Colorado state Sen. Chris Romer, D-Denver, today announced that he’ll soon resign to run for mayor of Denver. Here’s his campaign website.

We hope that he’s vetted carefully on the issue of taxation, given his statements in March, as reported by WhoSaidYouSaid.

“…It’s time for us to go back to a progressive income tax in Colorado,” said Romer at a forum. “I’m not giving up my statewide electoral hopes. But I also don’t want to live in a state that’s going to look the way this state’s going to look.”

Here’s the initial report of what Romer said.

And here’s a follow-up interview with Romer on the Caplis and Silverman radio show on 630 KHOW.

Colorado State Sen. Lucia Guzman, appointed to fill a District 34 vacancy, likes taxes. A lot. During a debate between Guzman and Republican challenger Derec Shuler, Guzman gave us something to think about (like moving to a state without an income tax).

Her statements were in response to a moderator’s questions at Regis University on Oct. 21.

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In the clip above, Guzman says, “All of us are going to have to pay more and give.” Well, that’s straightforward enough.

Then comes this…

“You know what, I had a chance to buy a car. I’m buying a new car, now I had a chance to buy it more cheaply by ordering it from another state but I’m not going do that. Colorado needs those state taxes. I had an opportunity to buy the car in Littleton. I’m not going do that because I’m a resident of Senate District 34, I’m a resident of Denver, I’m going to buy my car here, but I’m still going have to pay those taxes.”

I understand the argument to “buy locally” and help the local economy in which you reside.

But where the state budget is concerned, I want elected officials squeezing each nickel until it cries. I don’t want sweetheart deals that raise the cost to all taxpayers because of a home-state mentality. I want state government to make economically rational decisions, lower taxes and encourage competition.

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She also floated the idea of a progressive income tax…

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“We’re going to have to be courageous, whoever is there . . . we’re going to have to do something about taxes, we’re going to have to do something about improving revenue . . . I’ve always said, I’m not running in this election in order to be reelected, I’m running so I can help do something about the situation. At the end of the day, at the end of fours years, I may be so unpopular, but I am going to do what is courageously needed to be done. And if we need to fix the tax structure so that we bring a progressive tax – that we do this or we do that – that’s what we might need to do.”

Taxes are punitive in nature so a progressive tax (one in which the more economically successful you are, the higher a percentage in taxes you pay) can actually discourage success. In fact, what we need in Colorado is MORE rich people – not fewer. In states where tax rates are increased on the richest portion of the population, some make the economically rational choice – they leave. We heard a similar idea of a progressive income tax put forth by another Denver-based state Senator, Chris Romer, earlier this year.

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Then Guzman explained to us that taxes are akin to the “state’s paycheck”…

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“It goes back to taxes, revenue, that’s where we get…It’s as if, when you go to work – and you make your money – your paycheck comes from the work you do, the state’s paycheck comes from taxes, predominately taxes.”

So, if we have hired the state and we pay its paycheck, can we fire it? I guess that’s what elections are for . . .

Rep. Max Tyler has quickly established himself as one of the most thoughtful and articulate members of the Colorado House.

Funny, last night during debate on the teacher tenure reform bill that lasted past 11 p.m., Rep. Max Tyler made an unfortunate (decidedly inarticulate and thoughtless) metaphor, comparing education to baking and likening children to maggot-infested flour. Although he later apologized, people were shocked nonetheless.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfdnEsVq0oo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfdnEsVq0oo

“I’ve also seen a number of stories about, ‘Why can’t we run schools like a business, for crying out loud?’” said Tyler. “Well, if you were running a business baking bread and the flour came in to you full of maggots and worms and you had to use it, that would be kind of the…You would not be able to produce a very good product, would you?”

There was some speculation that the opponents of the teacher tenure reform bill were going to try to extend debate past midnight, which would have effectively killed the legislation, but the vote was taken with less than 45 minutes to go. Apparently the lobby of the House was full of impassioned teachers who could barely hold back their emotions as the vote was called.

WSYS had some fun posts from the session this year.
Rep. Joe Miklosi was haunted by the specter of Karl Rove.
Rep. Jeanne Labuda totally misstated how Colorado appoints judges despite the fact she has passed the Colorado Bar herself.
Sen. Josh Penry tried to limit Colorado’s autopilot spending.
Rep. Dan Kagan gave a hilarious speech to dispense with the reading of the minutes.
Sen. Chris Romer doesn’t “. . . want to do class warfare” but thinks it’s “time to go back to a progressive tax.”
Sen. John Morse posted a video on his blog FREAKING out on Amazon.com.

If you’ve heard the term “Sine die” regularly and always wondered what it meant, we have a WSYS lesson below:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aAL2oJqet8]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aAL2oJqet8

State Sen. Chris Romer recently discussed the need for a progressive income tax in Colorado. When he said, “…We’re certainly not talking California or New York type rates,” it made me wonder what he really IS thinking in terms of a progressive tax.

In Colorado the income tax is a flat 4.63%. California’s rate can go beyond 10% and New York’s goes as high as 8.97%.

In the video above from a Democratic legislators public forum in Denver on March 21, state Rep. Mark Ferrandino, and then Romer [son of former Gov. Roy Romer], discussed the state’s budget issues.

FERRANDINO: “…we really need a big fix. We need to go to the ballot and raise taxes. Otherwise, if we don’t do that, we have to cut services. One of the two. We have to have a choice. Cut services or raise revenue. And, getting rid of exemptions and credits, while helping this year, is not the long term solution.”

ROMER: “…my answer on the largest gap between the richest…It’s time for us to go back to a progressive income tax in Colorado. I’m not giving up my statewide electoral hopes. But I also don’t want to live in a state that’s going to look the way this state’s going to look.

“You’re not talking wide…gaps. We’re certainly not talking California or New York type rates. But the fact that everybody who’s driving to those condos in Vail wants us to fix I-70. At the same point that 700,000 people don’t have health insurance. I think I’ll do health insurance first – but I will do a reversible lane to Vail.

“We need to do something big. And the exemptions are part of the problem. At some point, we just have to say to people: you moved to this state to live in beauty and morality, education and higher ed. Do you want to pay for it? Because we’re done. We’re done cutting through fat. We’re done cutting through bone. So, we’re down into bone marrow. So, what do you want?”

When the question came up at a forum in Denver about how federal mandates in the massive new health-care reform would affect the finances of states like Colorado, state Sen. Chris Romer took a BIG SWING. Have a look…

“We are absolutely at the worst part of our nation’s history, between the richest one percent and the rest of it. And I’m not trying to do class warfare. It’s just a fact of where we are in this nation,” said Romer, son of former Gov. Roy Romer. “We can do this, but we need to stop being shy as Democrats to say there’s a certain morality of where we want to live in this nation and in this state.”

His remarks were prior to a New York Times piece by David Leonhardt, In Health Bill, Obama Attacks Wealth Inequality.

Looks like Romer has a plan to achieve universal morality AND IMMORTALITY. All on the taxpayer’s (yes, the top 1% can’t cover it) dime. We’re dying to hear it.

“Appropriately, our Supreme Court finally said, ‘Shazam!’ We’re an elected body that should have the right…,” said Romer during debate Wednesday on increasing business taxes.

Romer says it’s a “moment,” it’s “historic,” it’s a “right,” it’s a “timeout” (that’s my favorite)… – and all because Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, argued earlier that such action is “illegal” without a vote of the people under TABOR.

If “it” is so great – and the definition of “it” here is “RAISING TAXES” – then why not just own up to “it?”

Oh and Chris? That’s not what “eviscerated” means.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6ZJob9YnLo]

Meanwhile, attorney Herb Fenster plans a lawsuit claiming that TABOR violates the U.S. Constitution.

Let’s get READY TO RUMBLE…