by Editorial Board | Nov 15, 2024 | Editorials
Editorial —
Philip Anschutz
The richest man in Colorado, billionaire Phil Anschutz, is a highly secretive individual. What exactly his political views are is unknown but he is usually described as “deeply conservative.” He is highly interested in influencing Colorado politics and policy and he spends millions of dollars every year to do so.
He funds or partially funds think tanks and policy groups like the Independence Institute and Advance Colorado; publications like the Colorado Springs Gazette, the Denver Gazette, Complete Colorado, and Colorado Politics; and even radio personalities like Jimmy Sengenberger.
Like many billionaires in America his views have evolved over the years. He was a strong Bush/Cheney supporter and hates Donald Trump due to his views on immigration and tariffs as well as his far from gentlemanly demeanor and personal conduct. Anschutz seldom contributes in his own name to politicians, but did so for Liz Cheney in her unsuccessful bid for re-election in Wyoming. Anschutz is referred to as the Liz Cheney of Colorado in grassroots circles in Colorado.
Dave Williams
He has always disliked Colorado’s Republican Party’s primary system with caucuses and assemblies that allows everyday grassroot Republicans a chance to be a candidate for public office in a general election. Back in 2016, he supported Proposition 107 behind the scenes. The proposition opened party primaries to unaffiliates purportedly to ensure that moderate Republicans like Joe O’Dea and Walker Stapleton would win the Republican primaries.
Anschutz has almost always controlled the chair of the Republican Party due to his contributions to the party, but in 2022 there was a grassroots pro Trump revolt and Dave Williams was elected chair, and other grassroots candidates such as Hope Scheppelman Vice Chair and Anna Ferguson for Secretary also won.
That was too much for Anschutz and he stopped giving to the Colorado Republican Party. He threw his hidden support to Proposition 131 which would do away with party primaries for jungle primaries with rank choice voting in general elections. Prop 131 was backed by Democrats like Governor Jared Polis and Senator John Hickenlooper as well as a war chest of fifteen million dollars.
If one wishes to gauge Anschutz’s views on any matter just listen to the Independence Institute’s board member Dick Wadhams and President Jon Caldara. Both wrote numerous articles in the Anschutz publications praising Prop 131 and Wadhams was even paid as a consultant to back the measure.
Practically the only voice opposing Prop 131 in public was Republican Chair Dave Williams who, with virtually no money, managed to defeat Prop 131 and Anschutz 55% to 45%.
Anschutz and the Republican establishment had attempted to recall Williams as Chair of the Republican Party right in the middle of the election season, but Williams defeated them in court and by vote of the Colorado State Central Committee.
The purpose of the recall was not only to get rid of Anschutz’s nemesis but also to be sure the Republican Party would have a bad election night under Williams’ tutelage. But instead, the Republicans had a very good night. They gained a Congressional seat as well as three in the State House defeating a Democrat supermajority. While Trump lost Colorado, the margin decreased from 13.5% to 11%
It is not often that a billionaire like Phil Anschutz is handed a spanking by an underfunded grassroots leader like Dave Williams, but that is the under reported story of the general election of 2024 in Colorado.
— Editorial Board
by Editorial Board | Sep 26, 2024 | Editorials
Editorial —
Kent Thiry — A pretty face can hide an evil mind.
It is said that money is the mother’s milk of politica. But what if we could make it not only just the most important thing in politics but the “only thing.” Kent Thiry, the former CEO of DaVita, a dialysis provider, who somehow managed to escape two federal charges for labor market collusion, is back with another ballot measure to finally destroy elections in Colorado.
Thiry is well known for pouring millions of dollars into highly effective and unopposed television commercials that push changes to the Colorado electoral system that would benefit “practical politicians” like himself, but what he means is multi-millionaires like himself.
He hates political parties where everyday citizens can have a say and not just the millionaires who fund the parties. His latest scam is Proposition 131 which will abolish partisan primaries and impose rank choice voting for the four top vote getters that go on to the general election.
In Alaska where the system was imposed in 2020 there were over 40 candidates running in the nonpartisan open primary. Four candidates made it to the general election where voters listed their preferences from one to four. As no one got a majority of the number one votes, they dropped off the candidate who got the least number one votes of the four, and saw who those voters’ second choice was and counted them as number one votes. This went on until one candidate received a majority.
This is the system that Thiry wants Colorado voters to adopt under Prop 131. In the nonpartisan primary to make the final four for the general election name recognition is the name of the game. In Alaska one person who named himself “Santa Claus” came in sixth.
To get name recognition, normally candidates must run countless television ads which cost a great deal of money. Either you’re rich or are the candidate of one or more wealthy donors.
Average citizens who participate in politics normally become party precinct committee persons and work their way up the chain. Under Prop 131 all that would become void; only the very rich, like Kent Thiry, will determine who is elected to public office. In back rooms they will also manipulate the final four candidates to see who finally becomes elected to the public office.
Thiry is running endless ads saying that if 131 passes it will get parties out of politics (true) and comically that Prop 131 will even get wealthy donors out of the political process. If he was an honest person (which he is not) Thiry would have said that under Prop 131 only the very rich will have any say in elections.
Alaska was so disgusted by Thiry’s system that voters have placed a proposition to get rid of nonpartisan jungle primaries and rank choice voting on the ballot this year. It is hoped that the latest fool’s gold proposition by Kent Thiry is decisively voted down by the Colorado voters. If not, it may be one of the last votes by Colorado voters that matters.
— Editorial Board
by Editorial Board | Aug 23, 2024 | Editorials
Editorial —
Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer
Philip Anschutz
Governor Jared Polis
Colorado Governor Jared Polis has called another special session to address the problems with extraordinarily high property taxes caused by the elimination of the Gallagher Amendment to the State Constitution in 2020. The Gallagher Amendment was originally adopted in 1982 and froze the homeowner real property tax rate at 7.15%.
The repeal of the Gallagher Amendment was backed by chambers of commerce, business groups, and Colorado Concern, a consortium of wealthy businessmen. The repeal was passed by a 58% to 42% margin. Then came the sticker shock to homeowners.
Polis, afraid of political backlash, called a special season of the state legislature in 2023 to address the issue. But the session granted only short-term minimal relief to homeowners while robbing taxpayers of state Tabor refunds to benefit low-income taxpayers. Republicans like State Senator (and moral reprobate) Barbara Kirkmeyer celebrated that con job on homeowners along with Democrat legislators.
This is one of the times the business class is in sync with the governmental entities which have become bloated with tax revenues as a result of the repeal of the Gallagher Amendment.
Advance Colorado, a political advocacy group funded by Phil Anschutz, proposed, to control the anger of the homeowners, two ballot issues that would address the problem, but that is little more than a ruse to make sure the business and governmental classes control the process.
The governor has now called a second special session for August 26 which has been preceded by a negotiation between the different sides. With Advance Colorado on the side of homeowners and Colorado Concern on the side of businesses.
But it is really a negotiation between Phil Anschutz and Phil Anschutz. The billionaire is a prominent member of Colorado Concern and the main donor of Advance Colorado.
By the time you read this editorial the special session will be over, and you will be able to assess how screwed over the average homeowner was. Of course, it could be that that problem has been solved and homeowners having prevailed with a fair solution. It could happen even if it has almost never happened in Colorado history in similar circumstances. There is always a first time! We wait with bated breath.
— Editorial Board
by Editorial Board | Jul 18, 2024 | Editorials
Editorial —
BS Busted: Lawmakers used budget stabilization or “BS” to withhold millions of dollars from schools to pay for Colorado’s state budget. School supporters have forced the state to begin fully funding K-12 schools with the 2024-25 school year starting Aug. 15.
It’s been a tough, and traumatic 10 years for Denver Public Schools (DPS). Resource officers in-and-out of schools, shootings, suicide threats, plus struggling to keep teachers. And who can forget the dysfunctional School Board during the years Tay Anderson was Vice President, with allegations of misconduct, and censured by fellow board members.
During the same time span Colorado’s politicians — claiming to be big-hearted, benevolent, and sympathetic — told parents they “truly cared about education.” They avowed, and maintained they were “on the front line helping to secure funds for schools.” That’s in spite of the fact the state’s school funding has ranked in the bottom third nationwide for decades.
Call it political tears, politics, and money, or more accurately, worthless “BS!” It’s recently come to light that since 2009-10 the state’s lawmakers — both Democrats and Republicans — created the budget stabilization or “BS factor” — allowing lawmakers to withhold millions of dollars from public schools each year to balance the state budget. The honest, indisputable truth is that from 2009-10 through the just wrapped-up 2023-24 school year, our state government swindled a staggering $38.1 billion in school funds to pay for Colorado’s state budget!
That includes funds for the 76,157 Denver Public Schools (DPS) students that were enrolled in the 2023-24 school year.
Despite years of criticism from parents and educators, plus legal challenges in the courts — the Colorado Supreme Court voted 4 to 3 to uphold the state’s use of the BS factor in Sept. 2015 — nothing had changed through the just closed 2023-24 school year. An entire generation of Denver students never had the opportunity to learn in a fully-funded classroom. Lack of sufficient funding resulted in underpaid teachers, overcrowded classrooms, and limited access to extracurricular activities, and mental health services.
Stolen student funds — all that dough meant to educate our kids — was instead used to pay the staggering 99,222 state workers employed by the state’s executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The cumulative growth rate of Colorado state government has increased by 20.3% in the last 10 years.
Yes, families and their kids were robbed by politicians to pay the people who work for politicians. Selfish, self-seeking, simply unacceptable. Beyond “hoggish,’ it’s wretched, rotten, and second-rate, even for politicians. Is it any wonder that Coloradans are growing increasingly pessimistic about our state government?
Through dedication, determination, spunk, and steadfastness, school supporters have finally forced lawmakers to stop the swindle. The state will begin “fully funding” K-12 schools with the 2024-25 school year that starts Aug. 15.
Abolishing the BS Factor will increase school district budgets to more than $400 per student. Even with the funding uplift, today’s education dollars won’t go nearly as far as they did 14 years ago when the thievery started. Colorado’s school funding ranks in the bottom third nationwide, and per-pupil spending was already below the national average before politicians created the BS Factor to pickpocket kids.
When the 2024-25 school year starts this month, the additional money could result in smaller class sizes, and revive programs such as art classes. In addition to providing students with higher-quality education, added funds may also improve pay for teachers and staff.
Eliminating the BS Factor is a crucial step to ensuring that DPS schools have the resources to provide students with the education they need. But don’t get unduly psyched up. When adjusted for inflation, spending for schools will be about the same as it was in 1989. Denver Public Schools will net about $14 million. DPS Chief of Finance Chuck Carpenter acknowledges the increase is encouraging and will give the district a shot in the arm. Nevertheless, he calculates it will equal about $174 per student or 1% of the district’s $1.4 billion budget.
Reckless, rash, imprudent, and irresponsible, state politician’s use of the BS factor to rip-off school funds exposes the vulnerability of public schools to fraud. Straight from the shoulder, the ethically and morally wrong scheme, scam, and swindle was and is deceit and deception at its nastiest. Albeit, regrettably successful. Parents and educators must create/construct a system of oversight to spot, address, and stop future attempts by state lawmakers to siphon-off school funds for political purposes. What’s at stake in future oversight: Theft of funds from our public schools not only harms students, but also undermines public confidence in our public education system.
— Editorial Board
by Editorial Board | Jun 20, 2024 | Editorials
RTD is famous for getting state, federal and local entities to spend ever increasing amounts of money to fund bus and light rail projects that people do not want to utilize. The latest and greatest project is the East Colfax Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The project runs 9.9 miles from Union Station in downtown Denver to the R Colfax Station in Aurora.
It will put a center running lane dedicated to bus lines while cutting back automobile lanes. It will have 26 outdoor stations along the way. In 2022 it was estimated the cost would be a quarter billion dollars that the federal and state governments and the two municipalities involved are funding.
By making automobile traffic even more inconvenient on East Colfax, RTD hopes that will result in increased bus usage. The alternative of course is that people simply avoid East Colfax all together thereby having a disastrous affect on all the businesses along East Colfax and congesting traffic on such streets as 13th, 14th, and 17th Avenues.
Will it be the Lady or the Tiger? Betting that RTD knows what it is doing has not been a good wager over the decades.
Andy Bosselman wrote in 5280 Magazine an enlightening three-part article “RTD is in Crisis — What Went Wrong.”
It can’t be said that RTD rushed into this project with work on the matter starting in 2008. The basic problem is that Denver wants people living in and travelling to the city to give up the automobile and take public transportation. But the pesky residents and visitors don’t seem to want to comply. Ridership for the buses and light rail has been steadily decreasing while operating costs have risen.
The East Colfax BRT is different than most other RTD projects. For example, RTD’s B Line project which was supposed to get residents to use RTD vans up and down Colorado Boulevard and to and from Cherry Creek Shopping center was an expensive flop but it did not cause any business in the affected area to fail. If East Colfax BRT causes residents to avoid East Colfax it will destroy scores of businesses along the road to fail.
Here’s hoping that RTD finally has gotten one right for the sake of East Colfax businesses if no one else.
— Editorial Board
