Gov. Owens on wrong side regarding Referenda C & D

Editor:

Former Mesa County Commissioner John Crouch has apparently touched a nerve with Gov. Bill Owens, whose letter to the editor was published July 25.

Owens’ lambasting of Mr. Crouch over his support of sound fiscal policy and his leadership on opposing the Referendum C tax hike and Referendum D bond issue is perhaps telling. To criticize Crouch for having the courage to stand up to the special interests that Gov. Owens finds himself aligning with should signal to Owens that he’s on the wrong side of this issue.

For the governor to hold up his record on taxes as unimpeachable is a non sequitur: His support of Referendum C — a $3.7 billion tax increase — will nullify the legacy he had built as a tax cutter and supporter of Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.

Opposition to the Referendum C tax hike is not anti-Colorado. Arguably, Referendum C is antithetical to something that is uniquely Colorado — our Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights — and which has become a model for reining in out-of-control government spending.

And that’s why I’m voting “No” and against my governor on Referendum C.

SHARI BJORKLUND

Grand Junction