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The purpose of my
campaign is to promote good government. Good government is
composed of all the people, is run by all the people and is
for the benefit of all the people.
Good government is not dictatorial. One of the great threats
to good government today is a prevalent attitude which has led
United States Congressmen, in general, to become insensitive
to the needs of the many while submitting to the demands of a
few.
One manifestation of this problem is what we in local
government refer to as unfunded mandates. An unfunded mandate
is a law or directive that costs local governments and comes
without funds to cover those costs. The reason that these
costly burdens placed on local governments is of importance to
the people is that in order to meet them local officials must
raise taxes, which is not likely, increase fees or what is
most common, reduce services such as law enforcement or reduce
funding for public improvements such as roads. Unfunded
mandates cost taxpayers tens of billions of dollars.
There are also unreasonable mandates, such as drinking water
standards, which are much more stringent for municipal
suppliers than for the water you can purchase at a grocery
store. This costs even small towns in Colorado millions of
dollars each. Constituents complain to their trustees about
high water costs when they should be upset with the
Congressmen who dictate them.
While fiscal conservatives have been watching the front door
of federal spending they have neglected the back doors. The
majority of Congress now is costing taxpayers by imposing
impractical mandates on local governments. It is time to
obtain a new security system. It is time to elect a
Representative with local governmental experience.
I would not only like to keep taxes and regulations reasonable
for American agriculture, business and industry, I would like
to support opportunities for their long term prosperity. I
would hire a competent staff that would work hard for
constituents and local governments to see that Colorado
citizens and in particular rural counties and towns get their
share of federal dollars for needed infrastructure. This would
be done while streamlining federal processes. I would not seek
earmarks that disrupt local processes and benefit only a few.
Good government means working with all the people.
Two examples of favoritism by the incumbent were his pandering
to unions and caving to the radical end of the
environmentalist spectrum. In the last year he voted to allow
unionization by petition, replacing a secret ballot, and thus
opening up the possibility of arm twisting. He voted for a
bill that encourages collective bargaining for local
governmental employees. Upon the pressure of a few he and
Congressman Udall sponsored a bill last summer to prohibit
drilling from the top of the Naval Reserve also known as the
Roan Plateau. Fortunately, that bill was killed in committee.
The Salazars have continued to hold up the return of money to
Colorado from that project. |
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