What is it about standing in front of school children that makes Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper say inappropriate things? Revealing Politics caught his latest head scratcher yesterday at a press conference at which he threw his support behind the billion dollar tax hike, currently known as Initiative 22. Watch the clip below:
“Me having to follow Mike Johnston, who has worked harder on this initiative than any other person, his fingerprints are everywhere. Sometimes they’re a little smudged, but they’re everywhere. The smudging is from working late at night when you’re a little sweatier.”
What does that even mean? Of course, this isn’t the first time he’s botched an introduction, having called his Lieutenant Governor Joe Garcia a “sex star” at an elementary school.
Unfortunately, if this Initiative 22 goes through, the residents of Colorado will never know where this money will go under Democratic rule. VOTE THEM OUT IN 2014.
Work on creating jobs and improving the economy, youll be shocked at what happens to your tax revenues.
Here is the most offensive thing Hick has said:
AS A BUSINESSMAN, AS A QUAKER, HOW CAN HICK SUPPORT BREACH OF STATE CONTRACTS?
Governor Hickelooper identifies himself as a practicing Quaker. How does Hick's support for the breach of the contracts of the State of Colorado constitute "Quaker honesty"?
HICKENLOOPER: Break Colorado PERA retiree pension contracts, seize contracted, accrued, PERA pensioner benefits:
“Hickenlooper told the group that changes two years ago seeking to sustain the Public Employees’ Retirement Association were insufficient…”. ‘I personally think that we probably should go further,’ Hickenlooper said. He said options the state could consider include reducing inflation adjustments for retirees, raising the retirement age for new hires and averaging employees’ last five years of earnings to determine pension payments rather than the last three years.”.
http://www.chieftain.com/hickenlooper-talks-energy-water-pensions/article_25f92ef8-4ef1-11e1-a99f-001871e3ce6c.html
Hick, the "inflation adjustment" you refer to is a contracted benefit. You cannot simply break Colorado state contracts on a whim, because it is your personal preference. How is it that you are unaware of this fact? Hick, you never wanted to be a "politician," but you are certainly behaving like one. Why do you believe that you can break the contracts of a small group of Colorado's residents with impunity? Are these people just part of a subclass of Coloradans who have no constitutional rights? Or, have you simply not taken the time to study public pension legal theory and case law? Have you read the work of public pension legal scholar Professor Amy Monahan of the University of Minnesota? Put some time into it prior to advocating breach of PERA pension contracts.
BUSINESSMAN HICKENLOOPER: Break the State's Contracts.
Hickenlooper has years of experience in business. He is successful businessman. He holds a graduate degree. It just doesn't add up. Businessmen support the sanctity of contracts. Corporate America could not function without a general acceptance of the sanctity of contracts. I am confident that, throughout his life, Businessman Hickenlooper has demanded that contracts to which he is a party be honored. Does Hickenlooper possess some category of constitutional rights that are superior to those possessed by Colorado PERA retirees?
The Colorado Legislature has adopted PROSPECTIVE, LEGAL pension reform for Colorado county governments (in SB12-149), respecting the property rights of county government retirees. Why does the Legislature honor the public pension contracts of county government employees, yet schemes to RETROACTIVELY take the earned, accrued, contracted public pension benefits of Colorado PERA retirees?
THE LEGISLATURE HAS ADOPTED LEGAL, PROSPECTIVE PENSION REFORM FOR ARAPAHOE COUNTY… WHY IS IT BREAKING STATE PERA CONTRACTS THROUGH RETROACTIVE PENSION REFORM?
From the Senate Finance meeting summary for SB12-149, March 13, 2012:
“02:20 PM — Senate Bill 12-149.
Senator Steadman, prime sponsor, presented Senate Bill 12-149 concerning allowing local government pension plan boards to make modifications to defined benefit plans. Senator Steadman stated that the bill impacts defined benefit plans in five counties in Colorado: Adams County, Arapahoe County, El Paso County, Pueblo County, and Weld County.
Attorney Cindy Birley before the Senate Finance Committee:
“We did have… in initial drafts of the bill, we had a numerical test (a percent funded ratio threshold)…”.
“We met in Senator Steadman’s office…, at a reception that Senator Steadman had for stakeholders on January 9th, and we met with representatives from PERA, Colorado WINS, AFSCME, as well people from Arapahoe and Adams.”.
“The various union groups and PERA were adamantly opposed to putting in an actuarial necessity test.”.
(My comment: Well of course, the proposed test for “actuarial necessity” was lower than Colorado PERA’s funded ratio [69% AFR] at the time of the breach of Colorado PERA retiree pension contracts.)
Minority Leader and House Finance Committee Chairman Brian DelGrosso, February 23, 2012:
"I voted against Senate Bill1, and I voted against Senate Bill 1 not because I felt like we didn't need to fix PERA, I agreed with that part of it, but I voted against Senate Bill1 for the fact that it did adjust some of the COLAs and it did adjust stuff for folks that were already retired and people that were about ready to retire, and to me I felt like that was violating a contract that those people had got into… they played by the rules that were of the game at the time, and these folks… got up to where they about to retire or were retired, and now all of a sudden we were going to change the rules of game on them after they were done playing. So to me, that was why I voted against Senate Bill 1, because I felt like that violated some of the contractual issues that we had."
Colorado PERA active and retired members, we live in a state where many representatives of the Executive and Legislative branches do not respect our contracts, or our property. They ask that the Judicial Branch of Colorado state government join them in setting aside the contract clauses of the Colorado and U.S. constitutions. They ask that the debts of the State of Colorado be shifted onto the backs of a relatively small group of the state's elderly.
We have arrived at this point. Only the Judicial Branch of the State of Colorado has the power to preserve justice in our state. Support public pension contractual rights and the rule of law in Colorado. Contribute at saveperacola.com. "Friend" Save Pera Cola on Facebook!
Amen Cathy!! 🙂
go back to the restaurant business… and don't talk!