Posted on 11/02/2005 6:56:38 AM PST by george76
Voting problems cropped up late in the day: Higher-than-expected turnout led to ballot shortages in El Paso County, a conservative Republican stronghold anchored by Colorado Springs that can swing elections as Colorado's third-most populous county.
County returns were delayed for hours as sheriff's deputies toted ballots to polling stations where lines of people were still waiting to vote, county clerk and recorder Bob Balink said.
A voting machine also broke down in tiny Mineral County...
Referendum C would let the state keep an estimated $3.7 billion over five years that would otherwise be refunded under the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, a constitutional amendment dubbed TABOR that is considered the nation's strictest cap on government spending.
A second measure that would take effect if C passes, Referendum D, would have allow the state to borrow up to $2.1 billion ... Voters defeated that issue...
In Denver, voters approved ...a proposal to make it legal for ...marijuana in Denver.
But the dominant issue was Colorado's finances: With opponents and supporters warning the state's future was at stake, the secretary of state predicted voter turnout of 45 percent -- near the odd-year election record of 47.2 percent in 2003.
The TABOR vote was being closely watched by fiscal conservatives: California will vote on whether to limit state spending on Nov. 8. Other states considering their version of the measure include Kansas, Ohio, Maine, Nevada, Oklahoma and Arizona.
the plan a tax grab by politicians too gutless to make tough decisions. Many singled out Owens as a traitor to his party.
a "permanent tax increase."
(Excerpt) Read more at thedenverchannel.com ...
("Denny Crane: Gun Control? For Communists. She's a liberal. Can't hunt.")
I think folks are generally happy with TABOR, but the truth is that it creates a lot of unnecessary cash-flow problems. The issues addressed by Prop C are legitimate, and unfortunately the only way to fix them was with a hammer.
What really needs to happen is that TABOR needs to be tweaked based on lessons learned over the past several years. If it's not tweaked, eventually Ds will use its structural problems to get it tossed out.
Owens did it correctly years ago with the highway bill that helped I-25 in Denver and other roads around the state. The state ( with voter approval ) raised and spend money for a specific set of projects.
"C" is not specific. Colorado taxpayers are to 'trust' the politicians to choose how these billions of dollars are to be spent.
Owens and the big spenders should have presented a list of projects to vote upon. Rather they just suspended TABOR.
Ward Churchill got another raise this year. Should he get another raise next year even if he teaches no classes this winter? He has not committed to any classes, says that he does not work for the Colorado taxpayer, and yet wants another $100,000 per year plus benefits for ???
He should quit taking the taxpayer money and then say whatever he wants.
"I think folks are generally happy with TABOR, but the truth is that it creates a lot of unnecessary cash-flow problems."
The only problem with cash flow is the polidiots spending too much.
I'm sick of you running around FR acting like you know whats best for Colorado, when you don't know anything about the Centennial State. NOTHING! Stick to your own home state. California is so screwed up its pathetic. I voted for Referandum C (against Ref D) and while I wanted it limited to 2-3 years, the fact remains, Ref C will allow Colorado to rebuild is infrastructure --- roads, highways, bridges, schools, etc. etc. etc. TABOR is still the law in Colorado and there will be no tax increases. This is a one time deal. The people have spoken and the letter of the law was followed.
Colorado has turned a sickening deep Blue...
Colorado has been invaded by many liberals from California, other states, Mexico...
Colorado is not yet deep blue, just baby blue...but it is becoming very 'urban.' Denver and Boulder is smoking allot of dope these days and believing allot of dopie ideas.
When Scott McInnis retired, the 'Force' was shaken.
Colorado still has Tancredo, Allard...
Actually, its not Tabor that's the problem. It's Amendment 22, which mandates an ever increasing percentage of the state budget go to the teacher's union. So the general fund goes down every year.
Ref C will not change that inherent dynamic. In five years, things will be just as tight because of Amendment 22 and the piggies will be back for more money, probably with more moderate Republican support. (In fact, things will be worse in five years because rats control the legislature here and they will waste the 4 or so billion raised by Ref C.)
The rats designed Amendment 22 as a Tabor killer and the deed is all but done at this point, even if it has been kept symbolically alive. That nominal Republicans acquiesed (no, cheerlead) in the rat's Tabor killing strategy is inexcusable and unforgivable.
This conservative will remember who did and did not support C. I'm a party officer. And I'm committed to serving thru 2006. After that, I can't stay with this party anymore--it's run by folks who court conservative votes and then stab them in the back, over and over. They have no intention whatsoever of sharing power with the folks who voted for them.
The party need to be cleaned out. So after 2006 I will be raising money and organizing to defeat the folks who brought us C and Pete Coors, one-by-one. Probably a quixotic gesture.
LOL. The colorado supreme court is stuffed with left-wing hacks. They make political decisions by reading democrat party talking points memos and inserting citations. I cannot recall a single instance where this court has sided with the republicans.
Reagan Man, I live in Denver and I have no clue how the politicians are going to use our money. How can you be so sure they're going to fix our infrastructure? Let me guess...just trust them. Passing Ref C just gave all these pork bellied politicians in CO a $3.2 billion check with money that was to be refunded to hard working taxpayers. You say there won't be any tax increses because C passed, but all C really does is create a back-door tax increase. You definitely don't do your screen name any justice by buying into that "its not a tax increase" garbage. The state owes me money, er owed me money, and now they just get to keep it to spend it on "infrastructure". You're being a bit naive to think that this is a one-time deal as well. Politicians will see this vote as an opportunity to bail themselves out of their reckless free-spending ways for generations to come, or at least until voters wake the hell up.
Yep, the roads suck now & they'll suck five years from now. I used to like Gov. Owen's but I will never support him for any future political runs.
Now I am really depressed.
You are correct. The state supremes are terrible.
blood sucking politicians
That's a problem, but it's not the problem with TABOR, which (in part) prevents money from being shifted around in the state budget. That needs to be addressed.
Don't listen to him, gold. He's sick of everyone who doesn't think four-billion dollar tax increases for dems to spend are a great idea.
Colorado is likely on a long, downhill slide to Californianess and the gutting of Tabor has begun as part of that process.
I grew up in CO and lived in CA for about 20 years. During that 20 years, I watched CA's government go blue and the state change from a reasonably well governed place into a third-world clownocracy. So I moved home. Now I am watching CO take the same path. So please keep reminding us what it looks like at the other end of the slide.
During Bill Owens' tenure as governor, the R's have lost a US Senate Seat, both houses of the legislature, and Owens (in supporting C) has inflicted a probably fatal wound on our only viable candidate for governor (Bob Beaugrez). The supreme court here is hopeless and will not change for a long, long time.
Even worse, the campaign finance reform act three years ago here was an outrageous con on the voters--it basically allows unions and trial lawyers to raise and contribute unlimited funds while noone else can. As a result, our candidates for the legislature are being outspent 5:1 and 10:1 and losing. Now, with Ref C, the gutting of Tabor has begun.
What is left of Tabor and the hope of winning the governorship is the only thing standing betweeen us and the fast slippery-slope to the state CA is in. Once there, I think you can testify how difficult it is to get out of the cesspool.
Reagan Man cannot see that. Moderate R's tend to see the problem as building the next road and miss the big political picture. And there's validity to his viewpoint as long as sensible people control the political machinery. In Colorado, they emphatically do not. And by giving up the one issue that once united Republicans (lower taxes) and won elections, Owens has fractured the R coalition here and given away our credibility on our best, single winning issue for a generation.
The liberals will now be back more often with more spending ideas. Just wait until next year.
This C will just give them more encouragement. More dope to the dopers.
Colorado was doing ok until Scott McInnis left and Owens gave up.
Ref C is going to be used for anything and everything - whatever you want, don't ya know?
It was truly disgusting how the pro C people were using alarmist tactics to persuade people to vote for it.
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