Read the press release here.

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 me wonder if they actually ever read the ballot language.

Amendment 49 restricts government but does not stop employees from organizing unions. The measure simply prevents government from using our public payroll system as a bank, collection agency and accountant for politically active lobbying organizations. These groups turn around and fund politicians’ campaigns.

Does this include unions? Of course. But the amendment also prohibits taxpayer-funded collections for professional organizations, fraternal associations and political parties, which makes it fair across the board. Employees will have the same rights to go to any of these groups and join and support them as much as they want. Amendment 49 just says it’s more ethical to get government out of the collection and bundling business for lobbyists, where it doesn’t need to be in the first place.

Most of Colorado’s 3,000 governments have no policy to stop the whole scheme. Because the politicians are all subject to the possible conflict of interest, it’s up to the people to amend the Constitution and fix the mess.

Vote yes on Amendment 49.

BJ Nikkel,
Loveland

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, rather than use government payroll systems as their collection agency.

Groups from the National Rifle Association to the Sierra Club rely on voluntary contributions, so why can’t labor unions and other special interests?

Amendment 49 is not only about ethics but also about basic fairness. That’s why so many major newspapers and organizations across Colorado have endorsed the measure.

Here’s the original YouTube video that made the Ethical Standards sock puppets into stars. You can find more information at Jon Caldara’s blog.

Amendment 49 Billboards appear around Denver

The first person to correctly quess the location of this billboard will win $25. Email your quess to ethicalstandardsnow@gmail.com

A Gentleman’s Offer

September 22, 2008

The Honorable Bill Ritter
Governor, State of Colorado
136 State Capitol
Denver, CO 80203-1792

Governor Ritter:

Since you took office, we often have found ourselves on the opposite sides of issues important to the people of Colorado. But now we have the opportunity to forge a truce and avoid a costly political battle. You have urged business and labor leaders to come together and “holster their weapons,” to use your words, and rescind their respective ballot measures that if passed could result—as some have put it—in “mutually assured destruction.”

For some reason you have lumped Amendment 49 – Ethical Standards for Public Payroll Systems – in with the labor/anti-business initiatives even though 49 doesn’t restrict business or labor. It places an ethical restriction on government only.

But in the spirit of goodwill I am prepared as the leading proponent of the Ethical Standards Initiative to make a substantial offer. Amendment 49 is designed to stop governments from using the people’s payroll systems to bundle and deliver money to special interest groups that turn around and lobby the government. As former Senator Hank Brown has said in endorsing the initiative, “It’s just plain wrong for our Government to be a bagman for special interests.”

But well-heeled opponents of Amendment 49, including powerful labor union leaders, feel threatened by this simple, ethical proposal to clean up government. These same opponents have been champions of your Executive Order D 028 07, which drastically reshaped labor relations by introducing collective bargaining to state government.

I therefore propose withdrawing Amendment 49 from the statewide ballot, contingent upon your repeal of Executive Order D 028 07 and your word to oppose any effort to bring it forward via legislation. Such a move could help restore a measure of peace to Colorado’s political landscape.

It is my hope that you will consider the offer carefully and seriously. Please contact me before October 1 so we might be able to make arrangements to withdraw the proposals in a timely manner.

Sincerely,

Jon C. Caldara