Republicans’ rejection of legislation to fix Colorado pot-tax error

“Pot-tax fix up in smoke,” Oct. 4 news story. Everyone apparently acknowledges that there was a mistake in the legislation, and everyone initially apparently agreed what the fix needed to be. But when the governor calls a special session to enact what should be a simple solution, the Republicans can’t be bothered and instead whine and act like petulant children and decide to take their ball and go home.

These actions should crystallize in anyone’s mind what should have been obvious for years: that the Republican Party of 2017 is not a serious governing party. The efficient “country club” party that wanted government to be small but efficient is no more, and the party in its place is obstructionist and wants to gum up the works at every opportunity. Helping people or making things better is not even on their radar screen anymore.

Why vote for any Republican at any level in 2018? We need serious people to represent us, not this collection.

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Critics of the special session called by Gov. John Hickenlooper decried his suggestion that the special districts could pay the session’s per-day cost by calling it “pay-for-play at the Capitol.” Yet the Koch brothers’ political action committee, Americans For Prosperity, had the resources to target Colorado Republican lawmakers with calls and emails in order to build the opposition that eventually toppled the measures. Isn’t this considered “pay-forplay,” too?

Big money has come to Colorado. Thanks to Citizens United we are in for another fierce election cycle in 2018 right here in our backyard.