In case you missed it | Dems spaced out

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Dems spaced out

Typically, when the GOP contingent in Congress attacks Democrats for unnecessary and excessive spending, there’s a program like free school lunches or rural health care clinics hanging in the balance.

But Republicans can go ahead and count a win this time. There’s little defense for the Apollo Lunar Landing Legacy Act, which would declare the Apollo Lunar Landing Sites National Historic Park on, you guessed it, the moon. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) introduced the bill in the name of expanding and enhancing the protections on a rock no one has bothered to visit since the ’70s.

NASA will be permitted to use a portion of its $16.6 billion to manage the park, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, though donations from foreign governments, international organizations and individuals for the park could also be accepted.

“[A]s commercial enterprises and foreign nations acquire the ability to land on the Moon, it is necessary to protect the Apollo lunar landing sites for posterity,” the act states.

The secretary of the interior and the administrator of NASA would be required to complete an interagency management plan no later than 18 months after the act is enacted.

But as is custom in the American corner of the terrestrial body we call Earth, Edwards lists the Machinists/Aerospace Workers Union as one of her top five sponsors.

Because what we really want to export to other parts of the solar system is our campaign finance system.

GOP #Fail

High school teacher turned California representative to the U.S. House Mark Takano (D-Calif.) took his red pen skills to House Republicans and responded to a letter they submitted to Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) by marking it up and grading it.

Notes Republicans received included comments like “contradicts earlier statement,” “avoid hyperbole,” and “Do you have evidence, or are you just making an accusation?”

The Boehner letter dealt with the immigration system reform package recently passed by the Senate, and accused Senators of failing to read the legislation (which the letter claims was 1,000 pages but Takano notes word count places at closer to 286 pages) and of making secret deals and engaging in vote-buying.

Takano concluded by asking the Republicans to address “the assignment,” which included dealing with the 11 million people already here, and suggested, “If you don’t understand the bill — come by my office and I’ll explain it.”

The GOP’s final grade? An F.

Brophy for guv?

While many Dems are fed up with Gov. John Hickenlooper for his pro-fracking stances, the field of Republicans we will have to choose from just got even uglier.

In addition to former Rep. Tom Tancredo and Secretary of State Scott Gessler, now state Sen. Greg Brophy has thrown his hat into the ring.

You may remember Brophy for a tweet he sent in March 2012, after Rush Limbaugh called college student Sandra Fluke a “prostitute” and “slut” after she testified in favor of insurance coverage for contraception. Brophy thought it would be a good idea to weigh in with: “And Ms. Fluke, I don’t want to buy your booze, pay for your spring break or your birth control. Call your Dad for that.”

Nice.

Respond: letters@boulderweekly.com