Initiative 12

Peter Marcus
Denver Daily News
Nov. 30, 2009

Conservative citizens are standing up against taxes with an arsenal of proposed 2010 ballot initiatives that would reduce government taxing and spending.

After reviewing the three proposals – Initiatives 10, 12 and 21 – it appears the intent of the initiatives are to generally lower taxes and limit government from spending and taxing, especially in the areas of vehicles, telecommunication, income, property and government borrowing.

Ballot turkeys
The Daily Sentinel, Grand Juncton
Nov. 24, 2009

There will always be disputes about just how much government - and government spending - is in the best interest of constituents. But three proposals that could appear on next year's election ballot amount to frontal assaults on state and local governments and public schools.

We wrote you recently about ballot initiatives that could blow a permanent and gaping hole in the state budget -- and lock Colorado into a permanent recession.

At the time, petitions for two proposed measures had been turned in. Now, petitions for a third are in, and what we face is a triple play of peril.

We are writing today to update you on what we know about these measures and what they would do. To be blunt, they are worse than we thought.

Dear Friends:

I am writing with distressing news.

Two proposed ballot initiatives that would blow a gaping hole through everything the state funds -- from our public schools and community colleges to our roads and bridges and even our child welfare services -- are now just a step away from making it on to next year's General Election ballot.

By Tim Hoover
The Denver Post

A trio of initiative petitions being circulated in Colorado would slash at least $1 billion annually in state taxes, roll back property taxes statewide and dramatically limit government's ability to construct new buildings.

The three initiatives, besides having similar themes of limiting government, also share what appear to be common connections to former state Rep. Doug las Bruce, R-Colorado Springs, the father of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights in the state constitution.