Today, President Obama came to Colorado to sign the single most significant piece of legislation since our country entered this economic crisis. We are enduring a threatening, ongoing recession, but I am optimistic that Coloradans will soon climb out of this hole. I think President Obama’s stimulus package will be a big help, and we at the Capitol are also focused on creating and protecting thousands of Colorado jobs.
As I’ve said many times before, this recession has dropped major challenges at our doorstep. We have to reconcile how to provide children’s healthcare and school funding; how to care for those who cannot care for themselves—the elderly, the developmentally disabled, and the veterans disabled by war; how to keep our overwhelmed corrections and judicial operations afloat; how to maintain our transportation infrastructure so the economy can function freely and efficiently; among many other items we have to balance in our budget.
During times like these, our true values are revealed. As elected officials, we have to maintain a balance between acting in accordance with our values and representing our constituents. I believe there isn’t much difference—I think most of us believe in a shared set of values, but I want to hear from you to be sure. We’ve launched a listening tour for the Senate Democratic caucus. Please click here to tell our caucus what approaches you would support for balancing the budget. We will collect and evaluate the data before making our big budget decisions.
In addition to the online surveys to gather input, we’re also hosting a series of town hall meetings throughout the state. There’s one in Boulder County this weekend. It’s free and open to the public, and I hope to see you there!
WHO:
Senator Brandon C. Shaffer, Majority Leader of the Colorado Senate
Representative Paul Weissmann, Majority Leader of the Colorado House of Representatives
Senator Rollie Heath
Representative Jack Pommer
Representative Claire Levy
Representative Dickey Lee Hullinghorst
Todd Saliman, Director of the Office of State Planning and Budgeting
WHAT:
A town hall meeting to discuss the state budget and constitutional issues
WHEN:
Saturday, February 21
10:00am – noon
WHERE:
University of Colorado campus in Boulder
Cristol Chemistry and Biochemistry Building
Room 142
Posted by SenatorShaffer in Blog []