Welcome to Colorado, HuffPost!
It's my pleasure as Governor to welcome the Huffington Post to Colorado and the West.
What a great time to launch a local page here in Denver. You and your readers will find Colorado is as rich in thought, innovation and new ideas as it is in beauty. And you couldn't have picked a better time for your debut.
Over the past few years, Colorado has risen to national prominence on a number of fronts. We hosted last year's wildly successful Democratic National Convention, where Barack Obama accepted his party's nomination for president. The President then returned to Colorado and the Rocky Mountains in February to sign the Recovery Act. And our New Energy Economy is creating thousands of clean-energy jobs and becoming a national model for America's new energy future.
The Huffington Post's new local edition will have a front row seat as we lead Colorado toward economic recovery, demonstrate why Colorado is a national leader in health care reform, and gear up for the 2010 elections. On health care, I agree with President Obama that costs are skyrocketing as thousands of people lose or are denied coverage daily. While Colorado is working hard to contain health costs for our residents, we need our federal partners to take action.
I'm proud to stand with the president to continue fighting for responsible reform and serious solutions -- and to oppose the cynics on the sidelines who have resorted to scare tactics and partisan game-playing just to score political points.
As Huffington Post readers learn more about Colorado, you'll see our economy remains healthier than in many other parts of the country. Our unemployment rate is 2 points below the national average. Businesses continue to relocate, expand and add jobs here. And experts believe we'll be one of the first states to recover because of our diverse economy, business-friendly climate and high-quality schools.
With the 2010 elections on the horizon, your readers also will learn about Colorado's changing political landscape. Once a solidly red state, over the past few years the political map has become more blue. Democrats hold majorities in the state House and Senate. Four of five statewide elected officials, including me, are Democrats. Five of our seven members of Congress are Democrats, and both of our U.S. Senators are Democrats.
But this is a state with a fiercely independent spirit. Voter registration is evenly divided among Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters, which means the 2010 election cycle, including my own race for re-election, will be fiercely contested on both sides of the aisle.
In the weeks and months ahead, I look forward to being one of the contributing voices to the Huffington Post to help your readers learn and understand Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West.
Once again, welcome.
A Colorado native and former district attorney of Denver, Bill Ritter is Colorado's 41st governor. He was elected in 2006.
For more news and commentary from Colorado, check out HuffPost's just-launched Denver section.
David Sirota: Where's Our City and State Government?
Republic Airways is threatening to take jobs out of the city unless it gets new tax breaks. In response, Denver leaders like Mayor Hickenlooper have agreed to quickly put together a package of such favors.
Jessica Corry: After Skirting Ethics Rules, Colorado Governor Rewrites Them
Ritter went on to say that the Owens ethics order was a decade old, and thus needed updating. Ethics can be squirmy like that.
Seth Masket: Is It a Problem When the Party Decides?
Think about recent examples of state or national party leaders trying to pick nominees before primary voters had a chance to weigh in. Do voters ever push back?
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Hi Governor Ritter,
You wrote "and becoming a national model for America's new energy future."
When you get the chance to chat with President Obama, can you politely remind him that China is investing several hundred billions of dollars into renewable energy while the US has committed a paltry 10-12 billion per year?
You've seen me several times out at Red Rocks. Maybe we can chat strategy sometime. I have some good ideas on how to beat back the GOP, especially since I was one of them for many years.
Glad to have you neighbors to the North on Huffpost.
I will be reading with great interest here in Albuquerque
(I miss your great but deceased newspaper).
Born in Denver and LOVE Colorado!
Governor, thanks for kicking this off.
I'd come visit Colorado, but I am scared of the big blue donkey with the red eyes at the airport. Can you do something about that?
I'm sorry, did you say, "responsible reform and serious solutions?" Would these be the same reforms and solutions as we have "supported" in California? The one's that Obama is copying?
Obama's reform policies are not responsible, as they will worsen our economy. And, although he is serious about his solutions, they are not solutions, they merely shift focus on issues, without solving the real problems. They demonize everyone who drives the economy, while putting those who support dependency in control. This is EXACTLY what has ruined California.
Glad to have you aboard, Governor Ritter.
Now, about these oysters I've been hearing so much about...
;P
...........Colorado..............one of the best of the west :-).....a vey special place.........
Good job Huffpost
Thanks for more excellent Reading!!!
Welcome to HuffPo, Governor, and thank you for taking the time to write some commentary for your fellow statesmen and women as well as the rest of the world.
Please help us get accurate information. I called my rep this morning- Doug Lamborn and his site has about 3 questions to answer, one being something like "Are you in favor of a government take-over of the healthcare system?" Why should we have to get mis-information from a Colorado congressman?
Hopefully not all Huffpo stories will be about Denver. Those of us near Denver in the mountain towns are just as interested in news as the "city slickers". While we like peace and quiet we don't always get it in the high country where the same types of things happen -just on a smaller scale. We welcome an alternative news source to our public relations style fluff papers that we have in the tourist oriented mountain towns. http://newsy1.wordpress.com
Glad to see this Denver Huffpost edition and thank you, Governor Ritter, for all you do.
But I must comment, that I, too, do not see much in the way of true health care reform here in Colorado. In fact, I just sent an e-mail to you and links to my friend, Karen Ogden, today, detailing how to get in touch with you directly and outlining the severe problems just this one person alone has had to deal with.
Unless you have children or are pregnant, there isn't much out there for the woman who, through no fault of her own, has lost her job, lost her health coverage and is dealing with the after effects of breast cancer, complications, infections and subsequent health problems. At the moment, she is trying to find a doctor who will perform a necessary surgery, so that she can get well and back to work. Not one, so far, will do it.
It's a crime.
Today I e-mailed her a link to contact the Mayo Clinic in Arizona to see if she can qualify for their Compassion Care. Arizona! Because noone in Colorado will help her!
There but for the grace of higher authorities, go I and anyone else who believes that they can get through a catastrophic illness and not lose everything!
Governor Ritter,
I wish Andrew Romanoff was running against you for Governor rather than Michael Bennett for Senator, since Bennett is your fault.
Juan Ensalada
Yeah -- "business friendly" state.
So when are we going to become a "worker friendly" state? An plans on supporting labor, rather than stab it in the back?
As a Denverite, i can only hope huffpo will not only be a great resource for local news, but a new and great tool for local progressives to become even more organized and keep Colorado blue.
... and green.
Hoorah
Ditto to Kubenzi's comment!...and the Mayor's comments are always welcome.
Governor Ritter, you spoke briefly about Colorado being a leader in Health Care, but I am unaware of any areas that Colorado is significantly better then the nation. I know, for instance, that folks who have been laid off can avail themselves of COBRA. But even that runs out, and costs them out of pocket. I also know when I married my wife that finding private insurance for her was impossible. She has a pre-existing condition, that ruled out coverage. And if we want to have a child, private insurance that would have covered her pregnancy was a joke. The coverage was capped at slightly less then the total of the extra premium. We opted to put her on my health coverage, which, since I work for a small business cost us an extra $360 a month.
My employer has seem Health Care costs rise by 30% to 35% per year over the last 5 years.
What I would like to see is a proactive approach that directly addresses Health care cost for Small Businesses. I believe large companies are "shifting" the cost of their cheaper plans to these smaller businesses, as well as to the government through Medicare, etc... This gives them an unfair advantage in the workforce. But more importantly, it drives the cost of insuring many Colorado employees up. Thus many are left uninsured, or under insured, and makes running a small business less viable. This is not healthy for Colorado's economy.
Robert Miiller
Denver, Colorado
Thanks Governor. HuffPo makes me want to move back to Colorado, where I grew up.
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