Politics...As Usual: Coloradans Left in the Dark
According to the Colorado State Statute, bills are required to be introduced within the first few weeks of the legislative session unless they have been approved by House and Senate leadership to have a late or delayed introduction. The introduction deadlines ensure transparency, allowing stakeholders to provide indispensable feedback.
SB23-303 Reduce Property Taxes And Voter-approved Revenue Change was introduced on May 1, eight days before the end of session. Those of us in the Colorado House of Representatives did not see the bill until Cinco de Mayo Saturday. From there, the bill entered the House Appropriations Committee, bypassing other House committees. If legislators were briefed on this bill just before they voted on it, exactly how much notice did constituents receive to offer testimony during committee hearings? For those of us who live in Southern Colorado, where a drive to The Capitol can exceed six hours, attending these “hearings'' would have been impossible.
Why are stakeholders crucial to the legislative process? While your elected officials are in their positions to provide a voice for your district at the State level, the members of the General Assembly are only 100 people out of Colorado’s 5.9 million residents. Stakeholdering bills is necessary to create a wealth of knowledge from diverse life experiences and to ensure that the Colorado Legislature remains the People’s Legislature.
When we, in the House of Representatives, were asked to vote to approve Senate Amendments in the Third Reading of SB23-303 on the final day of session, the Majority Party used their power to limit our discussion. I joined your House Minority Party in a walkout protest.
The valid concerns we raised regarding the motivation and execution of this bill were trivialized and slighted.
On Election Day this November, Coloradans will decide the future of our TABOR refunds and government spending. Not only does a no vote protect Coloradans from losing their refunds and limit government spending, but it also tells Governor Jared Polis that we do not accept the clandestine tactics used to pass this legislation. I urge you to vote no on Prop. HH Representative Ty Winter, Trinidad Is humanity predisposed to hate?
It sure seems so. Many platforms and ideologies seem only to survive or exist and thrive because they are based on the complete requirement for a group to hate something, someone, or a group of someone's. The Clan, the Nazis, Hamas, Hezbollah, some Democrats, some Republicans, and people who just need to feel superior to others or others who don't look or think like them. I, being a died in the wool Libertarian have little or no understanding why we need to hate. I dislike or disagree with some people and groups, Because I don't agree with their ideology or how they act or believe, is this dislike or disagreement actually hate? I don't think so as I believe disagreement can lead to honest discussion. Sadly, Millennial's might say so, from the safety of their need for safe places and inability to freely discuss most subjects without rolling into a ball like a rollie Pollie bug. Can others or groups of others change and elevate dislike or disagreement to full hate? Or does it take an element of jealousy for what others have been able to achieve to create hate? To me the saddest creator of fullblown hate is religion or the complete misrepresentation of that same religion. All I really see is the US and the world could easily implode and end life as we know it if we don't take a step a back and recreate a life of civility, understanding, and hope. This would take all parties to agree.
We need to start somewhere and here seems like as good of place and time as any.
Steve LaHue Colorado City
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