Mount Virtus

Earlier this week Fox News’ Ed Barnes featured a story, “Accident Victims Being Hit Again — With ‘Crash Taxes’.” You know what I’m talking about, the ordinances adopted in some cities to impose fines on non-resident motorists for getting in an accident. It’s become a growing trend nationally, as tax revenues have taken a hit during the current recession.

As Barnes details, sometimes municipalities contract with debt collection services to go after accident victims for money: (more…)

The Antiplanner blog — experts on all things related to transportation — has posted a question (several, really) for Democrat gubernatorial candidate John Hickenlooper to answer:

Based on what we know today, including 40 percent cost overruns, revenue shortfalls, and the trivial amount of congestion relief that FasTracks is expected to provide, would you still have endorsed the 2004 FasTracks ballot measure? If so, then what are you going to do to make sure you are not again hoodwinked by bureaucrats who want to spend more tax dollars on future megaprojects? And if not, then who will you really represent: the voters, or the bureaucracies and special interest groups that want to take as much money as possible from those voters?

Even nice guys who run for governor have to answer important questions. Based on his recent record failing to address other pressing issues, I am not holding my breath for any answers from John Hickenlooper.

Denver Post editorial page editor Dan Haley and I at times certainly disagree. But one observation in his Sunday column deserves a hearty “Amen”:

Too bad voters can’t be trusted with such matters as electing their leaders. At some point, party insiders need to shed their irrational fear of primaries and realize they can actually help candidates.

What’s at issue? Well, the sense of unity supposedly fostered by Republican leaders’ new “Contract for Colorado” — er, “Platform for Prosperity”. The fact that it was drafted for the party’s rank-and-file as a way to determine our candidate for us has not sat well. Especially without a grassroots escape clause. (more…)

It’s Friday morning. I’m busy. No bizarro Balloon Boy coverage here. You’ll have to look somewhere else (H/T Complete Colorado).

It’s kind of surreal to find these two headlines in the same edition of the Denver Post:

• Colo. jobless at 21-year high: “The unemployment rate hasn’t been this high since April 1988, when it was at 6.7 percent. It is also higher than the 6.3 percent rate reached during the depths of the dot-com bust from 2001 to 2003.”
• Doubling FasTracks sales tax gets nod: “On Wednesday, a majority of the Metro Mayors Caucus tentatively approved a plan to salvage FasTracks by asking voters for another 0.4 percent sales tax. The mayors, hoping to see the entire $6.9 billion expansion finished by 2017, are gambling that voters will maintain support for the project despite higher costs and some of the weakest economic conditions in the past half-century.”

The weak economy is the most striking source of irony here, but it’s not the only reason for metro Denver area voters to be skeptical of the proposed tax increase. As land use and transportation expert Randal O’Toole so ably points out in a new Independence Institute report, the 16 deceptions in RTD’s FasTracks proposal (PDF) include disproven claims about the light-rail plan’s costs, benefits, alternatives, and more.

So, sorry, Metro Mayors Caucus. The painful (and laughable) timing of the tax hike announcement is only the tip of the iceberg. A lot more will have to be done to steer the project clear of a Titanic-like collision. After all, there is much, much more you would have to overcome before voters should be convinced to support the expensive, overpriced, inefficient, unclean encroachment known as FasTracks.

Yes, I pointed out to you the Democrat shell game (with your tax dollars, transportation projects, and social welfare spending) taking place at the State Capitol. But leave it to Mark Hillman to explain it more eloquently, and with greater depth and context.

Here’s the key section:

If it sounds like Democrats are talking out of both sides of their mouths, it’s because they are – at least, so far. One day, they say our roads and bridges are unsafe and demand more money from Colorado drivers. The next day, they take a hatchet to transportation funding.

Any sane person can be excused for wondering what they’re drinking or smoking at the state capitol.

Sadly this is nothing new. Dating back to former Gov. Roy Romer, Democrats’ favorite tactic has been to grow social welfare spending and leave transportation with scraps. Romer’s approach was to tell voters that if they wanted more money for transportation, they should vote for higher taxes.

In 1997, Romer and Republicans reached a compromise that guaranteed the aforementioned bonus source of highway funding and limited general fund spending increases to no more than six percent per year.

Republican Gov. Bill Owens staunchly defended that compromise and worked out a similar agreement with Democrats in 2002.

Now that Democrats hold a monopoly at the state capitol, they seem intent upon smashing those agreements in order to boost social welfare spending.

This is what Colorado gets when we have one-party rule under the Golden Dome, and that party is the Democrats: a disregard for the taxpayer, a willingness to play fast and loose with your money.

Welcome back to Monday.

The other half of Colorado Democrats’ shell game rolled through the state senate last night – with one of the longest debates on a state legislative bill in recent memory. Senate Bill 228 would repeal the state general fund’s 6 percent spending limit and allow additional funds to be diverted from transportation to pet government programs (now mainly supported by Democrats).

It’s the latest in a series of actions by Governor Bill Ritter to raise taxes and grow government without asking the people of Colorado first. So much for confidence in his own agenda. (more…)

When talking politics or economics, it’s usually a powerful rhetorical tactic to compare our own Colorado to California – especially these days. In that light, here’s a fitting and timely reminder from state senator Ted Harvey:

The lesson Colorado’s legislators must learn from this recession is clear: fiscal responsibility works. Even though the legislature collectively fell short of creating a rainy day fund, TABOR and the Arveschoug-Bird 6% spending cap forced Colorado legislators to keep spending low. Had the government enjoyed free rein in ramping up spending – which is a great temptation to many lawmakers tasked with spending other people’s money – Colorado’s budget crisis would be as serious as California’s. [emphasis added]

But many still haven’t learned the lesson. (more…)

Tune in starting at 8:30 PM local Mountain Time this evening for the sure-to-be-lucky 13th edition of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio.

Tonight’s scheduled guests are state representative Cory Gardner, a rising legislative star to talk about transportation and other issues at the State Capitol, and Leondray Gholston, Republican activist and candidate for Colorado state GOP vice-chair perhaps most well-known for his stirring speech at last year’s State Assembly.

Don’t forget. If you miss the live broadcast of tonight’s show, you can go back and download the podcast, or just use the handy widget on my sidebar to listen directly from Mount Virtus.

Update, 8:50 PM: 19 Democrats voted for the taxes and tolls in the transportation bill. Lefties are in turmoil, with some angry that the Dems are responsible for passing a regressive tax.

Yesterday I asked if Colorado Democrats would try to overreach in sticking taxpayers for state transportation costs. It didn’t take long to see where the ruling party at the State Capitol stands.

In a bizarre about-face, the Democrats decided to toss bipartisan compromise out the window to push a provision that would allow tolling on some of Colorado’s busiest highways:

Republicans and a handful of Democrats first voted to remove provisions allowing local authorities to toll existing roads. After a break in the debate, the bill sponsor and Democratic leaders put the provisions back in, and Senate Bill 108 was passed on a 21-14 party-line vote.

That was the deal breaker, said Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction.

“We feel like they’ve made a strategic decision to power this through,” Penry said. “In the end this bill is substantially the same as when it was introduced.”

Colorado Democrats are working hard to label themselves as the party of toll roads.

As we discussed on last night’s Blog Talk Radio show with the Grand Junction Sentinel‘s Mike Saccone (to listen to a recording, you can go to the sidebar or directly to the RMA page) – the fight over transportation dollars is the big story brewing at the State Capitol.

Senate minority leader Josh Penry and the Republicans say their proposals haven’t been taken seriously in negotiations and are willing to let the Democrats own measures like the unpopular interstate highway tolls and the controversial Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) fee.

Reasonable compromise is part of lawmakers’ job, but I hope that conservatives in the House demand a little more from Governor Bill Ritter and the majority Democrats. Namely, the legislature needs to seriously seek other sources to fund genuine transportation needs (and not costly prevailing wage provisions) in order to minimize the burden on taxpayers. Ritter and Company have yet to show themselves truly earnest in this area.

It will be interesting to see whether the Democrats at the State Capitol play this one wisely or end up trying to overreach.

Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) says it needs to condemn 56 properties in northeast Denver for light-rail expansion. Maybe we can hope RTD has learned some lessons from arousing the ire of property owners on the west side of Denver. The stories of Daniel Gallegos, Kim Snyder, Galen Foster, and others should be instructive.

But don’t hold your breath. Residents who may be affected by RTD’s latest expansion should empower themselves by checking out the resources provided by the Independence Institute’s Property Rights Project.

From Colorado Senate News

Complete Colorado is breaking a story about 10 different Colorado mayors requesting a total of $2.25 billion in federal pork. The biggest ask (go for the gusto, right?) comes from Colorado Springs at $1.25 billion. But the most interesting request hails from the People’s Republic:

The city of Boulder asked for $6 million to “…[p]rovide funding to convert 60 hybrid electric vehicles to Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles with Vehicle to Grid technology. The cars are part of the City of Boulder, Boulder County, and the University of Colorado fleets.” The retrofit of each vehicle, therefore, would cost $100-thousand dollars a piece.

I haven’t seen a cost-benefit analysis, but how much is really gained by switching to the Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle technology? I’m guessing it’s going to take a long time to save $6 million.

As for the others, it was interesting to see my hometown of Arvada on the list for a relatively modest $4.6 million in requested aid for street and bridge repair. I think it may be time for a little more investigation into these projects and the available funding streams.

The Denver Post reports today that the price tag for Regional Transportation District (RTD)’s taxpayer-funded FasTracks plan has jumped again:

The price of the FasTracks rail expansion — if it is to be completed by 2017, as promised to voters — has jumped from $6.1 billion to $7.9 billion, according to officials familiar with RTD’s latest analysis of the program.

Approved by voters in 2004 for $4.7 billion, estimates later rose to $6.1 billion – a 30 percent increase. Now they have skyrocketed to $7.9 billion, nearly 70 percent higher than original estimates. According to the Post, RTD either has to narrow the scope of the project, delay its implementation, or ask for more tax money:

Centennial Mayor Randy Pye, who heads the 37-member Metro Mayors Caucus, said Wednesday that “the option of a tax increase is not palatable to the mayors.”

I think the superb cartoonist Ben Hummel has it best:

Visit the Independence Institute’s Center for the American Dream to learn about the problems and cost of FasTracks, which also includes the “Human Cost of FasTracks”:

$7.9 billion …. Now what?