Friday, September 22, 2006

Healthcare Colorado Confidential: "In Colorado, the medical profession is sounding alarm bells over the state of our health care system. The August 2006 issue of Colorado Medicine provides some insight, in a series of articles about how the profession feel about those problems. Perhaps the place to start is with the comments of Micahel J. Pramenko, MD, the President-Elect of the Mesa County Medical Society." Category: 2008 Presidential Election 6:27:18 AM

	Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Voter Turnout for November 1st Election From today's Denver Post: "Nearly half of the state's registered voters cast ballots in this month's election, setting a new record for an odd-year election. The official turnout for the Nov. 1 election was 49.85 percent, breaking the record of 47.25 percent set in 2003, Secretary of State Gigi Dennis said Monday. Phillips County had the highest turnout, at 75.06 percent, and Dolores County had the lowest, at 36.87 percent. In 2003, voters soundly defeated a $2 billion proposal for water projects. A lot of money was also at stake in the latest election. Under the official tally, 52.06 percent of voters backed Referendum C, suspending the tax limits in the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, a constitutional amendment, for five years, allowing the state to keep about $3.7 billion that otherwise would have been refunded to taxpayers. However, 50.62 percent of voters rejected a companion measure - Referendum D - that would have allowed the state to borrow up to $2.1 billion for roads, school maintenance, pensions and other projects." Here's the coverage from the Rocky Mountain News [November 29, 2005, "Voter turnout set record for off years"]. Category: Denver November 2005 Election 6:34:46 AM

	Sunday, November 20, 2005

Party Unity? Republican rancor over the November 1st election is still evident, according to the Denver Post [November 20, 2005, "Election wounds still raw in GOP"]. From the article, "State party leaders brought in a high-ranking mediator - Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman - to remind officials of their common cause. Mehlman was the featured speaker at a Friday night fundraiser, which attendees paid $75 per person to attend. 'One of the biggest applause lines I got in there was when I talked about the importance of party unity,' Mehlman said after the event. 'I talked about if you agree with somebody on 80 percent and disagree on 20 percent, you're an 80 percent friend, not a 20 percent enemy.'" Category: Denver November 2005 Election 8:33:12 AM

	Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Referendum D fallout State officials are scrambling a bit to fund highway projects now that Referendum D failed with the voters. The Rocky Mountain News is reporting that Governor Owens wants to earmark most of the Referendum C dough next year for highways [November 16, 2005, "Ref C eyed for roads"]. From the article, "Gov. Bill Owens on Tuesday proposed spending nearly all of the $440 million in new money that Referendum C will bring Colorado this year on highway construction and the state's reserve fund. That's technically allowed under Ref C, which lifted TABOR limits on state spending for five years. But it doesn't match the message of the just-completed election campaign for Ref C, which told voters the additional revenue would go to K-12 schools, higher education and health care. Owens would provide significant new money for those areas only next year, in the 2006-2007 budget. The Republican governor's spending proposals are not set in stone. Colorado's legislature sets the budget, and it is controlled by Democrats. House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, was critical, but did not condemn the governor's budget." Here's the coverage from the Denver Post [November 16, 2005, "Roads take the fast lane in Owens' budget plan"]. Meanwhile the people will be watching the budget as never before, according to the Rocky Mountain News [Novmeber 16, 2005, "Budget plan encounters high level of scrutiny"]. From the article, "Spending proposals suggested by the governor Tuesday are just the opening act in a fiscal opera that won't reach a climax until next year. That's when legislators and the governor will come to terms on increases in the current Colorado budget as well as a state spending plan for 2006-2007. What's different this year is a remarkable level of public interest in the budget, following the battle over Referendum C." Category: Denver November 2005 Election 8:41:25 AM

	Sunday, November 13, 2005

Referendum C proceeds Here's an opinion piece from today's Denver Post urging caution in spending the proceeds from Referendum C [November 13, 2005, "Do what Ref. C says to do"]. They're attempting to describe the "will of the people" with regard to the November 1st election. From the article, "By passing the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights in 1992, Colorado voters said they wanted limits on government spending. By passing Referendum C in 2005, Colorado voters said they don't want those limits to drive government out of business. These two votes now serve as guardrails for Colorado's fiscal future. The voters want a frugal and accountable government that still has enough money to effectively promote opportunity and prosperity. Underlying this positive outcome, however, are two critical challenges: First, the resources from Referendum C will be modest compared to the cuts made during the recession. So we must use the money wisely, or we will squander the opportunity we now have to improve the well-being of Colorado families. Second, many Coloradans remain deeply cynical about government...But that's only the first step. What we really need in Colorado - and around the country - is an honest and open conversation about the role of the public sector. What do we think the public sector should do and should not do? What does government actually do now? What can be done to restore trust in the institutions that play such a critical role in our lives? Let's find a process that doesn't demand absolute winners and losers but instead works toward mutual understanding, respect and consensus." 9:00:35 AM

	Saturday, November 12, 2005

Tweak Amendment 23? State house Speaker Andrew Romanoff is looking at easing the burden on state funding during downturns due to the effects of Amendment 23. The amendment mandates that state funding for K-12 increase even during poor economic times. This is a direct response to critics of the recently passed Referendum C. Here's an article from the Denver Post on the subject [November 12, 2005, "Dem tinkers with Amend. 23"]. They quote Romanoff as saying, "It's a way to enable our schools to weather economic storms without imperiling other state services. And it's a way, frankly, to concede a point the opposition made." Meanwhile here's the link to Draft Andrew Romanoff.com. Category: Denver November 2005 Election 8:41:18 AM

	Thursday, November 10, 2005

Legal Pot? Westword has the roundup of the aftermath of Initiative 100. They write, "Late November 1, shock and awe spread through the minds of city leaders as they learned that voters had actually passed Initiative 100, which changes city ordinances to legalize the possession of an ounce or less of marijuana -- and state laws be damned. People expect such shenanigans from San Francisco or Portland -- or Boulder, especially -- but our fair cowtown? Local officials agonized. What might this mean for Denver's image? Would Jay Leno make fun of us? (Short answer: Yes.) What message did this send to the children? Would people say that this truly puts the "high" in Mile High City? Sorry, but who gives a crap? Off Limits knows there are more pertinent questions that concern our readers. For example, how would this affect our pocketbooks? What would it do to our local drug dealers? And most important, would it change the way we buy our pot? To investigate these and other pressing issues, the day after the election, we dispatched an operative to Denver's ground zero for street-level marijuana dealing: Civic Center Park. He returned with a dime bag and this report." Category: Denver November 2005 Election 6:52:14 AM

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