Station: KFKA 1310 AM

Show: AM Colorado

Guest: Cory Gardner

Link: http://1310kfka.com

Date: 9/22/2011

Topics: EPA, Dust Regulations, Disaster Aide, and Department of Justice.

Click Here for Audio

Hageman: What is going on in the state that you would like to showcase on AM Colorado?

Gardner: First of all, we continue our efforts to go out and do everything we can to get our economy moving again and the jobs growing again. Do what we can to get government out of the way so that the private sector can begin growing and start to hire people. Our efforts continue this morning. We have a hearing in the Energy and Commerce Committee with the Administrator of the EPA, Lisa Jackson, to talk alot about the regulations they are putting forward, some of which are certainly hurting jobs in Colorado and this country.

Foster: We’ve been talking several times about the EPA and the dust issue. Are they still standing put that that is not going to affect farmers, the new EPA regulations?

Gardner: They continue to say that that will not affect farmers. They said that Cap-and-Trade would not affect farmers. But we know otherwise.  That is we will be working on legislation that we will be voting on in the next few weeks in Congress to actually make sure that that dust rule will not impact agriculture.

Foster: You guys are also looking at the disaster aide bill. It didn’t pass yesterday. Is there something in the works that you are going to be looking at the next couple of days on that?

Gardner: I think that will continue to be a focus of activity on the House floor. The Senate passed a stand-alone bill that would provide $7 billion in off-budget money for disaster aide- meaning that’s money that would…just additional $7 billion in spending. The House yesterday attempted to really change that narrative by providing responsible and needed emergency aide but doing so in a fiscally responsible manner as well. To meet the needs of the people who are suffering. I think that is the differences of opinion in the House and the Senate right now.

Hageman: With us on the line is State House Representative Cory Gardner. We showcased a story a little while ago about ridiculous spending. A $16 dollar muffin. You probably have seen the report from the Department of Justice.   A ridiculous amount of money. I’ve got to be honest, it’s refreshing to see somebody kind of going after the jugular of these kinds of programs and saying no, enough is enough. We have had enough spending, now we need to start cutting.

Gardner: It’s amazing; the report I saw had $5.50 for a can of pop.  This kind of spending has to stop. Its double, triple, quadruple what people in their own private business would even think about paying for a similar product. The money that government uses, its not government’s money-it’s the peoples’ money. It comes from the people, people worked hard in order to pay that to the government. And we have an obligation as stewards of the taxpayer dollars to use that wisely and use it sparingly.

Foster: There is no way to justify this and I am sure you are going to hear a lot about $16 muffins and $8 cups of coffee. How do you respond to your constituents that this kind of stuff is happening? How do you stop it?

Gardner: Well, that it has to stop. We hold the Department of Justice and any other agency or department of federal government responsible and find out what they are doing. Either pass legislation to prevent them from doing that or taking away their money, blocking them from doing it. Bringing their leaders up and saying how dare you use the taxpayer dollars in that manner.

Foster: From a taxpayer’s perspective, I just look at it and say if everybody was spending it as it was their own money and if they are not, that person should lose their jobs. Somebody at some level made a decision to buy a $16 muffin. How can you legislate away common sense?

Gardner: Unfortunately, common sense seems to have evaporated within the beltway. And that is why I continue to make sure that ideas are driven by people of Colorado and this country. We are following the lead of those people who are on the front lines of the economy in Colorado, in the Fourth Congressional District and not letting Washington DC be the ones that are trying to dictate everybody’s direction.