Letter to the Gazette – 8.25.07

Picture a huge hand sprouting up from Denver and sweeping across the state of Colorado digging into your wallet. At the same time a recording is being played for all of us to hear saying, “You must do your part! Give, give, give. The state is falling apart and you must pay!”

This describes the money hungry, “there’s never enough" attitude of our Denver legislature. Get ready folks, because the fiscally voracious politicians up in Denver want your money and they will stop at nothing to get it.

I was increasingly shocked and disgusted at each new paragraph I read in Saturday’s Gazette article “Under ANY scenario, state roads will need more cash”. Just a few days after reading about the proposed plans to socialize medicine here in Colorado and submit massive new tax bills to all of us, we now get to read about the massive increases coming our way for roads and infrastructure. New gas taxes, mileage taxes, income taxes, taxes disguised as fees, which panelists even admit are disguised. We just passed the massive increases of Referenda C and D in order to keep the sky from falling and yet that was not enough. In fact, C and D revenue is even higher than they expected.

When is someone going to talk about cutting Colorado’s budget instead of increasing it? If I receive a pay cut in my home budget or get laid off, I do not get to go out and replace that revenue stream by shaking down my neighbors for more money! I have to cut my budget. I look at things that I can no longer afford and I eliminate them from my budget. Why should it be any different for our law makers and those charged with administering OUR tax dollars?

Enough! Protect Colorado and hold on to your wallets! Tell these people NO! It is time for fiscal responsibility before they take everything we’ve got.

Amy Lathen