Colorado

Good Ideas from Other States: #1 Reduce Spending

By Chris Andriesen
11/30/2010
by Wesley Fox Over the last two years, many states have faced large budget shortfalls due to declines in revenue and continued spending at unaffordable rates. Some have dramatically cutback spending to balance their budgets, while others have raised taxes. The CATO Institute’s Fiscal Policy Report Card provides an excellent assessment of the responses of U.S. governors...

Health Care Freedom on CO Ballot

08/27/2010
by Kristina Rasmussen Following in Missouri’s footsteps, a new citizens amendment has qualified for the Colorado ballot this fall. Colorado’s “Right to Health Care Choice” amendment — also known as Amendment 63 — would: Write into the Colorado Constitution that the State of Colorado cannot force its citizens to purchase a public or private health insurance product, either...

Public Education 2.0

08/19/2010
by Collin Hitt A new national group has formed to advance online and technology-driven learning in public schools, the Digital Learning Council. I’ve been asked to serve on the council, an honor considering the accomplished careers of those who’ll also be joining the group – for starters, the council is co-chaired by former governors Bob Wise and Jeb Bush. It looks...

Spotlight on Spending #9: The State Un-Fair

By Chris Andriesen
07/29/2010
The Problem Around this time each year, Illinois residents start making plans to attend the DuQuoin and Illinois State Fairs. But these state fairs are costing taxpayers much more than their ticket prices suggest. These two state fairs have a long record of their expenditures far outweighing their revenues. Between fiscal years 2001 and 2009,...

Spotlight on Spending #4: Illinois State Energy Subsidies

By Chris Andriesen
06/23/2010
The Problem Illinois’s wealth of energy resources should be utilized to provide Illinois’s families and businesses with reliable sources of power. However, Illinois state government is unnecessarily picking winners and losers, distorting energy prices, and driving up overall government spending by awarding tax dollars to certain energy sectors via special government programs. For example, the...

Illinois Is the New California

06/22/2010
by Kristina Rasmussen The Manhattan Institute’s Josh Barro has an excellent column on RealClearMarkets today in which he explains how Illinois overtook California as America’s least creditworthy state and why our Pension Funding & Fairness Act is a good way back to fiscal sanity: If you go to Sacramento this week, don’t be surprised to hear champagne corks popping and...

Should Affordable Health Care Stop at the State Border?

By Chris Andriesen
03/27/2008
Many Illinois citizens, facing unaffordable insurance costs within state borders, are forced to cross their fingers when it comes to their family’s health.  It doesn’t have to be this way.   Illinois families and children can live healthier, happier and safer lives. Every day, Americans purchase products from around the country—vegetables from California, fruit from Florida,...