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Caldara’s Newsletter 03-09-17

Caldara’s Newsletter 03-09-17

With Republican help, the Colorado legislature is cooking up a plan to raise our sales tax over 21% for transportation and transit even though polls show support at the ballot box at only 40%. How are Republicans getting rolled like this?

To answer that we need to take a step back in time. When the legislature bought into Obamacare a few years back, they voted to massively expand Medicaid, knowing full well this would put the state budget on a course that would squeeze out needed funding of core services, like roads. They never brought this to a public vote, knowing we’d vote it down. So now they want to ask us to back-fill their Obamacare spending juggernaut by using our crumbling roads as bait to raise taxes. They’ve done this before. The last couple of times they used our kids as the bait with “education” tax increases which we crushed at the ballot box.

They call this The Washington Monument Gambit.

I can’t help but think this kind of crap is why Trump won. Republicans get played into growing government rather than making tough calls on spending priorities.

Apparently, the legislature can’t reallocate 2% of their budget to the core function of roads. That’s all it would take. If you needed to reallocate 2% of your budget, could you?

Stay tuned on this one.

Senior Energy Policy Analyst Michael Sandoval took a trip to East High School in Denver (we thought to finally get his G.E.D., but no) to teach three classes about energy policy in Colorado. That’s right, we’ve finally infiltrated the schools. This was a tremendous opportunity for us, especially in a day and age when “wind farms good, coal bad” seems to be the only line that students hear. Michael provided them with an honest look at Colorado’s energy situation, and, more importantly, encouraged them to do their own research, think for themselves, and enter the discussion around energy with an open mind.

Watch out, Ross Izard is on his way to East High too, to discuss school choice and education in Colorado (and likely make some money buying beer for minors).

TABOR-haters have decided to punish citizens for working hard. House Bill 17-1187 proposes changing the basis of the state revenue cap from population plus the rate of inflation to personal income. Meaning, the harder you work and the more hours you clock at your job (or jobs), the faster state revenue grows. Linda Gorman explains the scope of the consequences here.

Trent England, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, will be in town March 14th to speak on the Electoral College’s strengths and weaknesses. Join us from 7-8:30 PM to learn how this process – and the proposed elimination of it – is important to Colorado voters. Check out the event page to learn more or RSVP.

Dave Kopel, our resident 2nd Amendment expert, published an article in The Hill this week discussing why anti-gunners’ savaging of SCOTUS Nominee (and local Colorado Star) Judge Gorsuch is both unfair and inaccurate. Read the full story here.

Which is more infuriating to you: subsidies for rich white guys buying electric cars, or subsidies for rich movie directors (like Quentin Tarantino), or both? Weigh-in your thoughts on our weekly poll question here.

Studies show people who receive these email notes from Independence make better lovers. And isn’t that what the world needs?  So, spread the word and ask a friend to sign up here! (Bottom right corner where it says “Stay in the know”).

Think Freedom,

Jon Caldara