September 22, 2009 09:40 PM UTC

State Budget is Screwed Until At Least 2011

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• by: cunninjo

( – promoted by Colorado Pols)

I have noticed many of you here on ColoradoPols making various suggestions on how to fix the state budget. These ideas include a new ‘Ref-C’ type of ballot initiative, raising taxes and even calling for a constitutional convention. All of these require a ballot initiative. It’s just too bad it will be 2012 before anything will begin to patch our constitutional holes.

Legally, any ballot initiative whether it’s a new Ref-C, raising taxes or a constitutional convention cannot be placed on the ballot until November of 2010, and won’t go into effect until 2011. It would do nothing to help us in the current crisis.

Politically, the Democratic establishment WILL NOT support ANY controversial ballot initiative on the 2010 ballot. This is because they don’t want candidates to have to take a position on say a tax increase, nor do they want to spend money campaigning for such a measure in an extremely important election year (Can you say redistricting?). I know this from firsthand experience with a ballot initiative that I wrote this past spring. November of 2011 is the soonest any viable progressive measure will appear on a ballot.

In regards to what such a measure should look like, I have yet to hear any legitimate achievable ideas.

An extension of Ref-C will do exactly what Ref-C did. It will provide a temporary fix and after 3 years we will be calling for a new fix. What’s the point in spending so much time and money on a short-term solution.

I think a constitutional convention would go a long way. However, Republicans will never go along with it unless they are in power. Moderate voters would likely fear the politicization of the state constitution. I just don’t see enough people voting for it.

Tax increases will certainly help back-fill many of the cuts made, but Colorado voters typically shoot down any tax increase unless it has a specific purpose (i.e. FasTracks, TRex, etc). Simply saying ‘we need to increase state revenues’ will not be sufficient to pass on the ballot. Additionally, increasing taxes only solves the revenue problem. It does not solve contradictions in our state constitution and, again, will only be a temporary fix.

Personally, I think it will take many individuals with a whole lot of political courage to push for radical constitutional reform. In other words, we need to get rid of TABOR, specifically the requirement of voter-approved tax increases. We must restore some flexibility in the legislature and allow them to do the job we’ve hired them to do.

My suggestion to Ritter is to ignore the balanced budget requirement in the Constitution and say, that in his duty to protect the best interests of Colorado residents, the constitutional requirements bestowed on the state government are unachievable.

Why not? They’ve never met the Amendment 23 requirement to adequately fund K-12 education. If they can ignore that then why not ignore other requirements.