State lawmakers betray voters with Ref C shell game

pueblo chiefain ^ | September 16, 2007 | Mark Hillman

[george76]

Two years ago, lawmakers asked voters for a "time-out" from the spending restrictions of the Taxpayers Bill of Rights in order to allow the state budget to rebound from the recession of 2001-2002.

Referendum C, which passed by a narrow 52-48 percent margin, erased the TABOR spending limits for five years and permanently increased spending caps thereafter.

Following the 2005 vote, Colorado Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald said, “‘We already agreed, if Ref D failed, it would be (one-third each) for schools, colleges and health.”

But a funny thing happened after the election.

Spending on programs not associated with Ref C has grown more than twice as fast as spending on education and health care. Now, voters have cause to believe they were sold a bill of goods...

However, as any economist knows, money is fungible.

After Ref C passed, lawmakers approved a fiscal shell game... convincing voters to approve new taxes for higher ed, transportation and health care - as leading Democrats have proposed - will be a tough sell.

[george76]

Plus Gov. Bill Ritter has 17 new suggestions to tax everything ...

.

[pnh102]

What kind of dummies vote for a tax hike. These voters should be ashamed of themselves. It is too bad the new taxes cannot simply be applied to the people who voted for them.

[goldstategop]

The Democrats will pay a political price if they seek to increase taxes. In my view, had Colorado voters turned down Proposition C, the state would be living within its means today and our property taxes would be lower already. If there is a lesson to be learned is that if you give government what it wants, there will NEVER be an end to its appetite to grow. And the greatest danger to liberty is the relentless growth of government.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[freekitty]

Just say NO when a politician wants money or anything.

[Publius6961]

You don't have to be a MENSA member to undertand this simple concept:

People get the Government They Deserve.

... or tolerate through indifference...

Just saying.

[taxcontrol]

A lot of supposed conservatives voted for this abomination ... even over the information campaign on how bad Ref C was because it did not have any controls built in.

It was all for the schools... the children ... yada yada yada. It was all a bunch of lies. Now I hope enough have learned their lesson. Maybe we can even repeal this blank check.

[demshateGod]

“It is too bad the new taxes cannot simply be applied to the people who voted for them.”

Amen. I live in Colorado (for one more week) and I was so frustrated with that whole ref C crap. I just couldn’t understand why people trusted government with their money. I still can’t and now it’s proven their trust was amiss. Government always proves they’re poor stewards of the people’s money. Will they learn their lesson? NO!

I remember all the rich liberals at work so eager to give away their TABOR refund (and mine) so Colorado could..... You know, they never said why we should give them our money.

[DaveyB]

Governor Bill Owens strongly backed this initiative as did fellow conservative republican Hank Brown and many others. The people of Colorado, like the rest of the nation are cursed with conservatives that lack the moral resolve and principles to rule as conservatives. Owens also supported Pete Coors over a true conservative and helped loose the state house the governorship and a federal senate seat. When RINOs rule conservative principles are usurped and spending goes up up up!

[demshateGod]

I’m moving back to Oklahoma which has the two best senators and one of the worse governors.