Reclaim the Blue blog

Wednesday, Colorado citizens flooded the state legislature to protest a dozen new tax bills being introduced by Colorado House Democrats–HB 1189-1200, already becoming known as the Dirty Dozen.

While they claim they can’t cut any more from the budget, Don Rodgers yesterday showed there are places they could cut if they were so inclined.  Businessman Kenton Johnson, in an open letter to the Finance and Appropriations committee, also gave them plenty of ideas:

• Rescind the 4500 state positions created after the state hiring freeze
• Furlough, move, fill vacant positions in state and local governments
• Disallow any more use of state vehicles by state workers
• Rescind full-time benefits by part-time state employees
• More furloughs
• Layoffs
• 5% or if necessary, 10% pay cuts
• Combine redundant agencies, boards, committees, departments – cut the fat, now
• Create more incentives for business growth via pro-bono support systems, business clubs, chambers, existing non-profits
• Loan guarantees (versus grants by any name), and
• Stop competing with small business – hire them to do the work – more efficient than government operations
• State central source for business building information, posted, updated and advertised via social media, websites, and listservs

I don’t necessarily agree with all his ideas but they should sound familiar: it’s what businesses do to survive in tough times.  Individuals and families, too.  Why shouldn’t government do the same?

The problem is, they don’t want to.  They’re smarter than we are and they know where to cut, thank you very much.  The truth, according to Rep Joel  Judd Wednesday, is that we’re not being taxed enough.

You read that right: Big Brother in Denver, like all the Big Brothers in Washington, know what’s best for us and in these challenging economic times they’ve decided their redistributive socialist programs must go on whether we like it or not.

Time to show them who’s in charge.  Judd is term limited so we won’t have to vote him out.  Let’s make sure the other five (Benefield, Kefalas, Kagan, Frangas, Labuda) are filing for unemployment on November 5th.