With less than a week to this year’s election, the stake couldn’t be higher. There is no doubt that Colorado is less affordable and less safe than it was just four years ago.
Recent polling shows that the economy is the top issue for 40% of Coloradans. With inflation at almost 8%, families are paying $843 more per month just to keep up. Housing costs are up, gas prices are still 40% higher than when President Biden took office, and interest rates have skyrocketed.
Inflation has largely been driven by out-of-control spending on the federal level, but liberal politicians in Colorado have also made things more expensive here. They’ve made it harder to provide energy in our state. They raised $5.4 billion in fees on gas, deliveries, and ridesharing over the next 10 years. And they raised property taxes by $291 million. It’s no surprise that Colorado went from 11th to 29th in “business friendliness” during the last four years, according to CNBC.
While families are paying more for everything, government is flush with money. This year’s budget is $38 billion – up $2 billion from last year. Despite this increase, our roads aren’t fixed, and teachers aren’t getting paid more. Only 56% of the dollars we spend on education get to classrooms. We need leaders who will push for smaller and more efficient government.
When it comes to crime, we have seen a huge spike over the last couple years. While crime rates went up across the country during the pandemic, Colorado’s increase has been much worse.
Colorado is #1 in auto thefts, bank robberies, cocaine use, and porch pirates. We are at a 25-year high in violent crime. And we have the 4th worst recidivism rate in the nation – which means far too many criminals are getting out of jail and reoffending.
Colorado is also #2 in the increase of fentanyl deaths. A combination of open border policies and state legislation to decriminalize this deadly drug has had huge consequences. We need leaders at the national level who will take border security seriously – and leaders at the state level who will vote to make any possession of fentanyl a felony.
During election season, politicians say a lot of things that sound good. But the key is to watch how people vote when they are in office. Single-party control at both the national level and state level is simply not working. The choice and the contrast are clear this November. Make sure you vote – and when you do, vote for conservative leaders who will lower the cost of living and make us safer.