The official campaign against Colorado Amendment 49 – also known as Protect Colorado’s Culture of Corruption Future – has set a pattern of blatant deception.
But this week one group that has funded the anti-49 political campaign with teacher dues money found a way to step over the line a couple of ways at once, reports the Rocky Mountain News. First, by using official school district resources for electioneering purposes:
A teachers union improperly used the Jefferson County School District’s e-mail system to urge a “no” vote on three ballot measures, including one that would impact union dues.
The Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA) also stepped over the line by using false, ridiculous scare tactics in its anti-Amendment 49 message . The message from JCEA President Kerrie Dallman suggested that these initiatives would take away teachers’ pensions. But, of course, as my boss Jon Caldara correctly noted:
None of the amendments have anything to do with pensions.
If that doesn’t convince you, go ahead and look up 47, 49, and 54 in the official Colorado Blue Book.
Thankfully, there are teachers in Jeffco who are above being fooled by the deception. Like the whistleblower teacher who brought this misuse of school communication systems to my attention. And like another Jeffco teacher who appeared with me on Independent Thinking to explain why he believes Amendment 49 is a good idea.
It will be interesting to see whether the ethical reform of Amendment 49 can survive the heavily-funded onslaught of scare tactics – among schoolteachers and the general populace – and win out at the polls.
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