If you’re like most Coloradans, tough talk at the state Capitol over state budget woes has gone beyond annoying inside politics and now borders on political brinkmanship causing real pain for real families and residents.
This year, Republicans barely hold power in the state Senate, and Democrats hold the House and governor’s office. As usual, the two sides regularly fire away at each other, jostling for a way to score points with their bases and maybe sway critical independent voters their way.
The pre-legislative session political pillow fighting is usually little more than background noise as the state’s real agenda for the year falls into place.
Not this year. Republican Senate President Bill Cadman held a press conference last week to make it clear that he and fellow Republicans are willing to use Colorado’s now completely unworkable constitutional budget constraints in a dangerous game of political Battleship.
Cadman made it clear that redefining Colorado’s odd “hospital fee” program — created to help lower the cost of health care for all residents and shore up the state budget as Medicaid took a more prominent role in keeping hospitals from providing free services to the indigent — would not be in play. Cadman said the fee, generating hundreds of millions of dollars intended to offset Medicaid costs, could not and should not be exempted from Colorado’s freaky and noxious mix of constitutional amendments, such as the so-called Taxpayers Bill of Rights. He made it clear he would fight any bipartisan effort to sort the quagmire out. In short, it means that, once again, the state faces a huge budget shortfall while at the same time it’s being forced to “refund” tax revenues.
The bottom line is this: Money that could help offset a critical shortage of state road dollars, money for struggling public schools, public safety, health care and skyrocketing college tuition at state colleges, is being used as a political toy.
It’s shameful and will cause real pain to real families in Aurora and all over the state.
Cadman and some Republicans say they won’t even entertain the idea of logically working to “de-Bruce” the fees, like so many similar funds and problems that have been handled in the past, by Republicans and Democrats alike.
State government is not a political toy for tea-party strategists. People lose their lives in Colorado because of traffic congestion and poor road maintenance. Livelihoods are lost or held back because of unaffordable college tuition or underfunded public schools.
At the same time Colorado’s economy makes this state one of the most vibrant, promising places in the world to live, work, learn or run a business. Foolish games like this jeopardizes all of that.
In the words of a famous Colorado Republican who knew what good state government was all about, state Sen. Al Meiklejohn regularly said, “Public debt is either on the books or in your streets. Take your pick.”
There is no free lunch, free roads, free schools, cops, colleges or health care. To remain a great state, we must pay the cost, and this chiseling, dangerous game of “how low can you go” might be OK for Texas and Mississippi, but this is Colorado, and we should mean to keep it that way.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle must act responsibly, not politically during this legislative session. Too much is at stake.
Senate Minority Leader Lucia Guzman, D-Denver, said she was “astonished” in response to Cadman’s stance.
“Passing a balanced budget that addresses the needs of Coloradans is our most important responsibility, and yet, it’s being held hostage by politics,” Guzman said. “When you’re the majority party in the Senate, Coloradans expect you to lead. As the minority party, we are prepared to do so, and hope Republicans in the majority rise to the occasion.”
I’m all for TABOR and the right of residents to vote on tax increases and new taxes. But the way the legislature has decided to distribute rebates is grossly unfair … so may as well let the government keep the rebates for roads and schools. The most fair way to distribute rebates would be in direct proportion to income, with an income cap of perhaps $200,000 where the proportionality would end or rebates cease.
“So may as well let the government keep the rebates for schools” because the method to distribute rebates is “grossly unfair”. Spoken like a true TABOR man.
Naw … a generous TABOR man.
Sounds good. The only problem is TABOR is not generous. It is a conservative boondoggle. The time has come to get rid of it.
Your article, Sentinel EB, says ‘no free lunch, no free housing, no free anything’ but, then goes on to say ‘this is real pain for families and children’ Meaning, ‘DON’T TAKE AWAY OUR FREE STUFF’ You can’t have it both ways, stop the ‘free stuff’ now. Just as our federal budget (?), we continue borrow (now approaching $19 TRILLION) to give money away we don’t have and never did.
The usual noise from an overstuffed goat who has his and to hell with those in need. His cushy life style and brand X political tripe go hand in hand.