Although I lost my bid for re-election to the Colorado House, there were many blessings that came out of the election. I am happy for Colorado.
Amendment 69, ColoradoCare, was soundly defeated. ColoradoCare would have bankrupted Colorado, with businesses leaving the state and folks without health care and illegal immigrants coming to Colorado for free health care.Amendment 71 passed, which will make it more difficult to amend the Colorado Constitution. This will help to keep amendments like ColoradoCare from ever getting on the ballot in the first place.The Colorado state Senate continues to have a Republican majority. It is a good thing that there is a Senate backstop that will kill sometimes silly, sometimes stupid, and many times costly bills that the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives pass more times than not. I’m sure that Gov. John Hickenlooper is also grateful for a Republican Senate so he does not have to veto those Democratic bills.Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. Colorado is in trouble financially. We have lost thousands of high-paying clean coal, oil and gas and other industry jobs because of the Obama mandates and regulations. President Trump will allow for the renewal of these industries, which will mean more tax revenue to pay for K-12 education and other important programs. Also, Medicaid expansion, as required by Obamacare, is taking money from K-12 education. Trump will help to repeal Obamacare, which will also free up needed money.The economic report for Colorado came out in September and it was not good. The Legislature must cut $30 million from the 2016-2017 General Fund budget. Is it because we are overspending the budget? No! It is because tax revenues are down. How could that be? I thought Colorado has a booming economy and the business climate is robust. That is what Hickenlooper reported in a recent letter that he sent. But, based on the latest economic report, things aren’t that great.
Part of the reason for Colorado’s shrinking revenue stream is the reported loss of 1,200 coal jobs in Central Western and Northwest Colorado as a result of the increased regulatory costs initiated by the Obama and Hickenlooper administrations. These arwho spend their money to keep restaurants, grocery stores and all other community businesses in business, which in turn hire more people, and they all send taxes to the state to pay for services like schools and infrastructure like highways. The economy in Craig, Peonia, Hotchkiss, Nucla, Naturita and other cities is in the toilet. Also, thousands of oil and gas jobs have been lost. The loss of these hurts our overall economy.
Our country and state did not become great economically and environmentally because of a bloated government but because of the freedom given to folks like you and me to make a living and thrive. I am optimistic about the future. After all, the future is yours and my kids and grandchildren. God bless America!
J. Paul Brown represents House District 59 in Colorado’s General Assembly. The district encompasses La Plata, Archuleta, San Juan, Ouray and Hinsdale counties and part of Gunnison County. Reach him at jpaul.brown.house@state.co.us
