Here's an article that tries to get at the heart of the rhetoric from proponents of Referendum A from the Rocky Mountain News [October 23, 2003, "War of words on water"]. From the article, "What about Arizona then? Desert golf courses and Phoenix lawns have been another favorite whipping boy of Referendum A backers. In fact, Arizona has never surpassed its annual allotment of 2.8 million acre-feet from the Colorado River basin, and so can't be accused of wasting Colorado's unused water."

Govenor Owens is still working hard pitching Referendum A, according to the Denver Post [October 23, 2003, "Owens: Ref. A crucial to future"]. From the article, "Speaking to more than 500 business and political leaders attending the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry's annual luncheon, Owens said that the current heat wave, which is setting new record temperatures for October, is a strong indication that what some have called the worst drought in 300 years is not over."

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

Here's an article about the increased workload for the Lottery Commission if Amendment 33 passes. The increased gambling would not be regulated by the Gambling Division as the mountain casinos are.

Be careful filling out your mail-in ballot for the November 4th election. Election commissions around the metro area are reporting errors in ballots they've already received, according to the Rocky Mountain News [October 22, 2003, "Counties report mail ballot problems"]. I've never used a mail-in ballot to vote.

The State is holding hearings on the budget and trying to work out a plan to deal with the effects of TABOR, Gallagher, and Amendment 23, according to the Denver Post [October 23, 2003, "Tangle of initiatives has sides snarling"]. The 3 constitutional amendments work together to squeeze government when revenues decline. Amendment 32, on the November ballot, is an attempt to mitigate the effects of Gallagher.
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