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Colorado taxpayers paid $200,000 for guv photos ( Governor Bill Ritter )
Associated Press ^ | 1/2/2010 | STEVEN K. PAULSON

Posted on 01/02/2010 10:24:25 PM PST by george76

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter does not have a staff photographer - but he has billed taxpayers more than $200,000 to hire outside contractors and pay for photographs, videos and TV ads promoting his accomplishments since June 2008, including videos of him receiving a "Father of the Year" award and a press conference naming his friend, Michael Bennet, to a U.S. Senate seat.

Photos of the "Father of the Year" award taken by Imagine That! Entertainment cost taxpayers $200. The event was promoted by The Bawmann Group, a private consulting firm that also got a state contract, funded by a federal grant, worth $669,000 to promote fatherhood last year.

The state film commission photos cost $50, and two of the photos ended up on the governor's Web page. They were taken by Ritter's campaign photographer and show Ritter signing a bill providing tax incentives for film production throughout the state. The event was attended by lawmakers, dignitaries and lobbyists.

The most costly item was $200,000 for a series of television ads ...

Colorado faces a $560 million budget shortfall this fiscal year and a $1 billion shortfall next year.

Ritter's office said it is saving money by not hiring a staff photographer.

(Excerpt) Read more at greeleytribune.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; US: Colorado
KEYWORDS: billritter; ritter

1 posted on 01/02/2010 10:24:26 PM PST by george76
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To: george76
"Ritter's office said it is saving money by not hiring a staff photographer."

I have a better idea. Don't take the damn photos in the first place. Who needs them?

2 posted on 01/02/2010 10:34:50 PM PST by blackbart.223 (I live in Northern Nevada. Reid doesn't represent me.)
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To: blackbart.223

Could buy a $130.00 camera and family take the pictures!!!!


3 posted on 01/02/2010 10:44:32 PM PST by tallyhoe
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To: blackbart.223

I think I would have called some local small-time photographer and gotten a better deal on the cost.

This is why I’m in favor of handing a governor a very clear and limited budget that he can draw money out of....and actually publish the purchases once a year to show transparency. If the guy needs to travel to a conference in Vegas...fine...but he needs to draw from his little budget and report it to the public later.

I think if you sit down and figure up the travel budget for half the governors in America...they are easily spending $200k a year or more.


4 posted on 01/02/2010 10:45:04 PM PST by pepsionice
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To: Clintonfatigued; Morgan in Denver; MtnClimber; familyop; XeniaSt; dynachrome; GSWarrior; ...

Bill Ritter Named Father of the Year.

http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite?c=Content_C&cid=1245331824214&pagename=GovRitter%2FContent_C%2FGOVRDisplayeNewsLetter


5 posted on 01/02/2010 10:46:55 PM PST by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: pepsionice
"I think if you sit down and figure up the travel budget for half the governors in America...they are easily spending $200k a year or more."

Therein is the problem. How much have the taxpayers, that would be us, forked over to Obama to travel while neglecting his job?

6 posted on 01/02/2010 10:58:42 PM PST by blackbart.223 (I live in Northern Nevada. Reid doesn't represent me.)
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To: tallyhoe
"Could buy a $130.00 camera and family take the pictures!!!!"

Because you have common sense and have to spend your own money. Not the case with government officials. We were warned about this many years ago.

7 posted on 01/02/2010 11:03:16 PM PST by blackbart.223 (I live in Northern Nevada. Reid doesn't represent me.)
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To: george76
Billy Ritter has some achievements? Who woulda known. The only thing I can think of that he has done is mandating government unions for state workers by executive order. I hope the residents of Colorado will remember that little piece of excrement and that he is a complete Loser at election time. As for as my senator, Bennet, he is another Marxist and votes accordingly. We conservatives need to take Colorado back.
8 posted on 01/02/2010 11:42:26 PM PST by Steven59B (Obama: the last American president - don't we have enough to impeach him yet?)
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To: blackbart.223

How come money is no object when your in the government? Oh I know it’s not their money!!!!


9 posted on 01/03/2010 12:33:26 AM PST by tallyhoe
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To: george76

And we thought it bad when the younger Ritter used the executive mansion for a keg party? The arrogance of office as a Democrat is amazing to even the casual observer.


10 posted on 01/03/2010 12:43:42 AM PST by MCCC
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To: george76
One finds oneself wondering of the photographer had any direct or indirect relationship with the governor(?)

Inquiring citizens want to know! (The day is coming when we will insist.)

11 posted on 01/03/2010 2:55:52 AM PST by The Duke
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To: george76
Father of the Year

Didn't John Edwards also get similar award?

12 posted on 01/03/2010 3:33:21 AM PST by paudio (Road to hell is paved by unintended consequences of good intentions)
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To: paudio

“Didn’t John Edwards also get similar award?”

Or was it Tiger Woods?


13 posted on 01/03/2010 6:13:48 AM PST by BobL (When Democrats start to love this country more than they hate Republicans, good things might happen.)
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To: george76

I bet 75 percent of that cost was for broken cameras!


14 posted on 01/03/2010 10:13:13 AM PST by MtnClimber (Bernard Madoff's ponzi scheme looks remarkably similar to the way Social Security works)
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To: tallyhoe
"How come money is no object when your in the government? Oh I know it’s not their money!!!!"

Just keep jacking up those tax rates. But I think Atlas is going to shrug very soon.

15 posted on 01/03/2010 3:42:07 PM PST by blackbart.223 (I live in Northern Nevada. Reid doesn't represent me.)
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To: blackbart.223

I think your right! Atlas has already shrugged!


16 posted on 01/04/2010 12:41:58 AM PST by tallyhoe
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