Gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter said today that the early demise of the fiscally irresponsible ballot proposal known as Initiative 88 is further evidence that Congressman Beauprez is out of touch with Colorado’s needs and values. The Congressman was the first person to sign the petition seeking to place Initiative 88 on this fall’s ballot. Initiative 88 would have rolled back the gains being made under Referendum C and undercut the will of the voters who last year passed Ref C.
“It says something that the Congressman was the very first person to sign this petition,” said Ritter, who supported Ref. C last year and opposed Initiative 88. “This was such an unpopular proposal that they were forced to pull the plug on it early – and the Congressman was its biggest champion.”
Ritter said Ref. C in just its first year:
- Restored the Homestead Tax exemption for 140,000 senior citizens.
- Green-lighted 36 transportation projects around the state.
- Added 2,000 at-risk children to early childhood education programs.
Initiative 88 would have required cuts of up to $400 million over six months, according to a report from Colorado’s Republican state treasurer’s office. “Initiative 88 was a foolhardy and fiscally irresponsible idea,” Ritter said. “That the Congressman proudly supported it demonstrates that he doesn’t understand the people of Colorado and our state’s fiscal needs. It demonstrates Washington, D.C., thinking, not common-sense Colorado thinking.”
Read additional articles and commentary about the political sacrifice of Initiative 88:
- ColoradoConfidential.com: Ballot Issue: Referendum C “Refund” Won’t Be On Ballot
- Coloradopols.com: English-Only, Ref. C Rebates Off Ballot
- Colorado Media Matters: Post says Beauprez "wins" because initiative he supported failed to get on ballot (Refers to article in next link.)
- Denver Post: Beauprez wins as plan fails
- Grand Junction Daily Sentinel: Referendum C rollback meets welcome demise
- Rocky Mountain News: Backer pulls plug on Ref C-rebate measure
- SquareState.net: Dems Win the Ballot War
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