I thought you might enjoy some light reading while you’re stuck in traffic.

We have filed our “Fix Our Damn Roads” initiative with the state. This is the first step in a long process of placing a measure on this fall’s statewide ballot to address our crumbling roads, without raising taxes. The proposal requires the state to bond $3.5 billion for specified road and bridge projects, and not trolleys, throughout Colorado, paid for by reallocating less than 2% of the current state budget.

But we needed to ask, what will the voters think of it? Well, we just got a pretty good answer.

A poll conducted by Magellan Strategies and Public Policy Polling shows the overwhelming support of 73% of likely voters for “Fix Our Damn Roads.”

The poll also showed that two competing tax-increase proposals had nowhere near the same level of voter support. One proposal would raise the state-wide sales tax, and the other would raise the Specified Ownership Tax (or SOT) on vehicles.

The polling also clearly showed that if the “Fix Our Damn Roads” measure was on the ballot along with either one of the competing measures, both measures would fail. So, in other words, if we get “Fix Our Damn Roads” on the ballot, while special interests get their tax increase on the ballot too, ours serves the glorious purpose of stopping a massive tax increase. That’s something we’ve gotten rather good at here at Independence.

The results of the poll may be viewed here.

For too long the state legislature has refused to address the core governmental function of highway building. Without ever asking the voters, the legislature has committed us to ever-growing Obamacare. Is it any wonder that road funding has been slashed?

Our “Fix Our Damn Roads” initiative instructs the legislature to do their damn job and return funding to roads. This poll shows that a super-majority of Coloradans will not allow the state to hold our roads hostage for a tax increase.

Think Freedom (and less traffic)!

-Jon