Repeal Taxes Now!!!!!

We had stop off at Walmart on an errand and as we were going in, I noticed a pair of women outside doing a petition to cut taxes. I didn't say anything, neither did Darby. But I just shook my head and went into the store. And I was a very good boy until we came out of the store.

That's when one of the women asked if we were registered voters. Darby said yes and kept moving (actually directing me) to our car because she knew what was going to happen if she got my attention. The woman than asked if we would be interested in paying lower taxes and that was the end of me being a good boy....

I politely walked over there and asked her what this was about.

She pointed to the back of her clipboard and there are three bills that they want to get petitioned to scale back the taxes we pay.

Maybe this woman hasn't bothered to read the headlines of late or maybe she doesn't care -- but fortunately for all three of us standing around her table, I'm pretty up on the news and ramifications of such a thing. I asked her if she knew that the state was in bad financial shape at the moment.

That's when she pointed again to the back of her clipboard saying that this wouldn't go into effect until 2011.

2011?

What difference is it going to make if it's 2011, 2012, or 2020?

I explained to her that I'm all for paying lower taxes, but at the cost of getting rid of programs and laying off overworked employees who have already been asked to sacrifice -- and then I said:

"You do realize that prisons are going to let their inmates out if there's no funding, surely you don't think that would be a good idea, do you?"

"No, that wouldn't be good." she said in the most meekish of tones.

Which is really the point. If we're going to cut state revenues then essential programs are already being targeted. Essential services would have to be cut. Are we comfortable with a maxed police department - which in some cities can barely keep up with the log of stuff because they are so overwhelmed. Are we comfortable by over extending our fire deparments in the same stroke of the brush?

What gets me is that these folks have no concept for how things get paid to do projects in this nation. Our roads, our bridges, our new pipelines, not to mention the core of the education system is largely funded by local and state government money. At a time when these agencies and institutions are having a very difficult time resolving their budget crises -- do we really want them to break in half, go bankrupt or diminish to the point of negative returns?

The states getting most of the headlines these days are California and Michigan. California is on the brink of bankruptcy and Michigan has over 18% unemployment and 22% drop of revenue. The governor of Michigan has said that the government will have to shutdown because it does not have enough money to stay open.

Which is EXACTLY what has been done to Colorado state workers for the last 5+ years in the form of substantial cuts, furloughs and mandatory time off. You never hear about it though because they can't say anything on their behalf. So as a matter of principle -- I felt compelled to address the issue and hopefully educate.

Unfortunately I don't believe it mattered. Darby mentioned how she was placating me - and deep down I knew that. But if you're going to invite people into the discussion, you may want to be prepared for what may come up.

I don't know how many people signed her petition -- I only saw a small handful of signatures on one page, but I hope some folks do stop, think and consider both ends of the debate before affixing their signature to something that could be potentially damaging in the long run.

Does Colorado really want to look like California in 3 years?