Let’s rate seven years of the “Hick & Ritter” economy. After 2006 Colorado Democrats have ruled the roost – jamming through higher taxes and fees, adding job-killing regulations, unable to jump start our state’s economy.
The data are out, and they look flatly bad for the Democrats.
Had we kept the Owens economy’s job-holding levels – there would be 244,000 more Coloradans with jobs than Hick & Ritter delivered.
- Men’s chances are down 7.5%; women are down 4.6%.
- African-Americans are down 3%, Hispanics down 5.4% and whites down 5.9%.
- Young people are down 9.9%, middle-aged down 3.3% and those retired or near are down only 1.2%.
The older crowd clings to their jobs, scared to death they won’t have enough money to retire!
In many respects, it’s even worse for the young. For every young person working in 2013, nearly as many weren’t – and lack the job experience that would help them get better jobs. These young folks were kicked to the curb.
We told ’em “stay in school so you can get a good job” and many did.
ROBBED BLIND
That’s when Hick & Ritter double-whammied them.
Colorado’s higher education budget zoomed $890 million in operating cash… while – heckuva job, Mark Udall – federal funds dropped a bit and, thanks Governor, the technical “General Fund” support total dropped $30.6 million.
So, they don’t have the jobs they once had … and Hickenlooper and the Democrats are sending the bill for education straight to them (and their parents). Worse, few experts see a rebound in good jobs for less-experienced, younger workers … even if they’ve managed a degree.
If the Republicans had done this, The Denver Post would blast them editorially every other day … with a front page news story about heartless Republicans on the alternate days.
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*Just released by BLS, 2013 LAU data table, with 2006 table here. BLS cautions re rounding. Budget info here and here.