State & Local Issues

By Richard Westfall, Contributing Editor

Given that Stephanie Villafuerte has been nominated to be the next United States Attorney for Colorado, her handling of the Cory Voohis situation is unquestionably fair game for the confirmation process.  If she broke the same law she and the Ritter campaign accused Voorhis of breaking (accessing a federal criminal database to confirm the identity of a person Ritter had let plea bargain) for essentially the same political purpose, and was not candid with federal investigators, that raises a serious question about her fitness for an office that is responsible for enforcing federal law in this State.

Richard Westfall, Contributing Editor

The Colorado General Assembly added considerable teeth to the regulation of the initiative process last session, and I predict that someone or some organization caught in the cross hairs of the new regulations will challenge them.

Kevin Holst, Contributing Editor

As the health care debate rages on this summer, many of our nation’s political leaders and major media outlets expressed their disbelief that wide-spread citizen outrage and dissent is truly a grassroots movement. In Colorado, expressions of dissatisfaction are hardly orchestrated. Many Coloradans simply feel forgotten and are making their presence known at tea parties, health care rallies and town halls meetings.

Mark Hillman, Contributing Editor 

Impending mortality tends to focus the mind, and looming elections tend to focus politicians' ears on vox populi. But just as theologians debate the sincerity of "deathbed conversions," voters should be skeptical of lawmakers who find religion as elections near.

Richard Westfall, Contributing Editor 

Herb Fenster, a lawyer who I know and respect, stirred the pot at a recent meeting of the Long-Term Fiscal Stability Commission when he availed himself of the public comment section and announced that he intended to file a lawsuit in federal court claiming that TABOR violates Article IV, Section 4 of the United States Constitution. That section, referred to as the “Guarantee Clause,” “guarantee[s] to every state in this Union a republican form of government.”

By Kent Holsinger, Contributing Editor
Clean air, clean water and good stewardship are hallmarks of life in Colorado. But we must not lose sight of where and how our food, water, electricity and energy are produced. Excessive regulation, in the name of environmental preservation at all costs, can hinder production of these basic necessities of modern life.

By Kevin Holst, Contributing Editor
The Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) FasTracks project was originally billed as a $4.7 billion savior to our region’s transportation needs.  In 2004, voters who approved the measure were told that with FasTracks voters would know exactly what they are going to get, which was supposed to be a distinctive gem for the 8-county Denver metropolitan area. 

By Kevin Holst, Contributing Editor
During the 2009 legislative session, Governor Bill Ritter and the Democrat-controlled General Assembly dug even deeper into Coloradans’ wallets.  The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights or TABOR (i.e., Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution) was treated as a mere inconvenience as the fee-minded tandem used a wide range of “gimmicks” to raise fees on seemingly anything within their reach, including hospital stays, auto registrations and marriage licenses.

By Richard Westfall, Contributing Editor
I know others have written on the property tax increase caused by Senate Bill 07-199 and the suit I brought challenging it.  Two months after the Colorado Supreme Court overturned the district court's decision holding SB 199 unconstitutional, certain developments stand out in my mind that I think warrant some additional comment.

By Kevin E. Holst, Contributing Editor

The predominantly Democrat-appointed Colorado Supreme Court has once again shown its partisan colors by ruling in favor of a Democrat-sponsored backdoor property tax increase masked as a mill-levy freeze.  In the court’s recently released decision in Mesa County Board of County Commissioners vs. State of Colorado, the majority of the court ignored extensive legal and constitutional opinions while also overturning a lower court’s findings that the tax increase was unconstitutional.  Consequently, the court made a significant contribution to the Democratic Party’s efforts to dismantle Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado Constitution (i.e., the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights or TABOR).

Since voter approval of FasTracks in 2004, the likelihood of the Regional Transportation District ("RTD") completing the project by 2017 has greatly diminished for a myriad of reasons.  RTD's recent budget issues give us all even more reason to be concerned.  Instead of giving RTD more money through increased taxes, Colorado voters should declare enough is enough and scrap FasTracks altogether or explore the possibility of a more capable entity completing the project.  

By Jon Anderson, Contributing Editor
Late last month, an Administrative Law Judge dismissed a complaint filed by Colorado Ethics Watch against the Senate Majority Fund and Colorado Leadership Fund.

By Senator Josh Penry, Rep. Cory Gardner, Rep. Frank McNulty
Many Coloradans might not realize it, because of the Colorado Department of Transportation's effective maintenance, but Colorado has insufficient funds to meet current or future state needs for roads and bridges. The number of vehicle miles driven on our roads and bridges is steadily rising, putting greater demand on our transportation infrastructure. Meanwhile, inflating construction costs and greater fuel-efficient automobiles have devalued gas tax dollars in Colorado's Highway Users Tax Fund, the primary source of state transportation funding. Federal transportation funds continue a steady decline.

By Kent Holsinger, Contributing Editor
Colorado is cracking down on conservation easements. At the same time, Governor Ritter has endorsed a plan to raise severance taxes to fund – conservation easements. With all due respect to G.K. Chesterton, perhaps the ridiculous can be ridiculed.

By Jon Anderson, Contributing Editor
If you are planning a trip to Las Vegas after November for some high stakes gambling, you may not need to leave Colorado. The Colorado Gaming Association has submitted a 2008 ballot initiative that would pave the way to raising existing bet limits by 475%, allow for 24-hour gambling operations, and add Vegas style craps and roulette to the existing gaming options. Essentially, they want to turn Colorado’s limited gaming towns into a western themed Atlantic City.

By Bob Beauprez
Doug DelForge gave his life to his country. He started working at the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons plant at age 20, and stayed at the plant for 21 years. DelForge had his first surgery for brain tumors – meningioma – when he was 31, but continued working at the plant. His father was also Rocky Flats veteran.

By Colorado House Republican Leader Mike May
We are now less than a month away from the 2008 legislative session and House Republicans are once again committed to working diligently to protect Colorado’s economy, our children and our future. We have heard plenty of promises and have had plenty of time to study: It is time for real solutions. The following is just a brief look at how we intend to better our state. Some of our first goals involve our youngest residents.

By Bob Beauprez
During the 2007 session of the Colorado state legislature, the Democratic leadership rammed through Governor Ritter's proposal to "freeze" the residential property tax levy in the state, projecting that it would raise $48 million. Never mind that because it increases revenue to the state, this move appears to be a direct violation of TABOR, and thus is unconstitutional. Well, it looks like global warming – or at least the light of full disclosure – may be melting the ice caps on the governor's "freeze" scheme, too.

By Bob Beauprez
It's disgusting and shameful. Thousands of workers faithfully showed up every day at the former Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant for more than 50 years. During the Cold War, they were on the front line as we matched nuclear muscle with the communists. Many of them have died of cancers connected to the exposures they endured, more are battling disease today, and countless more wait and wonder if they will be next. Yet, on June 12, the Federal Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) denied their petition requesting the federal government accept responsibility and provide coverage for their job related suffering.

By State Senator Andy McElhany
Our freshman governor complained at a news conference the other day that the recent Senate debate over his plan to raise Coloradans' property tax bills had turned into a "partisan fight." You bet it did, and we make no apologies for it.