Vote! Vote “Yes”

This fall’s election is the first major election carried out entirely by mail ballots. Voters can send their ballots in, or drop them off at the Clerk and Recorder’s office by Nov. 1.

Much has been written about Ballot issue 3A (St. Vrain Valley Mill Levy Override) and Referendums C and D (allowing the state to keep taxes already collected).

I, for one, am tired of the same old grumblings about taxes and government spending as an excuse not to adequately fund the services we expect and demand from government. No one, except maybe the few who benefit from it, likes to see waste and inefficiency in government. But the way to address it is to complain loudly and often when you see it, rather than simply voting “no” in a knee-jerk reaction to any tax issue. I, for one, expect to pay taxes for the services we need from government.

Ballot Issue 3A

The St. Vrain Valley School District has made a remarkable recovery from a financial disaster that happened as a result of budget errors made by administrators which were not caught by school board members. That was several years ago. The errors did not happen on the current board’s watch. The administrators responsible for the mistakes are long gone, and the district is back on sound financial footing. Yet the most vocal critics of the district would have you think the children in the district ought to pay for those sins forever.

St. Vrain Valley Schools do an amazing job of educating our children, and you have only to visit a school, or volunteer in a classroom, to discover for yourself the work that goes on. If we are to continue to make education a priority in our community, we must give the district adequate financial resources to do so. This means we must pass the mill levy override, Ballot Issue 3A.

If it does not pass, expect a steady decline in the quality of education as class sizes increase, good teachers leave, and good programs get cut. We are already over $2,300 per pupil behind the national average in funding education. The mill levy override would cut that number by one-third. St. Vrain is one of only three major Front Range school districts without a mill levy override in place. We have a chance to move forward and continue the high standard of education for which the district is known. Vote “Yes” on Ballot Issue 3A!

Referendums C and D

TABOR has helped make legislators accountable, but it is flawed. The worst effects of TABOR come during a period of recovery from an economic downturn, which is exactly where Colorado finds itself. Colorado has been flirting with financial disaster for the past several years, borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. Now those quick fixes are gone. If you have any doubt that we need to pass Referendums C and D, consider:

• The fact that Referendums C and D have the bipartisan support of Republican Governor Bill Owens and leading Democratic legislators tells me to vote “Yes.”
• The fact that Boulder County courts have to close at 4 p.m. due to unfunded staff positions tells me to vote “Yes.”
• The fact that Boulder County has fewer judges than have been authorized by law to handle the constantly increasing caseload, because there is no money to pay for them, tells me to vote “Yes.”
• The fact that when I drive east on Interstate 76 toward Nebraska, the Colorado section of the highway feels like a rollercoaster gone bad, with shoulders full of potholes, until I reach the smooth, safe highways across the state line, tells me to vote “Yes.”
• The fact that tuition at state universities in Colorado continues to rise at alarming rates, just to keep the schools open, tells me to vote “Yes.”
• The fact that good programs which would save us money in the long run, such as home and community based services to elderly and disabled, have to be cut because there is no money to fund them, tells me to vote “Yes.”

If you think we need to cut government services further, then vote “no,” and be prepared for further decline in our quality of life. Just don’t whine about it to me.