Senator Rollie Heath was the chair of the ”Unimaginative Failure” Commission (a.k.a. Long Term Fiscal Stability Commission) on which I sat in 2009. Heath constantly asked “what kind of Colorado do we want?” As if a chosen few have the right to force an answer for more than five million people, but that did not stop Sen. Heath from his constant advocacy for the bigger government he assumed Coloradans wanted.

Well, tonight Colorado answered Sen. Heath’s question loud and clear.  The resounding defeat (just minutes after the polls closed) of Heath’s Proposition 103, an immoral income and sales tax increase supposedly “for the children,” should tell the Senator and all other big government advocates what kind of government Coloradans want. Nearly 64 percent of voters statewide put the kibosh on more money for government.

Two key points. First, Heath actually showed restraint with Prop 103 because it was supposed to raise a $2.9 billion over 5 years. That sounds like a lot to reasonable people, but Heath would have liked more than $9 billion annually to massively expand government in all areas. Thus even a modest proposal from Heath’s perspective was met with a HELL NO! answer.

Second, Prop 103 was the “most high-profile statewide tax measure” in the country, and “the outcome is likely to be viewed as a barometer of attitudes toward the tough fiscal choices states have ahead,” according to Stateline.  Senator Heath even said that tonight’s results for Prop 103 “‘will be very telling to the rest of the country about how people are feeling.’” If Heath is right, there is no confusion in the message that Coloradans sent. No new taxes and no “for the children” BS.