Education
I believe in the value of a free public education system, as all of our children need to be given the knowledge and skills necessary to become productive adult citizens. Our schools should be fully-funded every year per our state constitution, and the Democrat majority-rule at the state legislature has found ways to avoid this over the past four years.
Our schools need to set high academic standards for students and be fully transparent with families regarding curriculum, policies, safety, and financial matters. Parents should be ensured that they get value for their tax dollar whether that’s a regular neighborhood or charter school.
Colorado’s families are fortunate to have School Choice options; if every regular public school met every student’s needs, we wouldn’t have a need for private, charter, on-line, or home school options. Those options fill a need for some families, while our neighborhood schools must continue to be fully-funded every year and fully-staffed for the majority of our state’s school-aged children.
We need specific funding and emphasis on Career and Technical Education (CTE) as well as more innovation with partnerships to provide pipeline programs for students to go into skilled trades and pre-K-12 teaching, public safety, and medical fields.
Teachers AND parents must be brought to the table when discussing legislation that affects classroom instruction, and we need to support school districts with ensuring safety on campuses and in classrooms.
The Economy
Are you better off now than you were 4 years ago before single-party rule at the state house? Legislation should be focused on pocketbook issues affecting Colorado’s taxpayers and citizens.
Rising, sky-high property tax rates are affecting everyone from homeowners to renters to businesses, and something must be done to protect property owners from unmanageable raises in property tax rates.
Between inflation and taxation, Colorado families are getting pinched. We need to cut property taxes and the state income tax rate, and we must decrease regulations, taxes, and fees that are hurting small businesses.
I support bringing the state income tax rate down from 4.4% to 4%, making the Senior Property Tax Exemption portable, and adding eligibility for disabled veterans and Gold Star spouses.
The state of Colorado has been over-collecting taxes, which is why we’ve received TABOR refunds the past two years. Hardworking Colorado people should be able to keep that money in their pockets rather than letting the state collect it and gain interest while it sits in their coffers.
The Democrats’ relentless attacks on our agriculture and oil and gas industries have hurt our economy with overregulation, over-taxation, and the loss of jobs in those industries as they shut down or move production out of state. We need policies that recognize the value and necessity of agriculture and oil and gas to support our state’s economy.
Safety
U.S. News & World Report ranks Colorado as the 3rd most dangerous state. Democrats decriminalized possession of fentanyl and instituted cashless bail. Criminals have been repeatedly let loose to reoffend with no fear of any real consequences.
Democratic legislation has led our state to require leniency in prosecuting crimes that are deemed “less impactful” financially. If a theft is valued at less than $3,000.00, it is a misdemeanor. It shouldn’t matter what the value of the theft is, and any theft of any value is highly impactful, especially to those who have lower incomes. Theft in stores means higher prices for all of us, again impacting more those who have lower incomes.
Our legislature needs to review and revise statutes to favor victims rather than perpetrators and make consequences for breaking the law deterrents for repeat offenders.
We need legislation that prioritizes the safety and well-being of Colorado citizens and ensures safe and secure public schools.
We also need to ensure that 2nd Amendment rights to self-protection are not infringed.