NOREEN: TABOR is what we, not Bruce, say it is
TABOR advocates are boxing at shadows.
On Tuesday, supporters of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights held a news conference to attack a ballot initiative that does not exist. Douglas Bruce, TABOR’s founding father and a man who’s never been known to shrink from the spotlight, was nowhere to be seen.
Sean Paige, the former Gazette editorial page editor who now operates a blog for Local Liberty Action, helped organize the event and took a neutral stance concerning The Dougster.
“These are citizen-driven groups,” Paige said of the pro-TABOR coalition. “Doug Bruce isn’t our puppet master. We aren’t excluding Doug Bruce. We aren’t taking orders from him.”
Maybe TABOR just isn’t Doug’s baby any more.
TABOR has slowly and surely strangled the Colorado Springs budget. Councilman Tom Gallagher thinks a measure to dismantle TABOR will pass.
Some of us are skeptical.
Gallagher says he has the votes to place such a measure on the city ballot. Maybe he does: The council has shown pretty poor judgment recently in launching other ballot measures that have no chance.
Sure, Bruce is something of a liability. But Sarah Jack, who helped the Housing and Building Association shoot Bruce’s measures down last year by making the campaign a referendum on Bruce, said times have changed.
Citing the economy, government bailouts and a conservative backlash, Jack said Bruce “isn’t as unpopular as he was last year. What we did last year won’t work this year.”
Regardless of Bruce’s relative toxicity, maybe it’s time everybody figured out that’s it’s not all about Doug Bruce. Maybe it’s about what’s best for the city.
Some TABOR opponents are drawing dubious conclusions from a poll in hand, but it’s hard to believe city voters in a low-turnout election will emasculate TABOR.
Interestingly, both Paige and Jack, who are on different sides when it comes to TABOR, are open to the idea of a three-year time-out from TABOR’s revenue limits. Such a measure could avoid a tax increase or a debate over the dismantling of TABOR while allowing the city budget to get past the worst of the recession.
For three years, any tax increase would still have to be approved by voters, who also would get to weigh in again in 36 months. Relieved from TABOR’s ratchet effect, city hall would have three years to prove it could handle the revenue responsibly.
In three years, voters could decide to extend the time-out, or dismantle TABOR, or do nothing at all. There’s little doubt, though, that even a temporary TABOR time-out would have a hard time passing.
“I’m not one of those people who think TABOR is sacrosanct or that it can’t be tweaked,” the conservative Paige said.
No wonder Bruce wasn’t at that news conference.
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