Author Archives: ColoradoPeakPolitics

Hang on one second, Democrats. Over the past week, Democrats across Colorado have all taken turns railing against TABOR, also known as the taxpayer bill of rights. It is the reason, they pout, that Colorado can’t do anything. Read: spend money recklessly.

But, is repealing TABOR a bad idea for liberals? We think so. Hear us out.

We assert that Democratic politicians have been getting a free ride (typical) thanks to TABOR when it comes to their drunken sailor spending ways.  Because a key component of TABOR requires politicians to get taxpayer permission in order to raise taxes, Democrats never have to really face the music for their unwise spending decisions. They just shrug, grandstand, and blame TABOR.

Imagine an electoral world in which Democrats had to vote to raise taxes…and, then, answer for it. Republican candidates could actually hold Democrats accountable for bad spending, like Medicaid expansion, in a way that is actually meaningful to voters.

It is far different to say State Rep. So-and-So voted to raise taxes by a billion dollars rather than saying Rep. So-and-So voted to ask voters to raise their own taxes to cover So-and-So’s spending. In many ways TABOR takes taxation, Democrats’ Achilles heel, off the table and removes their responsibility. Without TABOR, we predict that there would be fewer Democratic electeds.

Don’t get us wrong, we love TABOR because, ultimately, it keeps our taxes low, but it sure would be nice to hold Democrats clearly accountable for their unwise spending.

Think about it, Democrats.

The world is abuzz with news about Colorado Springs’ hometown zero, the Mad Pooper, a female jogger who will not stop pooping in one family’s yard. From the Denver Post to USAToday to BBC, Colorado is now no longer known for its consumption of illegal (in some places) products, but the elimination of everything. How embarrassing both for this woman (who must be mentally ill – right?) and for the state as a whole. Colorado Springs Police Sergeant Johnathan Skarketti said:

“It’s abnormal, it’s not something I’ve seen in my career. For someone to repeatedly do such a thing…it’s uncharted territory for me.”

But not for Colorado. This isn’t the first time Colorado is been known for its inappropriate bodily functions. If you recall, PeakNation™, the Denver Environmental Protection Administration also had a Mad Pooper that was so contaminating the work environment that the management had to send a memo reminding people to poop in the toilets.

Does anyone know who this woman is? Can you get her a job at the EPA? Does she already have a job at the EPA? Does she think in this era of social media that she will remain anonymous forever?  Others have come forward to say that they have seen her do her business in front of a Walgreens and in other people’s backyards. Someone must know who she is….

We literally laughed out loud when we saw that Denver was hosting the Rail-Volution Conference where attendees can “learn to effectively promote, plan, and implement transit development projects.” We caution the conference attendees – do not learn from our light rail system, which has been quagmired by technical issues and funding (where’s that line to Longmont, again?) issues.

While a Denver Post editorial encourages readers to look at the larger picture of RTD’s successes, it acknowledges that light rail has not been an overwhelming success. Here is the Post’s parting shot:

“We hope RTD, community and state leaders come away from Rail-Volution with a plan to ensure the FasTracks system becomes a self-sustaining operation that carries its own weight both financially and in helping the regions transportation nightmare.

“The infrastructure is here, taxpayers are invested, and now all that’s needed is a flood of riders willing to pay a premium for the service.”

We can’t decide if the writer was being ironic or literally thinks there might be riders, other than little kids, who might pay a premium to ride on a train. If serious, it’s worth reading Reason’s “Myths of Light Rail Transit” that debunks many of the claims that supporters of light rail make. Here are just a few busted myths:

• Light rail will not decongest roads, it simply takes riders from buses (which in another myth bust are actually more efficient than light rail)
• Light rail is not more cost effective than buses (which, by the way, are regularly empty in Denver)
• Light rail imposes heavy costs on low-income people (a fact that the Post rightly pointed out)

Light rail might look shiny and exciting and, perhaps, government officials equate the arrival of light rail with the “arrival” of Denver as a “real” city, but light rail has been a disappointment to many in Colorado.

If you read Governor Hickenlooper’s proclamation about his special session to fix SB17-267, you would think that the entire legislature, including the bill’s sponsors, were behind the move. You would be wrong. Here is a section of the Governor’s proclamation:

“We have had extensive conversations with Senate Bill 17-267 sponsors, interested stakeholders, and General Assembly leadership to identify how to minimize harms to impacted special districts, other limited purpose governmental entities and their constituents; and achieve greater clarity and efficiency in the State’s tax code. A special session is the most expedient way to advance those interests.”

Here is what one of the sponsors of the bill said about the Governor’s decision to call a special session:

“This is not the way government should work in Colorado. Calling a special session without an understanding of the game plan, or proper consultation with the legislators involved, is an irresponsible use of taxpayer dollars.”

According to Senate leadership, they were not consulted until after a special session had been called. In fact, most Republican legislators currently claim that the fix would be a tax increase and would need to go to a vote of the people. It’s obviously too late this year, so 2018 would be the earliest.

It looks like those bike lanes might come in handy after all, if the buses stop running, that is.

Fun Twitter banter about TABOR between Americans for Prosperity’s Michael Fields, former Colorado State Director turned education guru, and mouthy Democratic Rep. and Attorney General candidate Joe Salazar turned into a challenge that the two debate. We would absolutely pay to see Fields mop up the floor with Salazar on the too-often-maligned Taxpayer Bill of Rights – the only thing standing in Democrats’ way of raiding our pocketbooks.

We suspect that Salazar knows he would look spectacularly clownish at a debate against Fields and AFP, so it’s no surprise that he and his Twitter troll friends are dodging the opportunity. At issue is whether TABOR should be repealed (it shouldn’t). Here are just a few of the cowardly tweets Salazar sent while trying to avoid committing to a debate:

If we were doing apples and apples I would square off with @Everett4Colo instead of you. But we would end up telling jokes and stories.

— Joe Salazar (@Joe4COAG) September 18, 2017

I also said you’re intellectually dishonest. So, what purpose would come out of such a debate when you’re not there to listen?

— Joe Salazar (@Joe4COAG) September 18, 2017

I understand you get paid for every intellectually dishonest tweet, but this conversation is for adults. Go play with your toys. #copolitics https://t.co/z5rpuZeAml

— Joe Salazar (@Joe4COAG) September 18, 2017

What’s Salazar so afraid of? Why won’t he debate Michael Fields?