(WND)—Democracy works well, but it works so much better when those pesky voters are kept out of the loop.
That, apparently, is the conclusion from a noted commentator, Jon Caldara, president of Colorado’s Independence Institute, in Denver.
The Centennial State actually has been run by Democrats for much of a generation already, since a handful of millionaires and billionaires decided to take over all power by splashing buckets of cash on multiple Democrats in state legislative races back in the day.
Of course, Jared Polis, a bragging homosexual Democrat, now has been governor for several years, too.
Caldara explained in a column at Complete Colorado that the state’s “ruling class” members once again, or still, are treating democracy “like a state trooper treats the speech limit. It’s for other people.”
Colorado’s legislature, in fact, has turned to “abusing” to citizens.
He explains, sarcastically, how the Democrat majority in the state is “heroically” defending democracy.
By “removing voters’ power, hiding meetings, dodging taxpayer consent and nullifying ballot initiatives.”
The evidence:
A state Senate plan that strips away two-thirds of the elected members of the Regional Transportation District’s board. They will be replaced by “appointees.”
“Silly me. I thought democracy involved electing people. But apparently true democracy is when insiders choose insiders to protect the public from the dangerous unpredictability of… the public,” he said.
Lawmakers also insist on letting the all-powerful Public Utilities Commission be exempt from open meetings requirements, which leads to “sort of a ‘trust us you peasants’ model of self-government.”
Then there’s a “fee” on games young people play online. Those actually are taxes, but lawmakers mislabel them fees to dodge asking voters for permission.
The state frequently has used that scam in recent years. Residents of Colorado must pay a “fee” to use the state’s roads. Any number of residents of other states use those same roads without that “fee.”
Caldara explained, “Now, if it walks like a tax, quacks like a tax and drains your wallet like a tax, a normal person might call it a tax. But by labeling it a ‘fee,’ lawmakers can dodge asking voters for permission. … Asking permission from citizens can really slow down democracy.”
Then the lawmakers have plans to confiscate tax refunds already established by the state constitution, under its Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights amendment.
And Democrats aren’t happy, Caldara confirmed, with changing just what has happened. They’ve schemed to invalidate a citizen initiative that might happen, as it would designate tax money from car parts to road projects.
Democrats are working a strategy that if that’s what voters want, legislators simply will lower state road funding by that same amount, to leave money in the general fund from which they allocate cash for their wants.
Caldara’s determination? “Thankfully, Colorado is governed by people who understand democracy far better than voters do.”
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