Yes on Referendum C&D Has Big Bucks

Lynn  Bartels of The Rocky Mountain News reported today that supporters of Referendum C&D have raised more than $1 million in less than a month:

The organization "Vote Yes on C & D" released its records Thursday, showing it has raised $1,010,360.19 since May 27. Group spokeswoman Katy Atkinson said the donations show bipartisan support for a plan aimed to help state government recover from a recent recession.

Support for Referendum C&D is not polling well right now, but if they can continue to raise this kind of money, that should turn around. Before they do anything, however, the "Yes" campaign is going to need a clear message. Even though the "No" side may be stretching the truth by calling C&D a "tax increase," they do have a message that the public can understand. If the "Yes" campaign can get a clear message, they look to have the money to get that message out.

Comments

[Phoenix Rising]

Not Mark - I agree, C&D are not "ratchet repair". They are the package the Legislature and Governor thought they could best explain to the public and that they could agree upon. The practical upshot of TABOR in this State is that almost no-one really understands it. There were enough signatures to get a TABOR reform initiative onto the ballot last year, but polling showed only 18% of the public understood TABOR, and they didn't have the time to raise awareness.

I think most anti-C&D folks just try to plead ignorance when they bring up the same old ploys over and over again: Amendment 23 is (1) exempt from TABOR limits as of a ruling this year, IIRC, and (2) was the will of the people acting to fix the Legislature's consistent downsizing of public education since TABOR was enacted in 1992. I don't want it repealed to fund some "pet project" - it's one of the best things the voters have done for their children in a decade.

[Phoenix Rising]

Mark - I think the real problem with Not Mark is that he doesn't actually LIKE his State job. It's obviously pork-barrel spending. He wants to be paid less year-over-year, which means he either wants the average salary for his job to eventually reach parity with Wal-Mart, or he expects he's so much better than everyone around him that he'll rise to the top and everyone else will sink to the aforementioned Wal-Mart salary, thereby saving the government millions.

NM - COLA certainly isn't an automatic thing, but the companies I've respected the most understood that satisfying employees' needs contributed to their productivity, and that included keeping salaries on pace with inflation in general.