Amendment 49

Illegal Anti-49 Electioneering Yields New Complaint
Well-Heeled Issue Committee’s Attacks Overstep Legal Bounds
ENGLEWOOD, CO – A leading proponent of a good-government initiative on this November’s ballot has filed a complaint against a group registered to oppose a different amendment.
Jon Caldara today submitted a formal complaint with the Colorado Secretary of State against the issue committee Coloradans [...]

Read the press release here.

The Rocky Mountain News - one of many major Colorado newspapers to endorse Amendment 49, the Ethical Standards initiative - put out a hard-hitting editorial today knocking down the grossly deceptive arguments against the good-government measure. The deceptive arguments are bankrolled by millions of dollars from lobbying groups.
A couple key excerpts:

The foes of 49 [...]

Sheriffs Shoot Down Lies Against Amendment 49
“Deception” called “insulting”; Officers still get their body armor
DENVER – Six elected sheriffs from major Front Range counties today publicly refuted the deception in the campaign against Amendment 49.
Five of the six counties represented by the sheriffs have enacted an Ethical Standards policy very similar to what Amendment [...]

The Colorado Springs Gazette yesterday reaffirmed its support for Amendment 49, the Ethical Standards initiative:
YES on Amendment 49 (stops government employers from collecting union dues with payroll deduction).

Other newspapers that have endorsed Amendment 49 include:

Wall Street Journal
Denver Post
Rocky Mountain News
Boulder Daily Camera
Pueblo Chieftain
Grand Junction Sentinel
Longmont Times-Call
Loveland Reporter-Herald
Salida Mountain Mail
Jefferson County Mile High Newspapers

Sandra Hagen Solin, writing as the issues manager for the Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance (NCLA), explains in today’s Fort Collins Coloradoan why her organization backs Amendment 49, the Ethical Standards initiative:

Amendment 49 prevents state and local governments from bundling money from public employees’ paychecks and delivering the funds to special interests, like unions. The NCLA [...]

A letter writer in today’s Fort Collins Coloradoan speaks out for Amendment 49, the Ethical Standards initiative:

I feel the editors of the Coloradoan have shortchanged their readers with their attempt to dismiss any serious constitutional proposal with the “just-say-no-to-everything” approach. They dismissed Amendment 49 as an anti-union attempt to manipulate the Constitution - which makes [...]

Former state treasurer Mark Hillman explains the simple logic that underlies the Ethical Standards initiative:

Amendment 49 (”ethical standards”) prohibits state and local governments from intercepting a worker’s paycheck to collect dues or contributions for unions, lobbyists or any other special interest. It simply requires all interest groups to ask supporters directly for their contribution, [...]

From today’s Delta County Independent:

Dear Editor:
A lot of us may be looking around and scratching our heads when our ballots arrived. There’s all these ballot amendments and referenda to decide. Some have received more attention than others. One you may not have heard of, but need to know about, is Amendment 49.
Amendment 49 is called [...]

October 22, 2008
Complaint: Amendment 49 Opponents Break Law
Issue Committees Illegally Transferred Campaign Resources
ENGLEWOOD, CO – Supporters of a good-government initiative on this November’s ballot say a citizen’s complaint against amendment opponents highlights the need for reform.
Today, Colorado Springs resident and former school board candidate Reginald Perry filed a formal complaint against the issue committee Protect [...]