Thursday, August 24, 2006

Caving in to Richard Pombo

Marilyn Musgrave opposes wilderness designation for Rocky Mountain National Park. Why? Because she's in the pocket of Richard Pombo, Chairman of the House Resources committee. This is the same guy who helped Jack Abramoff and Tom DeLay keep the the petri dish of capitalism and forced abortions in place in the Marianas Islands.

Now Pombo is telling Musgrave that she's against wilderness designation for the park. And it's screwing over Colorado.

“I quite frankly don’t understand,” said Suzy Blackhurst, communications coordinator for the Estes Park Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. “Every local authority has said they want it. Why are they discounting that?”
Musgrave even admits what Richard Pombo has got to say means more to her than what the citizens of Estes Park say. This was in the Estes Park Trail Gazette in August:

“I don’t know exactly the reasons why they are holding this up,” said Wertz.

The answer may lie far from Colorado.

“I talked to the chairman of the Resources Committee (Richard Pombo, R-CA) regarding what does wilderness designation mean,” said Congresswoman Musgrave. “The Resources Committee says that when something is designated a wilderness area it restricts access. We need to be well aware of what designation means.”

It means that Pombo's buddies aren't going to be able to log the life out of it!

Opposition to wilderness designations because they will restrict access is a recurring issue within the House Committee on Resources.

Republican California Congressman and rancher Richard Pombo, who is currently running for re-election, is the chairman of the House Committee on Resources. Pombo and members of the Committee have often been criticized for being opposed to legislation that would expand wilderness areas.

Outside magazine’s online edition (May 2005) described his insistence on allowing mechanized access to areas designated wilderness.

“No fan of wilderness designation, he also sent his committee members a stern memo suggesting that wilderness bills would not get past his desk unless they allowed for ‘mechanized access,’ which includes vehicles like logging trucks.”

Pombo and the committee favor a multiuse policy for national parks.


Meaning: drill it, mine it, log it, so that corrupt special interests from outside of Colorado make billions, while Marilyn Musgrave's constituents pay the price.

Marilyn and Wayne Allard came up with some lying smoke and mirrors crap, but Mark Udall called bullshit. Save Rocky Mountain National Park from Marilyn Musgrave!

Musgrave on Immigration

Another Greeley Trib letter:

Musgrave 'finesses' on immigration


Letters to Editor
August 23, 2006

Unfortunately the term "both ways" has already been taken for the 2006 election. It would be an excellent title for Rep. Musgrave as she continues to finesse her position on immigration. With recent data indicating that 20 percent of our state's population is Latino, it is no wonder that Musgrave wants it "both ways."

According to Musgrave's Web site: (http://musgrave.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx? DocumentID=37271) border security can be strengthened by: "Hire additional border patrol agents and immigration officials to give our borders the attention they need. Stiffen penalties for employers that hire workers who entered our country illegally and forge or do not verify their status."

But, in 2005, she voted to eliminate funding to add 550 additional border agents and 200 additional immigration investigators, voted against increased fines for companies that hire illegals, voted for setting caps on monetary penalties for hiring or employing illegal immigrants.

Which way is it? Musgrave has been the beneficiary of large corporate contributions from Cargill, ConAgra, and Tyson Foods, which in some cases have been cited for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants. Maybe K Street trumps Main Street? Maybe she's preoccupied with gay marriage and flag burning? Maybe it's time for a change.

Paul Hesson, Loveland

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Build the Network

ProgressNow rules!

At 30,000 members strong the ProgressNowAction network is poised to have a major impact on the November election in Colorado. For the next two weeks, lets grow the network even stronger so progressive Coloradans are heard at the polls.

Participating in the contest is easy. Just use the simple online form on the contest page linked below to invite your friends to join the network. If you recruit 20 people to join the network you'll automatically receive a pair of "Both Ways Bob" flip flop sandals. The people who recruit the most new members can choose from the list of prizes, in order of finish.

Click on the following link for more details or to send invitations to your friends, family, and co-workers right now:

http://www.ProgressNowAction.org/GrowTheNetwork

Please also take a few minutes to watch a Grow the Network contest video that some of your fellow network members helped create. It will put a smile on your face and inspire you to grow this network so that together we can make our progressive voices heard in November.

Please forward this email to your friends, and thank you for helping grow the network! If you have any questions, simply reply to this email or call 303-991-1900.

Sincerely,

Bobby Clark
Deputy Director

Greeley Tribune letter

Greeley Tribune letter:
Musgrave is shameful

Letters to Editor
August 22, 2006

In my profession, factual accuracy and intellectual integrity is everything, in both teaching and scholarship. This is why it is shameful that Marilyn Musgrave represents the students, staff, and faculties of Colorado State University and the University of Northern Colorado.

Despite her confessed ignorance of medical science and Terri Schiavo's clinical condition, she took to the floor of Congress last year to declare, "When we talk about a permanent vegetative state, I am offended by that. Terri smiles and acknowledges the people that love her when they come to see her. She cries when they leave. How heartless are we to call somebody like Terri Schiavo a vegetable? What are we thinking?" Never mind the medical facts, or the overwhelming public sentiment that family members rather than extremist politicians should make end-of-life decisions. Musgrave apparently knows best and will continue to vote for laws that shred our families' privacy and dignity.

Family, friends, and acquaintances of mine around the country shake their heads in amazement that a well-educated citizenry with two premier Colorado universities has sent Musgrave to Congress not once, but twice. Let's not do it again.

Ann M. Little, Greeley

How special is Marilyn?


How special is Marilyn Musgrave? Angie Paccione has a new website: http://specialinterestmarilyn.com

Monday, August 21, 2006

Kevin Lundberg has got to go

The Angry Right in Colorado, at Squarestate.

Cronyism comes to CO-04

Marilyn Musgrave brought Dennis Hastert to her district.

“The fight on the (House) floor is between people like Marilyn Musgrave who believe in strong values, Christian values and individualism versus the people who believe in bigger government,” Hastert told the crowd of 75 donors.

Hastert’s 20-minute speech focused primarily on drawing lines between liberals and conservatives, the role of tax cuts in stimulating the economy, and the need for immigration reform that starts with border security.

He thanked Musgrave’s donors and volunteers and urged them to continue to fight to send Musgrave and the “family values she represents” back to Washington, D.C.

This is the guy Jack Abramoff called, "a reliable ally for his clients," a millionaire landowner thanks to being in public office, a draft dodger who thinks he can lecture John McCain on "sacrifice."

Marilyn Musgave works for this guy.

In play, baby!

Is CO-04 in play for the Dems?

John McIntyre
Fri Aug 18, 6:48 AM ET

Colorado's fourth congressional district is not the kind of seat Republicans can afford to see seriously in play after Labor Day if they hope to retain control of the House of Representatives in next year's Congress. The district is reliably Republican: President Bush carried it in 2004 with 58% of the vote. Yet a newly released poll by SurveyUSA for KUSA-TV in Denver gives the incumbent Republican, Marilyn Musgrave, a small four-point lead, 46% to 42%. A Democratic poll done by Strategic Services in June pegged Rep. Musgrave's lead at a mere point.

More troubling for Ms. Musgrave is the 8% going to Reform Party candidate Eric Eidsness. Colorado was one of Ross Perot's best states in his third-party bids for President in the 1990s, and Mr. Eidsness is a legitimate threat to garner 5%, or more, of the vote in November. The SurveyUSA results indicate Mr. Eidsness siphoning 7% of Republican voters versus only 2% from Democrats.

Most analysts still rate this contest as "Republican favored" but there are early warning signs that Ms. Musgrave may be in a dogfight to hold on to her seat, especially given that her winning percentage of the vote in 2004 declined to 51% from the 55% she captured in 2002.

While the Reform Party candidate aspect mitigates some of the national implications of this race, it is another piece of evidence suggesting that Democrats are indeed well positioned to potentially pick up the 15 seats they need to capture the House.