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 the ethical standards initiative because it stops government payroll systems from collecting money and delivering it to private lobbying groups that try to influence our politicians.

Millions of dollars were funneled through this process last year in governments throughout Colorado. There are several local governments in Colorado that have tested the idea and found that it works. Delta County and Montrose County both adopted ethical standards earlier this year. We have helped to set the stage for the whole state to get behind this commonsense policy and make sure our elected officials are focused on vital services to taxpayers, not on collections and bookkeeping for special interests and lobbyists. [emphasis added]

I urge you to vote a hearty yes on Amendment 49.

Linda Sorenson
Delta

The other counties that have adopted Ethical Standards are: El Paso, Arapahoe, Jefferson, Douglas, Weld, Larimer, Mesa, Teller, Elbert, and Kit Carson.

Amendment 49 prohibits our government payroll systems from being used to collect funds for private organizations (including union dues). Accounting for deductions and payments involves staff time and costs money — there is no reason for the taxpayers of Colorado to foot the bill as a collection agency for private entities. If these organizations provide their members with value, they will willingly send in their membership dues.

Steve Collins joins the growing list of endorsements for Amendment 49.

This payroll reform is already working. Some county governments in Colorado, along with a handful of municipalities, have implemented this idea. But with an ethical loophole this large, our state can’t wait for all 3,000 governments to step up and follow suit.

Amendment 49 makes one ethical standard for all of Colorado.

The Grand Junction Sentinel also is one of numerous major newspapers to have endorsed Amendment 49, the Ethical Standards initiative.

I agree with The Denver Post’s endorsement of Amendment 49. The practice of automatically deducting union dues from an employee’s paycheck to fund political campaigns should not be allowed to continue.

Political donations must remain voluntary for our electoral system to maintain its integrity. Informed individuals voluntarily donating a portion of their income to a political organization to spend or donate on their behalf — such as the Sierra Club or the Colorado Union of Taxpayers — is an important part of the political process. These groups are subject to a complex set of campaign finance laws designed to bolster the public’s trust in the system.

Labor unions’ exemption from the campaign finance laws that govern all other nonprofits, political action committees, and citizen activist groups automatically places the ethics of labor unions, their leadership, and the candidates who benefit from their donations into question.

Although Amendment 49 will not completely unravel the special status that labor unions enjoy in Colorado campaign finance law, voting ‘yes’ on this amendment will be a step towards fully establishing fairness in our elections.

Athena Dalton, Denver

Amendment 49, the Ethical Standards initiative, creates a level playing field by prohibiting government from collecting money for all professional organizations, fraternal associations, political parties, and lobbying groups — including labor unions.

Last year governments in Colorado collected millions of dollars for delivery to political special interest groups.

Coloradans can fix that with Amendment 49. The “Ethical Standards” initiative ends the shenanigans that transfer money through the public payroll system to labor unions, professional organizations and political action committees. These groups take the government-collected money and use it to pay lobbyists or contribute to politicians.

These groups can play on an even field with everyone else and ask for their funds directly. Get government out of the “bagman” business. Former Sen. Hank Brown and most major newspapers agree: Colorado needs Amendment 49.

Amy Cooke, Greeley

A level political playing field is the American way. As such, Amendment 49 quite simply seems like the American thing to do.

No group deserves a leg up by getting special perks from government, including collections through our public payroll systems. Fairness dictates that all politically active organizations should play by the same rules.

Do you want to give money to candidates? Fine, but don’t expect the government to help raise the money for you. Do you want to hire a lobbyist to convince officials to vote your way? OK, but collect the funds to pay for the lobbyist on your own.

I can see why the groups that have manipulated government for the special perks would fight Amendment 49. But the rest of us ought to demand that the government stays neutral and that everyone gets fair treatment.

-Shirley Seitz, Lakewood

Why are many Colorado governments acting as banker and collections for special interest groups? Why? Who cares!

It’s not the business of government. It’s a recipe for corruption.

Governments collect money through their payroll systems, bundle it up, and hand it off to nefarious special interests. These groups then turn around and give the same money back to politicians to the tune of millions of dollars. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, and the taxpayer is ignored.

Amendment 49’s reforms are working in 12 Colorado counties.

With 49, the people can make one statewide standard, an Ethical Standard. Yes, we can!

Paul Branum, Greeley

Not only 12 counties, but 12 counties representing more than half of Colorado’s population:

• El Paso
• Arapahoe
• Jefferson
• Larimer
• Douglas
• Weld
• Mesa
• Montrose
• Delta
• Elbert
• Teller
• Kit Carson

Amendment 49 cleans up the patchwork of laws and makes one simple ethical standard for the state.

It’s kind of sad to see Colorado still has a problem with lobbyist ethics (or the lack thereof). But if the problem is there, we ought to plug the loophole. That’s why I think Amendment 49 on this November’s ballot is a good, common-sense idea. Amendment 49 will clean up government, so they can pay attention to providing the services that matter to taxpayers like us.

As former Sen. Hank Brown said on the radio, government shouldn’t be the bagman for special interests. Groups that lobby government and give money to politicians shouldn’t also have government provide them the privileged services of a collections agent. This is the kind of issue that average citizens can rally behind, even though the special interests are sure to fight it hard to keep their sweet deal going.

ALAN FARINA
Clifton

This letter follows two that appeared last week from Colorado Springs and Greeley.

Colorado Springs Gazette, August 20

With a full ballot this year, there are quite a few proposals that are going to sharply divide people based on party affiliation or worldview. But Amendment 49 isn’t one of them.

This common-sense idea simply tells government to get out of the business of raising money for political special interests - you know, groups that support candidates and hire lobbyists.

Republicans, Democrats and independents alike benefit by having government officials who focus on the business we elect them to do, instead of helping to line the pocketbooks of groups with agendas that divide us.

Hank Brown, Colorado’s former U.S. senator, gets it. He has a track record of statesmanship and bipartisanship. And while he notes that Amendment 49 keeps lobbyists in line, I also think it keeps government on the side of the people.
- Lynda Ryan, Colorado Springs

Greeley Tribune, August 22

Stopping abuses where unethical means funnel money to lobbyists and shadowy campaigns is a little like squeezing a balloon in the middle. The balloon just pops out in another place. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to make additional reforms.

The Ethical Standards initiative, Amendment 49, would prevent government payroll systems from collecting and bundling money to special interest groups that hire lobbyists and make campaign contributions.

A survey of 20 municipal governments and 20 school districts found more than $19 million was funneled to such groups in 2007. Government employees deserve the freedom to work without political pressure.
- Jim Eckersley, Greeley