The budget debate at Colorado's State Capitol heads into full throttle this week. In a tough year, the linchpin to the Democrats' plan is a raid on the privately-funded Pinnacol Assurance Company. Even the Denver Post recognizes this as a bad idea:If lawmakers can't get money from Pinnacol, higher education could be cut by more than $400 million — more than half the state's allotment to colleges and universities. Pinnacol offers guaranteed workers' compensation insurance, and Republicans have argued that because the insurer's assets were funded by businesses paying premiums, the state should keep its hands off. [Attorney General John] Suthers, a Republican, clearly, agrees. The Pinnacol idea is dubious at best. It is a gimmick, a … [Read more...]
Colorado Democrats: Governing Themselves Out of the Majority?
Are the Democrats at the State Capitol trying to govern themselves out of the majority? They sure are making it easier for the GOP - with a string of shenanigans and assorted bad ideas just from the past several days: From slamming the door on school spending transparency To ignoring critical scholarly arguments in order to push through a nakedly partisan ploy to weaken Colorado's political influence and undermine the Electoral College To cravenly moving a vote while a Republican lawmaker was out of town (aiding a relative with Alzheimer's) - all to pass a constitutionally dubious bill that grants in-state tuition to illegal aliens To talking out loud about exploiting a partisan, anti-taxpayer state supreme court ruling to repeal some … [Read more...]