My favorite issue on the November ballot is Initiative 101. Here's a story from the Rocky Mountain News [September 22, 2003, "Feuding over peace"] about the initiative. The Rocky also has a story about the initiative's author Jeff Peckman. From the article, "It's been nearly a year since Peckman drafted the latest version of what is now called Initiative 101, or "Increasing Public Safety by Creating Peace." It's been only a few months since he gathered enough signatures to place it on the ballot. Media outlets worldwide latched onto the language that would require 'implementation of any systematic, stress-reducing techniques or programs . . . scientifically shown to reduce society-wide stress . . . and also shown to be of net financial benefit to the city.' As he sat last week at a picnic table in Huston Lake Park in the neighborhood where he grew up, Peckman admitted that he's an easy target: an unemployed, middle-aged meditation teacher. But he had just come from an interview with ABC News Radio, and a reporter from the Kansas City Star was headed in; he's been on National Public Radio and debated on the national cable television news networks. 'People,' he said, 'are starting to listen." Here's some of the reaction to the initiative from around the country from the Rocky Mountain News [September 22, 2003, "What they're saying around the country"]. I like the reaction from the Missoulian (Missoula, Montana), "We should note that Denver's ballot measure is really goofy. . . . It's on the ballot because it doesn't take many signatures to qualify an initiative in Denver, and some people will sign their names to anything. Officials in that city all have their underwear in a bunch over the matter. They worry that the whole country will think Denver's got a sense of humor."

Here's a look at Initiative 101 from the Christian Science Monitor. Thanks to the Colorado Globe for the link. I love the stress that the initiative is causing for Councilman Brown. Good grief, Charlie.

Here's today's The Stump from the Rocky Mountain News.

Here's an article about Amendment 32 from the Denver Post [September 22, 2003, "Backers of tax-freeze plan offer way"]. The amendment will freeze residential property tax rates at the current level which is, in essense, a tax increase, since rates are predicted to fall over the next few years. From the article, "The Gallagher Amendment has done such a good job keeping residential property taxes down that Colorado now has the fourth lowest residential property tax rate in the country. Homeowners have seen virtually flat tax rates in the midst of the area's real estate boom. But some opponents believe the amendment has restricted the funding of schools too severely. And others believe businesses bear too much of the property tax brunt. For the first time in the amendment's 21-year history, opponents have become organized enough to place an initiative on this November's ballot. Amendment 32 would effectively freeze the effects of the Gallagher Amendment." The article contains a lot of detail about state taxes.
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