AFP Colorado Post Election Analysis

POST ELECTION ANALYSIS

Colorado didn’t play the key role in Barack Obama’s election victory that many though it would. Ohio, Virginia and Florida decided the race long before the voters of Colorado had their say. But have their say they did. Obama gained 52% of the vote to John McCain’s 45%. And we lost conservative Colorado representatives in the U.S. Senate and House. For one more election cycle, the Blue State trend in federal races has continued in our state.

But Colorado remains a strong, free-market state, and we proved it on the ballot this year.

First of all, the Colorado State Senate may have one more Republican member. In the Colorado House, two Republican seats may have moved to Republican hands. This means that the leftward shift in the Colorado General Assembly which began in 2004 has stopped, and may have begun a small reversal.

Secondly, the result of the ballot issues reminds us that Colorado voters more freedom and less government. Every measure which would have increased taxes and spending was soundly defeated. This includes Amendment 58 would have been huge increase in energy severance taxes. Amendment 59, which would have taken away the heart of our Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR), was also defeated. Have given the legislature the power to increase government spending and make a case for putting a higher tax burden on Coloradans.

Unfortunately, Amendment 47 failed to pass. It would have turned back Governor Ritter’s unionization of state employees and given Colorado workers more protection from forced unionization in the workplace. Also, Amendment 49 which would have stopped the practice of having government act as the collection agent for union and other organizations also failed.

The results of this election proved that Colorado is still a free-market conservative state. As an AFP member, you can be assured that we will take a stand on your behalf when important legislation comes up in Denver. We are confident that when you gather with us to take a stand, you will have the backing of a majority of Coloradans who refuse to allow an expansion of government in the Rocky Mountain State.

There will be a decidedly leftward trend in federal policy under the Obama administration with a Democrat Congress to back him up. But the leftward trend in Colorado may be reversing. But we cannot sit back and hope for a return to fiscal responsibility and a belief in individual freedom in the legislature. We must build a strong grass roots force to make our voice heard on free-market issues in 2009. If you are able to come to the State Capitol or help us organize activists and conduct rallies in your area of the state, please contact us at infoCO@afphq.org today. We will have a busy year beginning in January of 2009, and we need your help.

LOOKING AHEAD TO THE 2009 LEGISLATURE

Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR)

We expect the Colorado legislature this year to continue a course of greater spending and increasing government. In 2008, Governor Ritter signed into law a freeze on the mill levy which in effect raised taxes across the state. A judge blocked the measure because it violated our state constitution’s ban on tax increases without a public vote. We expect similar legislation will be presented this next year in some form as a way to challenge TABOR again. Liberals in Colorado despise TABOR because it has successfully blocked their tax and spend programs ever since it was passed. With your help, we can lead the charge for reduced government.

Transparency in Government

For the last three or four legislative sessions, bills to open up state government checkbooks to online access and available to the public have have been killed in legislative committees. We urgently need this legislation passed in Colorado so that we can hold our government more accountable.

Energy Policy

Americans for Prosperity with the help of various congressmen including Sen. Wayne Allard declared Energy Freedom Day on October 1, 2008. The ban on offshore drilling and oil shale here in the Mountain West finally expired. Now we need to move forward and develop the estimated 800 billion barrels of oil shale here in Colorado. This will take a big effort to persuade our Congressional delegation and Governor Ritter to move quickly to open up our energy resources to create the jobs and opportunities here in our own state.

We are still concerned about the effects of Global Warming Alarmism here in Colorado. It is likely that more regulation of the energy industry is on its way which will mean hire taxes, less jobs and less freedom.

State Budget

The Colorado budget last year increased more than 6.5% from the previous budget. This was about a $1.15 billion spending increase, and millions of these dollars were directed toward pet political projects. We need to call upon the legislature to cut back spending. We need your help as we urge fiscal responsibility in Colorado.

The Agenda will require a grass roots army

We need your help to hold the line on increased spending. Please join with us as we build a grass roots army for change in Colorado. Here are some needs we have:

1. We are looking for volunteer writers and people who can do research so we can get information out in a quick and efficient manner.

2. We need many of you to commit to showing up at rallies and other meetings as often as possible. Please let us know if you can participate in these events from time to time.

Email us at infoCO@afphq.org and let us know we can count on you as we storm the Capitol with an army for freedom from government excess in Denver.

Jim Pfaff

Colorado State Director

Americans for Prosperity

Salazar’s “balanced energy plan” doesn’t play well with oil and gas industry

Colorado Senator Ken Salazar spoke on Friday to an energy forum of the Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States.  He called for a “balanced national energy policy” and dismissed claims he is against drilling and exploration in the United States.  He told his critics to just turn it “down a couple decibels.”

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0FcNNeuf0E

He pointed to the fact that when he became Colorado’s natural resources director in 1990, there were 11,000 energy jobs in the state.  He claims we have been successful in building the energy industry in Colorado because now there are 36,000 such jobs.

The response from oil and gas companies:  “I think the industry feels he could be more helpful,” said Doug Hock, spokesman for EnCana Oil & Gas (USA).

But here are the facts:

1. Ken Salazar with Congressman Mark Udall and Governor Bill Ritter worked to block leasing for natural gas exploration on the Roan Plateau.
2. Ken Salazar has been persistently working to block development of Colorado’s vast oil shale reserves. He sponsored a bill that attempted to block the release of final regulations on oil shale development. There are an estimated 800 billion barrels of oil locked in the ground here in Colorado.
3. In July, Salazar wrote a Washington Post editorial called The Heedless Rush to Oil Shale in which he argued that we should put off oil shale development because the energy companies developing methods to extract this oil are “still years away from knowing whether this technology can cost-effectively produce oil on a commercial scale.” What he didn’t note is that the reason they are so far away is because Senator Salazar, Congressman Mark Udall and others have been blocking regulations which would free up oil companies to do more research.

It is disingenuous for Senator Salazar to claim his is for drilling when he is against it. The You Tube video below makes it very clear that his true agenda is to block all energy development under any circumstances.

Colorado Vote Swings a problem for Republicans?

The fight for votes between Republicans and Democrats in Colorado is taking on new shapes and forms in recent years. Take Garfield County, for example. This once Republican stronghold is now balanced between moderate to liberal Carbondale and conservative Rifle. And Glenwood Springs, sandwiched in the middle, has seen a great increase in unaffiliated registered voters as in all the county who are trending Democrat.

The challenge this year for Republicans is to register every Republican and get them to the polls. Democrats, on the other hand, are benefiting from the trend toward unaffiliated voters which are increasingly going their way.

Schaffer, Udall spar over energy

Bob Schaffer and Mark Udall traded jabs over energy policy at Monday’s first U.S. Senate debate.

Bob Schaffer proposed reduced taxes on energy production as a way to make it more profitable to do so.  Mark Udall blamed high oil prices on oil and gas companies which he claims do not need tax breaks.

Rocky Mountain News