By Alan Gathright

State lawmakers are ready to rumble today as the 120-day legislative marathon begins. GOP and Democrats push signature plans to improve Colorado's health care coverage, transportation and high-ed systems -- without boosting taxes?

Colorado lawmakers kick off the 2008 legislative session today with both parties trumpeting their better mousetraps -- plans to expand health coverage, modernize clogged transportation systems and lift up the state's lowly ranked higher-education programs.

The pomp begins at 10 a.m. when House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, addresses the chamber with his goals for the four-month marathon.

Next, House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker, will lay out the Republican overview for the session.

At the same time as Romanoff's speech in the Legislature's other chamber, Denver's Peter Groff will become Colorado's first black Senate president, followed by a 20-minute speech of his own.

More quietly, Republicans and Democrats will be plotting make-or-break political strategies.

After taking control of the governor's mansion and legislature for the first time in 45 years in 2007, Democrats are vowing to deliver the most substantive session in more than a decade.

But with power comes peril.

Dems know they face the daunting challenge of helping Gov. Bill Ritter chip away at long-term, billion-dollar goals -- from universal health care to new ways of funding shrinking highway and transit coffers -- while only hiking taxes as a last resort.

The GOP hopes to turn the tables on resurgent Dems by a swiping a few pages from Ritter's winning 2006 campaign to be a "pragmatic problem-solver" for Coloradans.

Last year, the Republican minority came out with rhetoric blazing against the rookie guv -- accusing him of being the lap dog of labor and a slave to government mandates.

What did it get them? Bupkis!

Now GOP leaders are churning out their own statesman-like initiatives for conquering Colorado's biggest challenges -- without raising a dime of taxes.

At stake is whether the Democrats can fortify their State House domination -- or if the Republicans can kick-start momentum to reclaim Capitol Hill by 2010.

But first things first.

Lawmakers will begin by tackling a sure-fire voting method for this presidential-election year in response to Secretary of State Mike Coffman's recent decertification of most state voting machines as unreliable or tamper-prone.

Before the dance of legislation ends, some 500 bills will be introduced. But far less will survive the legislative mosh pit to reach the governor's pen.

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