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Caldara’s Newsletter 03-23-17

Caldara’s Newsletter 03-23-17

Lately, I have felt very loved by the editorial section of the Denver Post!

Regarding our proposal to force the state legislature to do their damn jobs and Fix Our Damn Roads by re-prioritizing an obscene, unimaginable 2% of the budget towards roads, the editorial board wrote, “What our bungled state budget doesn’t need is another unfunded mandate. We should be repealing things that require spending without revenue sources.” That’s interesting because, if memory serves, they supported both Amendment 23, the unfunded mandate for education spending, and Medicaid expansion responsible for driving our budget off a cliff.

Then, columnist, talk-show host, and all around talented pundit-hottie Krista Kaffer suggested our effort might help legislators tube their 21% tax increase idea. She wrote, “The Independence Institute filed a new ballot initiative, called Fix Our Damn Roads, to require the Colorado legislature to allocate existing funds in the state budget to pay for roads rather than raise taxes. With a wink and a smile, the gesture sends a more powerful message than a policy white paper could… Is it a coincidence that lawmakers are now considering other legislative options to the tax increase?”

Later, Denver Post editorial board member Megan Schrader mocked our proposal, saying, “It can be fun to go through a budget with a red pen and strike with reckless abandon all that seems unnecessary. And there are probably a few easy targets deserving of strike-through. But it’s not really a helpful exercise. Enter the Fix Our Damn Roads plan courtesy of Jon Caldara and the Independence Institute.” Funny how when the left calls for more revenue, their reports are scripture. Yet the hundreds of pages of detailed budget savings analysis in our Citizens’ Budgets and other reports are done in “crayon.”

The Denver Post only told one side of our recommendation to end the Colorado Energy Office in order to make room for roads. Executive Vice President Amy Oliver Cooke responded to the Denver Post’s “parental advice” by explaining what is glaringly wrong with the view that the government should spend our money to mitigate a problem they caused.

As if the Post doesn’t have enough problems, you should know that I write for them, too. And people wonder why their circulation is down. Read why I think Transparency is for Government, Privacy is for People.

Sherrie Peif, our Complete Colorado and capitol beat reporter, is shaking things up in Douglas County with her breaking story regarding a fake Facebook account aimed at deceiving parents about charter schools. Though the creators of the page remain anonymous, the support of other well-known activists have some worried that this could indicate a larger political effort to destabilize pro-charter school folks before the 2017 election. Read Sherrie’s full report here.

Representative Paul Lundeen came down to the Freedom Embassy to appear in our latest Freedom Minute video where he makes the case for his bill that would shorten the Colorado legislative session. The Colorado Statesman featured Lundeen’s performance in this article.

Rob Natelson, our resident expert in constitutional jurisprudence, was published this week in The Hill – a leading political news site based out of Washington, D.C. His article discusses the option to hold a convention for proposing amendments. This little-known constitutional reform mechanism is a safe, well-honed, and effective way for the states to bypass congress. Read about it here.

Finally, go check us out on Facebook.

Think Freedom,

Jon Caldara