Amendment 49

Following the lead of eight major Colorado newspapers, some of the state’s smaller newspapers now are voicing their support of Amendment 49, the Ethical Standards initiative. This morning it’s the Mountain Mail in Salida:

Amendment 49 would prohibit automatic payroll deductions for such things as politically active groups including labor and professional associations. These entities often [...]

From today’s lead editorial in the Boulder Daily Camera:

Amendment 49, we are told, would make it impossible for hard-working Coloradans to do their jobs in areas like firefighting and nursing.
We don’t buy it.
The Camera supports a “yes” vote on 49….

With the Daily Camera’s support, add another major Colorado newspaper to the list of endorsements of [...]

The editors of Colorado’s largest daily newspaper have joined the growing list of supporters behind Amendment 49, the Ethical Standards initiative. From today’s lead editorial in the Denver Post:

Amendment 49 has been lumped together with two other ballot measures being targeted by unions, and lots of money is being spent to convince voters its something [...]

Today the editors of the Longmont Times-Call formally endorsed Amendment 49, the Ethical Standards Initiative, noting:
The accounting system of the government shouldn’t be used to send money to unions or special interests that use the funds to influence campaigns. Plain and simple.

The list of endorsements for Amendment 49 keeps growing.

From a press release sent out to explain a deal Amendment 49 proponent Jon Caldara issued today in a letter to Gov. Bill Ritter:

DENVER–Amendment 49’s leading proponent has formally offered to remove the initiative from the ballot if Colorado’s governor will work to stop the unionization of state government.
Jon Caldara today submitted a letter to [...]

Denver Metro Chamber endorses Amendment 49
Despite Political Blackmail Attempt, Support for Ethical Standards Strong Among Colorado’s Business Community
ENGLEWOOD, CO – Amid an orchestrated attempt to blackmail business leaders into funding opposition to measures on this fall’s statewide ballot, a leading voice in Colorado’s business community instead has endorsed a proposal to clean up government payroll [...]

Popular Denver radio talk show host Mike Rosen took the opportunity this morning to call out a deceptive ad against Amendment 49 and explained to listeners what the Ethical Standards Initiative is about:
49 is the Ethical Standards Now, and it stops government from bundling money through public payroll and delivering it to special lobbying interests.

Read [...]

From an editorial in today’s Grand Junction Daily Sentinel on the Ethical Standards Initiative:

Employees could still belong to professional organizations or unions, but would have to pay dues some other way.
Despite the scare tactics from the union-backed mailer, that’s not something that endangers public safety.
“The government shouldn’t be bookkeeper, accountant and collection agency” for these [...]

Farm Bureau Lines Up Behind Amendment 49
Colorado Farmers, Ranchers Support “Ethical Standards”
ENGLEWOOD, CO – The self-styled “voice of agriculture in Colorado” has announced its public support of a statewide ballot initiative to clean up government payroll systems.
The Colorado Farm Bureau has issued an endorsement of Amendment 49, also known as the “Ethical Standards” Initiative, noting [...]

The primary benefit of Amendment 49 is clean government: State and local government can no longer collect and bundle money for political special interest groups and lobbyists. But as this opinion article in Sunday’s Pueblo Chieftain points out, it also can protect some government employees from forced dues arrangements:

The deadline for this year is Saturday, [...]