New video aims to spark conversation on state budget

We're looking to spark a good conversation – on the state budget.

After three years of cutbacks, after cutting K-12 and higher education, after closing state parks and prisons, more and more Coloradans are asking questions about state finances and our fiscal challenges.

We think Coloradans want to talk about the state budget.

The first step is learning the basics, and that's why the Bell, along with ProgressNow Colorado, produced Colorado's Budget: In Plain Talk. It's a six-minute video that uses broad strokes to paint a picture of how the state gets and spends its money.

"The purpose of the video is to help start a critical conversation about state fiscal policy," said Wade Buchanan, president of the Bell Policy Center. "The video helps frame that conversation and urges viewers to learn more."

The conversations are important because in Colorado, it is voters, not legislators, who make the major decisions about taxes and fiscal policy. Our state constitution requires it.

So, we invite Coloradans to watch Colorado's Budget: In Plain Talk, and then let the conversations begin.