bucks.

I want to order my tickets NOW!

Well, as it turns out, the answer to this question is no. The Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police has taken the opposite position, and supports both gun safety bills. In fact, these laws were written with input from the CACP.

Broomfield Chief of Police Thomas Deland

You can get details about the CACP’s support for gun safety laws here and here.

A Whole Lot of People for John Morse

Sen. John Morse Supports Renewable Energy

Dear PeakDems.org:

The Gazette’s editorial criticizing Sen. Morse’s support for SB252 did not serve its readers well. Senator Morse has listened to his constituents. He supported legislation that promotes job growth in Colorado Springs, supported our fire-fighters, supported our veterans, and yes, voted to strengthen the state’s successful renewable energy standard (RES).

The editorial did not mention Coloradans decisively passed a renewable energy standard in 2004, and the support for renewable energy has not faded since then.

A majority of Coloradans still support moving towards renewable energy sources. In the 2012 State of the Rockies Conservation in the West poll by Lori Weigel and Dave Metz, 71% of respondents agreed that we should replace coal with other energy sources like wind and solar.

The Gazette also confuses an issue concerning which rural cooperatives will be effected by the transition to a 20% renewable energy standard. Only the largest cooperatives will be effected: those that provide wholesale electricity in Colorado, and those that service at least 100,000 customers. So, this is not a imposition on the smallest nonprofit utilities as the editorial suggests.

The price of coal is going up and the price of wind and solar are coming down, so SB252 protects consumers looking forward. Additionally, retail costs are capped at a 2% so as to not cause adverse impact on customers in the short-term. Thus this measure is aligned with common-sense economics, which would be apparent to anyone who had any foresight. Speaker Claire Levy reported that the utility Xcel found that increasing its share of renewables was good for its bottom line, and because this bill included a 2 percent rate cap, ratepayers would be protected.

This bill was not an arbitrary mandate that was unilaterally decided upon by one man and it was not created in a vacuum. The president of the Senate, John Morse, supported legislation that Coloradans have asked for and have voted for in the past. Colorado needs more politicians who have the courage to stand up to special interests with deep pockets and lots of lobbyists, like the fossil fuel companies.

Good journalism would have called for an interview of Senator Morse, the renewable energy industry and rural residents. That way the Gazette could have provided its readers with informed opinions rather than with a derogatory editorial which attacks John Morse, a leader who courageously represents his constituents.

NRA Involved in Morse Recall Attempt

Dear PeakDems .org:

The NRA’s PAC–the Political Victory Fund–is getting involved and spending money on mailers to voters in our Senate District 11 for the recall campaign against state Senator John Morse.  Nick Andrasik (a founder of the Basic Freedom Defense Fund) claimed last month in the Colorado Springs Independent that “None of us really have activist roots in our past.  None of us have any experience in this.”  Well, now they have the big guns (pun intended) of a nationally-funded organization to help them try and take down Colorado Senate President Morse.  The NRA is an incredibly powerful group that according to OpenSecrets.org spent 55 times the amount in 2012 Federal Elections as the next closest organization on the other side of the issue.  That is certainly their right.  But let’s be clear: if they succeed in recalling Senator Morse, there will be no sensible gun safety legislation introduced anywhere in the country at the local, state or national level for another generation.  Instead, we’ll get more NRA-supported bills like the one here in Colorado to arm our elementary school teachers–and this time it will pass.  Now is the time for us to support Sen. Morse and his yes vote for reasonable gun safety measures that do not take guns away from law-abiding citizens.

A Whole Lot of People for John Morse

Due to a Democratic majority in both the House and the Senate, the legislative term that ended on May 8 will go down as one of the most productive and progressive in the history of Colorado.  It provides a sharp contrast to the do-nothing session headed by Republicans in 2012.  The Republicans, you will recall, threw out a huge chunk of the legislation produced by their session in a maneuver to prevent the Civil Union bill from coming to a vote.

The 2013 session, on the other hand, produced legislation on a wide range of issues.  Here are some of the highlights:

• Colorado Economy—This session produced several bills designed to boost the state’s economy.  The Keep Jobs in Colorado Act puts Colorado companies first in line for state contracts.  The Advanced Industries Accelerator Act makes Colorado more attractive to high-tech businesses.  The Economic Gardening Pilot Project bill supports start-up businesses.  And finally, the Renewable Energy bill creates jobs in the renewable energy field by broadening the definition of renewable energy to include sources such as methane capture and woody biomass, helping farmers find a way into the renewable energy business.
• Civil Unions—Colorado took a step forward on the civil rights path with legislation that authorizes any two unmarried adults, regardless of gender, to enter into a civil union by obtaining a license from a county clerk and recorder.
• Gun Safety—Several bills were passed in this area.  Foremost among them was a bill mandating universal background checks for all gun purchases.  Other legislation limited the size of magazines, protected victims of domestic violence, required gun purchasers to pay for their own background checks, and prohibited concealed-carry training performed entirely on-line.
• Election Reform—The Voter Access and Modernized Elections bill puts an end to the worst voter suppression abuses of partisan Clerk and Recorders and makes it easier for Coloradans to cast their vote by providing a mail-in ballot to everyone, by giving them a choice of how to vote, by employing modern Information Technology to verify votes, by ending the “inactive voter” category, by allowing for secure same-day registration, and by mandating more convenient early voting.
• Education—the ASSET bill provides in-state tuition rates for undocumented students.  Another bill takes on the issue of funding for public education, with an eye to achieving a better balance between urban and rural school districts.  The Breakfast After the Bell bill, sponsored by District 17’s Rep. Tony Exum, makes sure that low-income students will start the school day ready to learn.

All in all, a very productive session, and one in which three politicians from El Paso county—Rep.  Pete Lee, Rep. Tony Exum and Senator John Morse played leading roles.  As President of the Senate, John Morse took the lead in guiding the bills mentioned above through the state senate.

But this legislative success has not come without a political price.  A group based in Durango has tried to recall four Democratic legislators: Michael McLachlan, Evie Hudak, Angela Giron, and El Paso County’s Sen. John Morse.  On May 21, the recall effort against Rep. McLachlan officially ended when the Basic Freedom Defense Fund failed to turn in the needed signatures.  You can find the details of the recall effort against Sen. John Morse here.  In El Paso County, BFDF volunteers and paid signature collectors have until June 3 to get the signatures needed for a special election to recall Sen. Morse.  The special election, if it is scheduled, will cost El Paso county between $150,000 and $250,000.

Sen. Morse has earned our support by standing up against the NRA and the gun lobby, and against the fossil fuel special interests, and by standing up for voter rights and marriage equality.  A local group named “A Whole Lot of People for John Morse” has formed to support him against the recall effort. Here’s what you can do to support him in his fight against being recalled:

1. If you are approached to sign the recall petition, decline to sign.
2. If you have already signed the petition, but feel it’s purpose was not honestly represented to you, or that you were threatened by the signature collector, please give us a call at 719-425-2211.
3. Stay in touch with us on-line. Check out A Whole Lot of People for John Morse’s web page ,  Facebook page and blog to stay up to date with what’s going on.  Like and Share the Facebook page with your Facebook friends.
4. Most importantly, volunteer to phonebank, canvass, or write letters to the editor on Sen. Morse’s behalf.  Please use the Volunteer links on the web page or blog, or call use at 719-425-2211.

There was a time in this country when we the people elected someone to represent us and we either agreed with the job they did or we disagreed with it. Sometimes we disagreed so much that we voted for a different person when the next election came around. Frankly, I’m not sure taxpayers will stomach dishing out $250,000 every time a few of us disagree.

This is how our electoral system was set up and I think it’s worked pretty well for us so far. But I guess I was taking it all for granted, because now when some fringe groups don’t like how our elected officials vote on just one issue, no matter how popular the issue is with the rest of the public, they try to exact revenge through costly recall elections.

The bill to require background checks on private sales and the ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines was enough to make them want to recall legislators who voted for them including State Senator John Morse, who represents most of Colorado Springs. It should be noted that both of those bills were quite popular with Coloradans (83 percent and 62 percent in favor, respectively, according to a Denver Post poll from this year). In a few national polls, support for background checks was closer to 90 percent and for NRA members it was about 80 percent.

A lot of Republicans seem to have forgotten that none other than Ronald Reagan supported some gun control measures. He supported the original assault weapons ban. He also supported the Brady Bill, which required background checks for people buying from gun shops and a waiting period before a buyer could get their gun. He wanted to make guns less accessible to criminals. So do most Coloradans.

It’s time for us all to be a little more reasonable. Wacky, fringe politics are wrecking the Republican Party and hurting our state. Signing a recall petition is like signing a $250,000 check we can’t afford. And I don’t know about you, but I could use a break from all the elections.

–Joel Beck

Southside Johnny's

Join us on Thursday, June 13, at Southside Johnny’s, 528 S. Tejon St. The fun begins at 5 p.m.

Martin Luther King, Jr., victim of gun violence

Friends of NRA is a local group that raises money for the NRA, helps them market themselves as an organization concerned with safety rather than gun sales, and donates some of the money raised to local government. For a donation of a few thousand dollars, the Commission provided the Friends of NRA with the opportunity to pitch their group to the local media present, to promote their fundraising efforts, and to enjoy a photo op with Sheriff Terry Maketa.

I am the NRA

You can see how one media outlet interpreted this event here.

Although many of the citizens who spoke in favor of the resolution described the NRA as an organization dedicated to gun safety, the NRA’s current policies show that can’t really be their focus.  If the NRA truly valued safety over enlarging the market for guns, they would not be fighting against universal background checks.  Background checks on all gun sales help keep guns out of the hands of felons, drug addicts, and the mentally ill.  A system that allows 40 per cent of sales to go forward without a background check does nothing to address gun safety, but that is what the NRA is lobbying to keep in place.

Commissioner Lathen

Undaunted, the Democratic leadership is introducing a host of new bills that will keep things interesting for the remainder of the session. Here’s a brief summary of some of the new proposed bills:

Senate Bill SB 213–Funding for Education: If this comprehensive bill is passed by the State Assembly and the voters, it will create a new public school finance act that would provide increased funding for early childhood education, special education, extended school days for at-risk schools, gifted and talented programs, teacher performance and evaluation. This new act would go into effect only if voters approve a separate ballot issue that would raise an estimated $1 billion per year in additional taxes. Public testimony was taken in the Senate Education Committee March 20.

House Bill HB 1267–Increase Maximum Penalty on Oil & Gas Violations: This bill will increase fines on oil and gas companies for violations and repeals the maximum fine cap of $10,000.

House Bill HB 1268: Mineral Estate Disclosure in Real Property Sale: Requires a standard document in real estate transactions where the seller must disclose to buyers that the mineral rights below the surface may be subject to oil, gas or mineral extraction.

House Bill HB 1269: Reduce Conflict of Interest on Oil & Gas Commission (COGCC): Changes the mission of the COGCC to focus on public health and the environment. Also, it changes the makeup of the Commission to exclude any person who is employed by the oil and gas industry from serving on the commission.

Senate Bill SB 202: Additional Inspections at Oil & Gas Facilities:requires that every oil and gas facility be inspected at least one time each year. If passed, this bill will require adding as many as 70 new inspectors. Currently the Colorado Oil & Gas Commission employs 16 inspectors to cover the entire state and wells are inspected approximately once every 3 years.

The Legislative Watch Committee will post updates to this website as these bills move through the process, and when new bills are introduced.