TRACKING POT TAXES

Lawmakers should do their jobs

Re: Three-part marijuana revenue series, Dec. 30-Jan. 1

The Denver Post’s series on marijuana taxes provided lots of useful facts but the editorial board’s opinion was deficient. An implicit theme for many comments on the story was the notion that more than $40 million per year ought to have been earmarked for school construction. You never endorsed that idea editorially, which I hope reflects your recognition that constitutional earmarks are, as a rule, unwise.

The $40 million marijuana excise is an exception because it will not become obsolete or misapplied. Contrast the constitutional commitment of lottery funds to outdoor recreation. As a result, lottery cash fixes playgrounds but can’t be used for collapsing school gyms.

Your editorial could have asked why no lottery money goes to school buildings. You also said voters’ rejections of tax proposals in November show that none will pass. But those measures were poorly drafted and do not portend loss for better ones.

It is fine to argue that the legislature ought to use tax revenue differently, but don’t fog the story with implications that there is something wrong with letting the legislature do its job. Richard Collins, Boulder

Joe Amon, The Denver Post A damaged ceiling looms above students in Manzanola on Dec. 12. The school district was twice approved for a grant to build a new school, but failed to secure funding from voters to cover a $2 million share of the $20 million project.