Colorado Resource Guide
Sam Adams State Resource Guides are designed to help citizens get involved in their home state.
Do you have additional information that you'd like to see on this list? Please email your tips to resources@samadamsalliance.org.
BACKGROUND:
In Colorado, Republicans and Democrats are almost evenly split. Elections can go either way, both at the state and federal levels.In 1992, Colorado passed the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, an innovative proposal that allows government spending to increase at a moderate rate matching population and inflation growth. As a result, Colorado’s economy has thrived, with one of the highest per capita incomes in the nation.
Spending remains a contentious issue in Colorado, however—in 2005, a slim margin of voters passed Referendum C, which allowed the government to spend $3.6 billion more over a five-year period than the TABOR budget allowed.
ISSUES:
Ask First
In 2006, unions gave more than $4 million dollars in reported contributions to political campaigns. These contributions are often financed by workers who never gave the unions permission to spend this money on politics. Ask First would give these workers a voice on where their money goes.
Spending
Property taxes increased recently, and with the passage of Referendum C in 2005, state spending also went up. Many Colorado groups are working to return the accountable government spending of the 1990s to the state.
Judicial term limits
One way to keep judges accountable is to limit their time in office. In Colorado, executive and legislative branches of government can only stay in office for a certain amount of time, and the judicial branch needs this same sort of limitation. Limit the Judges is leading the effort on judicial term limits.
ACTION GROUPS:
Freedom Works – Colorado
http://www.freedomworks.org/colorado/
Leadership Program of the Rockies
http://www.leadershipprogram.org/
Alliance for Choice in Education
http://www.acescholarships.org/
Center for Tax Policy
http://www.centerfortaxpolicy.org/
Colorado Union of Taxpayers
http://www.coloradotaxpayer.org
Mountain States Legal Foundation
http://www.mountainstateslegal.com/
Americans for Prosperity – CO
http://www.americansforprosperity.org/index.php?state=co
Active Citizens Together
http://actcolorado.org/
Pinon Canyon Opposition Coalition
http://www.pinoncanyon.com/
City Reforms
http://cityreforms.com/
Limit the Judges
http://www.limitthejudges.com/
Colorado Freedom of Information Council
1336 Glenarm Place
Denver, CO 80204
Contact: Thomas B. Kelley, President
E-mail TKelley@faegre.com
Phone (303) 607-3500
THINK TANKS:
Independence Institute
http://www.i2i.org/main/page.php?page_id=1
Backbone America
http://backboneamerica.net/
Center for Tax Policy
http://www.centerfortaxpolicy.org/
BLOGS:
Colorado Pols
http://coloradopols.com/frontPage.do
Clay Calhoun
http://www.claycalhoun.com/blog/
View from a Height
http://www.jsharf.com/view/
Mount Virtus
http://www.bendegrow.com/
Rossputin
http://rossputin.com/blog/index.php/a?cat=38
RESOURCES:
Colorado Data Book
http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite?c=Page&cid=1178305420531&pagename=OEDIT/OEDITLayout
Colorado Budget Documents
http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/govnr_dir/ospb/budget.html
Census Data
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08000.html
Colorado Secretary of State – Elections Division
http://www.elections.colorado.gov/DDefault.aspx?
Colorado Local Government
http://dola.colorado.gov/dlg/local_governments/index.html
POLITICAL NEWS:
Face the State
http://www.facethestate.com
Colorado Freedom Report
http://www.freecolorado.com/
