Amendment 66 Heads To The Ballot

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by: Colorado Pols

FOX 31's Eli Stokols reports, an autumnal battle royale awaits after the recalls:

The proposal to raise income tax rates to generate nearly $1 billion annually to fund a new public education financing model will be on the November ballot, the Secretary of State’s office announced Wednesday.

Initiative 22 will allow voters to decide on whether to approve a two-tiered rate hike to help fund full day kindergarten statewide, along with a number of other reforms.

Moving forward with the blessing of Gov. John Hickenlooper, Amendment 66 is quickly shedding any remaining stigma attached to 2011's failed Proposition 103. Proposition 103 failed in part due to concerns that it wouldn't raise enough revenue to address the longstanding problem of adequately financing education in Colorado. Amendment 66 is not a "band aid," but the most ambitious and comprehensive attempt yet to settle the problem of school finance for the long term. And even after passage, Colorado would remain a low-tax state compared to much of the nation–that fact alone should give voters an idea of the hole the state needs to dig out of.

And in case you didn't know already, no one in Colorado politics gets vacations until mid-November.

13 thoughts on “Amendment 66 Heads To The Ballot”

n3b says:

September 4, 2013 at 4:39 pm

T-minus 2 months to the crash and burn. Democrats are so stunningly out of touch it's mind blowing.

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1. Davie says:
  
  September 4, 2013 at 5:37 pm
  
  I can see your point of view.
  
  An educated citizenry would cut into the GOP voter base.
  
  And even worse, when they entered the workforce, they'd demand more that minimum wage, cutting into those executive bonuses.
  
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2. roccoprahn says:
  
  October 3, 2013 at 2:33 pm
  
  Hey numbnuts, have you researched the Sandy Relief Legislation yet? lamborn, tipton, coffy, and gardner all "nays" on a package LESS than what these beanbags are asking for now!
  
  Must not have. Another pointless dumbass post.
  
  What's "stunning" is that you actually haven't figured out that the teabag 40 PROMISED this shut down when they oozed into the House after the '10 disaster.
  
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  1. BlueCat says:
    
    October 3, 2013 at 2:41 pm
    
    And there they are, gleefully talking to cheering supporters about how they will shut the government down on miles of video going back to their campaigning days. I have a feeling n3b is going to be spending a lot of time feeling stunned going forward.
    
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davebarnes says:

September 4, 2013 at 7:04 pm

DOA.
The 2-tier tax rate will kill it.

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1. Phoenix Rising says:
  
  September 4, 2013 at 8:05 pm
  
  Hint: there are far more people paying the lower tier than the higher one.
  
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  1. davebarnes says:
    
    September 5, 2013 at 7:38 am
    
    And, how many lower-income people vote to support/increase Republican-proposed tax breaks for millionaires?
    
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    1. BlueCat says:
      
      October 3, 2013 at 2:32 pm
      
      Way too many. I've canvassed in so many neighborhoods with beat up pick ups parked outside of little run down houses and with nothing but GOP candidate and issue signs on the lawns. The social issues, gays, abortion, etc. have been used to get these people to vote to support the million-billionaires. Playing on racism has also helped the GOP with low income whites. But so many also were voting R so their income taxes wouldn't be raised.
      
      They had no idea that they weren't making enough to pay more than a tiny amount, if anything after various deductions and credits, in federal income taxes. They had no idea that practically everything they payed was in the payroll tax that the wealthy only have to pay on a small portion of their income while Joe Sixpack has to pay his share on everything. If he's self employed, even more.
      
      They didn't know that many of them were in the 47% of Romney defined takers, in spite of all the taxes they paid, because those taxes weren't income taxes. They all assumed they were among Romney's upright taxpayers.
      
      They didn't know that the only tax break the GOP was against was the payroll tax break and that they were actually paying lower taxes under Obama while that break was in place or that the break was ended as a concession to their precious GOP in negotiations. Probably think it was those skyrocketing income taxes again.
      
      They had no idea that, if Rs like Tanc had their way, there wouldn't be any public education and the vouchers they would get wouldn't be anywhere near enough for the kind of education the affluent could afford for their kids with their discount coupon vouchers enabling them to pay for expensive private schools more easily.
      
      They don't know that the one thing we've always been so proud of, American upward mobility, barely exists anymore, that the European countries so many of our ancestors immigrated from to have that opportunity now have considerably greater upward mobility rates than we do. Too many of them see upward mobility as something that happens if you win the lottery and when that happens they don't want to pay more taxes.
      
      They believe that if taxes are raised at all it will cost jobs and even that high taxes are why jobs are scarce right now. They don't know that taxes are at near historic lows already. They don't know how much higher taxes were when there were plenty of good jobs, that it's just a scam to get them to vote themselves farther away from the American dream while a tiny elite collects all the profits.
      
      Unfortunately, low income white Republican voters who get screwed the most by GOP policy are among the lowest info voters and have been manipulated and misinformed into thinking that the GOP is on their side. It's very sad.
      
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2. DavidThi808 says:
  
  September 4, 2013 at 8:34 pm
  
  I'll be paying the higher rate. And I'll support it.
  
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  1. Phoenix Rising says:
    
    September 4, 2013 at 9:56 pm
    
    I'll be with you on that, David. I'd gladly pay more money so that more kids in this state could receive the quality education I had when I was growing up in PA.
    
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    1. philo99 says:
      
      October 8, 2013 at 5:42 pm
      
      Now we all know this Amendment has no chance of of passing. So instead of waiting for the vote why don't you just go ahead and donate some of your money right now? Why do you need a law to force you to do the right thing?
      
      Stop being so greedy and give to those in need.
      
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MADCO says:

September 4, 2013 at 8:19 pm

Well, at least we can fully expect everyone who said then it doesn't do enough, so I gotta vote no will be in favor.

Unless they also said money never improved education and never can. In which case saying then that it doesn't do enough was just….pointess.

Of course, money is necessary to fund education. Of course there is a funding level below which things get worse. and above which things improve. Some things we do know:

– Tom Tancredo favors eliminating pubilcly funded education. P-20 and everything in between.

– no Republican candidate in Colorado, at any level, as endorsed a tax increase.

– The Governor is taking a gutsy principaled stand in favor. I remain skeptical that the deal will be sold, but I also was skeptical about the skinny newcomer from Springfield winning the D primary let alone getting the funny shaped office.

ps: it's really a 3-tier (none, lower rate, higher rate)

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MrJTP says:

October 3, 2013 at 1:26 pm

I will vote NO. After helping my children navigate a school system in Colorado which was rated above average, and seeing how unconcerned the teaching staff was about student progress, I will not vote for any amendment that funds our schools without also getting rid of tenure and including a firm teacher evaluation system.

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