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 [...]

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

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 [...]

Like you, the editors of the Denver Post are sick of the incessant political advertising, especially the deceptive commercials run by opponents of Amendment 49:

Nor can we watch Amendment 49 attacked as the scheme of “multinational corporations” working to “silence small business and working Coloradans.” Not true. The homegrown 49 would not hurt a union’s [...]

From former Governor Bill Owens’ opinion piece published in today’s Rocky Mountain News:

Our state and local governments should be focused on the jobs we pay them to do, whether it’s keeping our neighborhoods safe, educating our children or fixing our roads. We shouldn’t expect our governments to provide banking services for unions or any other [...]

Another letter to the editor in support of Amendment 49, the Ethical Standards initiative, appeared today, this time in the Rocky Mountain News:

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, [...]

Former U.S. Senator Hank Brown, who previously endorsed Amendment 49, explained his support in greater detail in a Sunday op-ed for the Denver Post:

Should taxpayers be forced to subsidize the collection of political contributions and payments to lobbyists?
All of us would defend a citizen’s right to lobby government or donate to a campaign. But forcing [...]

Yesterday, union leaders agreed to pull their four ballot initiatives (Amendments 53, 55, 56 and 57) before the deadline. In exchange, they got a group of business leaders to spend $3 million attacking three measures - including Amendment 49, the Ethical Standards initiative.
While opponents continue to try to combine all three measures they dislike, [...]