Ref. C, another example of promises made and kept

Wade Buchanan, president of the Bell Policy Center, expressed his perspective on Referendum C in Sunday's Denver Post. He begins:

Referendum C, passed by voters in 2005, was a major step forward for Colorado. Whether you care most about our public schools, our colleges and universities, health care for hard-working families, our roads and bridges or other important services, Ref. C was by far the most significant policy achievement in Colorado in more than a decade.

Without Ref. C, a provision in our state constitution would have prevented these essential public structures and services from recovering from the deep cuts made during the severe recession that hit our state and nation from 2001 to 2003.

These are the public structures that, along with businesses and well-functioning markets, underpin prosperity and opportunity in Colorado by ensuring a competitive and healthy work force. Without Ref. C, we would instead be slashing them by more than $1 billion this year alone.

Anyone who's at all curious about how Ref. C funds are helping Coloradans would be well served by reading the whole article.

--posted by Staff