Hard Questions For The "Vision Colorado" Task Force
Leadership, said Harry Truman, is the art of getting other people to run with your idea as if it were their own. One of this year;s best examples came from the Colorado General Assembly.
Prompted by House majority leader Chris Paulson. along with Speaker Bev Bledsoe and their Senate counterparts, the legislature has enlisted fifty statewide leaders from business, professions, an civic groups in a six-month study project called vision Colorado. (See Page 10 for names and affiliations.)
Privatization Primer
In the years since the end of world war II, spending at all levels of government has risen faster that the rates of inflation dramatic increases in public sector outlays is that government is attempting to do more than ever before. Whether government should be attempting so much is an important issues, but one beyond the scope of this paper.
Coping with the financial stress of trying to do more can be difficult. In Arizona, forecasts for the state budget project deficits of $ 70 to $140 million for fiscal 1989. Governments at all levels in the state have accumulated debts in excess of $11 billion. The need to deal with with these financial issues has encouraged many people to consider the option of privatization.
Private Prisons Now: Their Appeal Widens as Alternatives Narrow
The prison problem in Colorado is reaching the boiling point. In brief, there are far more prisoners that room. Existing state facilities are bulging — and another 575 state prisoners are housed in country jails, themselves approaching capacity while payment disputes continue.
Payroll Discipline Could Stretch Colorado's Budget Dollar
Budget crisis or false alarm? In March 1988, Denver’s largest newspaper headlined a five-part series called Colorado Government: Running on Empty. In May 1988, the beleaguered legislature called in reinforcements, creating a citizen task force to run a six-month Vision Colorado study on how to stretch the state dollar in coming years.
Consumer Sovereignty in the Schools: Will Colorado Opt for School as Minnesota Did?
“Better Schools through Wider Choice” was the topic when 100 conferees from 13 states gathered for the Western States Education Summit in Golden, Colorado, on June 17, 1988. This issue paper summarizes the proceedings.
Should Colorado Welcome Foreign Real Estate Investment?
The recent Japanese purchase of several Colorado properties including an Aurora office complex and the Breckenridge ski area has sparked debate in the state. Is this good for Colorado? Does it create jobs or expand wealth?
The Monopoly Economics Of Juvenile Custody: Could Private Competition Keep Costs Down?
Colorado’s legislature and governor disagree about a one-year experiment to contract out a twelfth of the juvenile custody caseload to a private company in Brush. The plan, which would cut that has risen at nearly 13% a year since 1982, is up for veto override in early August. Policy analysts Reed and Holm provide background for the controversy by asking whether the 76% cumulative jump in juvenile custody coa=sts (four times the inflation rate during this period) doesn’t indicate monopolistic behavior by state government. Would a dose of competition be the antidote taxpayers are looking for?
Should Colorado Taxpayers Impose Tougher Spending Controls?
The growth of spending by Colorado state government is less effectively restrained by law than in some big states like California and Massachusetts, even though we were among the first states to legislate a spending cap in the inflationary ’70s.
Clearing the Air on Carbon Monoxide: Fatal Scientific Flaws in the EPA Crackdown on Denver and Other
Denver is one of 59 U.S. cities that are under scrutiny by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, facing economic sanctions in the form of withheld federal highway funds and pollution control grants. This action is being contemplated by the government because these cities have not achieved compliance with EPAs ambient air quality standard for carbon monoxide (CO), as mandated by the Clean Air Act.
Contracting Out RTD Routes To Private Carriers Could Produce Saving And Better Service
he Regional Transportation District as presently structured is a drag on the Colorado economy. A heavily subsidized government monopoly, RTD sucks millions of tax dollars out of the economy year after year.
Interstate Banking: How Colorado Would Benefit
Should Colorado permit bank ownership across State lines? When this proposal was defeated in the 1986 legislative session, opponents were relative at avoiding its “devastating impact on communities” and its “danger to the economy from concentration of the money supply in the hands of a few giant mega-banks.”
Far East Trade And Tourism: Is Colorado Serious?
Colorado is now poised to enter the international trade market, but seriousness is the price of admission. The international market demands that Colorado be committed for the long term.
