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It seems to make sense to move judges from the current 18th Judicial District to the newly formed 23rd Judicial District. It also makes sense that they be required to reside in the 23rd Judicial District.
It is with extreme consternation that I am recommending a “NO” vote on Amendment E. I love our Veterans. I love our military. I love America and I love my Freedom. However, the American Ideal is that each individual is treated equally and impartially under the law. The men and women of our military have fought and died for this ideal.
The Colorado Homestead Exemption Law currently provides a property tax exemption for an owner-occupied residence of a qualifying senior or veteran with a disability (homestead exemption) that is equal to 50% of the first $200,000 of the actual value of the property. This law treats property owners unequally because it creates a tiered tax system. If lower taxes are helpful to seniors and disabled veterans, then lower taxes are good for everyone. Instead of carving out exemptions for certain groups of Coloradans over another, the better solution is to lower property taxes for everyone.
As a freedom girl, I would normally favor reducing the time-frame requirement for organizations operating games of chance. However, this amendment dictates the amount that a person may receive for participating in the management or operation of any such game. This is not appropriate as an amendment to our state Constitution.
Proposition FF is a bad idea.
Proposition FF is poorly written and very complicated. It is dishonest because, per the text of the bill, it does not provide healthy meals for all children. It pays for meals for some children. There are already many programs in place to feed hungry children.
Proposition FF is a massive $107,000,000 tax increase the first year and very possibly a higher tax increase in the future. This proposition is unfair as it does not treat taxpayers equally.
Proposition FF creates four new bureaucracies that are unelected and unaccountable to the people. These bureaucracies live off our tax dollars and receive a designated percentage of our tax dollars to run these bureaucracies. The Local School Food Purchasing Technical Assistance and Education Grant bureaucracy would issue a grant to a “chosen” non-profit to promote Colorado grown, raised, or processed foods. Additionally the department is authorized to seek and accept gifts, grants and donations from public and private sources for these bureaucracies. This opens the door to cronyism and very possibly could become influence peddling.
And this proposition is an assault on our Colorado Constitution. It dicates excess tax dollars collected would not be subject to our Colorado’s Taxpayers Bill of Rights equation and would allow these bureaucracies to keep excess revenues forever. Ultimately this takes away the voice and vote of our children and our grandchildren.
This is akin to putting the fox in charge of the henhouse. Interested parties could tilt the ballot question in their favor. This proposition would require the director of research of the legislative council of the Colorado general assembly to prepare a fiscal impact statement taking into consideration fiscal impact information submitted by the office of state planning and budgeting, the department of local affairs or any proponent or interested person and require that this information be included in the actual ballot question.
The data included in the proposed required table is only estimates and those estimates will be compiled by PBIs (Politicians, Bureaucrats and Interested Parties) who have vested interests in increasing your taxes or keeping your hard-earned money already collected that should be refunded back to you.
Coloradans are hurting because of government induced inflation, aggregate high taxes, and fees, i.e., federal taxes and fees, state taxes and fees, property taxes, sales taxes, school taxes, library taxes, fire district taxes, road district taxes, and the list goes on. Providing some relief for hard-working everyday Coloradans through lowering their income tax rate makes sense.
Proposition 122 is complicated and convoluted. The actual text of the measure is 18 pages long. It sets up a new bureaucratic program, unaccountable to the people of Colorado or the Colorado legislature, within the Department of Regulatory Affairs
Positives:
Includes “informed consent” on page five and assures efforts to protect participant’s data on page six.
Negatives:
I am deeply concerned that the measure incentivizes “the provision of natural medicine services at a reduced cost to low income individuals.” Who pays for this? Additionally the “Regulated natural medicine access program” will “develop and promote accurate public education campaigns related to the use of natural medicine.” This means there will be public service announcements touting these items.
The total deal breakers are on page 11. First it reeks of cronyism. The Department of Regulatory Agencies may seek, accept, and expend any gifts, grants, donations, loan of funds, property, or any other revenue or aid in any form from the state, any state agency, any other public source, any private source, or any combination thereof. Additionally the proposition takes away local control. It states “a locality may not ban or completely prohibit the establishment of operation of healing centers licenses pursuant to this Article 170 within its boundaries.”
Home ownership in America has created places for people to do life and create wealth. “Affordable” (subsidized) housing creates wealth for “subsidized” apartment owners and pushes people into high density housing. If a person prefers to live in high density housing, he/she should have the freedom to do so. What we see now is government public policy that is forcing/incentivizing people into predetermined housing which pads the pockets of the globalist elites.
Prop 123 creates a new administrative bureaucracy. The Administrator may be selected by the Office of Economic Development without a transparent competitive procurement process; however, the selection will be announced in a public meeting with at least 72 hours notice. Cronyism! Subsidized housing picks winners (subsidized) and losers (those that do not want to depend on government). This proposition moves dollars from the general fund and dedicates it to an unelected, unaccountable bureaucracy while de-taboring all excess revenue.
Prop 123 requires local governments that seek additional affordable housing funding to expedite development approvals for affordable housing projects over private projects. And it requires local governments to commit to increasing the number of affordable housing units by 3% annually. Ultimately this will decimate private property rights and home ownership.
Prop 123 codifies cronyism through its Land Banking Program, “equity” programs, and empowering bureaucrats to seek and accept gifts, grants or donations from any public or private sources, including governmental entities, that the division and the office are hereby authorized to seek and accept.
Free and fair competition is the bedrock of a successful society. Because of the regulatory environment in the alcohol industry, rules and regulations are used to benefit big corporations and big businesses which is unfair to small independent businesses. This proposition opens the door for consolidation in the industry. Ultimately this consolidation will hurt the consumer through reduced choice and higher prices.
This proposition further tilts the alcohol industry in favor of consolidation by big corporations and big businesses which will ultimately hurt the consumer through reduced choice and higher prices.
This proposition appears to move towards an increase in freedom, which I like; however, this proposition does not have proper guard rails regarding deliveries to minors. Delivery drivers would be responsible for liquor ID enforcement. This proposition is not well written. The proponents need to go back to the drawing board on this one.
Government induced inflation is hurting everyone. Sales and use taxes are regressive taxes which means they hurt those on the lowest rungs of the economic ladder the most. Sales and use taxes are additional taxes on basic items that people need such as toilet paper and diapers.
In the past, open space taxes have been difficult to argue against; however, we now realize that when government acquires land with our tax dollars to purchase open space, there will be less land for homes and food production in the future which causes housing to be less affordable, increases food prices, and could ultimately cause some food shortages. Also, when this land is purchased by government, it is taken off the tax rolls which means that all of us will be asked to pay higher taxes to make up for this shortfall. So it becomes a double tax.
Sidewalks are used by the public and should be constructed and maintained by the City and County of Denver. The City Council should prioritize spending to construct and maintain the sidewalks throughout Denver since sidewalks are used by the public. Residents of Denver are already strapped through high taxes and high inflation. This tax makes housing less affordable. Question? If residents must pay a tax for each foot of sidewalk in front of their homes, can the residents charge a toll for those using the sidewalk?
It is not a good idea for counties and municipalities, which regulate and grant licenses for operation for high speed internet, cable television services and/or telecommunication services, to have the power to compete with non-government service providers. The “Public-Private Partnership” proposal in this ballot question opens the door for “Public-Private” cronyism because it authorizes government to pick the provider for these services. Ultimately, as government becomes involved in an industry, the price goes up, the quality goes down and the supply becomes limited. Additionally, this could result in government control of the internet.
This ordinance is ambiguous and lacks details. Voters have no idea how this Ranked Choice Voting System would work because it is not detailed in the ordinance. This amendment gives the power to the City Council to make the determination of the details of the Ranked Choice Voting System. Voters should be given the respect and the courtesy to know exactly what they are voting on. Typically Ranked Choice Voting relies on complicated algorithms used by tabulating machines to declare the winner. This makes it very difficult to have transparent elections. Ultimately candidates with marginal support could be declared the winner of an election. Ranked Choice Voting is the darling of those who seek to marginalize our democratic Constitutional Republic.
It is not a good idea for counties and municipalities, which regulate and grant licenses for operation for high speed internet, cable television services and/or telecommunication services, to have the power to compete with non-government service providers. The Public-Private Partnerships offering these services opens the door for cronyism because it authorizes government to pick the provider for these services. Ultimately, as government becomes involved in an industry, the price goes up, the quality goes down and the supply becomes limited. Additionally, this could result in government control of the internet.
There is an enormous property tax in store for Douglas County property owners in 2024 even without this mill levy override from the School District. Douglas County real estate is expected to be reappraised 40% to 50% upward in 2023. This tax increase would be a fixed $60 million every year with no sunset.
This proposal is a bit disingenuous. If the DCSD increased the average teacher salary by 10% for the 4,400 licensed teachers in the DCSD, it results in a $25.5 million expenditure, not the $60 million requested in this MLO proposal.
Additionally, this MLO does not include some charter schools that operate in Douglas County teaching Douglas County kids, from receiving a portion of this MLO.
This is not the time to approve such a large MLO. Higher property taxes make it difficult for all homeowners. Higher taxes also affect renters as rents must increase to pay for the landlord’s higher property taxes. These higher taxes make home ownership and housing less affordable.
Taxpayers are facing a massive property tax increase in 2024 as Douglas County real estate is expected to be reappraised 40% to 50% higher. This bond proposal wants voters to approve $450 million in new debt with a total repayment including interest of $775 million, all of which will be paid by property taxes. This would double the DCSD’s debt load.
The School District has a long history of overestimating its future growth. In the last ten years, the population of Douglas County has increased 26% but the School District student enrollment has remained flat for those same ten years.
In 2021, student enrollment declined by 4,326 students, some of which were pandemic-related. The School District is also alienating its customers-the parents.
Alienated parents are a deeper challenge for the School District. While DCSD has many amazing teachers, parents are concerned about “woke” ideology indoctrination in the curriculum. Using technology and entrepreneurism, parents now have alternatives to government run public schools which is resulting in slow or flat growth in student enrollment.
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