Drivers pay more, get less due to Dems’ doubletalk

Mark Hillman

Beginning July 1, Colorado drivers will pay higher taxes — we’re told to call them “fees” — on every vehicle every year when we renew our license plates.

The increase of $29 to $51 per vehicle is projected to generate $250 million annually to repair unsafe roads and bridges, Gov. Bill Ritter said when he signed the “fee” hike into law.

All this occurs under the guise of economic stimulus as Colorado Democrats learn from their Washington counterparts to strike quickly while the economy is on the ropes and the public is too worried about their own finances to pay attention to statehouse shenanigans. (more…)

So long, old friend

Mark Hillman

I always hoped this day wouldn’t come, but it has with today’s closing of the Rocky Mountain News.

My affection for the News began well before my days in newspaper.  When the Rocky began rural delivery in Eastern Colorado, my family subscribed and each morning I’d dash out to the road to pick up the paper.  My mother enjoyed grumpy Gene Amole and the crosswords.  I poured through every statistic on the sports page — which is probably why I eventually thought journalism was the career for me. (more…)

When is a limit not a limit?

Mark Hillman

Emboldened that the state supreme court still hasn’t ruled on Gov. Bill Ritter’s plainly unconstitutional property tax hike, tax-and-spenders at the State Capitol are drawing up their game plan for another end-run around voters.

If they can get away with hiking property taxes by claiming it’s not a tax increase, then Democrats are increasingly confident they can again bypass voters and the state constitution by claiming that a spending limit is something else. (more…)

A Letter from The Boss

Mark Hillman

I’ve had many requests for this letter after I read it on the Mike Rosen Show.  Enjoy!

To All My Valued Employees,

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn’t pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country.

However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact, which might help you, decide what is in your best interests. (more…)

Big government is back — with a vengeance

Mark Hillman

The era of big government is back — with a vengeance.

President Obama returned to Denver to sign into law his American Reinvestment and Recovery Act — the biggest spending bill in history, conservatively priced at $787 billion.

In reality, this “stimulus” encourages nothing but government dependency and the belief that you really can get something for nothing.  It should be known as the American Dependency and Redistribution Act because that’s what it stimulates most. (more…)

Get taxpayers off the PERA-go-round

Mark Hillman

When President Bush and Congress first proposed a financial bail out for Wall Street investors last September, a grassroots chorus — from the Left and the Right — decried using public taxpayer funds to pay off the debts of private investors.

In Colorado, the state’s largest pension fund has lost 25 percent of its investment assets — $11 billion — in the past year, jeopardizing its long-term ability to pay retirement benefits promised to some 413,000 current and former government employees. (more…)

TABOR for Dummies

Mark Hillman

Here they go again.

Faced with a budget that’s hemorrhaging dollars, it was only a matter of time before one of our spendthrift legislators made headlines by erroneously pointing the finger of blame at Colorado’s Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR).

Never mind that last spring Governor Ritter and the Democrat-controlled legislature ignored numerous warning signals of a looming recession.

Never mind that they ignored the consensus lesson of the last “budget crisis” — when times are good, save a little money for when times aren’t so good. (more…)

Ritter’s day late, dollar short budgeting

Mark Hillman

Colorado faces a $630 million budget shortfall and stark options now that half of the fiscal year is past and so much money is already spent.

Balancing a budget during a recession is a difficult, thankless job.  But balancing this year’s budget didn’t need to be this hard if only the leaders at the Capitol had learned from the last recession — or listened to those who experienced it.

Last spring as the economic storm clouds gathered, Gov. Bill Ritter and legislative leaders had opportunities to take precautions. (more…)

Christianity and freedom

Mark Hillman

For some 15 years, I’ve been an avid reader of Hillsdale College’s Imprimis.  The November 2008 edition features excerpts from a very timely speech, “How Christianity Shaped The West,” delivered by noted conservative author Dinesh D’Souza at a National Leadership Seminar in Colorado Springs.

D’Souza explains that Christianity, as distinct from other ancient cultures, societies and religions, cultivated respect for human life, elevated the status of women, and inspired the modern anti-slavery movement. (more…)