Mr. Chairman, and members of the committee,
I have a vision for Colorado. It is the vision of Colorado my grandparents had for me. It is the Colorado I want for my children.
It is a state with healthy, thriving families, where children get every advantage and have the education to contribute to the potential of our great state.
It is a Colorado with a strong, innovation-based business community, a vibrant culture and an unconstrained reach for greatness.
However, currently Colorado is constrained.
It is constrained by a Gordian knot of well-intentioned but conflicting fiscal policies. Policies that threaten its well-being; policies that choke our potential and indeed threaten the ability to protect the quality of life of our citizens.
We must abandon the notion out state budgeting process is resilient or sustainable. It is brittle, and it is breaking. It exposes our children, our elderly and our working families to the turbulent waters of a global economy. It compromises the quality of our workforce, and undermines a healthy climate for business.
There are no simple solutions. We cannot cut spending enough to solve the crisis. Eliminating TABOR is not a fix. Nor is the problem just Amendment 23. It is not too little revenue or taxing too much. While it is none of these exclusively, it is all of them collectively.
Our charge to you is to untie this is knot and release the full potential of this great state. We look to this committee to forge an enduring fiscal blueprint, one suited to the high demands of a new century. One that realizes our hope and vision for Colorado, leaving our children a rich legacy borne from wise decisions.
Posted by SenatorShaffer in Budget []