Last week, we talked about a bill headed for the House Finance Committee, House Bill 1129, which would have tipped bidding preference in state contracts to bids that use domestic materials and labor, as well as veteran-owned companies. The latest version of the “Buy American” bills we’ve seen a few times in recent years, HB11-1129 was designed with previous objections removed–this version was written to be compatible with free trade treaties, for example, a big (and valid) objection lodged against the bill in prior years. But the latest version died just the same last week in the GOP-controlled House Finance Committee.
If you’re looking for a good reason why this latest bill was killed by Republicans on the House Finance Committee, though, we’re sorry to tell you you won’t find it in the audio of the hearing. Go ahead and try to figure out what Rep. Kevin Priola’s objection was from this audio clip:
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Or, tell us what Rep. Libby Szabo is talking about, um, at all:
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Both Rep. Priola and Rep. Szabo say that “the government” should not be “picking winners and losers.” Neither of them seem to want to articulate what that actually means. Rep. Szabo says “the market” should pick the winners and losers. Rep. Priola has a really awesome point to make about Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, but sadly, we don’t get to hear it.
We’re going to get forced Atlas Shrugged comparisons in every House legislative hearing for the rest of the year, aren’t we? No chance they’ll stop if we promise to watch the movie?
Bad fiction aside, both of them seem untroubled by the fact that this bill was about the awarding of state government contracts. It was about “picking winners and losers,” because that’s what happens with contract bids. What’s more, the main provision of the bill, preference for Colorado workers, kicked in in the event of a tied low bid–”the market” was still very much in control. Once you get past one or two very simple questions, it becomes painfully obvious that they are simply not offering a rational basis for opposing this bill. It’s just a bunch of mindless jargon.
But we can tell you that House Bill 1129 will live on in the form of attacks next year on legislators who opposed it, especially top targets like Priola and Szabo. The weak minded talking points they relied on to kill the bill might not work against mailers charging they voted “against Colorado jobs” in clear terms. And the fact checkers won’t be able to call it untrue.
Better hope that’s a really great movie.
If there was a way to limit out-of-state contributions.
Out of state contributions seem justified for federal level as the make up of uS Congress affects us all but why shouldn’t there be a limit to out of contributions to state level elected officials?
Have no limits, in state or out. Colorado state campaigns have the same donation limits regardless of where the donor is located.
Government will never pick in-state winners over out-of-state losers as long as all the money comes from elsewhere.
It’s sad to send our tax money out of state, or worse, out of the country.
Just wanted to provide a clarification b/c the way you worded it made it sound like campaigns have no limit on out of state donations. 527′s can get money from anywhere and plenty of it comes from CO.
If anybody’s wording is confusing its yours, Ben.
I assumed you would never have an exact match
and her third rate, clunky, pedestrian, dialectic sermons disguised as novels have made a lot of people do and say a lot of stupid things. Like educators assigning one or two of them in classes purported to be about studying great literature.
Yeah, really great: Dull as dishwater prose, cardboard characters plugged into plodding plots, the sole purpose of the whole sorry enterprise being to illustrate ideological points, the ideology itself being a crock in the first place. She sure got a lot of miles out of being in the right place at the right time with no discernable literary talent.
I’ll grant her cultural significance (heck, I’ll grant Sarah Palin’s cultural significance) but don’t understand what business she ever had sharing space with great writers in literature classes.