Jared Polis for Congress

As I listen to voters across the district, many families have shared their personal stories of suffering and loss from the vicious cycle of debt. It is time that the federal government take strong action to help countless families who have lost their homes to foreclosure here in Colorado, and millions more across our country who are looking at that prospect in the near future.

We need people in Congress who will be on the side of ordinary families feeling the credit crunch intensely today, who will lead on ending abusive lending practices by credit card companies and payday lenders, exploding mortgage rates, and bankruptcy laws that deny families a second chance. I will bring my business experience and vision to Congress to help families get a fair shake from lenders.

Please click here to read the entire plan.

Please click here to download a .pdf document of the plan.

Please click below to watch a video of Jared Polis discussing his plans to lower gas prices, increase investments in renewable energy and move America towards a sustainable and independent energy economy.

Please click below to learn more about Jared's plan to provide quality single-payer health care for all Americans.

Please click below to learn more about Jared's plan to encourage innovation and improve Colorado's schools.

While big oil conglomerates are recording record profits, middle- and low-income families, consumers, and businesses struggle with staggering gas prices at the pump. The high cost of gas increases the price of everything from groceries to airline tickets as we send our money to hostile nations overseas and the pocket of oil industry executives.

My career has been based on bringing new solutions to old problems, and I will do that in Congress. Consumers have been held hostage by oil and gas companies for too long. Here is my plan to help get our economy going again by bringing down soaring gas prices and halting the price gouging. Congress has been far too timid. These are solutions we desperately need today if we are to make the investments in building a green future for America.

Click here to read the entire plan.

Jared's new television ad is officially on-the-air! Please click below to watch and learn more about Jared Polis, a Colorado success story!

Jared Polis today secured 40% of the vote at the CD2 Democratic Assembly, gaining eight percentage points over rival Senator Joan Fitz-Gerald in the primary ballot fight leading up to August’s primary election.

Before 800 Democratic activists, Gina Salazar of Adams County and Boulder resident and former candidate for U.S. Senate Josie Heath nominated Polis to be placed on the August ballot.

On the fifth anniversary of President Bush's infamous declaration of "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq, Jared Polis joined Iraq veterans David Mann and Rick Duncan at the Colorado Veterans Monument in Denver and discussed ending the Iraq war and how to best care for our veterans when they return from their military service.

Click here to watch a brief video of their conversation.

The May 6th "Green Issue" of the Advocate Magainze calls Jared a "breath of carbon-neutral fresh air", praising his pledge to run a zero-waste campaign from a headquarters that in exclusively wind- and solar-powered.

Click here to read the entire article

Hosted By Democratic Congressional Candidate Jared Polis

Join Jared Polis as he discusses his recent trip to Iraq with a narrated PowerPoint presentation followed by a Q&A session. Special guest David Mann, a CU student who served two tours in Iraq, will also speak.

Wednesday, April 23rd 5:30-7:30pm
The Museum Collections Building at CU

Admission is FREE

Cross posted from SquareState.net

Standing on the podium last week with fellow progressive Democrats running for U.S. Congress, introducing our plan to end the war in Iraq, was both exciting and solemn; inspiring because we have a plan that offers hope both at home and abroad, but solemn because of the massive toll that includes the 4,000 U.S. troops that have been killed, the thousands upon thousands who have been injured, and the nearly one million Iraqis who are dead or displaced.

I returned from my trip to Iraq with observations very different than the portrayal of events in the mainstream media. Since then, I have made ending the war the centerpiece of my campaign for US Congress.

Jared has an op-ed in the Rocky Mountain News today about how his health plan stresses prevention:

Generally, patients without insurance have little access to preventive care and are treated for everything from acute conditions to the flu in the most expensive way possible – in emergency rooms and hospitals that pass the costs onto insured consumers. It would be less expensive and more successful if patients were diagnosed and treated earlier.

Under my plan, supplemental or “gap” insurance would also exist, just as many Americans on Medicare today also have additional insurance in place. Many companies would offer additional coverage to attract and retain their employees, but, at the very least, every American would have a basic level of portable coverage including preventive care and catastrophic care.

Click here to learn more about Jared’s health care plan, and watch the video Exposed in the video player at the top of the page.

Voters in Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District showed out in force for Jared at yesterday’s caucuses. At the end of the day, Jared had this to say about the strong turnout on his behalf:

“Tonight, Colorado made history and I am so thankful to be a part of this most amazing showing of democracy in action,” said Polis. “I am thrilled with the significant number of people who caucused for me and became delegates and am confident that in selecting me, democratic voters are expressing a desire for change and casting their lot with a true progressive reformer instead of an establishment politician.”

“The voters have been a force to be reckoned with – many young, all representing what democracy is all about and all calling for the same thing: change.”

“Our volunteers and supporters took on a candidate backed by every special interest in the state. This is a victory for the people of the Democratic party.”

Our health-care system is irrational, expensive, inequitable, inefficient and wasteful, and I strongly believe that quality, affordable health care is a fundamental human right and not a privilege. My priority is to help enact comprehensive health care reform for universal quality health care that improves both the efficiency of the healthcare system, American competitiveness, and most importantly improves the health of all Americans.

Our nation is held back by the inefficiency of our healthcare system, and together we can create a truly compassionate and efficient system that will boost our economy and improve our health.

Our Failed Health Care System Cannot be Fixed with Incremental Reform: Some Facts

• Only 60% of companies offer health insurance to their employees, down from 70% in 2000, while employees are paying higher co-pays and deductibles than ever before.
• Premiums have almost doubled since 2000.
• Medical costs are spiraling out of control and last year almost 11 million of the insured spent more than 25% of their income on health care. As a result, more than half of all personal bankruptcies are caused by medical expenses.
• Without reform, it is estimated that health care spending will double to about $4.1 trillion within the next decade.
• Medical costs are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy.

The problem, simply put, is we don’t get a bang for our buck – we pay more and get less. We pay six times more per person on administrative costs than similar nations and more than 25% of our health care labor force works in administration. We have fewer physicians, nurses and hospital beds per capita than the average industrialized nation. And prevention and public health programs – which are nearly always cheaper than treatment—represent only 4% of our spending and adults receive recommended care only half the time.

My program: Healthcare for All

Click here to continue reading Jared’s plan for national single payer health care

Jared Polis speaking in Granby Colorado in his campaign for Colorado's 2nd Congressional District.