As the AP reports, who will weep for the author of Colorado’s iconic Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights? How ironic is a charge of tax evasion against Bruce, really? How much harder will this make it for the TABOR movement in other states?
Colorado anti-tax crusader Doug Bruce has been indicted for allegedly failing to pay his taxes.
Attorney General John Suthers announced Friday that a statewide grand jury returned the indictment against Bruce on Thursday.
He’s accused of failing to pay taxes on income earned during three years by moving money into a non-profit he founded.
Something tells us we’ll be savoring this irony, and talking about what might finally be Bruce’s much-anticipated fall, for some time. Even if smart local Republicans ditched him long ago.
(Mug shot public domain, courtesy Colorado Department of Law)
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Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Can he still contribute to and run referenda and amendments if he’s convicted?
…you can still collect rent when you’re in jail.
A desire to not pay any taxes. Yet he sure enjoys government providing services and a paycheck (when he can get it).
(smirk) to the (chuckle) charity he runs.
not the biggest douchebag in Colorado politics, but by far the biggest douchebag in this state period.
For a guy who pays no taxes, how much has his douchebaggery over the years cost our state ?
all the money spent on De-Brucing
Wasted salary as county commisionner
Wasted salary as state rep.
court fees
fees for process serving
fines levied on him as a slumlord
fees for ballot initiatives
and now, more court fees
and now, dept. of corrections
This state is so, so much worse off for having Doug Bruce. He is a truly pathetic man.
He not only failed to contribute (i.e. pay taxes), he ran up – and is running up – a very large bill that the rest of us get to contribute to the payment of. This list should be put in the form of an invoice and plastered everywhere. THIS is what small-government right-wingers are all about — except he put the cart before the horse — he stopped paying taxes before government had been shrunk small enough to drown in a bathtub.
(The following dance is unrelated to this story and has nothing to do with Doug Bruce or any candidate’s opinion of him. However, if you imagine they’re reacting to this news, it’s pretty funny.)
Ummm, I think you meant to post this video and not the “Doin’ the Dougie!”
JK. Your title made me think of this song right away.
Maybe we can integrate the two songs somehow!
But that’s a good song!
Saw the Joffrey in Billboards – yikes! Never knew the human body could move like that.
Love it!
asked and answered
It’s his dark and dangerous conservative soul.
Not to be that guy (the one with a degree in English who needs to remind everyone constantly what the precise definition of irony is), but…
I would think that discovering tax evasion from a guy whose sole mission in life is to oppose taxes is the opposite of irony. More like, “Oh yeah, that guy is the first one I’d suspect of tax evasion, how utterly natural and predictable.”
ahem, sorry
I was thinking about posting something similar, but you beat me to it.
I would bet that a huge chunck of anti-tax Tea Partiers are the very so-called “self-employed” small-business “owners” who wouldn’t know what a tax withholding form looked like if it hit them in the face.
I would also bet that hundreds of billions of dollars of tax revenues, if not more, went missing in action since Raegan from this sorry lot.
Is it any wonder that they hate and fear Obama and want to kill government at all levels?
If you consider that he is perhaps chiefly responsible for Colorado having taxes way below the national average, and wouldn’t even pay that, it’s pretty damn ironic if you ask me.
But I don’t have an English degree either. 🙂
that Bruce touts himself as a fiscal conservative yet his actions over the years have wasted hundreds of thousands of Colorado tax dollars ?
( and, no, no English degree here )
that such a witty bunch are unclear on the precise meaning of ironic.
But there is some irony that Bruce is all about the law and setting legal requirements concerning taxes and yet he’s not!
who don’t keep giant balls of string . . .
who get caught in men’s rooms trying to pick up strangers of the same gender
?
The IRS is now probably turning its eye on Bruce as well; if you’ve falsely filed state income taxes, what are the chances you’ve done the same federally?
I think a sequential set of sentences, one state, one federal, would suit Doug Bruce just fine.
C’mon he told us he was opposed to taxes.
Way to walk the talk Bruce.
Was Active Citizens Together the same group that avoided filing anything on the Dr. Evil amendments last year, too? Any chance this indictment stems from the seemingly toothless enforcement of Bruce’s role in the elections last year?
Oh, and PS – good on AG Suthers for taking on Bruce.
Just checked in to see what’s new before dinner in fron t of the Nuggets/OKC game. What a nice surprise! Ali is going to be sad but, what can we do, Ali? We can disagree about whether he’s a nice guy or a horrible person but if your friend’s a crook, he’s a crook.
Surely. Rather, Shirley.
https://www.coloradoattorneyge…
I suppose a Thai Festival is as good as any method of celebration.
After some of my celebratory drinks, I don’t spell so good.
Sorry, couldn’t resist
Given the State’s fiscal problems, should we consider establishing a contribution program to the AG to make sure there are adequate resources for a full prosecution? We don’t want to plea bargain to a lesser offense because we don’t have enough money to prosecute – although, there are probably at least 5 votes on the JBC for a supplemental appropriation.
Perhaps we can also contribute to incarceration in the event he gets prison time.
Outside of Ali I never heard a Republican off the record say anything positive about Bruce. And I did hear lots of snide comments. I think there’s bi-partisan joy over this.
(Apologies to Groucho Marx)
need feedback. Since Co cities, like Denver, have home rule; could we opt out of TABOR? Could a city wide initiative make tabor obsolete? If the major cities of Denver, Boulder and Ft Collins poked enough holes in tabor, wouldn’t an over all repeal be easier?
Most home rule municipalities have already opted out. Most school districts, most counties.
But no it doesn’t make a repeal easier.
In part because of the single subject rule, in part because of the perception (the mistaken perception) that parts of TABOR are ok.
Wait for it…any minute someone will chime in with lettingt he voters approve all tax increases is ok
It’s not ok. It’s direct democracy – which you may or may not recall, is unconstitutional. It’s not what the founders set up or envisioned at all.
I don’t mind that CO must balance the budget. There should be room to match debt liabilities with the assets they are purchasing – oh, there is. But why do we even have a legislature ? So they can argue about this or that mandate from DC? SO they can fool around with the daylight savings time and professional licensing of barbers and mortgage brokers?
The fundamental job of the legislature s to represent we the people to adopt a budget, and fund it accordingly. We’ve let our useless legislators off the hook – they don’t have to do the #1 job. We pay ’em anyway. We give em headlines and ooh and ahh when they decide some group of our neighbors should have less rights than others. But they are not legislating if they are not funding their budget
I want my state to be fully funded, and it can only happen with the repeal of TABOR. Legislatures shouldn’t have to chose between state parks and children’s lunches. There should be enough money in CO for both,
Oh, yeah, that guy from Texas. George somethinag or other.
here’s hoping that Dougie (who has a law degree and everything) goes to trial on this and represents himself. Hilarity ensues.
Douglas, since you’re out on bond now and may be reading this, don’t listen to this idiot.
Hire an attorney, but don’t hesitate to belittle him and ultimately fire him in open court. At the end of the day, you do have the option of using your diamond tip brain. I wouldn’t do it until you can prove how right you are though. Preferably with cameras rolling.
who will pay far more in taxes, than 1 Bruce.
ya’ll loves you some Doug Bruce, don’tcha?
At long last…justice is breathing down the neck of “the Douchebag who ate Colorado”. I lived to see it…yay!!
Good luck, Mr. Bruce. Say hi to all the guys in Canon City for us.
it would not be productive and, in fact, would cost we taxpayers a lot of money.
Cost and value are different things.
a requirement to donate a sum 3X what he ripped off to feed poor people or schools in the ghetto?
to put it in his own pocket
(yes, I know it wouldn’t apply in sentencing) I’ll go with the Graybar Hotel. Can we at least agree to hope that BJ learns from this so he doesn’t have to go also someday. You know, those guys who work with numbers like to play games with their adjusted gross income.
bull semen exemption to see lots of money spent on tormenting Dougy. (Besides, sticks are cheap — maybe we can just poke him repeatedly for a few centuries.)
After years of reading about his bizaare, narcissistic-driven clown shows and all of his inappropriate and borderline violent behavior, I can only conclude his mother dressed him up in girlie clothes when he was a child.
Bill Sizemore. If Sizemore gets indicted, you can bet Bruce wants to get indicted, too — and vice versa:
http://www.oregonlive.com/poli…
That’s carrying the role of doppelganger a bit too far.
(Wasn’t checking over the weekend)
Anyways – Doug is family and you stick by family during rough times
I haven’t spoken to Doug since finding out the news above and I’m praying that he’s found innocent – that said, if he’s at fault, I’ll be the first to ask my good friend (who I consider to be an uncle) to apologize to the taxpayers and serve out the penalty, with my friendship still intact – we live in a great country and I accept whatever the justice system delivers
Lastly, I can understand why many would celebrate this, and as a public figure, Doug should accept such criticism above – that’s what politics is all about – for what it is worth, Doug was one of the only GOPers who encouraged me to leave the Party and join the Democrats, so I’m doing my best to give everyone at least ONE reason to have ‘some’ good will for my Uncle Doug
Anyways – I know Doug well and I know he will vindicate himself – whether by proving innocence or by properly serving a penalty and apologizing
Love and peace all!
Everyone has a crazy uncle somewhere in the family.
But “whether by proving innocence or by properly serving a penalty and apologizing” leaves out the most likely possibility: hiring a very expensive lawyer and beating the rap.
Or, he’ll try to represent himself, which would add greatly to the entertainment factor.
Fact is, these kinds of cases are pretty easy to prove. You either filed returns or you didn’t.
He can try, and no doubt will, to show that the allegedly false return he filed was indeed accurate, but that’s the only wiggle room I see from the indictment.
Ali, you need to find a new “uncle.” I hear Wadhams is available.
After all, its only money.
he turns every penny he ever earned over to a public school and apologizes for trying to turn CO into Somalia; until then I think he is a self aggrandizing mean selfish prick.
….there’s an honest opinion 🙂
but you’ll have to forgive the rest of us Dems, as well as most indies and many others here, for feeling Bruce really doesn’t deserve it. Also for having so much fun with this. Also for hoping he’s found guilty and has to pay a stiff penalty. I doubt very much there will be any prison time involved but can’t deny joining so many others here in wishing that there would be. You get the idea. Once again, sorry, but only in reference to you, dear friend.
As said in the movie, Devil In A Blue Dress: “All you got is your friends”
And as I said above, Doug is more than open to criticism and I don’t hate anyone for making the comments above – if anything, it does clearly demonstrate that he’s had an effect on the populace
Otherwise – I think about you everytime I watch a Nuggets game! Hope to see you sometime this summer BC – with love – ALI
with number 4 seed. See you this summer, then.
To me, the Western Conference Finals is OKC vs Denver – those are the two best teams in the West
OKC beat us twice, but that was with Harrington at Center – I love our chances with Mozgov, Birdman, and Afflalo back in the in lineup
Honestly – this is OUR year
home and away, I’d like your chances.
Oh, and LA and San Antonio are the best teams in the west.
Nuggets way hotter than Spurs looking at last ten game record column for weeks. LA also coming in to playoffs with a lot of recent losses. We beat LA when they had everyone and we were without key players. Beat Spurs fair and square when all they were missing was Timmy. We’re a legit threat. Only one loss to OKC was by more than few points. We’re deep. Game on!
then I’ll be glad to see him exonerated.
But, Ali, the only reason he is so friendly to you is your signature line. When you begin to modify that, and I have no doubt you will at some point, he’ll drop you so fast your head will spin. As long as you endorse TABOR you endorse him making big bucks while renting slums. And, getting to keept it ALL.
🙂