DOGE cancels leases on four federal agencies in Grand Junction
Local TV news stations KJCT and KKCO are reporting that Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) is terminating the leases of four federal Agencies in Grand Junction:
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Republicans push for pause in federal funds coming to Colorado until Gov. Polis pardons Tina Peters
9News’ Kyle Clark in Denver reports that Colorado Republicans are pressuring Gov. Polis to pardon Tina Peters, and have contacted the U.S. Attorney General to ask the Department of Justice to prosecute Mesa County Court Judge Matthew Barrett, who presided over Tina’s criminal case and sentenced her to 9 years of incarceration after the jury…
Under multi-billionaire owner Jeff Bezos, Washington Post pulls full page ads critical of Musk
At the last minute, the Washington Post (WaPo) pulled two full page ads funded by the nonprofits Common Cause and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) that called for Elon Musk’s ouster from government. The ads were “wrap around ads” set to cover the entire front and back pages of the paper. The groups also…
Trump, governing as an authoritarian, publicly portrays himself as king, dictator
Instead of signing legislation passed by Congress — the normal way policies are made in U.S. — Trump has been continuously circumventing Congress’s power by writing a slew of executive orders, signing at least 70 of them as of February 20. Trump has essentially been governing not as the president of a representative democracy, but…
Trump hands Musk control over the U.S. Treasury & government payment system
Whistleblowers confirmed late Friday that convicted felon and President Trump has handed his unelected billionaire co-president Elon Musk control of the U.S. Treasury and access its sensitive payment system that disburses payments each year totaling $6 trillion. Musk, an unaccountable billionaire who is ineligible for a security clearance due to his ties to the Chinese…
A reminder of the dangers of putting wealthy business leaders in charge of government
For those of you who think big business leaders are automatically qualified to run government or head it’s important agencies, here is a picture of the Enron Code of Ethics, signed by the Company’s former Chairman and CEO Kenneth Lay. The foreword in the Code states that Enron “enjoys a reputation for fairness and honesty……
People’s March unites locals who oppose oligarchy, loss of rights & right wing extremism
The People’s March on Saturday, January 18, provided a chance for a large group of Mesa County’s growing number of liberal residents to get together, enjoy camaraderie, speeches, free hot coffee, chai and cookies provided by Octopus Coffee. People were bundled up as the temperature was just below freezing. The crowd numbered around 300 people….
Meta’s Abandonment of Fact-Checking Empowers a President Who Traffics in Lies
Republished from The Contrarian with permission from the author, Barbara McQuade, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan and author of the New York Times bestseller Attack from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America. As a legal analyst, her work has appeared in The Washington…
What’s wrong with “Medicare Advantage” plans?
Re-publishing this article in the wake of the murder of the UnitedHealth Care CEO in New York this week. Authorities found the words “delay” and “deny” written on the bullets that killed the CEO — words that describe insurer tactics to avoid paying claims. UnitedHealthCare has the biggest share of so-called “Medicare Advantage” enrollment at 29%…
CO Ethics Commission to resume investigating 3 ethics complaints against Tina Peters
If you need some good news at a time when Americans have embraced racism, misogyny, vindictiveness, sexual abuse, large-scale fraud, corruption and grift as acceptable behaviors in their incoming commander-in-chief, here’s it is: On November 25, 2024, the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission (IEC) voted to resume investigating Tina Peters (pdf) for multiple ethics charges filed against…
Take-aways from Tina’s trial
Tina Peters’ criminal trial finally played out this past week, three years after she was accused of engaging in multiple felonies as Mesa County Clerk. The trial is being live-streamed by KREX, and you can watch it whenever Court is in session. The link to watch it is here, but if you haven’t tuned in…
Defrauded by a dealership and can’t afford to sue? There’s another way to get compensation: Make a claim against the dealership’s surety bond.
Did you buy a vehicle from a local dealership only to find out later you were defrauded in some way? Can’t afford an attorney to help? Fortunately, there’s another, completely unpublicized way car buyers can get compensation for a fraudulent deal committed by a dealership. Surety bonds Colorado law requires every licensed motor vehicle dealer…
Trump “Jail Time” billboard goes live June 1, visible on Broadway bridge heading west towards Redlands
The above billboard goes live June 1 on the north side of the Broadway Bridge. You’ll see it as you’re heading west out of downtown towards the Redlands, and it couldn’t be more timely in light of Trump’s conviction yesterday on 34 criminal counts of business document fraud. Since it’s a vinyl billboard and not…
Tina Peters taking advantage of delays in her trials to sell “Tina Peters-as-Hero” swag
Tina Peters has wasted no time in taking advantage of the most recent delays in her criminal and civil trials to milk her status as a darling of the Trump Party and rake in more money. She has started broadening her appeal to the MAGA crowd by praising people convicted of participating in the deadly…
FTC finalizes CARS Rule to combat Red Rock-style auto sales scams that have plagued customers
Last minute update: The FTC’s CARS Rule, which is the subject of this article and was intended to put a stop to shady dealerships’ worst abuses of customers, was scheduled to go into effect July 30, 2024, but was officially postponed (pdf) on January 18, 2024 as a result of lobbying by the Texas Automobile…
Second Red Rock Auto financial manager charged with crimes against customers
A second former Red Rock GMC financial manager has been charged with forgery, criminal impersonation and identity theft within the last month after posing as a customer on a phone call to the Canvas Credit Union to try to expedite a customer’s vehicle loan. Matthew Morris acted as an accomplice to Tiffany Miller, the first…
Red Rock promotes its reviews on TV, but wait…
The Red Rock Auto Group, which owns five dealerships in Grand Junction, has been advertising heavily on local news with ads that tout what they say are their many positive reviews. We’ve already seen evidence, however, that indicates Red Rock manipulates online reviews by coercing its employees to write positive reviews (a violation Google policy)…
Background check: County Attorney Todd Starr
People in highly-paid, taxpayer-funded jobs who also are in positions to influence Mesa County actions and policies should be background checked, especially when they start doing potentially illegal things like helping the Mesa County Commissioners dismantle of the Board of Public Health for no real reason, and in apparent violation of county policies and state…