CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS (need 55% to pass) 

Amendment V: Lower Age Requirement for State Legislature

NO.  Would lower the minimum age for state lawmakers from 25 to 21. I was 31 when first elected to the Colorado Senate.  I’m now 51 and recognize what I didn’t know 20 years ago.  The last thing we need is laws made by inexperienced kids freshly indoctrinated by college professors.

Amendment W: Ballot Format for Judges

YES.  This is a simple change that will make the ballot more readable and save money for counties when printing ballots.

Amendment X: Industrial Hemp Definition

YES.  Corrects yet another unintended consequence of Colorado’s legalization of marijuana and makes our definition consistent with federal law which will eliminate needless red-tape for growers of industrial hemp.

Amendments Y&Z: Congressional & Legislative Redistricting

YES ON BOTH.  The current system is broken.  These initiatives replace the current system with a balanced process that includes equal numbers of Republicans, Democrats and independent voters.  It has adequate checks and balances to ensure fairness and to prevent manipulation by a single political party.

Amendment A: Language Prohibiting Involuntary Servitude as Punishment

YES.  Clarifies our state constitution’s prohibition on slavery and involuntary servitude to state that they are also not allowed as punishment for a crime.

Amendment 73: Tax Increase for Education

NO.  The problem with school funding in Colorado is that legislators have expanded social welfare programs at the expense of education. If public schools still received the same share of the budget as they did 10 years ago, our schools would receive an extra $800 per student.  We don’t need a $1.6 BILLION tax increase written into our state constitution.

Amendment 74: Compensation for Property Values

NO, sadly.  If all this did was protect property owners from intrusive government regulation, I’d be 100% in favor. But this so open-ended that it would allow neighboring property owners to sue local government to stop you from using your property if they can claim it would reduce the value of their property.  Although intended to protect oil and gas development, it’s easy to see how NIMBY activists could use this to stall energy development through endless litigation.

Amendment 75: Campaign Contributions vs. Millionaire Candidates

YES.  I’m not sure this makes a big difference, but at least it acknowledges that Colorado’s severe campaign contribution limits create an unfair advantage for millionaires who can self-fund their campaigns and it allows their competitors to accept larger donations than allowed under current law.

AMENDMENTS TO STATE STATUTE (pass with simple majority)

Proposition 109: Fix Our Damn Roads

YES.  Transportation is another budget item that has suffered due to the expansion of social welfare entitlements.  Lawmakers should make transportation a funding priority within the existing budget.

Proposition 110: Sales Tax for Transportation

NO.  If Prop 109 wasn’t on the ballot, I’d probably vote YES on this one because transportation funding isn’t keeping up with population growth. That’s because our gas tax isn’t a per-cent tax, it’s a per-gallon tax.  As fuel efficiency increases and more hybrids and electric cars hit the road, gas consumption (and tax revenue) stays relatively flat.  By using the general sales tax, Prop 110 makes everyone who uses our roads help pay the cost, including people who use mass transit and ride bicycles.  If you think our roads need a big funding boost, I wouldn’t blame you for voting YES on 109 and 110.

Proposition 111: Limits on Payday Loans

NO.  Payday loans are small loans (less than $500) used by people who may not be able get traditional loans. They are also risky loans for lenders who charge a higher interest rate as a result.  These are voluntary, private transactions, and we don’t need the nanny-state interfering with them.

Proposition 112: Half-Mile Setback for Oil & Natural Gas Development

NO.  An effort by Boulder anti-energy extremists to stop oil and gas development in over 90 percent of the state and a severe intrusion on property rights.  Passing this would make Colorado crazier than California!