Something Does Not Add Up

Submitted by Anonymous on 8 December 2009 - 4:11pm

The Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, an affiliate of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, recently released its annual report “Toward a More Competitive Colorado.”  Though the report has many competitive health and economic indicators Coloradans should be quite proud of, the bad news, according to Metro Denver EDC, is that the tide is turning:

Our citizens are becoming poorer, less educated, and less productive; our long-term economic prospects are certainly dimming. While there are many bright spots in our analysis, it appears that we are now at the end of the investments we made in our state in the late 1980s after the oil shale bust and the Dot.com economic boom at the turn of the century when Colorado’s tax coffers benefited from a robust and growing economy.

 
Colorado’s investment in public education ranks toward the bottom. Graduation rates are slipping, and the percentage of family income necessary to pay for a public college is increasing. Federal Highway funding per capita is seventh lowest in the nation.
 
In order to remain a competitive state - attracting and retaining the best and brightest individuals and businesses - Colorado will need to consider reallocating funds and increase revenue. Reallocation is tricky. Just ask any legislator trying to navigate our complex constitutional budget constraints. On top of that, we’re again facing large budget deficits, forcing legislators to consider cuts in areas such as higher education, road repairs and Medicaid provider fees. By the way, Medicaid enrollment hit record levels this year.
 
It is against this backdrop that three ballot initiatives have been introduced that would severely limit public investment in Colorado’s future. Proposition 101, Amendment 60 and Amendment 61 would reduce state income taxes, disallow government debt for capital investments, limit local property tax revenue, eliminate many taxes and fees, and reduce motor vehicle fees to the point that they would not even pay for themselves.
 
Ballot initiative supporters argue that we should clean up government waste and inefficiency. Opponents fear Colorado is at a point where reducing state and local revenue will mean vital services - road repairs, emergency response, classroom teachers and safety net programs will be cut. They say the citizens - not the government - will suffer. In a state where much policy is decided on the ballot, the question is whether people truly take the time to understand the consequences of the initiatives they sign petitions or vote for when presented with simple sound bites packaging complex policies.
 
Colorado Matters (11/30/09): Tom Clark, Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation
Pueblo Chieftain: Three initiatives target state finances
Denver Post: Two tax-slashing measures make Colorado Ballot
Colorado Springs Gazette: Trio of anti-government ballot measures go too far, critics charge
Proposition 101 (formerly Initiative 10)
Amendment 60 (formerly Initiative 12)
Amendment 61 (formerly Initiative 21)

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