Category Archives: Colorado Senate

Hidden Camera: Morse Recall Training at Kennedy Enterprises

6
  by: Colorado Pols Sun April 28, 2013 at 12:18 PM MDT

Must-see video just forwarded to us–an apparent hidden camera film of a training session at the Colorado Springs office of Kennedy Enterprises last week for petition gatherers working to recall Sen. President John Morse.

As we reported Friday, a large infusion of funds from as-yet unknown sources has brought one of the state's most shady (and successful) paid petition gathering companies, responsible for controversial petition efforts in support of Doug Bruce's "Bad Three" anti-tax initiatives among many other examples, into the until-now rag tag effort to recall Colorado legislators in retaliation for gun safety bills signed into law this year.

As this three minutes and twenty seconds of video makes crystal-clear, the petition campaign against Morse is now in the hands of 100% non-ideological mercenaries, whose only interest is successfully getting the issue they are paid to promote on the ballot–in this case, Morse's recall. They flat-out admit as much 0:27 into this video:

This is what we do for a living. We travel around the country, we go from city to city, state to state, we put issues and candidates on the ballot for basically anybody who has money. [Pols emphasis]

The trainer, who identified himself as Tracy Taylor of an unnamed national petition company, proceeds to explain briefly what the petition is about, then gets into details about the pay structure. It's quick cash for petition gatherers–whatever they produce over the weekends gets turned in on Monday, and they are promised a check by the following Thursday. Taylor concludes by noting his close ties to Dan Kennedy of Kennedy Enterprises where this training was held. 

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Full story: Hidden Camera: Morse Recall Training at Kennedy Enterprises

BREAKING: Mystery Recall Money Arrives, Paid Drive Begins

14
  by: Colorado Pols Fri April 26, 2013 at 12:26 PM MDT

Over the last few weeks, we've been talking about the incipient recall campaigns against several Colorado legislators in the wake of passage of gun safety legislation this year. There hasn't been much good to report on the recall campaigns so far, with public leaders and visible organizing efforts both revealing themselves to be, to put it charitably, less than ready for prime time. Our assessment of the potential success in getting any of these recall campaigns on the ballot has been pretty dim up to now.

That's about to change.

We've just learned that one of the most prominent (and ethically questionable) petition signature gathering firms in Colorado, Kennedy Enterprises, has been hired to take over petition drives for some or all of the recall campaigns presently underway. This new development has not yet been reflected in spending disclosure forms, but should be public knowledge in the next week. It's not known yet which of the recall campaigns that have been filed will be taken over by Kennedy, but this represents a major development: an outside capitalization by unknown funders of what had been an amateur and disorganized effort…

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Full story: BREAKING: Mystery Recall Money Arrives, Paid Drive Begins

Reporters Need To Know Who (And What) They’re Talking About

10
  by: Colorado Pols Thu April 25, 2013 at 8:42 AM MDT

After some six hours of debate that lasted well into the evening yesterday, House Bill 1303, the Voter Access and Modernized Elections Act, passed the Senate State Affairs Committee on a party-line vote. Having passed the House, the bill appears increasingly certain to become law–that is, after Republican legislative opponents and Secretary of State Scott Gessler take as much time as possible outlining various disastrous consequences they foresee. We distinguish Republican legislators and Gessler from Republicans generally, because Republican opposition to House Bill 1303 is far from unanimous: county clerks from across the state, including many Republicans, support the bill.

The testimony against House Bill 1303 consisted of Gessler's by-now familiar compliants about "not being consulted" on the bill, and "ordinary citizens" worried about the prospect of "voter fraud." As The Denver Post's Joey Bunch breathlessly reported last night, at least one very dramatic charge of voting fraud involving University of Colorado students was made by a witness:

Much of the opposition testimony was from people who said they were worried about fraud, if same-day registration is allowed. Much of the testimony in Wednesday night’s 6-hour hearing matched that of a seven-and-a-half hour hearing last week, but the tales of past voter fraud by regular citizen was alarming. [Pols emphasis] Russell Hass [sic-Pols] of Golden, for instance, said he knew of University of Colorado students living in a hotel in Wisconsin to qualify to vote there in a tight election. Their expenses were paid by a rich person in Aspen he said.

Russell Haas is very well-known in Jefferson County Republican circles. Joey Bunch should have noted that, but since he didn't spell Haas' name correctly it's a safe bet Bunch didn't know who this guy was. Haas was in fact the registered sponsor of Amendment 61, one of the "Bad Three" anti-tax initiatives masterminded by Douglas Bruce. During the long legal battle over Bruce's secret donations to that campaign, Haas racked up thousands of dollars in fines for failing to disclose Bruce as the funder of the initiative–fines that Scott Gessler later slashed to $50.

Now there's some backstory that Joey Bunch should have included in his "alarming" report, don't you think? Safe to say, a role model for honest dealing in politics and elections Russell Haas is not.

And then there's the matter of Haas' allegation. Folks, we certainly are not aware of any group of University of Colorado students "living in a hotel in Wisconsin to qualify to vote there in a tight election." We know nothing about a "rich person in Aspen" funding such an effort. Given the stiff penalties for and limited utility of individual voter fraud, this seems most unlikely, but if it were true, we believe it would be a nationwide story. In fact, what seems impossible is the idea that every conservative media outlet in America would not be shouting that from the rooftops if there were even the smallest shred of evidence to support the claim.

But instead of badly-needed context, and an objective look at the allegation being made, in the state's newspaper of record we get this ridiculous pearl-clutching story lending "alarming" credibility to one of the least credible figures in Colorado politics–and uncritically reprinting a wild allegation with absolutely zero supporting evidence.

It's an excellent example of lazy journalism becoming downright irresponsible.


Full story: Reporters Need To Know Who (And What) They’re Talking About

Photos: A Few Dudes Working Hudak Recall Beat

22
  by: Colorado Pols Sat April 20, 2013 at 3:57 PM MDT

recallhudakyahoos

Photos from a short while ago today at the intersection of 80th and Wadsworth Blvd. in Arvada, adjacent to and in the parking lot of the local Safeway. Our source reports a four-person crew soliciting signatures to recall Sen. Evie Hudak–three are visible in the photos above, with another standing back in the parking lot with the petition forms themselves. In the thirty minutes our source claims to have loitered across the street, they say they saw one person actually stop and sign the petition. To be fair, there were apparently some additional number of supportive honks and waves, though those of course don't count. Signatures are what count.

It's tough to judge the success of the longshot and already dubious campaign to get these recalls on the ballot–let alone a successful recall election–from a few anecdotal photos. But we can't call ourselves very impressed.


Full story: Photos: A Few Dudes Working Hudak Recall Beat

Checking in on Key 2014 Legislative Races

1
  by: Colorado Pols Fri April 19, 2013 at 12:19 PM MDT

With the legislature still in session (and candidates limited in the amount of money they can raise in the meantime), the Q1 reports for State House and Senate races are pretty sparse. But there are still a few interesting races that are worth watching at this point, including primary contests for the right to succeed House Speaker Mark Ferrandino and Senate President John Morse, both of whom are term-limited in 2014.

You'll recognize a couple of familiar names on this list, such as former State Rep. Mike Merrifield and former State Sen. Tim Neville. Merrifield was a high-profile member of the House who was term-limited in 2010. Neville was a sitting Senator in SD-22 in 2011 and 2012, but his district was re-drawn in reapportionment, forcing him to wait for 2014 to run in the re-drawn SD-16 (currently held by Sen. Jeanne Nicholson). Alec Garnett is the current Executive Director of the Colorado Democratic Party (until July) and the son of Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett.

Fundraising numbers after the jump…

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Full story: Checking in on Key 2014 Legislative Races

When The Sheriff Is The Fringe

10
  by: Colorado Pols Wed April 17, 2013 at 9:36 AM MDT

We were recently forwarded copies of the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners candidate questionnaire for 2010 candidates for county sheriffs, with some responses from now-incumbent sheriffs. As you are probably aware, an ad hoc coalition of county sheriffs is threatening to sue, along with the right-wing Independence Institute, to block the two principal gun safety bills passed in Colorado this year.

County sheriffs, appearing on television and at hearings in uniform, have formed a major front in the Republican attack on these bills. Insofar as these are sworn law enforcement officers, they are automatically, and rightly, given a degree of credibility.

Based on the RMGO questionnaires we're looking at, some of these sheriffs, including some of the most prominent in the gun safety battle, do not deserve that credibility.

rmgocooke1

Weld County Sheriff John Cooke, the husband of the Independence Institute's Amy Oliver Cooke, has emerged as one of the most vocal opponents of House Bill 1229, requiring background checks on most transfers of guns.

cookeloophole

As you can see in his 2010 RMGO questionnaire, Cooke also supports the repeal of Amendment 22, the law passed in the aftermath of the mass shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, closing the so-called "gun show loophole" and requiring checks for gun show sales. Amendment 22 passed in 2000 with fully 70% of Colorado voters in favor. Today, even the NRA's president says this was "reasonable," although they opposed it at the time.

Folks, understand what this means. Sheriff Cooke is distantly out on the fringe of the gun policy debate, far more than the news coverage of his opposition to these bills suggests. This man wants to repeal settled and uncontroversial law for the overwhelming majority of Coloradans, passed in response to one of the state's most horrific tragedies. If viewers knew that about Sheriff Cooke, they might honestly wonder why he has that badge.

Check out the rest of Cooke's RMGO questionnaire here. And stay tuned, because we have more on the way. In the case of many of these elected county sheriffs, what we have are politicians first, and lawmen second. In some cases, lurking behind that badge are some highly irresponsible politicians.


Full story: When The Sheriff Is The Fringe

Video: Sens. Renfroe, Lundberg on “Holocaust Awareness Week”

14
  by: Colorado Pols Tue April 16, 2013 at 12:17 PM MDT

A video clip we wanted to be sure got noted in the record, from last Thursday's discussion of Senate Joint Resolution 026, designating last week "Holocaust Awareness Week" in Colorado. The resolution passed unanimously, of course, but not before these…memorable statements from GOP Senators Scott Renfroe of Greeley and Kevin Lundberg of Loveland.

RENFROE: The question is, do we learn from history, or do we allow it to repeat itself on many fronts within this. For me, what comes to my mind, this is my personal beliefs, when we have this day and what–and I'll be honest with you what comes to my mind first, and this is going to offend some, but it's me being honest and blunt and truthful with you. In my opinion, abortion is a Holocaust. [Pols emphasis] (Brief applause)

And I can't stop but think of that every day, every time we have this resolution, of what we are doing within our backyard, down the block, in our communities, with life and not respecting life in my opinion…

History repeats itself. And I pray that we can learn from our history and from this history and not allow that to happen.

LUNDBERG: It doesn't happen all at once. Respect for human rights, respect for life, respect for those who we as a legislature are charged with securing their rights isn't always there…

I cannot remain silent after this person, this American patriot, who spoke to me–warned me–that what I see today is far too close to what I saw in Germany growing up before the Holocaust. [Pols emphasis]

With Sen. Renfroe's comments, it's a pretty clear statement: "abortion equals Holocaust." We're a little less sure what Sen. Lundberg is getting at, seemingly going beyond the one issue of "protecting life" into a bunch of other "rights," human and, well, otherwise. He doesn't actually enumerate the "rights" he is referring to. We're going to go out on a limb here and suggest that one of them probably involves guns.

It's a common problem with historical events that the farther back in history they become, and as those who actually witnessed said events pass on, they tend to become, well, cheapened, we guess, by politically opportunistic or just plain irresponsible members of subsequent generations.

We wish that our elected Colorado legislators would not be the ones to do this.


Full story: Video: Sens. Renfroe, Lundberg on “Holocaust Awareness Week”

Where’s “easy-to-vote” Gessler now?

1
  by: Jason Salzman Mon April 15, 2013 at 1:27 PM MDT

Scott Gessler likes to soften his dissonant accusations of voter fraud by saying his job, as Secretary of State, is to make it "easy to vote but tough to cheat."

As Gessler told the Conservative Political Action Committee in October:

And I think most people would agree that when it comes to elections, it should be easy to vote but tough to cheat. And, you know, I’m focused on both efforts.

Actually, if you listen to Gessler, you know he delivers the "easy-to-vote, tough-to-cheat" line all the time.

What's Gessler thinking about the "easy-to-vote" part of the deal now, as country clerks have initiated a bill, currently making its way through the State Legislature, that would make voting easier and elections more efficient?

He's opposing the legislation for a number of reasons, one of which is his belief that Democrats are instituting a "partisan advantage," even though academics agree that voter conveniences, such as election-day and early registration, for example, do not favor one party over the other.

In response to Mike Rosen's assertion on KOA last week that Democrats will get more votes if they "make it easier for casual and lazy voters to vote," Gessler said, "You know, I think there's evidence to support that."

Rosen didn't question Gessler. Why would he, since they echo in the same chamber.

So we need a journalist to find out from Gessler 1) where is his evidence that voter conveniences produce partisan results, 2) why it matters anyway, unless he's against voting, and 3) why he's against key elements of an election bill that would do what Gessler says he wants–make voting easier?


Full story: Where’s “easy-to-vote” Gessler now?

Sen. Vicki Marble: The New Gold Standard For Crazy?

22
  by: Colorado Pols Mon April 15, 2013 at 9:12 AM MDT

We get a lot of email newsletter updates from Colorado legislators in both parties. Most of them are mundane and loaded with canned rhetoric about the legislative session, in between event announcements and other routine constituent communications. We've talked this year about, for example, false statements made in legislative communications about gun safety bills, but controversy in these newsletters can safely be considered the exception, not the rule.

Having said that, the exceptions to this rule are generally highly notable. Back in 2006, a GOP legislator named Jim Welker made headlines for his immoderate newsletters, forwarding an article that claimed "President Bush is not to blame for the rampant immorality of blacks" following Hurricane Katrina among other offensive opinions. Welker's embarrassing episode led to tighter standards among Republicans, at least for a few years, for watching what they say in printed public communications.

Enter freshman Sen. Vicki Marble, who Friday evening may have sent the most unhinged rant we've seen from a Colorado legislator since Sen. Dave Schultheis' infamous remarks about hoping babies get AIDS–and not in a forwarded article either. These are her own words:

It seems Democrats will do anything to control the way our children learn, live, and even how they act in intimate relationships. [Pols emphasis] I would like to reference SB13-260 concerning the financing of public schools. This 27-page Bill includes the “Obama Pre-School Equip” program for four-year olds. It increases pre-school enrollment at a cost of $11.7 million and establishes reporting requirements for private pre-school providers. School districts do not approve of this and feel their programs are adequate for pre-school needs. This Bill contradicts Article IX, Section 2 (2012) of the Colorado Constitution which says the state "shall provide a system of free public schools throughout the state, wherein all residents of the state, between the ages of six and twenty-one years, may be educated gratuitously.”

Democrats are now referring to our children as property of “whole communities.” Last week, Melissa Harris-Perry, a touted professor at Tulane University endorsed the concept of human ownership. 

Harris-Perry stated stated that as a society, “we have to break through our [America’s] kind of private idea that kids belong to their parents or kids belong to their families and recognize that kids belong to whole communities. Once it is everybody’s responsibility and not just the household’s, then we start making better investments.” She then argued that the problem is, “we haven’t had a very collective notion of these are our [government’s] children.” To have a “collective notion” of ownership over our children is the very reason Democrats have dictated our parental rights through their party-line passage of perverse bills of this sort this Legislative Session.

Democrats have arrogantly assumed the role of demanding that they know best by controlling every aspect of our children’s lives. Have we as parents been devalued to the point that our government sees us purely as breeders in the process of raising our children? [Pols emphasis]

Hitler once said, “He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future.” He also said, “This new Reich will give its youth to no one, but will, itself, take youth and give to youth its own education and its own upbringing.” Under Communism our children, our property, and what we produce belongs to the state.

Under Communism our children, our property, and what we produce belongs to the state…

Democrats believe that the government is the solution. Republicans believe that the government can never be the sole solution in a republic. Our children are not government property…

First of all, anytime you are considering quoting Adolf Hitler to make a point…don't. Seriously. If you think you need a few Hitler quotes to make your argument pop, you should reassess your argument in general.

Now, we don't want to spend too much time on this promo spot from MSNBC weekend host Melissa Harris-Perry Sen. Marble is referring to, except to say that it's actually a fairly benign It Takes a Village-style platitude, and the insertion of "government" in brackets in Sen. Marble's version is wholly inferred–the word "government" doesn't even appear once in this ad. And of course, this MSNBC host, who we hadn't actually heard of prior to this newsletter, has no role in, or we assume even knowledge of, legislation being debated in Colorado.

But we really don't think Sen. Marble is concerned about the details.

Folks, this is a bill to increase preschool education funding. Not a bill to "control the way our children learn, live, and even how they act in intimate relationships." Not an endorsement of any "concept of human ownership." It does not mean that parents have been "devalued to the point that our government sees us purely as breeders." Marble clearly missed the point of the "community ownership" metaphor, and her breathless ability to misunderstand this fairly simple point is troubling at best.

The only way to look at this bill and see what Sen. Marble sees is to be crazy. And it should go without saying that this kind of rhetoric will not help the Republican Party as a whole appeal to voters who are not crazy.


Full story: Sen. Vicki Marble: The New Gold Standard For Crazy?

Meet Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America

7
  by: Colorado Pols Fri April 12, 2013 at 11:06 AM MDT

prattbrownUPDATE: Lynn Bartels of the Post updates with a quote from Lasamoa Cross, girlfriend of Aurora shooting victim A.J. Boik:

“At the time, pundits like Larry Pratt rushed in to do media tours claiming that the shooting was some kind of United Nations conspiracy,” she said, in an e-mail. “Now a bunch of fringe gun groups are bringing him into Colorado for a fundraiser. This is not only an insult to me, but shows how completely out of touch these guys are.”

—–

The Denver Post's Lynn Bartels posted a brief blog last night about an upcoming fundraiser in Durango for the group seeking the longshot recall of Rep. Mike McLachlan. Speaking at this fundraiser is one Larry Pratt, the director of Gun Owners of America. As Bartels reports, Pratt has a number of most immoderate viewpoints, including a theory that the shooter in the Aurora theater mass murder last summer "didn't act alone"–and that the killing was related to "the United Nations’ small-arms treaty negotiations." As Mother Jones reported at the time:

Larry Pratt—the president of Gun Owners of America, a far-right Second Amendment group that's backed by prominent people like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)—has a different theory. Pratt believes the timing of Holmes' rampage, which left 12 people dead and 58 wounded, seemed designed to coincide with the upcoming negotiation of the United Nations Small Arms Treaty. A press release sent out to radio bookers on Tuesday advertising Pratt's availability noted that, "In an article posted at The New American…one expert even outlined a theory that Holmes didn't act alone, but was possibly 'enlisted' to carry out his violent act." Pratt, the publicist stated, was free for interviews on Holmes' "impeccable" timing.

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Full story: Meet Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America

Video: GOP Sen. Vicki Marble’s Speech Against “Equal Pay Day”

23
  by: Colorado Pols Thu April 11, 2013 at 2:47 PM MDT

The above video was forwarded to us by a reader who was transfixed by the speech made Tuesday by Colorado Sen. Vicki Marble, in opposition to Senate Joint Resolution 13-027 designating April 9th, 2013 as "Equal Pay Day" in recognition of continuing gender income inequality. We apologize for the bad music, but the stats interspersed make a fine rebuttal to Sen. Marble's remarks. Of course, just listening to her ought to have that effect:

I can say that as a woman and the history of women in my family, we really haven't seen that this joint resolution and the designation of April 9th as Equal Pay Day in Colorado is something we're very familiar with…

Wage advantages for women are tremendous! For every two men who graduate college today, three women do. And college graduates earn almost $30,000 more per year on average than high school grads.

Some that I have found are, hit your hardships and mistakes head on. Take responsibility, and turn everything into a learning opportunity. Never walk by an open door without taking a look into its offerings.

I feel like we've outgrown the Equal Pay Act of 1963. This is 2013. And the women of today are stronger, and more capable and educated than ever. So I would say, we ought to celebrate that, and discontinue the victimization of women. [Pols emphasis]

"Victimization of women?" Was Sen. Marble talking about the billions women employees lose out on each year in Colorado compared to their male counterparts? Is it somehow possible that women college graduates make more than men (answer: they don't)? Maybe you're just not supposed to ask questions about what she meant. Like your crazy uncle, we don't think Sen. Marble is even interested in justifying this stuff.

But safe to say, this was a speech that won't win Republicans back any disaffected women.


Full story: Video: GOP Sen. Vicki Marble’s Speech Against “Equal Pay Day”

Republicans Wage Pre-Emptive War on Election Bill

10
  by: Colorado Pols Tue April 9, 2013 at 9:30 AM MDT

AP's Ivan Moreno:

[An election reform] bill of more than 100 pages is expected to be introduced this week, likely sparking a big partisan fight over whether the changes benefit one party over the other.

Supporters of the changes, which also include eliminating the so-called "inactive voter" status, say the goal is to make voting more accessible.

"I think people are like me, they just want people engaged in the Democratic process," said Democratic Sen. Angela Giron, one of the bill sponsors. She insisted they didn't exclude Republicans from the process.

Republican Secretary of State Scott Gessler, who oversees elections and has butted heads with Democrats on a range of issues, said the bill was "written in complete secrecy excluding anyone who may have a different point of view."

What we know about the legislation in question, expected to drop tomorrow, is that it makes a number of changes to Colorado's election system, with an eye toward resolving unintended barriers to voting, and modernizing procedures to reflect the fact that voting registration is no longer paper-based. With the ability to instantly verify a voter's status and voting history, many longstanding practices, like a deadline for voter registration weeks before the actual election, no longer make sense–and actually create impediments to perfectly legal, eligible voters.

So naturally, Republicans led by Secretary of State Scott Gessler are screaming bloody murder. 

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Full story: Republicans Wage Pre-Emptive War on Election Bill

Balmer, Guzman, Court and Coram Advance Sensible Dog Legislation

9
  by: ProgressiveCowgirl Mon April 8, 2013 at 1:19 PM MDT

Let's all take a moment today to recognize a piece of well-written, sensible legislation. SB 13-226, the "Dog Protection Act," is on its way to the Senate floor after receiving unanimous committee approval. Cosponsors in the Senate are David Balmer (R-Centennial) and Lucia Guzman (D-Denver). Their House counterparts are Lois Court (D-Denver) and Don Coram (R-Montrose). 

The proposed legislation reacts to a rash of dog shootings by law enforcement, characterized by pet dogs and service animals killed without giving owners a chance to contain their pets. Some such incidents were captured on video, showing no trace of aggression on the dog's part. Most police officers aren't animal behavior experts and may mistake a friendly greeting for an aggressive display. 

To reduce needless deaths of non-dangerous dogs, the Dog Protection Act empowers a twenty-three member volunteer task force to create training for law enforcement officers on dealing with dogs. The legislation requires that, in non-violent situations, law enforcement must give dog owners a chance to contain their dogs before using lethal force. This requirement allows for flexibility according to any exigencies present, such as whether officers are responding to a call involving a dog that has bitten a person. 

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Full story: Balmer, Guzman, Court and Coram Advance Sensible Dog Legislation

Gessler vs. Democracy

11
  by: Jason Salzman Mon April 8, 2013 at 12:09 PM MDT
Scott Gessler.

Scott Gessler.

Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler made the rounds on conservative talk radio last week to stir up opposition to expected legislation that would give us more options when it comes to voting, stuff like providing a mail-in ballot for every eligible voter.

Basically, the legislation would make sure Colorado uses modern technology and election procedures to give people more ways to cast a ballot and to participate in our elections. And Gessler wants to stop it.

Colorado already has "really good elections," Gessler said conservatives in talk-radio land, bragging about Colorado's higher turnout than other states.

But why not do better? Even in a good year, over one-third of the voting-age population in Colorado doesn't go to the polls.

And even if everyone voted, what's wrong with giving people safe and easy voting choices? The bill in the State Legislature not only mandates the mail-in option, but also allows us to drop off our ballots at service centers and, if pushing buttons is your thing, to vote in person on election day or prior to it.

Not to sound all high-minded, but isn't America about giving everyone a chance to have their voice heard at the ballot box? Isn't offering the most best voting options and voter registration a baseline manifestation of that ideal?

Obviously, it is, so it was supremely ironic to hear our state's top election official, who's in charge of encouraging people to vote, arguing against basic improvements in our election system. 

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Full story: Gessler vs. Democracy

Taxing (The Hell Out Of) Legal Weed

28
  by: Colorado Pols Mon April 8, 2013 at 8:07 AM MDT
The state gets a cut of the green.

The state gets a cut of the green.

AP's Kristen Wyatt reports via the Durango Herald:

A legislative panel decided Friday that marijuana in Colorado could be taxed at rates above 30 percent. But voters would have to OK the taxes, and some lawmakers fear the state’s tax-skeptical public could reject such high rates.

A House-Senate panel set up to propose marijuana regulations agreed to ask voters to approve a 15 percent excise tax, plus a 15 percent sales tax on the newly legal drug. If the full Legislature agrees, voters would be asked about the taxes in November. Commercial pot sales will begin in January…

Republican Rep. Brian DelGrosso said many who voted to make marijuana legal did so because of the potential taxes it could raise for schools. But he worried that even tax fans could pause at taxes in excess of 30 percent.

…But most of the panel agreed with the tax rates, pointing out that the Legislature could lower them later. The tax measure passed 8-2.

The fact that Rep. Brian DelGrosso is even talking about such a large proposed tax without invoking the Boston Tea Party reveals something very important about the debate over implementation of Amendment 64, passed last year legalizing the recreational possession and sale of marijuana in Colorado. For our part, we have consistently argued for as high a tax on legalized marijuana as can be levied–and it seems likely that voters will indeed approve a hefty tax on legal pot that they would never support for other commercially sold products.

But how much is too much, folks? We don't have a good sense of the answer to that question. As a vice product that has been illegal for many decades, and using the taxation of, for example, tobacco as a guide, one would think that the public would tolerate a tax on pot that doubled the retail price of the product or more. On the other hand, the easily-quantifiable public costs of tobacco use do not cleanly apply in the case of marijuana–at least not yet.

One thing we agree with Rep. DelGrosso on wholeheartedly is that Amendment 64 was approved by voters to produce revenue for the state, in addition to the goals of policy harm reduction and reasonable, enforceable laws. Despite our state's stoner reputation, we'd say many if not a majority of the voters who approved Amendment 64 are not themselves pot smokers. Those are the voters who need to feel confidence in this process.

And they're in this for the money.


Full story: Taxing (The Hell Out Of) Legal Weed