Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Report Card on Ritter’s Economy

Colorado’s latest economic forecast predicts some tough times ahead, and it's not hard to see why.

Democrats in charge of Colorado are failing the public with their harmful economic policies, including tax increases on businesses and consumers and onerous restrictions that discourage economic activity.

Quotes from the forecast on predictions for Colorado’s job market, economic performance, and energy sector make it easy to see that Democrats are falling short of the mark.

“The Democrats' management of the economy is making a bad situation that much worse,” said House Republican Leader Mike May, R-Parker. “Higher taxes, increased regulation, and a hostile attitude toward business have hampered Colorado’s recovery. Colorado Democrats are just not making the grade when it comes to managing the economy.”

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

State Rep. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs, today released the following statement in reaction to the governor’s veto of his House Bill 1287 that would have restricted state employees from using state-owned vehicles for commuting purposes:


“The intent of HB-1287 was to control the waste and abuse of government vehicles being used for commuting by state employees. That waste has been demonstrated by at least three state audits, and one of the governor’s own studies. Governor Ritter has had years to fix these problems, but has shown no leadership to do so. Nothing in the bill would have prohibited authorized emergency workers from commuting using state vehicles, but would have charged most employees the fair cost to the state for their non-official travel to and from work. Marked State Patrol vehicles were specifically exempted from reimbursement.”

“This bill was just a common sense way to save $3 million per year, and became enormously popular. The Joint Budget Committee, with four Democrats and two Republicans, unanimously sponsored the bill due to the clear waste and lack of oversight in the current system. The bill passed the House 59-2, and the Senate 35-0. Similar bills have been passed in nine other states in the past 18 months.

“It is disappointing that the governor chose to side against both the legislature and the taxpayers by vetoing House Bill 1287. Taxpayer-owned vehicles should be used only in the essential performance of state business, not for a free ride to work. As more Colorado workers lose their jobs, and taxpayers and businesses have to pay higher taxes during a continuing economic crisis with record unemployment, and Colorado families are paying higher vehicle registration fees, it is blatantly unfair for state workers to get a free ride to and from their offices. Unfortunately, this veto is part of a pattern with this governor of protecting wasteful special perks for the government while overcharging already desperate taxpayers. Whatever happened to ‘shared sacrifice’?”