Ref C Scam
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09/06/2007	Higher taxes tough sell thanks to `Ref. C Shuffle`
Referendum C, which passed by a narrow 52 percent to 48 percent margin, erased the TABOR spending limits for five years and permanently increased spending caps thereafter. Voters were promised that K-12 education, colleges and universities, and health care would split the lion’s share of the resources if the measure passed. But a funny thing happened after the election. Spending on programs not associated with Referendum C has grown more than twice as fast as spending on education and health care. Now, voters have cause to believe they were sold a bill of goods.
11/05/2005	Bruce`s continued antics mystify this reader
Will someone please explain Commissioner Douglas Bruce to me?
11/05/2005	Response to Ohlin Letter
Referendum C is a statute, an ordinary law that legislators can rewrite any time, even after the election. The Taxpayer�s Bill of Rights (TABOR) is part of the state constitution, a higher law. The constitution can be changed only by voter approval of a constitutional amendment, which Ref. C was not.
11/01/2005	Response to Referendums C and D opinion
Susan Thornton's column hit a new low in Post-sponsored deception. She said the issue in the Referendum C campaign was how we wanted to spend the "$15" tax refund we would get if C passed.
10/27/2005	Bob Williams` letter to Gov. Owens.
ov. Bill Owens has sent a letter to conservative think tanks around the country explaining his support of Tuesday's ballot measures to suspend provisions of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. Bob Williams' letter responds to Gov. Owens. The TABOR apostasy has become our governor's Miers moment, as far as his conservative base is concerned.
10/27/2005	C and D have potential to bust future budgets
Is Referendum C a tax increase? Only by defining “tax increase” narrowly can you deny that C is a tax increase. Although income or sales tax rates are not raised, what else can you call it when $5 billion is spent by state government, instead of being returned to you and me, its rightful owners? Just like raising tax rates, this spending increase by the state is not allowed without a vote of the people. The money kept under C is equal to about half a percentage point cut in the income tax rate that could otherwise be implemented.
10/24/2005	Dispelling the Myths: The Truth about TABOR and Referendum C
During the late 1990s, Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights was praised widely for its effectiveness in restraining the growth of government and providing tax relief for the residents of the state. TABOR capped government revenue growth at population plus inflation and mandated immediate rebates of surplus revenues. Now TABOR is under attack by interest groups that want to increase government taxation faster than the cap will allow. They blame TABOR for the pressure the state budget has faced over the last four years. Yet that pressure is a direct result not of TABOR but of a recession, a drought, and a misguided educational-spending mandate that forced government to spend more money than it collected.
10/16/2005	It`s time to defend taxpayers` best friend
Referendum C is the largest tax increase in state history. Official estimates are $3.743 billion, and growing. There is no limit to the state’s desire for your tax refunds; they want it all. In the first five years alone, C would cost an average family of four $3,480. Proof: Divide $3.743 billion by 4.3 million full-time legal residents. That’s $870. Children get no direct refunds, so multiply $870 by four. What could an average family do with $3,480?
10/16/2005	Referenda C and D are bad deals for the Colorado taxpayers
We do have a problem in our state constitution. We have “must spend” provisions, particularly Amendment 23 which mandates ongoing increases in spending regardless of the state of the economy. We also have “don’t spend” provisions such as TABOR.
10/15/2005	Owens, Bruce: Trust our math
In a debate punctuated by numbers and accusations, Gov. Bill Owens and El Paso County Commissioner Douglas Bruce on Friday each asked voters to trust that their math on Referendums C and D is right while the other�s is wrong. Bruce, who has spent much of his life fighting tax measures and is the author of Colorado�s Taxpayer�s Bill of Rights, said state funding has risen for the past decade and will continue to do so even if the state can�t keep the money it is seeking. Owens called the exchange sponsored by southeastern Colorado advocacy group Action 22 �a gracious debate.� Bruce said afterward: �I think I cleaned his clock.�
10/14/2005	Bruce/Owens Debate
Media Player video (.wmv) file of Commissioner Douglas Bruce debating Governor Bill Owens on refenda C & D. Requires a high speed connection.
10/10/2005	Referendum C Central
Referendum C would allow state politicians to keep and spend an estimated $3.743 billion over the first five years, after which period it would permanently ratchet-up state spending. That money is best spent by taxpayers, not politicians.
10/08/2005	Resetting baseline defeats TABOR`s goals
Proponents of Referendums C and D claim that it is not a tax increase, just a temporary “time-out” from the Taxpayer’s Bill Of Rights (TABOR) protections. Let’s bring come common sense and basic economic science to the debate. According to the Colorado Legislative Council, passage of C and D will increase state spending by almost $4 billion over the next five years.
10/02/2005	Fog and fear cloud C & D
Tax advocates are sounding the panic siren and cranking up the fog machine. Will it be enough to reverse their weak polls and pass Referendums C and D, saddling Colorado families with higher taxes and deeper debt? This month will tell.
10/01/2005	Amendment 23 a good lesson in why Ref D could spell trouble
Judging by the claims of both supporters and opponents of C and D, there is only one question citizens have to answer before they vote: Is the $4 billion in projected surplus revenue better spent in the public or private sector?
09/29/2005	The Dirty Dozen: 12 Reasons to defeat “C" and “D”
08/24/2005	Slide Show on Taxes
08/23/2005	IN RESPONSE to Daphne Greenwood on C and D
Daphne Greenwood claimed the Taxpayer�s Bill of Rights does not allow money to be �saved for bad times.� False. Show us where TABOR says that, Ms. Greenwood.
08/23/2005	Proposals allow state to recover from slump
As voters consider Referendums C and D, it�s important to get past rhetoric and slogans and focus on the facts about TABOR and the budget.
08/20/2005	�IN RESPONSE� to Mike Kazmierski`s Saturday op-ed on C and D
Mike Kazmierski wrote on behalf of Referenda �C� and �D� Saturday. His logic and facts were so weak that they backfired, and helped strengthen the case against �C� and �D.�
08/20/2005	Businesses see C and D as investments in future
Why does the Colorado Springs business community support Referendums C and D? From a business perspective it�s all about investments. Investments create the ability for businesses to grow, creating quality jobs. It is also about attracting large businesses that small businesses can supply products and services to. This dynamic relationship fuels the economic engine and wealth of our community.
08/19/2005	REFERENDUM C IS wrong for Colorado
REFERENDUM C IS wrong for Colorado. Spending is the problem, and Referendum C doesn't fix the problem. Instead, it allows spending to continue to grow out of control.
08/16/2005	GOP leaders in county oppose C, D
El Paso County Republican Party leaders bucked the governor Monday and voted unanimously to oppose Referendums C and D, becoming the first GOP county organization to do so.