Today marked the deadline for initiative campaigns to submit signatures to the Secretary of State for the November general election. Six waited to the last day, but all insist they will have garnered enough valid signatures to make the ballot.
COLORADO'S FRONTPAGE
Face the State
Content Index: severance tax
Follow this topic by RSSSegment 2 - Audio clips from the Colorado legislature, Ritter's State of the State address
An audio montage of Colorado political leaders on the state budget, transportation funding and the state's new oil and gas regulations.
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Rep. Judd: 'How could anyone even notice' an energy tax hike?
A Face the State Staff Report
December 18, 2008State Rep. Joel Judd wants to give his constituents a peek into the life of a Colorado lawmaker. Subscribers to his e-mail list recently received a detailed retelling of the Denver Democrat's attendance at a seminar sponsored by the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, after which he questioned the economic model of Colorado's largest industry.
8/29: Funding roads without higher taxes
Colorado can dedicate money to our roads and highways, all without a tax increase. Three state legislators are pushing a citizen’s initiative to do just that.
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Campaigns submit petitions at the 11th hour
August 5, 2008Rep. Cory Gardner on Amendment 52
Guest-hosting on Newstalk 1310 KFKA, Face The State's Brad Jones speaks with State Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, about Amendment 52, which would increase state money dedicated to highway maintenance.
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Unions seek to counter conservative ballot dominance
A Face the State Staff Report
July 30, 2008With an August 4 signature submission deadline looming, four union-backed initiative campaigns maintain that they are one step closer toward seeing their proposals make the November ballot. If successful, the initiatives could provide a dramatic ideological shift to the election, with the only four initiatives certified for the ballot thus far all representing conservative and free market causes.
Lefty Love Palace adds a new tenant
July 29, 2008Looking for a liberal in Denver? Look no further than the Lefty Love Palace.
"The Buzz" on Newstalk 1310 KFKA, 7/14 - The initiative scramble
July 14, 2008Face The State managing editor Brad Jones talks with Newstalk 1310 KFKA's Amy Oliver about the slew of initiative campaigns scrambling for a place on the November ballot.
"King Ritter" on the Amy Oliver Show
Radio host Amy Oliver, heard on Greeley's Newstalk 1310 KFKA every weekday from 9-11 am, shares a recent FTS humor column with her listeners.
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FTS Humor: When your goose is cooked
Face The State Humor
July 3, 2008By Andrew Ripemoff
Centuries ago, in a distant land called Colorado, a kind and beloved leader named King Owens ruled the countryside. Life was good in the Kingdom, where off in a small corner of the grounds of the monarchy's vast estate worked a humble man, tending to a lone goose. But this wasn’t an ordinary goose. This was a goose who laid golden eggs - pure gold in fact.
7/3: Bad policy, sugar-coated
A sugar-coated tax increase is still a...tax increase.
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The week in Colorado news: Is fried food unpatriotic?
Face The State's Kate Melvin joins FTS managing editor Brad Jones for a look at the week that was in Colorado news, from oil shale to millionaire candidates to Hickenlooper's "patriotic" diet.
Play audio - 11:24 minutes
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"The Buzz" on Newstalk 1310 KFKA, 6/16 - The Governor's budget problems
June 16, 2008Face The State managing editor Brad Jones talks with Newstalk 1310 KFKA's Amy Oliver about the Governor's precarious situation after a big setback in state court.
Just Three Initiatives on Ballot Thus Far
A Face the State Staff Report
June 13, 2008Despite fears by Democrat legislators that the citizen initiative process had run amok, so far only three initiatives have been approved for the November statewide ballot.
Lack of Time, Public Support May Mark End for Proposed Ritter Energy Tax Increase
A Face the State Staff Report
June 10, 2008In the aftermath of a poll demonstrating extremely weak public support for a proposed tax increase being pushed by Gov. Bill Ritter, the initiative's backers are now facing additional obstacles to seeing their initiative become law.
Poll Shows Ritter's Severance Tax Hike on Life Support
June 9, 2008Face The State has learned that a proposed ballot initiative being pushed by Gov. Bill Ritter is suffering from a critical lack of public support.
Benson bringing in the big bucks for CU
May 13, 2008In a May 12th letter obtained by Face The State, CU President Bruce Benson updated faculty, staff and students on his first nine weeks at the helm of the university.
A Laughable Gas Debate
May 1, 2008“The introduction of a tax [on oil and gas producers] does not mean higher prices for consumers, because producers have to take into account what consumers would tolerate.”
So says Lakshman D. Guruswamy, director of the University of Colorado's Center for Energy & Environmental Security in today’s Rocky Mountain News.
Higher ed leaders critical of Ritter's severance tax proposal
A Face the State Staff Report
April 28, 2008At a Friday meeting hosted by Gov. Bill Ritter, many of Colorado’s top higher education officials expressed concern over Ritter's support of a proposed plan to funnel oil and gas money into scholarships rather than directly into university operating budgets.