Colorado Springs: A Teabagger Paradise

[Lief 🗽]

Colorado Springs, the state's second largest city and famously a haven of conservatism, anti-tax sentiment and the other hallmarks of the "Tea Party" movement is completely out of money. Finally, the good citizens of Colorado Springs will no longer have to endure the hardship and armed robbery that is taxation and basic government services:

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Of course, the citizens of Colorado Springs were tempted by the librul tax and spenders. They could have surrendered their freedom and liberty and chosen to supplement their sales tax revenues with an increase in property taxes. Thankfully, the enlightened patriots of Colorado Springs rejected this Faustian bargain:

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The government and its monopoly on violence will no longer be able to shake down the good American citizens of Colorado Springs. They can rest safely in their increasingly-Third World city, marvel at their parks full of dead grass, their cracking streets left dark and unguarded due to turned off street lamps and laid off police officers, and their gangs of delinquent teenagers hanging around piles of trash, safe in the knowledge that they get to keep their hard-earned money, their guns, and their religion.

[Marokai Backbeat]

A similar thing happened state-wide when they adopted the Taxpayer Bill of Rights in the '90s. Thankfully, they were able to suspend most of those provisions to, you know, rebuild their state. But even so, Colorado has some definitely screwed up folks who clearly don't know what the hell they're doing when they vote.

[Хahar 🤔]

Another blow for freedom!

A similar thing happened state-wide when they adopted the Taxpayer Bill of Rights in the '90s. Thankfully, they were able to suspend most of those provisions to, you know, rebuild their state. But even so, Colorado has some definitely screwed up folks who clearly don't know what the hell they're doing when they vote.

No, Colorado voters are quite sane.

[Free Palestine]

[Vepres]

Of course you are spinning this Lief. One could say it is the fault of incompetence, not any ideology, that caused the city government these problems.

Besides, most cities are having budget issues, so this is nothing new.

A similar thing happened state-wide when they adopted the Taxpayer Bill of Rights in the '90s. Thankfully, they were able to suspend most of those provisions to, you know, rebuild their state. But even so, Colorado has some definitely screwed up folks who clearly don't know what the hell they're doing when they vote.

When your a middle-class person struggling with a mortgage and car payments and the like, you're gonna vote for tax cuts.

[Vepres]

Another blow for freedom!

A similar thing happened state-wide when they adopted the Taxpayer Bill of Rights in the '90s. Thankfully, they were able to suspend most of those provisions to, you know, rebuild their state. But even so, Colorado has some definitely screwed up folks who clearly don't know what the hell they're doing when they vote.

No, Colorado voters are quite sane.

Yes, there's a reason our unemployment rate is 3 points below the national rate.

[12th Doctor]

Colorado Springs isn't a city.  It's a collection of single occupancy units that all just so happened to form in the same place.

P.S. And before anyone dives on me... yes, I have actually been there.

[k-onmmunist]

Why can't I take the term 'teabagger' seriously?

[k-onmmunist]

A similar thing happened state-wide when they adopted the Taxpayer Bill of Rights in the '90s. Thankfully, they were able to suspend most of those provisions to, you know, rebuild their state. But even so, Colorado has some definitely screwed up folks who clearly don't know what the hell they're doing when they vote.

[JSojourner]

Lief,

I really think you are being hackish with this post.  No offense, but you have failed to consider some important points.

1.   The private sector will solve the problem. Now that government is out of the mix, private businesses (also known as the road and bridge fairies) will band together to pave roads, provide ambulance service and fire protection and remove trash and weeds.  That's how it always happens when we slay the beast that is big guv'mint.

2.   Churches and charities will step up to the plate and pick up the slack.  True, they already have their hands full what with sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick, feeding the hungry and organizing international relief efforts.  But they can do more.  By starving big guv'mint, we'll be enabling our citizens to embrace the better angels of their nature.

3.  Along those lines -- donations, donations, donations!  Freedom-loving 'murricans don't approve of theft, which is what taxation of any kind is.  But they DO approve of generosity.  And so as soon as the taxing stops, look for the financial donations to start pouring in. Why, Colorado Springs will be so flush with cash from the donation fairies that they'll have to hand the money to other cities and counties that have killed the beast.

4.  Crime?  Feh!  Our citizenry will be heavily armed and we won't have to be content with simple handguns, shotguns or .22 rifles either.  We'll have arsenals inside our homes because, after all, the Second Amendment clearly guarantees the right to own dirty bombs, bazookas and .30 caliber belt-fed machine guns.  Those criminal bastards won't dare mess with the good people of Colorado Springs.

Please Lief.  Stop being such a hack!!

[k-onmmunist]

This thread is like one massive circle jerk.

Except everyone is already dry.

[Mechaman]

This thread is like one massive circle jerk.

Except everyone is already dry.

Wait for it.
OH YES!!!!
Okay, now everyone is dry.

[Badger]

Lief,

I really think you are being hackish with this post.  No offense, but you have failed to consider some important points.

1.   The private sector will solve the problem. Now that government is out of the mix, private businesses (also known as the road and bridge fairies) will band together to pave roads, provide ambulance service and fire protection and remove trash and weeds.  That's how it always happens when we slay the beast that is big guv'mint.

2.   Churches and charities will step up to the plate and pick up the slack.  True, they already have their hands full what with sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick, feeding the hungry and organizing international relief efforts.  But they can do more.  By starving big guv'mint, we'll be enabling our citizens to embrace the better angels of their nature.

3.  Along those lines -- donations, donations, donations!  Freedom-loving 'murricans don't approve of theft, which is what taxation of any kind is.  But they DO approve of generosity.  And so as soon as the taxing stops, look for the financial donations to start pouring in. Why, Colorado Springs will be so flush with cash from the donation fairies that they'll have to hand the money to other cities and counties that have killed the beast.

4.  Crime?  Feh!  Our citizenry will be heavily armed and we won't have to be content with simple handguns, shotguns or .22 rifles either.  We'll have arsenals inside our homes because, after all, the Second Amendment clearly guarantees the right to own dirty bombs, bazookas and .30 caliber belt-fed machine guns.  Those criminal bastards won't dare mess with the good people of Colorado Springs.

Please Lief.  Stop being such a hack!!

LOL

[Хahar 🤔]

This thread is like one massive circle jerk.

Except everyone is already dry.

Stop trolling.

[jokerman]

I find it remarkable that only one person has even attempted to mount a rebuttal yet.  It's also no coincidence that I have to click the "show" button to reveal most of the posts in this thread.

[Lief 🗽]

I find it remarkable that only one person has even attempted to mount a rebuttal yet.  It's also no coincidence that I have to click the "show" button to reveal most of the posts in this thread.

Wait. Are you saying facepalm jpgs that have been old since 2008 don't count as a rebuttal? Careful dude, that's pretty radical stuff for some of these guys.

[Alcon]

Not to interrupt the narrative, but there's very little chance in hell that a majority of Colorado Springs residents would identify with the explicit goals of the Tea Party.

Colorado Springs isn't a city.  It's a collection of single occupancy units that all just so happened to form in the same place.

P.S. And before anyone dives on me... yes, I have actually been there.

Does that have much bearing on municipal policy that could explain this?

[Vepres]

The arrogance...

Anyway, I could easily say the same kind of attack towards the left about California's predicament. Besides, most of you saw what you wanted to see here, and spun it as such.

[Lief 🗽]

The arrogance...

Anyway, I could easily say the same kind of attack towards the left about California's predicament. Besides, most of you saw what you wanted to see here, and spun it as such.

Um... no... California's predicament can be blamed on the same anti-tax attitude.

[Vepres]

The arrogance...

Anyway, I could easily say the same kind of attack towards the left about California's predicament. Besides, most of you saw what you wanted to see here, and spun it as such.

Um... no... California's predicament can be blamed on the same anti-tax attitude.

Really? The state with one of the highest taxes?

[Sam Spade]

Welcome to a debt-deflation.  These politicians will get thrown out because some of the stuff they've proposed to do is beyond stupid.  Not like I really care, of course.

btw, I'd be kind of curious to see what their tax revenue and spending budgets have been over the past 10-15 years.  It would probably tell me a lot more than this article did.

[cinyc]

Liberals just don't get it.  Raising taxes isn't the answer to everything.  In an economic downturn, families tighten their belts to live within their means.  The local government should too.  That they seem to think they should be able to raise taxes and live high off the hog when their citizens are hurting is just plain dumb - and a good way to get themselves voted out of office.

When faced with the situation where residents can't afford and don't want to pay more, local governments almost always threaten cut back on the visible things, seemingly out of spite, to make those ungrateful bastards who pay their salaries give them more money.  Instead of asking whether the mayor and the council really need multiple assistants, secretaries, and secretaries to those assistants, they threaten to cut parks, police and fire.  

There is a lot of bloat in government that has been cut in private sector businesses and can be cut there, too.  Especially in education, where there's this stupid emphasis on class size (read: more teachers for the teachers' union) instead of leveraging technological advances to make our kids smarter at a lower cost.  

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Liberals just don't get it.  Raising taxes isn't the answer to everything.  In an economic downturn, families tighten their belts to live within their means.  The local government should too.  That they seem to think they should be able to raise taxes and live high off the hog when their citizens are hurting is just plain dumb - and a good way to get themselves voted out of office.

When faced with the situation where residents can't afford and don't want to pay more, local governments almost always threaten cut back on the visible things, seemingly out of spite, to make those ungrateful bastards who pay their salaries give them more money.  Instead of asking whether the mayor and the council really need multiple assistants, secretaries, and secretaries to those assistants, they threaten to cut parks, police and fire.  

There is a lot of bloat in government that has been cut in private sector businesses and can be cut there, too.  Especially in education, where there's this stupid emphasis on class size (read: more teachers for the teachers' union) instead of leveraging technological advances to make our kids smarter at a lower cost.  

Yes and to me it looks like a lot of this is meant to create more unionized gov't workers who are afterall not subject to the laws of economy like private sector unionized workers are.

A lot of money can be cut from education. The problem isn't lack of funding but lack of efficiency and effectiveness as well as waste.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Liberals just don't get it.  Raising taxes isn't the answer to everything.  In an economic downturn, families tighten their belts to live within their means.  The local government should too.  That they seem to think they should be able to raise taxes and live high off the hog when their citizens are hurting is just plain dumb - and a good way to get themselves voted out of office.

When faced with the situation where residents can't afford and don't want to pay more, local governments almost always threaten cut back on the visible things, seemingly out of spite, to make those ungrateful bastards who pay their salaries give them more money.  Instead of asking whether the mayor and the council really need multiple assistants, secretaries, and secretaries to those assistants, they threaten to cut parks, police and fire.  

There is a lot of bloat in government that has been cut in private sector businesses and can be cut there, too.  Especially in education, where there's this stupid emphasis on class size (read: more teachers for the teachers' union) instead of leveraging technological advances to make our kids smarter at a lower cost.  

I don't think you really get it, Cinyc.  As a liberal, I don't believe raising taxes is the answer to everything, especially during a recession.  I do, however, believe that government should do the OPPOSITE of what you suggest.  They should boost spending during economic downturns to help boost the economy.

This should be funded by RAISING taxes during economic boom times so we can build up a healthy surplus, and then cut taxes during the bad times and use up the reserves for that extra spending.

It is a conservative conspiracy theory that local governments threaten to cut what they deem as important first.  This is far from the case.  

My city, being very property poor since only about 50% of the land is taxable, gets a huge chunk of its budget from state equalization funding.  Our Republican governor has gutted that budget to balance the state budget without raising state income taxes.

The result is that services have been curtailed drastically in the past 8 years while property tax rates have doubled.  DOUBLED!  We have fewer police officers, fire fighters, etc. on the streets.  Garbage collection has been curtailed.  They wanted to start charging a fee to all residents for the street lights (there was a huge uproar).  They were going to gut the parks budget but then we passed a half cent sales tax to fund those so we could save police officers and the library.

These aren't fluff.  Having parks and libraries and police officers and firefighters are not things to be subjected to the economic cycle.  You can't just say "Oh, we'll just close the parks down, shut down the library, and gut the police dept cuz the economy is bad"...

That's like this proverbial "family at the kitchen table" that you conservatives like to run your mouths about so much cutting the mortgage payment in half and getting rid of the family car.

Those things are essential to your quality of life and your future potential growth.  The same goes for government.

There comes a point when you cut too far and you get to the bone.  We did that in 2003 at the tiem of the last huge deficits because Pawlenty wouldn't raise taxes back to the pre 1999 boom time rates (we cut taxes during a boom.. that was real smart.. thanks Republicans and Jesse Ventura.. now we have a deficit built into our budget)...

And we made cuts every year from 2003-2008 during this supposed prosperous time of growth under the Bush Administration.

So no.. I don't think raising taxes is always the answer.  But SOMETIMES IT IS THE RIGHT ANSWER AND THAT TIME IS NOW!!!!!

We're not the ones with the balancing problems!  If you want police and firefighters and parks and libraries... then you have to pay for them.  If you want to live in a dumpy slum... go to Colorado Springs.

[12th Doctor]

Not to interrupt the narrative, but there's very little chance in hell that a majority of Colorado Springs residents would identify with the explicit goals of the Tea Party.

Colorado Springs isn't a city.  It's a collection of single occupancy units that all just so happened to form in the same place.

P.S. And before anyone dives on me... yes, I have actually been there.

Does that have much bearing on municipal policy that could explain this?

I'm just saying, calling Colorado Springs a "conservative city" is largely a misnomer.