Steeped in frustration at the government, Tea Party rolls into Colorado

Good morning. Here's a look at news reports from around the state on issues of interest to the Colorado Center on Law and Policy for Thursday, April 1, 2010.

GENERAL
Denver Post editorial: Deal offered by Pinnacol never quite added up
It may have been lucrative for the state to let the workers' comp insurer go private, but long-term benefits weren't clear.

Denver Daily News: Tea Party: ‘Vote them out’
Conservative group fires up prospective voters in Colorado visit.
Also: The Denver Post: Tea Party Express rolls through Denver, Grand Junction
Also: Colorado Independent: Tea Party Express docks in Denver
Also: Summit Daily News commentary: Steeped in frustration


ECONOMY
Boulder Daily Camera: Economy's wallop hasn't let up for many Boulder County residents
Camera debuts quarterly series following four people affected by economy.

Grand Junction Sentinel: County unveils stimulus plan
Mesa County is considering entering into a financing agreement that would allow it to sink $17.5 million into a variety of fast-tracked capital projects. County Administrator Jon Peacock told The Daily Sentinel on Wednesday the plan gives the county the ability to buy at a “bargain price” and put a dent in its unemployment rate, which has ballooned to nearly 10 percent.


HEALTH POLICY
Pueblo Chieftain editorial: Thud!
Some of the consequences of ObamaCare are already being felt, and they are costly.

Associated Press via the Colorado Springs Business Journal: Liberal group petitions state health care suit
ProgressNow Colorado says it will take petitions signed by more than 7,000 Coloradans to Suthers’ office Thursday. The online petition demands that Suthers “stop wasting taxpayer dollars on a frivolous grandstand.”

Grand Junction Sentinel editorial: Politics of pettiness promote real violence
Don’t like what the other side is doing in America’s ongoing political battles? You can attack them, as so many people are unfortunately doing these days, by demonizing and applying scatological nicknames to those who think differently. And, increasingly it seems, the American way is to resort to violence — from minor to much worse.

Aurora Sentinel commentary: Tan and tax
My family and I are taking the new tax personally. One of the many items tucked into the government overhaul of America’s health care system is a 10 percent sales tax on tanning salons.


FISCAL POLICY
Colorado News Agency: Pols ponder GOP leader’s plan to slim down state government
A panel of lawmakers eyed a sweeping measure today that was aimed at making Colorado government leaner and more efficient, but members put off action, saying they needed more time to find an approach with a lighter touch.

Grand Junction Sentinel commentary: Legislature takes aim at businesses once more
The clay pigeon shoot of Colorado business taking place under the Capitol dome continues unabated this week as state lawmakers zero in on what surely must be important legislation to pull Colorado out of this deep economic downturn.