This development, reported today in the Rocky Mountain News, was a matter of inevitability. (Disclosure: As an Independence Institute employee, I knew the story was coming. Even if I weren't, I would be convinced the course of action was necessary, but a result of regrettable circumstances.) Yes, the time has come to sue. Even Governor Bill Ritter and the Democrats who arrogantly violated the state constitution and foisted the property tax increase on the people of Colorado had to know they'd be facing legal action. Of course, when liberal officials want to enact liberal policies in Colorado, they gladly prefer to face the courts rather than the people. As The Colorado Index frequently reminds us, the legal system works for Democratic … [Read more...]
Search Results for: property tax hike
iVoices: Hear AG Suthers Explain Need for Vote on Tax Hike
Tune into the Independence Institute's iVoices.org to hear my interview with Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, as he explains why his office filed a formal opinion this week that Governor Bill Ritter and the Democrat-led state legislature needed to submit their property tax increase proposal to a vote of the people. As Sen. Steve Johnson, R-Fort Collins, stated to his Democratic colleagues supporting the tax increase: "The inconvenient truth is TABOR." A narrow majority of the legislature ignored the inconvenient truth, arrogantly passing the tax hike. The governor is sure to sign it into law. And because of TABOR, some kind of a taxpayer lawsuit against the abuse of legislative power seems almost inevitable. I think it's most … [Read more...]
Colorado Dems Ram Through Bill, Snub Voters, Raise Taxes
Today is one of those sad days when I must take upon myself the duty to highlight a clear example of the dangers of putting Democrats in charge. This example involves the Democrats' underhanded scheme and arrogant attack on your pocketbook to appropriate your money into a bloated state budget in the name of "the children." Earlier, a bare majority of 18 Colorado state senators approved Governor Bill Ritter's cleverly named "Children's Amendment" to set in motion a school district property tax increase that will raise an estimated $1.74 billion in new taxes over the next 10 years. The proposal came as part of S.B. 199, the annual School Finance bill. The bait-and-switch backdoor tax hike was rammed through the legislature and soon will … [Read more...]
Toe to Toe with the Treasurer on a Touted Tax Increase
In yesterday's Pueblo Chieftain, my opinion piece arguing the case against Governor Bill Ritter's property tax hike to subsidize state preschool and kindergarten programs ran as "counterpoint" to the argument for the Governor's proposal by State Treasurer Cary Kennedy. Kennedy skillfully avoided discussion of the back-door tax hike while plugging the benefits of the plan for Pueblo. How? Under the Governor's revised plan, 33 school districts will receive a tax cut while most districts will receive a tax increase. Pueblo happens to fall in the latter category. But that doesn't take into account the plight of taxpayers in Grand Junction, Englewood, Pagosa Springs, Wray, or nearby Alamosa, among others. But two points are worth repeating … [Read more...]
Post Provides One Piece of Case Against Ritter Tax Hike
Update: ColoradoPols draws the opposite conclusion about the Post article ("Ritter Property Tax Freeze Gets Good News"). Maybe they should have read this post first. The incomplete school funding analysis in today's Denver Post, when considered with a few more facts, actually makes the case against the governor's property tax increase for the "Children." Yes, the Post identifies a potential problem with the current structure of Colorado school finance - highlighting that state government carries an ever greater share of the school funding burden, and that the tax bills of property owners in rural, low-growth districts have gone up more than their wealthy, high-growth counterparts. But instead of giving too much significance to this one … [Read more...]
A Month-by-Month 2008 Stroll Down Mount Virtus Memory Lane
It's the last day of 2008, and time for a quick month-by-month retrospective. The following are posts I've selected as the best posts for each month: January: Why did Ritter Leave Worker Protections Out of His Order? February: Getting the Whole Story Behind Ritter's Climate Action Plan March: High-Ranking Democrat: Property Tax Hike Not Just for Schools April: What Was All That Money Doing in Ritter's Inaugural in the First Place? May: Colorado Dems Fail to Lead or Take Responsibility, Irony Lost on Dead Guvs June: Bill Ritter, Tax Increases, Unions, and the Colorado Supreme Court July: Majority of Coloradans Don't Think Bill Ritter is Doing a Terrible Job August: It's Official: Colorado Government 100% Unionized, Thanks to Bill … [Read more...]
Yes, I Am “Uncle Charley”
I am the pseudonymous conservative gadfly blogger on a local education new site. At least that's what 9News would have you believe:Not everyone agrees. An online blogger named "Uncle Charley" has written several entries for Education News Colorado trying to get readers to think about the need before they act. One blog is entitled, "More Tough Questions on DPS Bond," which talks in part about the individual items that would be funded by this bond issue and series of property tax hikes have agreed to in Denver over the past two decades. "Uncle Charley" is actually the pseudonym for Ben DeGrow, with the Independence Institute, a non-partisan conservative political think tank. DeGrow says spending $13 million dollars on athletic fields … [Read more...]
Buescher “Favored”? Deceptive Attacks on Cancer Survivor Say Maybe Not
Today the Rocky Mountain News highlights the hottest state legislative race on Colorado's Western Slope, as Republican challenger Laura Bradford faces down Democrat incumbent Bernie Buescher in HD55:"I think her chances are great," said Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, who was among Republicans who stopped in Grand Junction while on an RV tour of the state. "One thing she said was, 'Gov. Ritter will not be whispering in my ear what to do.' People loved that." Buescher, however, says he doesn't hew that closely to Gov. Bill Ritter. "They're going after me on some issues, but it seems to me the fundamental attack is that I'm too close to the administration," he said. "The fact is I pushed the administration as much as any Democrat in the … [Read more...]
Cary Kennedy Said What?
With Gov. Bill Ritter's property tax hike still on trial, the Rocky Mountain News reports that state treasurer Cary Kennedy - who thought up the mill levy "freeze" idea - made a remarkable concession on the witness stand:State treasurer Cary Kennedy conceded today on the witness stand that a bill passed last year by the legislature alters the way taxes are calculated with the net result that many property owners pay more. But Kennedy continued to insist the 2007 law, SB 199, does not violate Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. O-k.... … [Read more...]
Liberal Denver Post Columnist Assails Do-Nothing Democrat Legislature
Liberal Denver Post columnist Susan Greene expresses her frustrations with the Democratically-led state legislature:After citing budget reform as a top priority, House Speaker Andrew Romanoff has tabled the issue without even a vote in committee. Better to let voters decide than force lawmakers to get their hands dirty, especially in an election year. After working to raise severance taxes on oil and gas drilling, the legislature has dropped the effort without explanation. After a blue-ribbon panel met for eight months on transportation funding, lawmakers passed none of its major recommendations. And after promising voting reform before November's election, they rubber-stamped a bill to recertify voting machines that the state … [Read more...]