How to save the state budget

Re: “TABBOR: Good medicine or bad?” May 3 commentaries

There are many perspectives on the appropriate role of government. There are also broad disagreements about whether or not the TABOR Amendment made Colorado more vulnerable to the COVID-19 health emergency. Opinions aside, it’s a fact that TABOR acknowledges the need for additional public investments during emergencies.

In her Sunday op-ed, Peg Brady argued TABOR’S emergency tax provision should only be used when things are “out of control.” Well, things are out of control. And drastically cutting priority services will only make a terrible situation worse. Regardless of our opinions on TABOR, we must seriously consider ways to help protect Colorado from the human and economic fallout of massive budget cuts.

The state Constitution allows for an emergency tax. If this isn’t an emergency, what is? It’s time to put our differences aside and work together to use a fair, temporary emergency tax as a lifeline for our communities.

KC Becker’s comments on why TABOR is a bad thing just reinforced why TABOR is a good thing. To think politicians will place extra money into a rainy day fund is laughable. There is always a good idea (or dozens) waiting for the money to fund it.

Just last year Gov. Jared Polis found $200 million to fund full-day kindergarten. So where did that money come from? Later in her justification Becker breaks out the usual list of programs which will get cut if restraints are not lifted. Just to remind everybody, it is the usual Police, fire, health, education, roads.

Becker’s looking to Congress is also a mistake. Lets look at some simple numbers to see how Congress allocates money. If you divide that $2 trillion relief package by 330 million U.S. residents, each citizen should be getting about $6,000 each not $1,200 for adults and $500 for children. So 80% of the money to give to the citizens was allocated to other good ideas awaiting funding. I agree the state is hurting due to COVID-19. As Becker stated, the citizens elected her to make the tough decisions. Remember asking the citizens if a tax increase is needed is what TABOR is all about.

While I appreciated the perspective of K.C. Becker in today’s Denver Post calling for federal relief for state and local governments, I don’t understand why our state leadership is not looking at all options to generate revenues.

Colorado is in a health emergency. COVID-19 has put an unprecedented strain on our health care and behavioral health care delivery system. Families need to be able to count on schools in the fall and supportive services that only state and local governments can ensure are available. While I admit I am not a fan of TABOR for many policy and practical reasons, there is one positive provision.

TABOR says if a 2/3 majority of the Colorado General Assembly declares we are in a state of emergency, an emergency tax can be created to help address the needs of our state. If COVID-19 does not represent an emergency, what else could possibly meet that definition? Gov. Jared Polis has indicated he does not think this is the time to raise taxes, this is exactly what we must do — in a thoughtful, non-regressive way — to help meet the needs of all Coloradans. We cannot and should not look solely to harmful budget cuts when there are other options to balance our budget and support needed services.

Peg Brady fails to mention the various pernicious assumptions, many just plain wrong, behind justifying TABOR. Reading it, I felt like I was being sold a used car. The assumptinos include that spending by “families” is better for the economy and our general well-being than spending by local and state governments.

Sometimes, perhaps, but not if the “families” are buying stuff from foreign countries while the governments are buying local goods and services, or investing in a more economically competitive future through infrastructure, education and protection of natural capital.

TABOR advocates assume that our representative form of government will automatically and unwisely spend too much, which is not demonstrably true in Colorado.

Finally - TABOR asks too much of voters who must vote on tax increases while rarely fully informed of the implications.