Face The State
Three anti-tax petitions are being circulated in hopes of rolling back recently-enacted tax and fee increases at next year’s election. Backers of the initiatives emphasize the grassroots nature of their endeavor, but Colorado’s most prominent tax-cutting activists are at work in the background helping to shepherd the measures to the ballot. Initiatives 10, 12 and 21 have been approved by a state panel regulating initiative titles and are in the field where volunteers are gathering signatures. Proponents say they are fed up with a series of tax increases backed by Gov.
A proposed ballot initiative would guarantee Colorado workers a secret ballot in union elections. The measure is a response to proposed federal legislation that would eliminate secret ballot elections in favor of a “card check” system. Critics of the federal plan say that without a secret ballot workers would face intimidation from union leaders to join a union.
Unions have challenged the language of a ballot initiative that would amend the Colorado Constitution to guarantee employees’ right to a secret ballot in unionization elections. Meanwhile, legislation is pending before Congress that would remove that requirement from federal law. “The purpose for this amendment is to guarantee the fundamental right of an individual to vote by secret ballot,” said Patrick Davis, a Colorado Springs political consultant backing the measure.
Former Congressman and 2008 Presidential candidate Tom Tancredo plans to push at least two Colorado ballot initiatives for the 2010 ballot. One initiative will deal with immigration reform and the other with energy policy. His non-profit think tank also plans to pursue future efforts to legalize drugs through the ballot initiative.
Former Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo’s 2008 presidential bid was an admitted opportunity to speak against current immigration policy. And while immigration reform remains in Tancredo’s sights, his new policy stomping ground may come as a surprise: marijuana legalization. Tancredo said he is looking into placing one, or possibly two, initiatives on the 2010 ballot dealing with immigration and energy policy. He is hoping to collaborate with Caldara and the Independence Institute on future ventures.
Last week, Face The State reported on the efforts of Englewood residents to place a “homeowner immunity” measure on this November’s ballot. State law and Englewood’s city charter guarantee residents the right to place issues on the ballot upon collecting voter signatures equal to at least 5 percent of the city’s last gubernatorial vote count. While activists are hitting the pavement collecting the nearly 1,000 signatures they’ll need for ballot access, Englewood’s city council is tweaking local law to clarify the initiative and referendum process.