Many of you have probably heard of TABOR by now. For those who haven't, TABOR is the "TAxpayer's Bill Of Rights", originally passed as an initiative in Colorado in 1991. Many of you will be seeing TABOR initiatives in your own states soon, promoted by Dick Armey and Grover Norquist. The latter personality should give you a good idea of the goal of these State Constitutional Amendments: to drown government in the bathtub.
Tonight, Coloradoans attempt to repair some of the damage done by TABOR, by voting on Referenda C and D. Colorado Soapblox is hosting a live discussion and vote count watch on this extremely important State and National issue; if you are interested in the battle of budget ideals, come on over and watch!
UPDATE:
Totals from the Denver Post: Ref. C: Yes 52.4%, Ref. D: Yes 49.9%, with 94.1% counted. at 11:56pm MST.
Every major news organization has called the vote in favor of C at this time. Congratulations, Colorado!
Colorado State budget law is too complex to really explain here; suffice it to say, most of our budget is tied up in Constitutional Amendment provisions. The Gallagher Amendment restricts State spending growth to 6% maximum per year. TABOR restricts State revenue growth to inflation plus population growth per year, based on the prior year's revenue. Amendment 23 forces the State to increase K-12 educational spending to more closely match national averages. Other amendments tie in by providing directed funding - but this funding is still calculated in TABOR limits. Federal mandates tie up still more cash. In short, it's a complete mess; if you are offered anything more than a simple balanced budget amendment in your state, turn it down!
Colorado has lived under TABOR for 13 years now, and in the beginning, it did cut some unneeded fat. But the recession exposed a vital flaw in TABOR: it cannot recover from a recession. This has been called the "ratchet effect", and it is crippling Colorado. Next year, the State will have to cut $400 million from it's General Fund (that's higher education, prisons, healthcare, roads, the court system, and regulatory agencies). The Governor's office (Owens, a Republican) estimates that next year's cuts will result in a 20% funding cut for State Colleges, permanent closing of a dozen State Parks, closure of several regulatory agencies, termination of mental health programs, and much more.
DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOUR STATE!