OFFICIAL I70 BITCH THREAD....

Not surprised, TABOR wins again! Fuck it.

I70 in its current form is a great self limiting valve for the mountains anyway. I mean, we are basically already at capacity and don't have the needed businesses and infrastructure to handle more, more, more.

We always talk about ways to improve the I70 corridor, but is that what we really want? More people in the mountains? Even if you commute up I70, do you really want more people at your final destination? Just don't travel at peak times and it is just fine. Personally, if the Eisenhower tunnel collapsed tomorrow, I'd be just fine.

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Originally Posted by doebedoe

Rural repubs don't like taxes.

Northern Front Range is still pissy about the way the mass transit funding the paid for went down (i.e. no light rail to Boulder/Longmont/Broomfield).

And a bunch of people in Denver thought the measly 15% going to mass transit and alternative transit was inadequate.

We need money for transport but I'm not surprised it had a hard time getting through.

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Having two similar measures on the ballot didn't help either. It seemed like a lot of people voted for one and against the other, meaning that the people that supported funding transportation infrastructure was divided across two different measures, making it harder for either to pass.

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Originally Posted by shredgnar

We always talk about ways to improve the I70 corridor, but is that what we really want? More people in the mountains? Even if you commute up I70, do you really want more people at your final destination? Just don't travel at peak times and it is just fine. Personally, if the Eisenhower tunnel collapsed tomorrow, I'd be just fine.

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I want to leave the house at 7am on a Saturday and roll into the lot at 815am. That's my right! :rolleyes:

No government decision maker gives a shit about Eagle/Grand/Summit being "at capacity". In time, there will be investment in that corridor, and the hordes will keep coming.

My local transportation infrastructure bond passed. Adds a bike lane and an improved culvert...yay!

I think people struggle when the see these 9 figure transportation initiatives.

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Originally Posted by adrenalated

Having two similar measures on the ballot didn't help either. It seemed like a lot of people voted for one and against the other, meaning that the people that supported funding transportation infrastructure was divided across two different measures, making it harder for either to pass.

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This. I voted for both for this reason, although 110 was clearly the more responsible choice.

and fuck TABOR.

Coloradans also voted against school funding. And the tax would have only affected people making more than 150K a year by developing a tax bracket system similar to the way its done for federal taxes.

Although wealthy locales typically vote to fund schools, I feel badly for all the rural schools in solid red areas who are seriously struggling.

If you want nice things, you have to pay for them. Its not like the state can just start shitting money (and even if it could, TABOR would say it had to be returned to taxpayers).

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Originally Posted by adrenalated

Having two similar measures on the ballot didn't help either. It seemed like a lot of people voted for one and against the other, meaning that the people that supported funding transportation infrastructure was divided across two different measures, making it harder for either to pass.

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I’d say that is a good assessment.

The ignorant majority think that there is enough money in pot taxes to fix our schools and roads. They like the sheep that way, dumb and only likely to read the headline.

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Originally Posted by simple

The ignorant majority think that there is enough money in pot taxes to fix our schools and roads. They like the sheep that way, dumb and only likely to read the headline.

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This.

Our county passed a teacher-pay mill levy but defeated a bond issue for school capital projects. I think people are under the mistaken impression that weed taxes should pay for all school repair/improvements in the whole state.

:confused:

Well you are getting an additional quarter billion a year from it. Not exactly chump change and it isn't going to fix I70 but it is 1.25 mill or so a school district. That goes a long ways and was basically found money.

Its comparative drop in the bucket for a multi billion education budget, but looking down there from Idaho (and our shitty schools) it looks pretty nice.

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Originally Posted by AdironRider

<snip> it is 1.25 mill or so a school district. That goes a long ways and was basically found money.

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From a capital perspective in a large school district like the one I'm in, that does NOT go a long ways. Furthermore, the district that I'm in has received NO $$ from weed for capital construction...

Whatever man, I don't have a dog in the fight, but I don't know any school district in the country that would complain about 1.25 million. That's 20-25 teacher salaries.

I also doubt it is allocated evenly across all 180+ districts, but for found money it is still a pretty sweet deal. Just keep some perspective, a popular vote on any tax increase is a tough sell regardless of state or jurisdiction.

Now back to the roads. My last trip from Golden to Steamboat on a Sunday, traffic was moving slow for over 100+ miles returning to Denver. Holy fuck! I don't know how you fix that.

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Originally Posted by AdironRider

Whatever man

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CO is something like 16th in the nation in GDP per capita and in 40th in funding per pupil. And that doesn't capture the difference between wealthy districts and those with 4 day school weeks, no high speed internet, and a shortage of qualified teachers. TABOR basically guarantees that certain districts have nothing close to adequate funding. Weed money is irrelevant.

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Originally Posted by I've seen black diamonds!

CO is something like 16th in the nation in GDP per capita and in 40th in funding per pupil. And that doesn't capture the difference between wealthy districts and those with 4 day school weeks, no high speed internet, and a shortage of qualified teachers. TABOR basically guarantees that certain districts have nothing close to adequate funding. Weed money is irrelevant.

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46th in the nation was the last number I heard while meeting with CDE.

On the flip, Colorado does punch above their funding rankings weight class in test scores, which I believe are around 16th and 17th nationally for math and reading. Again, as an outsider, you guys aren't doing as bad as a lot of surrounding states.

Just blaming TABOR isn't the whole thing, elected officials make decisions also, but it isn't just funding.

I would put the money to schools over roads though if it came down to it.

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Originally Posted by AdironRider

On the flip, Colorado does punch above their funding rankings weight class in test scores, which I believe are around 16th and 17th nationally for math and reading. Again, as an outsider, you guys aren't doing as bad as a lot of surrounding states.

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Yeah - but a bunch of the schools are FALLING APART. And at this point, apparently we're just going to push the cart down the road and hope for the best?

Main issue in our county is there are a ton of fucking old, mad people who no longer have kids in school.

"Why should I pay more for schools? My kids aren't even *in* school any more." :mad:

ummm lets seee
if you you like taxes gtfo, I love this state I pay 3k a year in income taxes, what could be better, even though I think I'm still getting ripped off
tabor is great too, if people understood it, and politicians weren't such pussies and so concerned with getting re elected, it'd work like it's suppose too

and as far as the two ballot things, well both were misguided, no wonder they got shot down, more sales tax? BEfore you know it we're going to be paying a 12% sales tax
what is wrong with a gas tax, a regestration tax on electric hybred cars, higher severence taxes on oil and gas wells

all these clown ass politicians try to sugar coat things so they can get releected and be popular

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Originally Posted by skaredshtles

Yeah - but a bunch of the schools are FALLING APART. And at this point, apparently we're just going to push the cart down the road and hope for the best?

Main issue in our county is there are a ton of fucking old, mad people who no longer have kids in school.

"Why should I pay more for schools? My kids aren't even *in* school any more." :mad:

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I'd care more about test scores personally.

But that old man problem does suck. I'm dealing with it in my community also, only our test scores are terrible along with the funding.

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Originally Posted by AdironRider

I'd care more about test scores personally.

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I'm not discounting the importance of test scores... but when raw sewage backs up into the school... :nonono2:

The only education we should be talking about in this thread is educating mother fuckers to stay out of the left lane and use their damn turn signals. I don’t have kids and could not give less of a fuck about education.

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Originally Posted by skaredshtles

I'm not discounting the importance of test scores...

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I am. Standardized tests are good at predicting social class (note that CO's test score ranking alligns perfectly with it's GDP per capita ranking), and making money for testing corporations, and the shitty ed-tech companies that leech off the whole fucked up system. That's about it. If they weren't insanely profitable (and supported by huge lobbying $$$$$), and beneficial to rich (usually white) people, the tests wouldn't exist.

Anyway, back to bitching about traffic.

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Originally Posted by shredgnar

I don’t have kids and could not give less of a fuck about education.

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This right here is the fundamental flaw of TABOR. People are inherently selfish and will not vote for something that raises their own taxes unless it directly benefits themself. This is the reason we live in a representative democracy and why you don't see national ballot initiatives. If things got done in a direct democracy, everyone would be doing it. Sometimes the best decision is not the popular one.

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Originally Posted by skaredshtles

Main issue in our county is there are a ton of fucking old, mad people who no longer have kids in school.

"Why should I pay more for schools? My kids aren't even *in* school any more." :mad:

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Totally. And they’re artificially propped up with 20 different meds wondering why they didn’t plan for this long of a retirement. This shits gonna get worse.

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Originally Posted by Danno

I voted for 110 but I'm not surprised they both lost handily.

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I voted for 110, no on 109.


Edit: So, is pot $ only going to new construction? "Constructing" needed important punch lists of current schools is definitely needed if not complete overhauls.
Education prop "passed" 51-49% in Eagle Co. A few taxes and mill levies have been passing recently. When I first got here, it seemed everything got shot down.

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Originally Posted by skiracer88_00

This right here is the fundamental flaw of TABOR. People are inherently selfish and will not vote for something that raises their own taxes unless it directly benefits themself. This is the reason we live in a representative democracy and why you don't see national ballot initiatives. If things got done in a direct democracy, everyone would be doing it. Sometimes the best decision is not the popular one.

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Fuck I've been saying the exact same thing for years. It's sad, and TABOR is fucking stupid and terrible policy.

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Originally Posted by shredgnar

The only education we should be talking about in this thread is educating mother fuckers to stay out of the left lane and use their damn turn signals. I don’t have kids and could not give less of a fuck about education.

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Hahaha. Thank you for this.