New Democrat Update - March 2000
GROWTH OPPORTUNITY
State Rep. Tom Plant convinced the state House of Representatives to enact meaningful growth management measures that will allow local governments to shape their destinies. The ideas - enforceable comprehensive plans and defining urban service areas - were resuscitated from his bill, killed earlier in the session by the House Local Government Committee.
Hopefully, the public's overwhelming distaste for sprawl, combined with strong support from developers and environmentalists, will address the misgivings of the Senate sponsor. Opponents of these amendments must recognize that state government can be a partner to communities - without undermining local control.
GROWING LOOPHOLES
Over the last 100 years, Colorado's tax code has been riddled with special interest loopholes that are not in the public interest, drag on the economy and unfairly shift the burden to others. As detailed in a January 16 Denver Post report by Mark Obmascik, the legislature enacted more giveaways in 1999 alone, than the previous 24 years under the Lamm and Romer administrations.
Now everything from precious metal bullion to food from vending machines to livestock semen to farm tractors and more get special treatment. To finance all these economically unproductive treats, the legislature increased everyone else's taxes by an average of $47.
Despite that terrible record and all the talk now emphasizing broad-based tax relief, the House Finance Committee killed State Rep. Dan Grossman's proposal to analyze and close such loopholes on a party-line vote (all Republicans opposed). Mark that down as another missed opportunity for redemption.
WELFARE REFORM
The goal of welfare reform is to break the cycle of dependency, moving families off public assistance and into the mainstream private sector economy. Dramatically declining caseloads offer hope but still do not tell us if the effort is truly succeeding.
Fortunately, Rep. Gloria Leyba is tackling this issue, requiring counties to collect information like job retention rates and income levels. HB 1074 received almost unanimous support in the House Health, Environment, Welfare, and Institutions Committee and is now awaiting action in the House Appropriations Committee.
It is time to find out if “Colorado Works” is really doing its job. State policymakers need to understand what works and what doesn't in helping welfare recipients permanently leave public assistance.
Only then can the true promise of welfare reform be realized.
BANNING RACIAL PROFILING
The national DLC’s think tank, the Progressive Policy Institute, has released a new report calling for an end to racial profiling - defined as police stopping and questioning people due to their race. The practice violates the presumption of innocence and breeds mistrust, discouraging the best source of information for the police - neighborhood residents.
In its place, the authors call for communities to implement community-oriented policing and state-of-the-art information technology strategies, as well as a more intensive focus on repeat offenders and crime-ridden neighborhoods. Finally, the quality of police forces should be increased through tougher hiring standards and more rigorous training.
If you would like a copy of “Eliminating Racial Profiling: A Third Way Approach,” please e-mail the Colorado DLC.
LEAVING NO ONE BEHIND
While pontificating that all Americans should benefit from our booming economy, the GOP presidential candidates have nothing specific to say. In contrast, both Vice President Al Gore and former Senator Bill Bradley have put authentic practical antipoverty solutions on the table.
Bradley calls for lifting families out of poverty through a combination of "make-work-pay" measures such as expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit to cover larger families, making the child care tax credit refundable (you get a check if the credit exceeds tax liability), expanding child care grants, and raising and indexing the minimum wage.
Gore emphasizes tougher measures to hold absent fathers more accountable by requiring speedier and more direct child support payments to children, new sanctions on deadbeat dads, new efforts to get absent fathers into the workforce so they can support their kids, and an intensified national commitment to promote two-parent families.
No word yet from the so-called “compassionate conservatives.”