Amendment 41 needs quick correction
I am writing to add my support to the call for immediate corrective action on Amendment 41. As the Rocky’s editorial of Jan. 1 points out (“‘Sorry, your majesty, I can’t accept the Nobel’”), we should not have to wait for a University of Colorado professor to decline a Nobel Prize before fixing this broken amendment.
However, it’s not only Nobels that could be affected. Apparently, awards such as the MacArthur Foundation “genius grants” would fall into this category, as would many other lesser-known awards.
Colorado is already having trouble attracting and retaining top-notch researchers into state higher education. We don’t need any more disincentives.
I don’t doubt the sincerity of the authors of Amendment 41, but what they believe about the effects of this amendment is not important. It is the interpretation of the amendment by the courts that matters. Until such time as a case goes before the courts, I’ll trust the opinion of the state attorney general over that of Common Cause, Jared Polis, or any of the other backers.
One question: Since he paid for the original campaign, can we send Polis the bill for the election to fix the problems?
Greg Wimpey, Denver
The damage done to high levels of educators is serious. We are in the position of a child having to abandon scholarships she has worked to achieve during her middle and high school years. She won't go to college without those. Employees whose children have already received scholarships will have to forfeit them. Also in my workplace are people whose spouses are working toward improving their education with further scholarships. Those will also be gone. If your spouse or parent provide you support and they work for a government agency, state, local, federal, county, city, teachers, law enforcement, you are sunk. And who can step forward now to fix this?
I believe that the individuals that wrote Amendment 41 did not think about the long term effects. But to the voters of Colorado...you didn't read the paperwork that Colorado is required to send out (as per TABOR) concerning the pros and cons of Amendment 41. You have penalized children the most. Please Governor Ritter and the people of Colorado take this back, make changes...just do something to NOT penalize the children.
Posted by Chip on January 29, 2007 07:07 PMThe voters have spoken and they were neither ignorant or uninformed on this issue. If you don't like the Amendment, then get out of the Public Sector. I love how bleeding heart liberals always decry the poor, poor children every time they want attention. The people of Colorado deserve a clean and honest government. Demonstrate to us how a lobbyist might be prevented from using money disguised as a private scholarship fund to buy influence. If you don't believe it, then you're blinded by your own ignorance.
Posted by on February 3, 2007 05:38 AMTo person who failed to post their name on their letter:
You are absolutely right. All children of state employees should be denied scholarships. So should their spouses. So should they. That way they can remain just as ignorant as you and then persons of your caliber can move into the public sector and really perform the type of service that you think you are receiving. Why do you have such hate toward the persons trying to serve you in the public sector? Lets hold everyone to the lowest possible level they can acheive.