Hazlehurst's Blog

TABOR opponents clear first judicial hurdle

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

TABOR worshippers beware: the bipartisan plot to have the Douglas Bruce authored 1992 tax limitation amendment to the Colorado constitution declared unconstitutional passed its first hurdle yesterday in Denver district court. According to a press release from the leading plotters, who claim to be a “bi-partisan coalition of 33 plaintiffs, including five state legislators, 13 [...]

TABOR, Gallagher, the business personal property tax and the tunnel under Pikes Peak

Monday, November 22, 2010

Comments Off

For as long as I can remember, business interests in Colorado Springs and throughout the state have had a simple position on the business personal property tax: Get rid of it! They have correctly claimed that the tax inhibits business formation, creates disincentives for companies considering a move to Colorado, and unreasonably targets businesses. It’s [...]

Hente, Martin speak out on strong mayor proposal

Monday, October 4, 2010

3 Comments

Incumbent City Council members Jan Martin and Scott Hente have penned a letter in opposition to Issue 300, which would alter the city’s form of government and allow a “strong mayor.” They make some good points, including that many problems of city government have been the result of antic voter decisions, including TABOR and restricted-use revenue [...]

Colorado initiatives: change you can pay for.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Comments Off

Colorado Springs voters will be asked Nov. 2 whether they want to radically revise the city charter and replace the city manager for of government with a so-called “strong mayor” system. While the term “strong mayor” may be misleading, one thing is clear about the proposal: It has been driven and financed by a handful of [...]

TABOR, the Constitution and the Kingdom of Colorado Springs

Thursday, February 11, 2010

8 Comments

Colleen O’Connor reported this morning in the Denver Post that Herb Fenster, a prominent Boulder attorney, plans to sue the state over TABOR, claiming that the 1992 Douglas Bruce initiative, which extensively amended the Colorado Constitution is itself unconstitutional. “His lawsuit,” O’Connor wrote,“ will argue that TABOR deprives the state legislature of its power to tax [...]

My thoughts on the mayor’s speech

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

7 Comments

One of the few perks available to the Mayor of Colorado Springs is, one hopes, a speechwriter. If not, Mayor Lionel Rivera would have been obliged to labor late into the night to produce many thousands of words of flat, turgid prose. If he did, my sympathies! And if he didn’t, speaking as one with a demonstrated ability to [...]

The horror! The horror!

Monday, March 16, 2009

1 Comment

“Mistah Kurtz – he dead.” It was a “Heart of Darkness” moment for Republican elected officials in Denver, as they bemoaned the Colorado Supreme Court’s 6-1 decision upholding the legality of Gov. Bill Ritter’s property tax “freeze,” which the legislature enacted last year. Oh, the poor taxpayer! Oh, the ruthless, tax-lovin’ libruls on the Supreme Court! [...]

Tag Archive | "Tabor"