Here is a little recap of our adventures this weekend. Like it? Visit our facebook group to check out all the pictures. Feel inspired? Join us for one of our RAD events coming up and YOU too can be a Fake Doctor for Real Reform. Here she is: 

If we at New Era Colorado learned anything from our weekend in Denver at Pridefest, it was clear that We the People want to see two things:

1. Parades, and…
2. Healthcare Reform.

We became keenly aware of the benefits of dressing up like a doctor. Check out our pics here. Or click here, here, here, here or…. here, to get a feel for what was going down.

The best part of the weekend? We got to dress up as sexy doctors and nurses to spread the word. This made for quite the weekend. (My personal counts: 3 ass-grabs, 1 kiss, 20+ aggressive pick-up moves. It did wonders for my self-esteem). Of course, the downside to all this fun was how many people signed up. You read that right, I am concerned because so many people were interested. Don’t get me wrong—as an organizer, I love all support for New Era Colorado. But people were quite literally flocking to the table to see how they can help change the healthcare system. Thousands of festival go-ers, people who were otherwise there to get drunk and check out attractive members of the same sex, took the time to focus on healthcare reform.

 The whole article is brought to you by our dear friend Waylon at Elephant. Check out the whole article here

Though the Endangered Species Act was put in place to attempt to save species from extinction, there are substantial flaws that have caused uproar from many afflicted citizens. It is a policy fraught with controversy due to the ineffectiveness it has had since its enactment and the economic repercussions of the federal laws it enforces.

I find the general purpose of the act to be very debatable in nature due to the inherent complexity of saving endangered species. Since anthropogenic effects have, mostly, caused these species to go extinct, how can we reverse the construction and manipulation of the lands that house these species? The enforcement of the ESA will undoubtedly cause negative effects upon the people who work and own the lands that serve as habitats to endangered species; as a result, they will need to be justly compensated. However, can we ‘justly’ compromise someone for their land? How can the ESA appease owners’ rightful territorial claims while simultaneously saving endangered species?

The fact of the matter is that if we want to preserve the species that are still alive, we, as a collective nation, will have to make explicit sacrifices. We do not live in a black and white world where there is an ultimate and irrefutable answer to everything; inevitably, someone will be unhappy. Putting effort into saving the environment and the species that live in it will require that we live in harmony with the species. If significant results are expected, then we will have to deal with difficult change. This is not to say that economic impacts should avoid consideration, however I just do not see the feasibility of continuing on our present course of expansion and development while expecting to successfully save endangered species.

Yet this conviction raises another essential question: how does one determine what species is worth saving and what is not? In the case of the Tellico Dam on the Little Tennessee River, the $160 million dam (in 1973 standards) was put on hold months from completion because a rare fish called the snail darter was found in its waters. This is a key example where the “God squad” could intervene and determine the snail darter inconsequential compared to the economic impact of the cancellation of the dam project.  The God squad has a very important job in the ESA because they have the power to override federal law and choose whether the economic impacts are worth saving particular species, but how can one play God? Can you determine the relative importance of a species’ existence?

I can not say that I fully approve of the ESA. The amount of time it takes for effort to be taken towards saving an endangered species is appalling; the fact that so few have actually been saved shows wide room for improvement. This dilemma can be remedied through an increase in policy work, geared toward correcting the inefficiencies of the flawed policy. I believe there is more work do be done on the ESA but we must be able to cope with the repercussions of the law; it is close to impossible to please everyone in policy legislation as can be seen in many more cases than just the ESA.

Just a matter of weeks ago it seemed like the stars were aligning for our country to finally tackle the health care crisis. The health insurance companies actually came to the table and met with the White House to come up with a plan and commitment to reduce health care costs--which, in turn, would make federal health care reform more affordable.

And, then, almost like clockwork, the friendly meetings seemed to come to an end. Over the past week we've learned that major health insurance companies are preparing to launch misinformation campaigns, conservative congressional leaders are vowing to follow a playbook on how to beat health care reform, and leaders in congress are beginning to falter on the key platform of the reform package--the public health insurance option.

It's time to get our hands dirty and fight back. New Era Colorado is teaming up with our pals at the Bus Federation to launch what we're calling Generation H. We promise it won't be like any other health care campaign you've seen.

We'll let you know more details about the campaign and how you can get plugged in as it develops. And, as always, we'd love your help if you have some good ideas on how to make Generation H an engaging and fun campaign--after all, health care is no Susan Boyle. Teams of volunteers, interns, and staff are getting together regularly to strategize on the campaign. Let us know if you want to be a part of the conversation.

We might not have an opportunity like this again for a long time, so it's critical that we make our voices heard for comprehensive health care reform this year.

David Madland and Ruy Teixeira just put this report out through the Center for American Progress, "New Progressive America: The Millennial Generation." I had a feeling that New Era has been working with Millenials for a reason...

Check out the report and don't miss the interactive quiz and the super sweet interactive map links below.

"The Millennial generation, which supported Obama by a 2-to-1 ratio in 2008, has already had a large effect on American politics. That effect will only grow in future years as this generation—the largest and most diverse in U.S. history—adds 4 million eligible voters each year to America’s electorate. This generation’s agenda is therefore likely to have a large and growing impact on the nation’s agenda. That’s good news for progres- sives because Millennials’ agenda is so clearly progressive in all areas. Millennials want to end the culture wars; move America’s foreign policy toward a more cooperative and multilateral approach; rebuild a strong, positive role for government; achieve universal health care; reform and expand America’s educational system; start the transition to a clean energy economy; and much more. If progressive governance can achieve these objectives, the loyalty of this generation to the progressive cause seems assured."

-New Progressive America: The Millennial Generation, David Madland and Ruy Teixeira

Download this report from the Center for American Progress

Sweet Interactive Map: New Progressive America

Interactive Quiz: How Progressive Are You?

It's pretty easy to see that higher education in Colorado has had a bumpy ride these last few years--state funding seems to always be shrinking, faculty firings, and controversial hirings of presidents and administrative leaders (see here and here). It seems to be one thing after another. Just this week we found out that the independent faculty newspaper at CU, the Silver & Gold, is being forced to shut down due to budget cuts. All reporting at CU will now be done by the university's very own public relations department.

A bill was introduced late last week to attempt to bring a little bit more transparency to higher education in Colorado. HB-1369 outlines a simple and transparent process for hiring university presidents and chancellors. It's become the norm for these high-level hirings of public institutions to be done behind closed doors. HB-1369 will bring back some integrity to this process. The 2009 legislative session ends Tuesday, so these votes are going to come fast. Take a minute and urge your legislators to vote yes on this last bill of the season. It's an important one.

Click here to send a quick letter to your legislators urging for a yes vote on the "Transparency in Higher Education" bill!

We did it...Unanimously.

Congratulations to all of you who worked on this important bill with us! The Colorado Senate voted this morning to pass HB1160, a bill that will allow Colorado residents to register to vote and update their registration information online at the Secretary of State's secure website. The vote was 33-0 in the Senate and passed in the Colorado House last month with a vote of 60-4. 

Only 2 other states, Arizona and Washington, currently provide voters with the option to register to vote online. In Arizona, voter registration numbers increased by 10% in the first year of the online option being available and over 70% of registrations now occur online. When Washington instituted online voter registration in 2008, almost 40% of new voters registered online. In the first six months, half of the new registrants were under the age of 30.

In other words, there is a strong demand for this registration option among voters.

Dinner & a Movie!

Please join us for an exquisite dinner at duo Restaurant and the premier of "Get on the Bus," a short film documenting New Era Colorado's work during the historic 2008 Elections.