OUR VIEW: How to slash state spending (vote in poll)

Gov.-elect John Hickenlooper is perhaps wrongly perceived as a run-of-the mill liberal Democrat. The bottom-line small-business man talks as if he wants to run the state as a fiscal pragmatist who will give us less government. He deservedly boasts of causing a substantial reduction in city employees while working as Denver mayor. A smaller state government may stop the scheming to confiscate more of the private sector’s hard-earned capital and is likely to involve itself less in our lives.

Hickenlooper reiterated his desire for less government while talking to county commissioners from throughout the state, who met Tuesday in Colorado Springs. He told them he needs as many ideas as possible from as many people as possible and he needs them quickly.

Almost simultaneously, the Independence Institute, a public policy organization based in Golden, released “Citizens’ Budget: Road Map for Sustainable Government in Colorado.” A team of Colorado economists and researchers created the 170-page report after months of research. (See full report at i2i.org)

In an introductory letter, institute President John Caldara describes a “public storm ahead,” caused by a slow recovery with no swift rebound in wages, salaries and profits. It may be compounded by the likelihood our federal government curtails subsidies to states.

“Colorado’s budgeters won’t be able to find any more accounting gimmicks,” Caldara wrote. “Programs cannot continue to expand. Is the only answer to raid family savings accounts and business’ incomes with new taxes and fees?”

Hickenlooper knows about the looming economic storm. He has no interest in burdening families and businesses.

The Gazette’s editorial board respects Hickenlooper and the Independence Institute, and would like each party to get over past grievances and work together respectfully to position Colorado to withstand the storm. Hickenlooper has shown a willingness to listen to conservative Republicans by comprising an impressive bipartisan transition team. The libertarian-leaning Independence Institute has spent decades creating a culture of economists, lawyers and researchers who’ve devoted their careers to finding responsible ways to limit government — a concept that’s suddenly all the rage.

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The editorial board also encourages all legislators, mayors, city leaders and county commissioners throughout Colorado to study the “Citizens’ Budget.”

It’s full of analysis, tables and graphs that show how minor cuts would each reduce spending by tens of millions of dollars. Incarceration of non-threatening convicts has helped grow corrections expenses to 9 percent of the budget. That’s up from historic levels of 3 percent, at a time when crime rates are dropping throughout the country. A 1 percent reduction would save $78 million a year. Returning Medicaid eligibility levels to those of fiscal year 2006-07 would save the state nearly $220 million. The report contains creative and logical adjustments to the government employees’ pension plan, higher education, K-12 and more.

It advocates gutting corporate welfare, such as state subsidies to businesses that call themselves “green.” The ideas, the math, the causes and effects are specific. It’s all about action, devoid of philosophical pontification.

Hickenlooper is genuinely interested in listening to the public and finding ways to reduce spending. He and legislators from both sides of the aisle would do their constituents a favor by digesting this report with open hearts and minds.

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