We all know Tea Party Wild Card Joe Miller (R. AK) is going to give a U.S. Senate run another try next year. But it looks like another member of the 2010 Tea Party class might be making another crack at the U.S. Senate:
http://blogs.denverpost.com/...
Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck hasn’t said yet whether he is running again for the U.S. Senate but an e-mail drumming up support says he’s in.
Robin Corin, who sent the e-mail, today referred questions to Buck, who didn’t immediately respond, but here’s her missive:
“As you’ve probably heard, Ken Buck will be running for U.S. Senate against Senator Udall.
He has gone through so much over the past two years and is more equipped and prepared to run a strong campaign and serve as Senator. I am helping Ken because he is that rare candidate that has the integrity, moral character and conservative principles you and I believe in.
I hope he can count on your support, please let me add your name to his supporter list?
Coran described herself as “just a volunteer.” - Denver Post, 7/24/13
More below the fold:
Buck narrowly lost to Senator Michael Bennet (D. CO) in 2010, who is now chairman of the DSCC. Buck as you may remember was made infamous for these two statements:
And of course there's this:
If Buck enters, he will have to defeat State Senators Randy Baumgardner (R. CO) and Owen Hill (R. CO) first. I'm sure Udall and Bennet would be thrilled about the opportunity to defeat Buck again. While Buck figures that out, Senator Mark Udall (D. CO) is working on legislation to replace the dollar bill with a dollar coin:
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/...
U.S. Senator Mark Udall, a Democrat from Colorado, is backing a proposal to replace dollar bills with coins.
Under the legislation, approximately 600,000 million coins would be placed into circulation. A transition to the coins would take about four years.
According to the Government Accounting Office, the move would save the government $4.4 billion over a 30-year period.
“We need to get serious about ending wasteful government spending and that means we need to be willing to think outside the box. My common sense proposal to issue a dollar coin would trim billions of dollars off of our national debt. That’s more than just a little pocket change,” said Senator Udall in a written statement.
"It will save the government money because they've done studies that suggest coins last much much longer than a bill," explained Dr. Mac Clouse of the University of Denver. - ABC 7 News, 7/24/13
There's actually some good pros to switch to dollar coins:
http://www.thestarpress.com/...
The Government Accountability Office, a bipartisan congressional watchdog, has produced five reports in the past 20 years to support the transition to $1 coins. Its last report, in 2011, said the government could save $5.5 billion, a conservative estimate according to advocates.
Switching to a coin also would help the environment, the advocates said. The amount of waste generated in shredding of old notes is equivalent to the amount of trash that 345,000 Americans create in a year.
Americans have never warmed to dollar coins. The Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea coins never became widely circulated. President Obama stopped the production of presidential coins in December 2011 to reduce costs. Nearly $1.5 billion worth of the coins are stored with the Mint. - The Star Press, 7/23/13
The plan also has bipartisan support:
http://www.cbc.ca/...
Republicans John McCain of Arizona, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Mike Enzi of Wyoming and Democrats Mark Udall of Colorado and Tom Harkin of Iowa have lent their name to a bill backing what consumer advocates have been arguing for years.
Led by former presidential candidate McCain, the Currency Optimization, Innovation and National Savings Act is currently making the rounds in Washington, with proponents hoping to collect enough support to make it law.
The argument boils down to economics. Although bills are cheaper to produce, they don't last nearly as long and as such are far more expensive to constantly reprint. Paper bills last for about three years, whereas coins can often remain in circulation for as long as 10 times that. - CBC News, 7/23/13
Earlier polling showed that the majority of voters were against a dollar coin because it was too heavy but some new studies show this dollar coin is different:
http://www.usnews.com/...
John Mitchell, deputy director of the U.S. Mint from 1995 to 2000, told the audience that a one-dollar coin weighs approximately as much as 3 quarters, making it comparatively light.
According to government figures collected in December 2012, which Mitchell had on-hand, more than 1.4 billion one-dollar coins are being held in Federal Reserve depots. The mint held around 51 million of the coins itself.
In June 2011 there were $1.2 billion of the dollars laying in Federal Reserve vaults, NPR reported. The surplus attracted widespread scorn and the mint has since lowered dollar-coin production.
"There are billions of quarters and billions of pennies sitting around too," said William Christian of Citizens Against Government Waste, a group supporting the changeover. - U.S. News, 7/22/13
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Senator Udall's office:
(202) 224-5941