Keeping the elected on-point
Re: “Is Polis really a governor for all Colorado? Fees hold the answer,” Nov. 24 commentary
Jon Caldara’s recent column is certainly consistent with his organization’s anti-government philosophy. His assertion that Gov.-elect Jared Polis will be best served by “standing up to his party” can be viewed from many angles. Obviously people can change their minds on a public policy when new information is presented, but there are many politicians who still seek the support of constituency groups without justification, fall short with promises, and take positions they have no real intention of keeping. Arguably the two-party system is designed to maintain the status quo.
I agree with Caldara that government efficiency involves being diligent with tax dollars, but that does not change the fact that the American health-care industry is too expensive and putting profit first has made our system substandard and simply out of reach for too many people. And officials in both parties now recognize that the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights has been detrimental to our state. Some reform on the law is needed. The governor-elect has a better plan on health care, and many people supported him for that reason. Caldara’s rigid defense of TABOR is misguided because the law needs to be modified and health-care reform is necessary.
Party activists like myself do not expect candidates to agree with the platform 100 percent, but we do expect them to defend and pursue the positions they stood for.
Timothy D. Allport, Arvada
Recycling education needed
As a long-time Colorado resident and a long-time recycler, I have always wondered: Where does the recycled material go? Is it really getting recycled? Does it truly save resources? Is it better to wash out a peanut butter jar with hot water (another valuable resource) or just put the dirty peanut butter jar in the recycling container? I think we could all use a lot more education on how best to preserve resources.
Susan Buckley, Highlands Ranch
A harmful, flawed tax problem
Re: “On Black Friday, we call for state sales tax reform,” Nov. 23 editorial
Thank you for pointing out the obvious flaws in the state’s new sales tax rules, which allow for a $100,000 exemption — but only for out-of-state businesses, which gives those businesses a distinct advantage over in-state businesses. You accurately describe the “morass of red tape” and “costly accounting nightmare,” but you missed an obvious conclusion: The smallest Colorado businesses absolutely cannot afford this accounting nightmare at all, and will be forced to stop all sales within the state, which I am.
That reduces economic activity as well as sales-tax collections in Colorado, hurts Colorado consumers who want to “buy local,” and benefits other states. That’s a lose-lose-lose proposition that only a bureaucrat could come up with.
Randy Cassingham, Ridgway
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