Early voting continues today in Denver .
Here's an article from today's Rocky that analyses the last year of TABOR refunds to challenge the claimed $3,200 that a family of four will give up according to Referendum C opponents [October 27, 2005, "Refund claim may be high"]. From the article, "Referendum C foes say Colorado families will get an average of $3,200 back from the state over five years if the measure fails. But history indicates that the amount will be much less than that. In fact, if Ref C goes down, most taxpayers likely won't see a check at all, but rather a 'sales tax credit' averaging less than $100 a year included with their state income tax return, according to the Colorado Office of State Planning and Budgeting. In large part, that's because lawmakers have singled out 18 special groups - ranging from foster children to business owners - who will get their slice of the refund pie before regular taxpayers get theirs."
Referendum C opponents are changing tactics to direct mail from TV ads, according to the Rocky Mountain News [October 27, 2005, "New strategy for Ref C foes"]. From the article, "A group opposing Referendum C canceled TV ads and instead is targeting Republicans by mail and radio after internal polling showed those voters will decide the election. The poll shows that generally Democrats favor the tax measure, unaffiliated voters oppose it and Republicans are torn, said Rep. Joe Stengel, R-Littleton, who is overseeing the group If C Wins, You Lose. 'We'll get a better bang for our buck by going directly to Republican households,' he said. Both sides of Ref C are working around the clock, calling, walking and mailing Coloradans to tell them their vote counts on Tuesday. Supporters have statewide, street side honk-and-wave rallies planned today to kick off the final push before Election Day."
Here's an opinion piece written by Susan Thornton asking voters to pass Referendums C and D from today's Denver Post [October 27, 2005, "The value of $15"]. She writes, "Opponents also falsely claim that the average family of four would forgo $3,200 if C and D pass. They don't tell you that the fictional family would have to qualify for each one of the 16 different tax credits that make up TABOR's complicated rebate mechanism. The family would have to be poor enough to qualify for the earned income tax credit, but rich enough to qualify for the capital gains tax credit. They would have to be rural medical providers who recently bought a 26,000-pound vehicle and would have to own a substantial amount of business personal property. Highly unlikely? Obviously. A more accurate estimate, from the nonpartisan Legislative Council, is that if C is rejected by voters, the average TABOR rebate next year will be just $15 per person. (Over the five years, the rebates may rise to be closer to $100 per year, still a small price considering what is at stake.)"
The Rocky Mountain News editorial staff is urging Denver voters to pass Referred Question 1B - Retention of Local Revenues on Tuesday [October 27, 2005, "Vote 'yes' on 1-B, Denver's de-Brucing"]. From the opinion piece, "The current measure extends de-Brucing until fiscal 2015, and defines the conditions under which refunds will be made after that time. With the city's budgets still tight and the hiring of more police a high priority, voters should agree to let the city keep the money it's already collecting."
Supporters of Initiative I-100 rallied outside the City and County Building yesterday, trying to gain my boss' support, by calling him a hypocrite and a drug dealer, according to the Rocky Mountain News [October 27, 2005, "Pot backers can't stoke Hickenlooper"]. Coyote Gulch thinks that their tactics may not work. 
Here's the coverage from the Denver Post [October 27, 2005, "Where there's toke, there's ire"].
Category: Denver November 2005 Election
6:31:38 AM 
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