Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Guys, this is starting to get embarrassing.
Guys, this is starting to get embarrassing. The shift from TABOR to TPA, the general confusion over message and details, and now a continual drip-drip of problems with the proposal. Isn't this supposed to be the centerpiece of the GOP agenda? Senator Grothman had over one-year and ideological purity to work with, yet he seems to have midwifed something as strange and unexpected as Glenn himself.
How are you going to be able to sell something that few people like or understand? It may, in fact, be a great idea, but that does not appear to be the message that is filtering into the brains of the regular people. Who is behind your message campaign? Has a TPA Campaign Plan even been written? Maybe you could hire Scott Jensen to try and figure out a message and PR campaign to turn this thing around.
I'm afraid that Republicans are at risk of losing their hold on the Legislature. Not immediately, but inevitably, unless a savvy controlling authority again takes control of the Republican agenda and message campaigns. Is that going to happen? I'm not really saying any potential of that on the senate side, despite the coup rumors. And it remains to be seen who's actually in charge of the assembly.
I have just one request -- can someone please step up and stop the embarrassment?
3/15/2006
TPA Needs Fixing
By Frank Lasee
Thoughts on the TPA
When Senator Grothman introduced the Taxpayer Protection Amendment (TPA), I supported it. I want to be clear that I still do support it, and will continue to support it as long as it protects the taxpayers.
As with any first try, we can make improvements. Time and study of the TPA as it’s currently written have brought out a few details – things that need to be fixed before it comes to a vote.
First, the Rob Peter to Pay Paul scheme:
As it’s currently written, the TPA lets the state rob local government revenue streams to spend on other state priorities. It then leaves local governments to backfill with property tax increases – increases they can enact without asking their voters. And all the while, the state can brag about living within a limit, when in fact spending is growing twice that fast.
