This week, Colorado state representatives gathered at the capitol for an emergency effort to slash state property taxes by hundreds of millions of dollars, cutting government funding for public schools, health care, and other essential services.
This wasn’t a Republican-led endeavor: Colorado’s Democratic governor called the special session of the Democratic-controlled legislature. Nor was it a matter of out-of-control state taxes, as the state already boasts an extremely low property tax rate, and legislation passed this May further reduced taxes by $1.3 billion.
Instead, lawmakers say they were forced to cut property taxes further to keep measures introduced by a dark money group and a Colorado tycoon off of the November ballot. If enacted, these measures would lead to far deeper property tax cuts of more than $2 billion per year.
It’s a warning for the rest of the country: in effect, legislators were engaging in negotiations with shadowy groups trying to hijack the state’s ballot process, with the state itself being held hostage. Representatives of the dark money groups weren’t in attendance at the capitol — meaning that lawmakers were negotiating with political operatives they couldn’t see, and who are bankrolled by donors whom the law allows to hide their identity.
“I don’t trust the folks who wouldn’t even show their face in this room today,” said Rep. Leslie Herod (D-Denver) to other members of the House Appropriations Committee.
The Colorado special session hints at a new dark money tactic that could shape state politics across the country. With unlimited budgets and little accountability, billionaires and dark money groups can simply threaten to include measures through “citizen-led” ballot initiatives…
La suite est à lire sur: jacobin.com
Auteur: Helen Santoro
