Michael Krieger

One of the measures on the ballot in the state of Colorado on Tuesday was Amendment 66, which would have raised the state income tax in order to provide more funds for public education. I voted against it for two main reasons.

First, it seems any time politicians want to take money out of your pocket they now scream “public education” as if like some pavlovian dogs we will all immediately say yes. It has become increasingly clear to me, as well as many other Americans, that a lack of money is clearly not the problem. Not in public education and not in a lot of things. Certainly it wasn’t hard to come up with trillions out of thin air when the bankers needed it. So give me a fucking break.

Second, the measure would have taxed certain communities disproportionately to others. This is precisely the problem with centralization. When one community gets taxed to provide for another there will almost always be zero accountability.

The measure failed by a wide majority, and what makes it failure even sweeter is the fact that nanny-state former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg was a strong supporter. This is the second time this year (that I know of) where Bloomberg tried to influence local Colorado politics and the second time his efforts have failed. The first instance was his support for pro-gun control candidates that faced a recall election.

As I said at the time, I hope the oligarch wastes all his billions on his pet causes no one cares about.

More from the WSJ:

A ballot measure to raise income taxes to fund education in Colorado failed by a wide margin Tuesday, two years after state voters rejected a similar plan to increase taxes for schools.

Roughly 66% of voters had rejected the tax proposal, with 85% of Colorado precincts reporting, according to the Associated Press. The measure, known as Amendment 66, would have raised close to $1 billion a year for schools and overhauled the way the state assigns money to school districts.

The measure had attracted national attention from political observers who saw it as a test of whether tax increases tied to education reform had a better chance of passing.

“Coloradans recognize that now is not the time to raise taxes,” said Kelly Maher, a member of Coloradans for Real Education Reform, a group that opposed the new tax. “We need real education reform before Coloradans are going to reach into their pocketbook and give any more money.”

Supporters said the tax, backed by a coalition that included teachers unions and charter-school proponents as well as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and philanthropist Melinda Gates, was necessary to ensure that all Colorado children get a quality education. The funds would be used to improve art and sports programs, as well as provide more support to poor students. Money would also be used to extend classroom time for preschoolers and kindergartners.

You’ve done enough damage to my hometown of NYC, we don’t need your meddling here Bloomie.

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