Colorado State Budget 2010-2011

Back Seat Budgeter

Don — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:49:15 GMT

This web site is a cute idea, but it doesn't show enough detail to do anything useful. Some places I would start reducing the budget would be:

From the transportation budget, remove all money for transit or other expenses other than repair and maintenance of roads and bridges. I do not object to transit, but since it serves local areas, I think it should be paid by the people it serves, not the whole state. Everyone is served by roads and bridges. I suspect, but can't prove that taxes collected from users of roads and bridges, including not only fuel taxes, but sales taxes on vehicles, all taxes on vehicle parts and repairs including taxes on wages, taxes collected on goods and services transported over roads and bridges, and other vehicle related taxes will more than pay for maintenance of roads and bridges.
Eliminate all tax funding of private "non-profit" organizations. Many of these organizations provide useful services, but I believe they should be funded with voluntary donations, not tax money extracted involuntarily from our poorest and unemployed citizens.
Eliminate all tax funding of entertainment facilities. I have no objection to building and using stadiums, concert venues, golf courses, and other entertainment venues, but I think they should be paid for by the people who use them. I would cut off all direct funding to these facilities and all indirect funding where state tax money goes to any entitiy including county, city, or school districts that fund these types of facilities either directly or indirectly with tax money.
To the extent possible, I would eliminate all state funding of other government entities such as cities, counties, or school districts. These other government entities tend to look at state money as free money. It is not free. Let them make spending decisions based on the money they can raise from their citizens, not based on taxing strangers from afar. Remember that taxes do not pay for "services". Services are things people will pay for voluntarily. Taxes are a means to force prople to pay for things they won't pay for vountarily.
To the extent possible, I would avoid taking federal matching funds, becasue the matching funds always come with mandates concerning how the money is spent. By stopping the matching funds, it would be possible to stop the mandates.
I would reduce employee expenses by either reducing salaries, charging more for benefits, or both.
Medical costs could be reduced significantly if everyone paid for their medical insurance personally instead of having it paid by an employer. The current system creates a disconnect between the source of payment and the delivery of services. I would want a new car every year with all the toys if someone else was paying the bills. Because I have to pay for my cars, I make other choices. I think medical costs would drop dramatically if users of medical services simply had to pay the full costs for the insurance. Many people don't seem to realize that the cost of medical insurance affects the wages an employer can pay when they are competing with a person in China or India for a job.
I would look at some kind of voucher system for schools that not only looked at student performance, but also school costs. I would reward schools for delivering good performance in reading, writing and math at low costs. Provide some measure and incentive for schools to deliver great education experiences at minimum cost.
Eliminate tenure and hold school managers accountable for both results and costs. Have teacher salaries set per position, not all the same. Easy to fill positions would pay less. Harder to fill positions would pay more. Teachers who delivered good outcomes would be paid more. Teachers with poor outcomes would be paid less. This type system would cause teachers to move to the positions they do best. With the present system, we have many under or over qualified people in less than optimum positions.
Raise speed limits on roads like I-25, US36, and others to increase fuel tax collections without rasing tax rates.

The above list is a start. There is plenty of additional room for change.

Coloring inside the lines!

sgale — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 21:06:29 GMT

This doesn't give us enough to work with or the opportunity to add critical thinking into the mix. Thanks for opening this up to anyone with an idea, good or bad. That's how we find real solutions and get our priorities straight. What doesn't make sense is to keep doing what we've been doing and expecting what we've been expecting. The times they are a changin', as must we, which will require more than selecting between option A and option B (fund this but don't fund that).

I look forward to sharing my priorities and maybe even trying to come up with altogether new options to those ends.

The Colorado Budget

spiritjohn1 — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 02:07:20 GMT

It only took me 10 minutes to balance the budget. I'm certainly not economic genius. All I did was spread the responsibility for balancing the budget around. I don't mind paying more taxes as long as the rich and the corporations do the same. In all honesty, I think it should be the people that caused this current economic condition to be responsible for the major bulk of balancing the budget. However, I am realistic enough to know that the rich won't allow that to happen. They ALWAYS want to balance the budget on the backs of the dwindling middle class and the poor. In addition, I don't think our representatives have the spine to do what it takes. I will gladly contribute more to help but NOT ONE SECOND BEFORE THE RICH AND THE CORPORATIONS DO THE SAME. Until then, don't touch a penny of mine. Also, the citizens of Colorado could do a lot by DEMANDING that EVERYONE participate in eliminating the deficit without decreasing costs to education (49th in the cuntry). Our education system is abysmal and anyone who drives knows we need to spend more money on roads and bridges. Let's see if our legislators have the guts to make the necessary changes. Call me cynical but I doubt it.

Revenue not being paid as it should be to the state

LOREN ROBERTS — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:47:51 GMT

In regards to non profit organizations, I feel that many are a straw type businesses with the intent to avoid paying taxes. Many I feel should not be getting non profit status. I think the state should look very hard at many of them that could be cheating the state out of dollar revenue. Also, look at how many food services exist along with resturants, which can easily skim a $100 every day of the top. Waitresses get tips alright, which is a form of extortion I feel. Yes. I do tip because I don't like my food spit on.

My $0.02 on Colorado's Budget

Jake — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 16:08:43 GMT

My approach to the budget issue is long term sustainability. Too many things we do now only benefit a few, are short-sighted or a combination of both.

First is the tax code -- the tax code that benefits the wealthy. We need to be realistic that increasing taxes on the revenue side is necessary. This means increasing taxes on those who can most afford it, and from corporations who have benefited from current energy and military policy. Since I don't use euphemisms here, I mean eliminating tax breaks, subsidies, and corporate welfare, as well as adjustments to the rates for income levels.

Our education must be top-notch in Colorado. Our K-12 public schools need to be teaching the engineers, and scientists of the future. Our public schools and rural colleges needs to stay well-funded, and probably increase. We do not need to keep increasing funding to our large state universities, as they already have the tools. If anything, our state universities need to scale back athletic departments and focus on education.

To have successful education, we need healthy children. We must have a caring attitude that all people in Colorado deserve health, and deserve a sustainable health care system. Our health care costs are rising, due to the unsustainable economic model of a for-profit health care industry. We need a new approach such as cooperatives and single payer models.

Our corrections system is based on an antiquated, revenge-based punitive model. We need to recognise that most (not all) people in our prisons and jails have a potential to be good citizens. As a primary 'supplier' to the correction department, we need to stop the drug war, and start thinking about the roots of drug abuse and the side effects - mental health. Again, I emphasise that there are truly bad people that unfortunately need to be kept from society, and this is a small percentage of the prison population. Our direct prison money should focus there, and have a mental health system that addresses crime.

Finally, we need an honest conversation about growth. Every problem we face now has its roots in population growth. We need to have a discussion about whether we need new housing developments or fix the ones we have. We need to have honest discussions about how we treat the environment, how to live in a sustainable world, instead of a depletion model.

budget cuts

pinkblnde — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 02:31:52 GMT

The first and foremost budget cust should be the incredibly high wages that politicians recieve. There is not one single politicisn who deserves to be paid more than the median amount of the average worker. I would say about 42,000.00. The public pays for all transportation costs, we pay for things like heating and electricity in the govenors mansion. there is no reason why the public should be paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to each politician each year. Politicians don't even have to pay for their own medical expenses. The second cut should be to carreer welfare and foodstamp family's. Unemployment should be required to be proved that reciepiants are actually looking for jobs. There is no reason for unemployment to be paid out for more than a year to anyone. People who get pregnant while on government aid should have their assistance checks reduced, not increased. And in the long run it would save a large amount of money if women were given a cash payout to be permanently sterilized, and maybe make it easier for people to adopt American children instead of breeding more and more of them. Have parents pay towards school busses or purchase RTD passes for their children. Increase the cost of school lunches so that the cost of the parents is commesurate with the cost of producing the lunches. Teachers and school staff should have to pay full price of lunches. Quit allowing children to leave campus for lunch. If parents can't afford school lunches they can always afford bologna or peanut butter. Parents with IPhone or blackberrys or IPads can trade their fancy doodads in and spring for their kids lunches. Have parents volunteer to watch kids at recess or help in the school cafeteria serving or watching the eating areas. And above all stop giving illegals American money. If their kids can't be proven American citizens don't let them in our school. If the kids are anchor babies, then the illegal parents can sign them over and head back home.

Why is gas going up?

p0werman — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 01:59:36 GMT

Hi, I think that instead of the gas prices going up, that prices should be going up in more places like fast food chains. My reasoning for this is because, it is a service to have meals prepared for you, and that the food at these places is not heathy for the people that eat it, which intern can cause heath problems that effect the medical budget.

Balancing the budget.

SierraRose — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:30:45 GMT

I live in Loveland Colorado; and make my meager living driving a school bus. I support 5 people in my family on about $1,600.00 a month. I am about the best budgeter that I know. We are in the financial crisis that we are in because of our government (name one: Our current President) who spends the tax payer's money like it's water. There is so much wasteful spending in this country that it makes me sick. Some how; it escapes everyone, that the tax payers pay the politician's salaries, they are supposed to be working for us. They are not doing their jobs; they gouge us at every turn through taxes, fees, etc... every time they throw away our money. If I went to work and sat on my rear doing nothing, do you think I would still have a job? They cut programs to make up for their mistakes and abundant spending. They get raises and live in million dollar homes, drive the most expensive vehicles, dine in the very best places, go on expensive vacations 10 or more times a year, etc... while the average American has to work two or more jobs just to survive. Our Superintendent - Ron Caberra just got a substantial raise (like $30,000 dollars more a year) but the rest of us haven't had raises or fair pay since 2007 because we are on a wage freeze. We drive buses that are unsafe, have no heat, break down constantly, etc... because it isn't in the budget to fix these things. Yet; it was in the budget to have 4 big screen T.V.'s that we never use, and two showers built into our facility that is never used, just to name a couple of wasteful things the school district and government does. And; we, the American people, allow them to do this. If they want to fix the budget and bring money back into the economy, this is what they rightfully need to do: 1. Stop spending money we don't have on things we don't want or need. Stop wasteful spending. 2. When the rest of the nation is under a wage freeze, no cost of living increases, unemployment, etc... their raises need to be under that same freeze. 3. We have oil here in this country, open the oil fields here and allow drilling here. Stop gouging us with with high gas prices that are not justified. 4. Stop forking out trillions of dollars (our tax money) giving free money and support to illegals and foreigners. Send the illegals home. Every time an illegal walks into the welfare office, they are given full benefits, free housing, don't have to look for work, and are given jobs that the citizens here can't get. If we stopped handing them free money, they would willingly go home, we wouldn't even have to deport them. Change the law that says, "If you have a child here on American soil, it automatically makes that child a U.S. Citizen. That child's citizenship should fall under whatever citizenship their parents are under until that child turns 18. If he or she wants to become a citizen then, then apply for citizenship like everyone else. 5. The government gave out millions of dollars to these banks (the bailout money) that was supposed to go to help out the American people with their foreclosure crisis. The banks, lending corporations, etc... kept that money, spent it on jets, resorts, expensive meeting places, etc...Make them pay that money back, with interest, just like we would have to do if we borrowed money. It was the American People's tax dollars they were given, to help the American people, they did not do that, so give the money back. 6. Impeach Obama (he is not a U.S. citizen) whose main objective is to financially bankrupt this country, and get someone in there who knows how to do a budget. Well, that's what comes to mind just off the top of my head. I'm sure there are many other things we can do, but I have to get ready for work and go to my minimum waged job, so I can pay my high rent, buy my groceries for the month, and take care of my family. So I will leave it here. Karen J. Baumann

If we ran our households like the government, we would all be bankrupt.

Biz4Cash — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 01:45:21 GMT

I understand that the budget here is over-simplified for the sake of ease and simply making a point; however, it is still useful. In a small business or household, you don't easily increase your revenue. It would be easy to ask for more, but rarely it happens. So first thing you need to look at is reducing your spending. We'll compare k-12 education here to fixed payment liabilities in your household budget. You can't reduce it without some huge overhaul. So leave that part of the budget alone. Now look at all of the other categories, cut them all and use any money you have more efficiently. If your grocery budget is $800 per month now, cut it to $700 or even $600 per month and make due. Yes, you may have to forgo that steak you want or even better utilize the items in your pantry, but after you make the cuts and adjust to the changes, you may find yourself noticing that you can fit that steak back in but in more moderation. Whether it's right or not, the government sets the example for us an individuals and families. We have had to tighten our belts over the past couple of years, and the state should do the same. The government throws out scare tactics about cutting funding in education and roadways, etc. because it's easier to ask for more money than to take a good hard look in the mirror and realize they are wasting away the money they receive. We need services to be fiscally responsible and perhaps even frugal at times. We need to keep services running efficiently whether there is a budget shortfall or not. The problem is that the state became used to spending big when the economy was better, but didn't want to adjust their spending when the revenues tightened up. I hope this budgeter is monitored by the state, and maybe it will open some eyes to the true issues of government overspending on inefficiencies.

Creativity of the masses

BJB — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:26:27 GMT

While I don't necessarily agree with a lot of the suggestions in these discussions, I think the many creative ideas is what is remarkable. It is a standard precept of leadership that there will be a better decision if more stakeholders are involved. I really believe that the bottom line is that TABOR needs to be amended. A tenth of one percent increase in income tax won't hurt anyone, taxes people more equitably than something like a sales tax, and could increase revenues significantly. As a friend just said to me, the General Assembly needs to face reality and suck it up. A tax increase is needed. I hope that our senators and representatives read the suggestions that this website is generating. There are some good ideas. I will look forward to seeing the next iteration of this tool. p.s. Please include more options!

Ridiculously Simple

PolitiComm — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 21:07:22 GMT

This is a ridiculously simplistic representation of the Colorado State Budget which has dozens of programs and hundreds of line items. I understand the importance of illustrating the constitutional issues that Colorado faces. No one despises TABOR more than I, but if balancing the budget were as simple as raising taxes or eliminating half a department we wouldn't be in this mess. Balancing Colorado's budget woes require us to increase revenue through increased taxes and streamline current services to cut expenses. A good example is "corrections" where we spend $28,000/year/offender on 10,000 offenders only to have 5,000 of the same people return to prison every year. Community corrections, by comparison, has an operating cost that is half the amount of state prisons (approximately $14,000 per person, per year) and returns approximately 2,500 people to the system) while allowing offenders to hold a job so that they can pay restitution and taxes, thereby, increasing state revenues. As a society, are we really so intent on punishing people that we're willing to pay double the amount that is necessary just to see them suffer? If CPR wants me to take this project seriously they're going to have to give me, as a listener and informed taxpayer, a little bit more credit.

I solved the problem...except for that pesky constitutional ammendment thing

DMark — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 09:20:31 GMT

A nice exercise that is ablet simple but telling. The stess of trying to find funds with the Tabor ammendment in place seems to be the biggest issue, I realize that goes without saying to many people but I had forgotten what a roadblock it is in so many ways. It seems that any "vote" on raising taxes will be fought in the trenches of the state legislature that presents issues such as access and who has it and how they wield it which is to say in my version corporations would fight it tooth and nail. I understand their reluctance, how does one do the right and fair thing that also helps the economy to grow without driving business away? Wish I had the answer overall something I will recommend that people try since I found it made me think about the cause and effect of choices in a clear and simple manner. Thanks for doing this.

Interesting, but over simplified

FixTheBudget — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 01:41:05 GMT

The web site is interesting. I agree with the post that says we should start with the unbalanced budget so we could work from there. The solution to the problem is not to cut 5%, 10% or 25% from program X and then raise a particular tax by 5%, 10% or 25%. It is to fundamentally reform a program so that it costs less and serves the public better. I think back to my days in college. There were many classes (English Lit comes to mind) that I truly hated and did not believe at the time would be helpful to me in life. And, in fact, they were not helpful. Because I changed colleges and because of the complexity of that change, I had to take what was essentially the same English Lit class twice. In both, we reviewed the story and analyzed the symbolism of "Young Goodman Brown." Even at 18-21 years old, I could see that this was a complete waste of time and money. However, I went through it, because I wanted a degree. Since that time, I have not had to analyze any books in this way. Some might argue that doing the papers associated with this project made me a better writer. It is true that writing has become a bigger part of my professional life than I thought it would be when I was in college. However, classes taught in the business school (my major was business) about professional report writing would have served me better than classes from the English department. A four year college degree could be reduced to 2 1/2 or 3 years if we would eliminate these type of "fluff" courses. We then significantly reduce the departments where we have made college students take classes that they really don't want to take. That is one example of how to significantly reduce the cost of higher education, for both the student and for the state. If you are not forcing students to take classes that they don't want to take, classes that are not specifically related to their major and not taught by the school that is their major (e.g. business school for business students), we could cut funding to higher education and actually improve the education we give students. Perhaps you allow for, and even require a certain number of elective classes. But, let those classes be from any subject, not subjects set by the University. It certainly would have been better for me to take some more computer programming classes. Even at 18-21, I knew that computer programming classes would benefit me a lot more than those English Lit classes. And, I would have enjoyed them a lot more too!

There is no way to add money from other sources

tom — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:47:45 GMT

If in my budget balancing I were to take money from the schools from the state, the program doesn't allow me to add funds from other sources. By this I mean lets charge the people with kids in school a per child fee to relieve the shortfall. I don't mind using my property taxes to pay for education, but I don't like raising these taxex and supporting the families with four or six or eight kids in school who pay the same rate on the property taxes that I do. The money that I pay should go to help, for example, two students and the family with four or six or eight kids would pay an extra pro-rated fee with their taxes based on how many of their kids are in school. This would be a form of revenue that is not offered in this exercise. Another form of revenue would be a 10% across the board cut in education expenses. There doesn't seem to be any regulating agency to oversee the out of control spending in the school districts. These are options that need to be addressed to make this exercise valid and worth while if the state is really interested in input from the common people.

Taxes that don't apply to you

Jackie not a girl — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 19:53:11 GMT

Why do people always want to raise taxes for things that don't apply to them? Raising the Cigarette and alcohol taxes to keep up with the country. I notice a lot people would rather change somthing that would hurt someone else rather than changing somthing that would effect them. We need to fund Colorado not, the individual. What good is it going to do to improve you personal poket book if the state as a whole goes for broke. People here needs to man up and tighten there belts before we are really put in a place where taxes will be 50%. Your not going to invest in the futur of our contry then move. I know alot of people think they put there whole life so they deserve a tax break. Well I'm in the middle of my life and think we need to make people work or let them be a product of there lazyness. I know I'm coming off as mean or rude. I want to work, I am willing to pay higher taxes so the state and the country can do better as a whole. I don't want to pay higher tax if means that more people are going to be able to collect any state service that don't need it. I know yong people that sit at home all day playing video games that could be working. That dosn't bother me. What bothers me is that they are getting paid to it, by medicare, food stamps, and imcome tax that they get back.

Where's the Deficit?

TonyK132 — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 16:15:18 GMT

When I start the budget simulator, it is balanced. It should start with the actual revenue and spending plans for 2011, so we can play with actual numbers.

The issue...or not?

mhsmith451 — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:48:58 GMT

It seems to me that I was able to increase spending moderately in a number of areas, and maintaining the status quo in others with minor to marginal tax increases. However, because of TABOR, even returning revenue to what had been previously approved...e.g. personal income tax to 1999 levels of 5%, as opposed to the 4.86%, has to now be re-approved by the voting public. Also, if we increase the corporate income tax rate to an amount that still puts us in the lower half of the middle of the pack, it has to go to a vote??? While a agree that TABOR is a good thing as it helps to reign in uncontrolled taxation and spending, it sound like there is a real need to re-examine TABOR and correct those parts which seem, from my perspective, to be either wrong or , at the least in need of modernization, to fit the current needs of the people. Protections are good, but only if they don't impede progress!